8 DIY Holiday Crafts for Elementary Students

The holiday season is upon us once again. It is that time of the year when families begin starting to decorate their homes with elaborate Christmas displays.  Here are 8 DIY holiday crafts for elementary students to spread the holiday cheer.

DIY school projects are a great way to get the family excited about Christmas and not break the bank. Looking at stats from last year, the bank is a big concern for Americans.

8 DIY Holiday Crafts for Elementary Students – Our Ideas

Let’s spread holiday cheer this year in a responsible way. Here are eight of our favorite elementary x-mas crafts that will last for generations.

DIY Reindeer Antler Wood Slice Ornament

The most cherished ornaments placed on a Christmas tree are always homemade. Participating in a craft project of this nature is a surefire way to bring the holiday spirit into a student’s home.

The leading cause for this is having parents and their children working together on such a fun holiday activity. No question, great memories will be made and they will last forever because of the quality time spent in creating something special.

One of the more popular and simple Christmas craft projects is creating a wood slice ornament for your tree. Students will love the concept of transforming a piece of wood into an image of reindeer with antlers. But first, you must gather the supplies.

Supplies:

• Wood slices (available at most art & craft stores)
• Black paint
• Reindeer antler template
• X-acto knife
• Small hand drill

Steps to Make:

1. Place the reindeer antler template over the wood slice
2. Tape it down, so no movement takes place while tracing
3. Take the X-acto knife and make indents in the shape of the antlers onto the wood slice
4. Begin painting the image
5. use a thin paintbrush, so your strokes are more precise
6. Be patient while painting around the curved edges
7. Use a small hand drill to make a hole at the top of the wood slice
8. Place a holiday string through the hole and tie it with a loop
9. Hang your reindeer antler wood slice ornament on a branch of your Christmas tree

DIY Christmas Picture Frame

One of the more popular Christmas craft projects is making a picture frame. Let’s not kid ourselves, Christmas picture frames are the simplest DIY project to choose as they can be completed without much of a hitch.

The other reason is the end product is timeless and it allows the student to be creative throughout the entire process. Plus, it is a great way for parents to show off their favorite holiday pictures at family parties.

Often, the Christmas spirit will be enhanced by having the picture frame on full display.

Supplies:

• Wood
• Cardboard
• Picture frame molding
• Miter box with a handsaw
• 150-grit sandpaper
• Wood clamps
• Wood glue
• Heavy duty stapler
• Sawtooth picture hangers
• Small nails
• Hammer

Steps to Make:

1. Tighten the miter box to a sturdy tabletop
2. Place the wood into the clamps
3. Cut four pieces of wood to the same length
4. Cut the connecting corners at a 45-degree angle
5. Use the 150-grit sandpaper to smooth out the wood picture frame pieces
6. Glue the pieces together at each corner, then clamp them to dry
7. Use the heavy-duty stapler to stabilize the frame at the corners
8. Cut two pieces of molding to the width of the Christmas picture frame
9. Shape the molding like a twisting piece of candy
10. Paint the molding white
11. After the molding has dried, paint every other twist red to look like peppermint candy
12. Glue the “peppermint” molding to the front of the picture frame to add personality
13. Attach a sawtooth picture hanger onto the back of the Christmas picture frame
14. Hammer small nails into the frame to secure the picture hanger
15. Cut a piece of cardboard a bit smaller than the actual size of the Christmas picture frame
16. Glue the cardboard to the back of the Christmas picture frame
17. Staple the cardboard to the edge of the picture frame’s backend
18. Insert a piece of glass into the front of the Christmas picture frame
19. Slide the picture into your frame
20. Now, you’re ready to display your favorite holiday picture

DIY Holiday Mug

Another great Christmas craft DIY project is making a holiday mug for display or a present for a family member.

It might be fun to make “the holiday mug project” competition with the winner receiving hot chocolate packets in their mug. Suddenly a new holiday tradition has been developed with this annual event. Plus, it allows the students to show their creative side to their parents and classmates.

Invite the parents to come to the awards ceremony at school. Each child and their parents will enjoy every aspect of the Christmas crafts project as the process will provide conversation in the home right up to the night before Christmas.

Supplies:

• White coffee mug
• Permanent color markers
• Letter stickers
• Clear transparent tape
• Cotton
• Nail polish remover (helps take away all mistakes)

Steps to Make:

1. Position the letter stickers on the mug to create a word associated with Christmas
2. Keep the word simple like “Joy”
3. Secure the letters in place on the holiday mug
4. Draw shapes and objects around the word with the permanent color markers
5. Make sure all sides of the holiday mug are covered
6. All gaps need to be filled
7. Let the artwork dry, then peel off the sticker paper
8. The holiday mug’s word should be revealed
9. Remove all color bleeds with nail polish remover
10. Place the holiday mug in an oven
11. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to permanently secure the lettering and artwork onto the mug’s surface
12. Leave the holiday mug in oven to cool down
13. Your holiday mug is ready for display or to be gifted

DIY Plate for Santa’s Cookies

Making a holiday plate is the perfect Christmas crafts project to encourage students and their families to collaborate on together. The memories created will be cherished for years to come.

The project idea that most families choose is making a holiday plate for Santa’s cookies. It is a great family activity that keeps everyone in the Christmas spirit all throughout the holiday season. Thus, placing cookies on Santa’s plate becomes a cherished Christmas Eve tradition before everyone goes to bed.

Supplies:

• White plate
• Red gloss enamel paint
• Green gloss enamel paint
• Sponge brushes
• Different sizes of paintbrushes

Steps to Make:

1. Choose a heavy-duty white plate
2. Have the student paint a brief personal message to Santa on the center of the plate
3. Paint holiday images along the edges of the plate
4. Some parents choose to trace stencil images
5. After tracing, paint the inside of the stencil pattern
6. Dip a sponge brush into the red paint
7. Stamp dots all along the outer edge of the message
8. Place Santa’s Cookies Holiday Plate in the oven
9. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
10. Let the plate cool inside the oven to preserve the message, dots, and images
11. Wait three days before using Santa’s Cookies Holiday Plate

DIY Holiday Clock

Sometimes, the anticipation of Santa Claus coming to town can be a bit overwhelming for people of all ages. But at the same time, families love to partake in traditional holiday craft projects. And making a Christmas clock is the perfect choice for getting everyone ready for the holiday season.

It doesn’t hurt that the finished product offers some Christmas glam to the home. Let the fun begin!

Supplies:

• 13″ round plain clock
• Stuffed holiday friends (Santa, Rudolph, and an elf are very popular choices)
• Holiday-style fabric that matches your stuffed friends
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Needle and thread
• Fabric glue
• Ribbons

Steps to Make:

1. Place the clock on a flat surface
2. Decide how to display your stuffed holiday friends around the clock
3. Placement is important
4. Try angling each stuffed friend’s eyes at the clock
5. Make an incision on your stuffed friends to remove some of the stuffing
6. Use needle and thread to sew up any exposed areas
7. Secure your stuffed holiday friends in a place with the hot glue gun
8. Take the extra holiday-style fabric and create legs for each stuffed friend
9. Secure them in the back of the clock with the fabric glue
10. Use the ribbons to create a bow at the top of the clock
11. Hang the Christmas clock
12. Let the countdown begin for Santa’s arrival

DIY Holiday Magnets

Holiday magnets are one of the more useful products created from a Christmas crafts project. The idea is fun, simple, and easy to make.

Holiday magnets are a great resource inside the home as they hold a child’s report card on the kitchen’s refrigerator for all to see. From a creative standpoint, the artwork found on each magnet could be the first masterpiece of a student’s art career. Neither the child nor their parents will forget the collaboration on this Christmas crafts project.

Supplies:

• Bottle tops
• Glue
• Scissors
• Thin paint brushes
• Adhesive magnetic strips
• Paper
• Permanent color markers
• Sequins
• Glitter

Steps to Make:

1. Draw the outline of a bottle top on a piece of paper
2. Have your child create a colorful holiday image
3. Remind them the artwork must fit within the circle provided
4. Cut the holiday image to size
5. Gaps in the artwork can be covered with sequins or glitter
6. Glue the holiday image to the inside of the bottle top
7. Use a small paintbrush to apply the glue, so to avoid any possible smudging
8. Sprinkle some glitter around the edge of the bottle top
9. Shake off the excess and let the glitter settle
10. Turn the bottle top over
11. Cut a piece of adhesive magnetic strip to the size
12. Apply the strip with glue to the back of the bottle top
13. Place the holiday magnet on your refrigerator

DIY Christmas Stepping Stone

Often, families are looking to make an attractive homemade outdoor Christmas decoration together. The perfect addition to a yard’s landscape is a series of stepping stones.

They add charm and a little personality to a family’s property. Teachers can suggest the motif to be either traditional or modern, but the final product must be creative. Students are the obvious choice to create the perfect holiday decorative centerpiece. Who else could transform a piece of concrete into a work of art?

Christmas stepping stones will be a welcome guide to guests heading to your holiday gathering at home.

Supplies:

• Stepping stone mold
• Concrete mix
• Plastic bin for mixing the concrete
• Mixing spoon
• Ceramic holiday-style tiles
• Mosaic cutters
• Paper & pencil
• Clear contact paper
• Petroleum jelly
• Chicken wire
• Steel brush
• Tile sealer

Steps to Make:

1. At first, remind the students that they’re working in reverse
2. Have the students trace or draw a Christmas image on a piece of paper
3. Place the paper at the bottom of the stepping stone mold
4. Place a sheet of clear contact paper over the top of the Christmas image (sticky side up)
5. The image must be seen through the clear contact paper
6. Use mosaic cutters to trim ceramic holiday-style tiles into small pieces
7. Place the pieces into the holiday image (all tiles need to be face down)
8. Push the tiles until they stick to the clear contact paper
9. Try using the border of each tile as a frame for your holiday image
10. Spread petroleum jelly on the wall of the mold
11. This will make removing the mold a much easier process
12. Mix the concrete in the plastic bin until gaining a thick, consistent batter
13. Spoon the concrete mix into the mold
14. Don’t pour the concrete mix as it could displace the tiles or clear contact paper
15. Place the chicken wire into the wet concrete and push gently into place
16. Spoon more concrete mix into the mold until you have reached the top
17. Spread the concrete mix evenly
18. Let the concrete harden overnight
19. Gently flip the mold
20. Place the harden concrete face down on a flat surface
21. Remove the mold to show the Christmas stepping stone
22. Carefully remove the clear contact paper off the Christmas stepping stone
23. Use a steel brush to remove concrete off the holiday tiles
24. Wait 24 hours before waterproofing the Christmas stepping stone with a tile sealer
25. Place your Christmas stepping stone in the yard

DIY Christmas Wreath

One of the great Christmas craft projects that teachers can assign to their students as a home assignment is making a wreath with their parents.

Families love getting into the holiday spirit by making a Christmas wreath together as a group. The children can go outside and gather foliage and other outdoor items (flowers and dried leaves), while the parents can create the design of the wreath itself.

Together, each plays a major role in making the perfect holiday decoration that you can hang inside or outside your home. Teachers will be amazed by the photos of these brilliantly created Christmas wreaths.

Supplies:

• Wire hanger
• Floral paddle wire
• Floral pins
• Small wooden picks
• Wire cutters
• Scissors
• Moss
• Flowers
• Dried leaves
• Darland
• Hot glue gun
• Ribbon

Steps to Make:

1. Make room on a flat surface
2. Lay a wire hanger onto the flat surface
3. Begin to lay flowers onto the wire hanger base
4. Wrap the wire around the stems of the flower
5. Use scissors to evenly cut the stems
6. Overlap to hide the wire until you return to your original starting point
7. Attach formal picks to the stems of the gathered flowers for added support
8. It is best to use different clusters of foliage when creating a Christmas wreath
9. Insert small wooden picks to keep the dried leaves in place on the wire hanger
10. Fill in any holes on the Christmas wreath
11. Use small botanical fillers with floral pins until the Christmas wreath is completely filled
12. Wrap garland around the Christmas wreath base
13. Use floral pins on the back of the Christmas wreath to keep the garland in place
14. Wrap a ribbon around the top of the Christmas wreath
15. Secure the ribbon to the back with a hot glue gun
16. Hang your Christmas wreath for all to see

8 DIY Holiday Crafts for Elementary Students – Wrapping Up

This is just a sampling of the different types of Christmas craft projects you can tackle this year. As you can see, the finished item will deck the walls, trees, tables, or yards of a student’s home. Plus, the kids will learn a valuable lesson that you can create something out of nothing. What a wonderful holiday learning experience.

It is guaranteed to bring cheer from the parents. We hope you have fun overseeing a Christmas crafts project with your students. It will help them to enjoy every minute of the holiday season.