It’s hard to believe that it’s almost December already. This year has gone by so quickly, and it feels like the holidays are going by even faster than usual. It’s like that saying, “the days are long but the years are short.” This certainly feels true with two young kiddos! In case you’re feeling the same way, here are some holiday craft ideas that you can still do this holiday season. Make sure you read to the end where you just might find a coupon code to get my Holiday Craft Templates for just $5!

Countdown Holiday Craft

Have you ever made a paper chain? Not only is it an easy project to make, but it also can be turned into a countdown craft. The basic premise is that you cut out a number of long rectangular pieces of paper, then loop one to create a circle. You can glue, tape, or staple it together to hold the shape. Loop the second one through the first, then the third through the second, and on and on until you create a chain the length you desire. You can use construction paper, colored paper, or printer paper that you color or decorate before cutting the rectangles.

This craft is fun for decorating your home or your Christmas tree, but it’s also great to use for countdowns. Choose an upcoming event, birthday, or holiday and count how many days until that date: that’s the number of loops you’ll need. It’s usually easier to write numbers on each paper before looping it and creating the chain. When it’s time to use the countdown chain, I find it better to remove the largest number first so you always know how many days are left.

Another variation would be to write the dates and remove each date as it passes instead (similar to an advent calendar where you open “1” on the first of the month). I’ve also seen people write things on the inside of the loops so that the countdown includes activities, such as “bake cookies” or “make a gingerbread house.” I include both numbered and unnumbered paper chains in my Holiday Craft Templates.

Paper Holiday Crafts

Sometimes, one of the best things to do is just grab paper, scissors, colored pencils (or crayons or markers), and a glue stick and get creative. Recently my daughter made a dolly out of paper that she was so proud of that she gave it to her cousin as an early Christmas present. You can have free play/ free crafting time where everyone gets to make whatever they want, or you can have guided crafting time where you provide a concept and everyone creates their own version.

I think this is an extra special activity because you’re doing it together. If you all make a Christmas tree, each one will be special and unique to the individual. Even if everyone follows a pattern or you each color a copy of the same coloring page, each one will still be unique. I include templates for a gratitude tree, cornucopia, Christmas trees, mistletoe, ornaments, and menorahs, as well as a New Year coloring page in my Holiday Craft Templates.

Crafts with Household Objects

There are a ton of crafts you can do with toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls as well as egg cartons. I’ve seen Santas, gnomes, and Christmas trees made using stacked egg cartons that are cut out, glued together, and painted. Last week my daughter and I made a Christmas tree by wrapping toilet paper rolls in green construction paper and then gluing them together. As our family uses more rolls, or my mom donates some she had saved for a craft, K will be able to grow her tree even taller. (Her goal is for it to be as tall as our full size Christmas tree 😆.)

I would definitely recommend searching Google or Pinterest for more craft ideas. You’d be surprised how many pictures you’ll find when you search for “paper towel holiday craft.” Just now I saw pictures that reminded me that you can cut down the toilet paper and paper towel rolls to use the rings for crafts too! The sky, or your imagination, is the limit when it comes to creating holiday crafts with everyday objects.

Just as with the paper ideas above, you can add in the rolls, full-sized or cut in a variety of ways, and offer them up for free crafting time. Your kids are probably young enough to have extra creativity flourishing within them. Let them come up with their own craft ideas, or give them a word of guidance (such as “manger” or “candle”) and see what they come up with. You’ll likely be surprised and amazing by their creations!

Holiday Craft Templates

Although you can easily do holiday crafts by gathering paper, crayons, scissors, glue, and a variety of everyday household items, sometimes it’s easier to create with guidance than to come up with ideas on demand. That’s where templates come in! When you use a craft template, you already know what you’re making so you get to save your creativity for the task at hand. When you do it as a family, even if the craft turns into something different and unexpected, as often happens with kids, you’ll all have a similar starting point so it’ll be fun to see where everyone ends up!

My Holiday Craft Templates include printable paper chains with and without numbers, three different leaf designs to make your own gratitude trees, a cornucopia with a variety of foods to fill it, and a menorah (or chanukiah) along with candles. There are also ornaments for coloring, a Christmas tree and mistletoe to cut out and make your own versions, a New Year coloring page, and a page to reflect on the year and make resolutions for the new year.

As noted earlier, as a bonus for reading through the end of this blog post, use the coupon code “halfpricetemplates” to get my Holiday Craft Templates for $5 through January 15, 2024.

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