Christmas Cardinal Crafts for a Preschool

Make a cardinal Christmas tree ornament with your child.

Cardinal crafts make for nice Christmas decorations. The red bird is depicted in many holiday cards, decorations and ornaments. In addition, there is a Swedish legend which says that if you find a bird nesting in your Christmas tree, you will have a year of health, wealth and happiness. Test this theory out with a cardinal Christmas tree craft you can do with your preschool child.

Felt Ornament

Making a felt cardinal ornament is a great way for a preschooler to work on tracing, cutting and pasting skills. An adult will need to print off a cardinal template to use.

To make this craft you will need scissors; two pieces of red felt, approximately seven inches each; fabric glue; clear fishing line or thread of any kind; two small black beads or a black permanent marker; and a small fake sprig of holly which can be found at craft stores.

Using a template, allow the child to cut it out and trace it onto the felt pieces. If children's scissors are not effective, the adult may need to cut out the felt with adult scissors. Then your preschooler can put all the pieces together, using the glue to connect the two felt cut-outs with the fishing line or thread sandwiched in between. The beads become the eyes, and the holly sprig can be attached to the beak.

Pinecone Cardinal Craft

Pine cones are versatile for crafting. Before beginning this craft, gather a pine cone, red spray paint, red and black construction paper for the wings and beak, beads for eyes, and pipe cleaners for the legs.

Help your preschool child spray on the red paint and allow to dry before gluing on the other items to create the cardinal. To hang from a tree, glue a string that has been looped and tied in a knot.

Cardinal Collage

This craft can take on many forms. To complete this all you need is your child's imagination and a few basic crafting supplies. Assist your child by drawing a cardinal onto a piece of poster board. Then allow your child to add color and texture by tearing out small pieces of construction paper or magazine pages and gluing them on to the poster. Your child can create an entire winter scene with markers, glitter, stickers and other craft supplies you have on hand.

Feed the Birds Craft

In this craft, your child won't be making a cardinal, but they will be feeding them. Cardinals are one of the few birds that do not migrate south for the winter. Have your child glue a strong string or piece of fishing line onto the top of a large pine cone, spread peanut butter all over it and then roll the pine cone in bird seed. Hang the feeder outside on a tree branch and watch the real cardinals come to you!

References

• Family Fun: Flying Bird Ornaments

Resources

• Family Fun: Cardinal: Flying Bird Ornament