The best Christmas crafts for kids ages 3 to 8 are the ones they can mostly do themselves: a slot-together 3D paper tree, six-point paper snowflakes, a reindeer antler headband, salt-painted snowflakes, yarn-wrapped trees and a handmade gift for someone they love. Pick a craft by age, print the templates, and the grown-up job shrinks to cutting a few slits.
Free printable Christmas Craft Templates for Kids Printable
Quick picks by age: ages 3 and 4 love the reindeer headband, salt painting and yarn-wrapped trees. Ages 5 and 6 can make the 3D tree, a paper bag reindeer and a painted flower pot as a gift. Ages 7 and 8 are ready for paper snowflakes, pop-up cards and scratch art. Start with our free Christmas craft templates for kids: a 3D tree, a snowflake guide, antlers and gift tags.
Save25 Christmas crafts for kids at a glance
| Craft | Best age | Time | Becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slot-together 3D paper tree | 5+ | 20 min | Table decoration |
| Six-point paper snowflakes | 6+ | 15 min | Window decoration |
| Reindeer antler headband | 3+ | 15 min | Something to wear |
| Paper bag reindeer puppet | 4+ | 20 min | Toy |
| Paper lantern | 6+ | 15 min | Decoration |
| Puffy paper plate snowman | 3+ | 20 min | Wall decoration |
| Pop-up Christmas card | 6+ | 25 min | Card |
| Woven paper placemat | 6+ | 25 min | Table setting |
| Crayon-resist watercolor snowflakes | 4+ | 15 min | Art or card |
| Salt-painted snowflakes | 4+ | 20 min + drying | Art |
| Q-tip snowy night painting | 4+ | 20 min | Art |
| Shaving cream marbled cards | 4+ | 20 min | Cards |
| DIY scratch art | 6+ | 30 min + drying | Art or card |
| Gift tags | 4+ | 15 min | Gift wrap |
| Craft-stick picture frame | 5+ | 20 min | Gift |
| Painted flower pot | 5+ | 20 min + drying | Gift |
| Hand-drawn bookmark | 5+ | 15 min | Gift |
| Family coupon book | 5+ | 20 min | Gift |
| Yarn-wrapped cardboard trees | 4+ | 20 min | Decoration |
| Cardboard tube nutcracker | 5+ | 25 min | Decoration |
| Coffee filter angels | 5+ | 15 min | Decoration |
| Milk-carton gingerbread house | 4+ | 30 min | Centerpiece |
| Sock snowman | 6+ | 20 min | Decoration or gift |
| Paper Santa and elf hats | 4+ | 15 min | Something to wear |
| Felt tree board for a little sibling | 6+ | 30 min | Gift |
Looking for ornaments? They have their own post: 20 DIY Christmas ornaments for kids, with kid-safe dough recipes.
Paper and card crafts
Paper crafts are the backbone of December: cheap, quick to clean up and easy to scale for one child or a whole class.
1. Slot-together 3D paper tree
Print the two trees from the template on green cardstock. Kids decorate both sides with markers, stickers or glitter glue, then cut them out. A grown-up cuts the slits: tree A from the bottom up to the middle, tree B from the top down. Slide B onto A and it stands on its own.
2. Six-point paper snowflakes
Fold a square of paper into a triangle, in half again, into thirds like a cone, then in half once more. Trim the top straight, copy a pattern from the template onto the narrow wedge and cut out the shapes. Unfold slowly. Tape a row of them to the window for an instant snowstorm.
3. Reindeer antler headband
Kids color the antlers from the template, cut them out (or a grown-up does for 3-year-olds), and glue them to a strip of paper sized to their head. Add a red pom-pom nose on a craft stick for photos, and you have an instant Christmas costume.
4. Paper bag reindeer puppet
Turn a brown lunch bag upside down so the flap is the face. Trace your child’s hands on brown paper for antlers, glue them behind the flap, then add paper eyes and a red circle nose. Put on a puppet show of “Rudolph” afterward.
5. Paper lantern
Fold a sheet of construction paper in half the long way and cut slits from the fold to 1 inch from the edge. Unfold, roll it into a tube and staple the ends, then add a paper strip handle. Bright red and green lanterns look great hung in a row.
Save6. Puffy paper plate snowman
Paint two paper plates white, or leave them plain. Staple a small plate above a big one, stuff a little tissue paper between the layers so it puffs out, then add a fabric-scrap scarf, paper buttons and a drawn face.
7. Pop-up Christmas card
Fold a card in half. On the fold, cut two short parallel slits, push the tab inside so it pops out, and glue a small drawn tree or snowman to the tab. Kids write the message, and the card stands up when it opens.
8. Woven paper placemat
Fold a red sheet in half and cut slits from the fold, stopping 1 inch from the edge. Unfold and weave green and white strips over and under. Laminate it or cover it with clear contact paper and it survives Christmas dinner.
Painting and art crafts
These give kids room to experiment. No two come out the same, which is exactly the point.
9. Crayon-resist watercolor snowflakes
Draw snowflakes with a white crayon on white paper, pressing hard. Then paint over the page with blue or purple watercolor and watch the snowflakes appear. Kids think it is magic every time.
10. Salt-painted snowflakes
Draw a snowflake in white glue on dark cardstock, cover it with table salt, and tap off the extra. Touch a paintbrush loaded with watercolor to the salt lines and the color spreads along them. Let it dry flat overnight.
11. Q-tip snowy night painting
Paint a simple scene on dark blue paper: a house, trees, a snowman. Then dot falling snow all over it with a cotton swab dipped in white paint. Great for the 4-year-olds who love to make dots.
12. Shaving cream marbled cards
Spread shaving cream on a tray, drip on a few drops of food coloring or liquid watercolor, and swirl with a craft stick. Press a card onto it, lift, and scrape off the foam with a ruler. The marbled pattern stays. Shaving cream is for big kids, not toddlers who still put things in their mouths.
13. DIY scratch art
Color a card all over with bright crayons, pressing hard. Paint over it with black acrylic paint mixed with a few drops of dish soap, and let it dry. Kids scratch Christmas designs into the black with a wooden skewer or a paper clip, and the colors show through.
SaveGifts kids can make for Christmas
Kids love giving something they made. These five are good enough that grandparents keep them.
14. Gift tags
Color and cut out the 10 To/From tags in the template, punch the circle and tie them on with ribbon or twine. Older kids can write the names themselves.
15. Craft-stick picture frame
Glue four craft sticks into a square, add a second layer for strength, and decorate with paint and stickers. Tape a school photo to the back and glue a magnet or a ribbon loop on top.
16. Painted flower pot
Paint a small terracotta pot with acrylic paint: stripes, dots, a handprint or the giver’s name. Seal it with a clear coat (a grown-up job). Fill it with a small plant or a bag of hot cocoa mix.
17. Hand-drawn bookmark
Cut a 2-by-7-inch strip of cardstock. Kids draw, color, add their name and the year, then a grown-up punches a hole and adds a tassel of yarn. Cover with clear tape so it lasts.
18. Family coupon book
Staple small cards into a booklet and let kids write or draw a coupon on each page: “one free hug,” “I set the table,” “a song just for you.” It costs nothing and gets used all year.
SaveChristmas decorations kids can make
These make the house look like the kids helped, because they did.
19. Yarn-wrapped cardboard trees
Cut triangles from a cereal box. Kids tape the end of green yarn to the back and wrap, wrap, wrap. Push a few buttons or beads under the yarn for ornaments (ages 4 and up), and glue a paper star on top.
20. Cardboard tube nutcracker
Paint a paper towel tube in sections: black hat, skin-tone face, red jacket, blue pants. Add a yarn beard, a paper belt and drawn buttons. Make a whole row for the mantel.
21. Coffee filter angels
Fold a coffee filter in half and pinch it in the middle for the dress. Fold a second filter into wings and glue it on the back, then add a wooden bead or paper circle for the head and a pipe cleaner halo.
22. Milk-carton gingerbread house
Rinse a small milk carton, then glue graham crackers to the sides with thick royal icing or a glue gun (a grown-up job). Kids “frost” the roof and press on candy. Check for food allergies in the group first, and treat it as decoration, not dessert.
Save23. Sock snowman
Fill a white sock with dry rice, tie a rubber band to make the head, and tie off the top. Add a scrap of fabric for a scarf, a cut-off sock cuff for a hat and drawn eyes. Rice is a choking hazard, so keep finished snowmen away from babies and toddlers.
24. Paper Santa and elf hats
Roll a half-circle of red or green paper into a cone that fits your child’s head and tape it. Glue a cotton strip around the rim and a pom-pom on the tip. Perfect for the Christmas morning photo.
25. Felt tree board for a little sibling
Big kids cut a large felt tree and glue it to a board, then cut felt ornaments, a star and presents. The toddler in the family gets to decorate the tree again and again. Keep the felt pieces bigger than a toddler’s mouth.
Christmas crafts for preschoolers (ages 3 to 5)
Preschool Christmas crafts work best when the child does every step that matters: painting, sticking, wrapping, pressing. Here is what to expect by age:
- 3-year-olds: reindeer headband (grown-up cuts), yarn-wrapped trees, puffy paper plate snowman, gift tags to color.
- 4-year-olds: salt-painted snowflakes, Q-tip snowy night, crayon-resist snowflakes, paper Santa hats, a milk-carton gingerbread house. These are also the best Christmas crafts for 4-year-olds in a classroom.
- 5-year-olds: the 3D tree with help on the slits, paper bag reindeer, painted flower pot and a family coupon book they can draw.
For children under 3, pick crafts without small parts from our Christmas crafts for toddlers.
A December craft plan
- First weekend: paper snowflakes and the 3D tree, so the house looks festive early.
- Second weekend: gifts that need drying time: the painted flower pot, craft-stick frames, scratch art.
- Third weekend: cards and tags (pop-up cards, marbled cards, gift tags) so they are ready to mail and wrap.
- Christmas week: quick crafts for antsy kids: antler headbands, Santa hats, the gingerbread house.
Pair it with our activity advent calendar and a craft becomes one of the daily activities.
Supplies worth having in December
- Cardstock and construction paper in red, green, white and brown
- Glue sticks, white glue and clear tape
- Child-safe scissors and a hole punch
- Washable paint, watercolors, crayons and markers
- Paper plates, lunch bags, paper towel tubes, cereal boxes
- Green and red yarn, cotton balls, craft sticks
Safety notes
- Little siblings: beads, buttons, pom-poms and rice are choking hazards for children under 3. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists small objects among common choking hazards, so craft with them at the table and pick up every piece.
- Grown-up jobs: cutting slits, the glue gun, sealing sprays and anything with a craft knife.
- Food crafts: check for allergies before graham-cracker houses, and remind kids which crafts are for looking, not eating.
Free Christmas craft templates for kids
The free Christmas craft templates for kids are a 5-page PDF:
- Page 1: what each template is for, plus cutting by age.
- Page 2: the slot-together 3D tree, with the slits marked in red.
- Page 3: a step-by-step paper snowflake guide with four cut patterns.
- Page 4: reindeer antlers and two headband strips.
- Page 5: 10 To/From gift tags to color.
SavePrint on US Letter paper, and use cardstock for the tree and antlers. Free for personal and classroom use, no email required.
More for the season: free Christmas coloring pages, Christmas activities for toddlers, and, if you are still in November, Thanksgiving crafts for kids.
Christmas crafts for kids FAQ
What are easy Christmas crafts for kids?
Reindeer antler headbands, yarn-wrapped cardboard trees, crayon-resist snowflakes and paper Santa hats. Each takes about 15 minutes and uses paper, glue and crayons you probably already have.
What Christmas crafts can preschoolers make?
Preschoolers can make salt-painted snowflakes, Q-tip snowy night pictures, yarn-wrapped trees, puffy paper plate snowmen and gift tags. Let them do the painting, sticking and wrapping while a grown-up handles tricky cutting.
What can kids make for Christmas gifts?
A craft-stick picture frame with a school photo, a painted flower pot, a hand-drawn bookmark or a family coupon book. Grandparents especially love anything with the child’s name and the year on it.
What are good Christmas crafts for a classroom?
Choose crafts with one or two steps that a whole group can do at once: crayon-resist snowflakes, the 3D paper tree with pre-cut slits, paper lanterns and gift tags. Print the templates ahead of time to save cutting.
How do you make paper snowflakes with six points?
Fold a square into a triangle, then in half, then into thirds like a cone, then in half once more. Trim the top, cut small shapes along the edges, and unfold. Our template has four patterns to copy.
What Christmas crafts are good for 4-year-olds?
Salt painting, Q-tip snowy night pictures, crayon-resist snowflakes, paper Santa hats and decorating a milk-carton gingerbread house. Four-year-olds like crafts with a surprise, like snowflakes appearing under watercolor.
