Things You'll Need:
- Scrap paper and cleanup supplies
- Old clothing
- Blank cards
- Rubber stamps and ink
- Glue
- Paintbrushes
- Glitter
- Clear plastic ornaments
- Confetti
- Paint
- Ribbon
- Pipe cleaners
- Pony beads
- Styrofoam trees
- Straight pins
- Buttons
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Step 1
Cover your worktable with scrap paper or plastic bags if the kids will be making crafts with paints and pens. Have them wear old clothing or your old t-shirts. Have baby wipes, paper towels and trash bags nearby for quick cleanups.
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Step 2
Create simple Christmas cards with blank cards, themed rubber stamps and washable ink. Once they've stamped an image onto the center of the card, use a paintbrush to apply glue to specific parts of the design and sprinkle with glitter.
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Step 3
Turn clear, plastic (not glass) ornaments into festive decorations. Fill them with red, green or white confetti and paint designs or Christmas-related words and symbols across the surface. Hang them with coordinating lengths of ribbon. (See Resources)
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Step 4
Design beaded shapes to hang from doorways, windows or the fireplace mantel. Allow kids to string pony beads onto pipe cleaners, twist the ends together, then bend the strand into holiday-related shapes like bells, stars, trees and ornaments.
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Step 5
Decorate button trees with older kids who can handle straight pins without hurting themselves. Give each child a Styrofoam tree, a bowl of buttons and short straight pins. Simply thread a button onto the pin, then push it into the tree. Repeat the process until the entire tree is covered.
