There is nothing quite as special as a handmade gift for the holidays. This is a project that I have made with my kids as a gift for their teachers and a project that I have made in the classroom with my students as a gift for their parents. No matter who is receiving them, these fun and festive DIY holiday ornaments are the highlight of our Christmas tree, year after year. No matter how old they are getting, they still love hanging them on the family tree. We try to make an activity out of it as we get our decorations up and count down the days until Christmas.
These darling ornaments are an easy but fun project for kids to make during the holiday season. They use a few of my favorite art mediums and therefore, offer the opportunity for endless creativity. When leading a kid-made project like this, I think it is very important to remind children that each festive ornament will be a little different; just like each of us looks a little different
Supplies and Materials:
- lil’ poster paint pods
- lil’ paint brush setÂ
- rainbow sparkle glitter glue
- the ink works markers
- wood slice (or inner lid from a mason jar)
- card stock or felt for hat
- twine for hanger
- glue
- ribbon or yarn for scarf.
Start by painting the surface of the wood slice white using the lil’ poster paint pods. Be sure to let it dry properly as this will be the base coat.
Next, you can glue on two buttons for eyes and paint an orange nose (carrot shaped or whatever the imagination dreams up…). While it is drying, cut out a snowman hat from card stock or felt and glue it to the wood slice, close to the top. The hats can be any shape really so this is a great time to encourage any extra creativity. Once the orange carrot nose is dry, add orange sparkle glitter glue to it. Â
Now add a mouth by dipping the non-brush end of a paintbrush in the black paint and dotting it onto the wood slice. After this has been added, it needs to stay flat to dry for several hours to dry.
Afterwards you can glue a piece of ribbon to create a fun scarf. Let snowman dry! Use black markers to sign the backs of the ornaments and be sure to add the year to the front for memories. When kids get older, they love to look back and their handwriting from when they were little.
Be sure to get creative with these festive DIY holiday ornaments. Depending on the age of the children making them, extra touches can be added to these ornaments such as painted designs, gems or other embellishments. The possibilities and designs are endless.
Laura Kelly is a doodle artist with a creative spirit. She spends her time making art and creating fun with her family and her Girl Scout troop. You can follow her blog at Me and My INKlings and find her on social media platforms @laurakellydesigns!
