Handcrafted Holiday Memories
The holidays are for family.
Making homemade gifts and crafts for the holidays lets parents spend some quality time with their kids, encouraging their creativity and creating some sweet holiday memories.
Have a new baby?
Your postpartum doula can help take over the newborn care so you can devote a little time to your munchkins and relax while you get a little crafty.
Making some crafts takes a few names off your shopping list and gives some heartfelt mementos, awakening the spirit of the holidays. Your team of little artists can also make some homemade decorations and Christmas masterpieces to decorate your house or tree with an extra special & personalized touch.
Activities for Toddlers
Step one: Embrace the mess! Allowing kids get “messy” is a vital piece to growth and development so we encourage parents to embrace it! Paint and glue projects are ideal for little fingers to play and encourage your little one(s) to explore their creativity.
Foam Photo Frames
Local craft stores like Hobby Lobby have everything to get you started with some craft project for those littles in your life. Foam project sets and stickers replace the need for glues, paints and adhesives and come in all shapes and sizes. Michaels Craft Stores sells a photo frame foam sticker kit that your toddler can peel the backs off the stickers and go to town on a soft, recycled material that makes a cute colorful frame for a holiday family photo to give as gifts or party favors.
Pine Cone Trees
This one requires a little bit of mess to control, but if you keep your color options limited you’ll cut back on spills. Spend the afternoon looking for some perfect pine cones or purchase a bag of assorted sizes from the craft store. Using glitter glue pens, have your toddler decorate your little pine cones as fancy Christmas trees that really sparkly. The glitter glue dries quick and washes easily off tiny hands, a welcome alternative to paint. You can add sparkly pom poms and a star sticker on the very top for some finishing touches.
These crafts are the perfect way to wind your little ones down before nap time.
Activities for Advanced Artists
If you have some older kids, you might want to keep some holiday crafts handy for weekend family projects. Projects for older kids tend to create functional finished products and take a little longer to complete, perfect for a long afternoon at home. Throw on some Christmas movies and let’s get crafty!
Light Bulb Snowmen Ornaments
Have some burnt out incandescent bulbs lying around? Upside down they make great snowmen! Take some thin wire or string and wrap it around the metal of the light bulb, giving something to hang your ornament from the tree. Paint the glass part white, throw a dusting of white glitter over the drying paint and use a smaller brush for the features and the buttons on your snowman. Paint the metal a different color like a little hat and wrap a skinny piece of scrap fabric around his neck. Your kids will have an elegant light bulb snowman ornament to put on the tree and can be used every year. These are also a great way to upcycle a product and give the little ones a sustainability lesson.
Snow Globes
Take some old mason jars with secure lids and paint the lids in some festive colors. Using some waterproof figurines, secure them to the inside of the lid with some hot glue, creating the miniature scene that will fit inside your snow globe. Fill your glass jar with a hearty helping of glitter, 3 tablespoons of glycerin (which you can pick up at any pharmacy) to every cup of water you use. You’ll have to add a little more glycerin and play with the measurements if you have a larger jar. Then screw on your lid carefully and tight, leaving you with a beautiful custom snow globe with all of your kids’ favorite things. Storing them for the winter? Just dump out the liquid and refill it next year!
Turn up the holiday spirit and gather your family together for an afternoon of crafts and laughs.
Little ones grow up so fast and it’s always important to take the time to play, adventure and create together as a family. Crafting from a young age helps little ones develop cognitively and fine tune their motor skills.
You can also put a craft basket together for your baby sitter if you and your significant other are planning to have a date night around Austin. The sitter will thank you, and you’ll be able to come home to some adorable creations.