There’s something so special about Christmas crafting as a family.
The festive music playing in the background, little pieces of paper scattered across the table, pom poms rolling onto the floor and everyone proudly showing off their creations — even when they don’t quite turn out how we imagined!
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Christmas can become such a busy time of year. Between buying presents, preparing food, decorating the home and attending festive events, it’s easy to become caught up in everything that needs to be done.
But sometimes, the simplest moments can create the loveliest memories.
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Sitting around the table together and making your own Christmas decorations is a wonderful way to slow down, get creative and enjoy some quality family time.
Whether you have younger kids, teenagers or grown-up family members joining in, these Christmas craft ideas can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
So, gather your paper, glue, pom poms and festive supplies, put on your favourite Christmas songs and enjoy these 15 Christmas craft activities for the family.
Why Make Christmas Crafts as a Family?
Christmas crafts aren’t just about what you create at the end.
It’s the time spent together while you’re making them that makes a craft project special.
Crafting gives children an opportunity to use their imagination while developing their creativity and practical skills. For adults, it can be a lovely excuse to slow down and do something different from our usual routines.
And there’s no pressure for everything to look perfect.
A slightly wonky Christmas tree or a Santa with his pom pom in the wrong place can become part of the memory!
Some of your handmade crafts can even become decorations that return year after year, reminding you of the Christmas when they were created.
What You’ll Need for Your Christmas Crafts
You don’t need a cupboard filled with expensive craft supplies to get started. Many easy Christmas crafts can be made using things you already have at home.
Depending on the Christmas craft you choose, you may want:
- Coloured paper and card
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue
- Paint and paintbrushes
- Pens, pencils and crayons
- Pom poms
- Pipe cleaners
- String, ribbon or yarn
- Lolly sticks
- Recycled cardboard
- Paper plates
- Googly eyes
- Stickers
- Buttons
- Tissue paper
You certainly don’t need everything on this list. Choose your favourite craft ideas first and then see what you already have tucked away at home.
Now, it’s time to start making!
15 Christmas Craft Activities For The Family
1. Paper Christmas Trees
Let’s begin with a simple Christmas tree craft.
Cut different-sized triangles from green paper or card and let everyone decorate their own Christmas trees.
You could add paper baubles, sequins, stickers, glitter or tiny pom poms before placing a star at the top of the tree.
Younger kids can keep their design simple, while older children and adults could create layered or folded paper Christmas trees.
Once finished, display them around the house or attach some string and turn them into homemade Christmas ornaments.
2. Pom Pom Christmas Decorations
Pom poms are perfect for festive crafting because there are so many things you can make with them.
Try creating a pom pom Christmas tree, Santa, snowman, reindeer or Christmas pudding.
You can glue individual pom poms onto cardboard templates or make larger fluffy decorations using yarn.
This is one of those easy Christmas craft ideas where everyone can create something completely different using the same basic materials.
3. Handmade Christmas Cards
Instead of buying all your cards this year, why not make a few together?
Give each person some blank card and allow them to create their own Christmas card design.
You could make:
- Fingerprint Christmas trees
- Paper snowmen
- Santa faces
- Reindeer
- Christmas presents
- Candy canes
- Festive wreaths
Write a heartfelt message inside before giving your handmade Christmas cards to grandparents, relatives, friends, teachers or neighbours.
Children may especially love seeing someone receive something they’ve created themselves.
4. DIY Christmas Ornaments
Homemade Christmas ornaments can become beautiful family keepsakes.
You could use salt dough, air-dry clay, cardboard, lolly sticks or even recycled materials.
Try making stars, Christmas trees, snowflakes, gingerbread people or simple circles that children can paint.
Don’t forget to add the year somewhere on your ornaments.
Years from now, you might unpack that little decoration and remember exactly when you made it.
5. Paper Plate Christmas Wreath
A Christmas wreath doesn’t have to be complicated.
Cut the centre from a paper plate to create your wreath shape, then decorate the remaining ring.
Green paint or tissue paper can create the leaves, while red pom poms make lovely little berries.
Finish your Christmas wreath with ribbon or a paper bow.
Once dry, hang it on a bedroom door, wall or somewhere else in your home as part of your Christmas decorations.
6. Pipe Cleaner Candy Canes
This is a wonderfully simple craft for little hands.
Take one red and one white pipe cleaner, twist them together and bend the top into the shape of a candy cane.
That’s it!
You can hang the finished candy canes from your Christmas tree, attach them to presents or use them as part of a festive garland.
For another craft idea, experiment with different colours and turn pipe cleaners into stars, Christmas trees or little wreaths.
7. Create a Family Advent Calendar
Making your own Advent calendar can become a lovely family tradition.
Create 24 little paper envelopes, bags or boxes and number them from 1 to 24.
Instead of filling every day with sweets, you could include small family activities such as:
“Watch a Christmas film.”
“Bake something together.”
“Go and see the Christmas lights.”
“Tell someone why you appreciate them.”
“Have hot chocolate together.”
“Make a Christmas decoration.”
This turns your DIY Christmas project into something the whole family can continue enjoying throughout December.
8. Lolly Stick Christmas Trees
A few lolly sticks can quickly become a little Christmas tree.
Arrange three sticks into a triangle and glue them together. Once dry, paint them green and start decorating.
Add pom poms as baubles, a paper star at the top and perhaps a small piece of brown card for the tree trunk.
Tie string or ribbon to the top and you’ve made another handmade ornament for the Christmas tree.
Simple crafts like this can be especially enjoyable for younger kids.
9. Santa Paper Plate Craft
Bring Santa into your Christmas craft afternoon with another paper plate activity.
Use the plate to create Santa’s face, then add a red paper hat, eyes and a fluffy white beard.
Cotton wool makes a brilliant Santa beard, although white tissue paper or pom poms work too.
Children can then draw Santa’s face and give him whatever expression they like.
You might end up with a very cheerful Santa — or a rather surprised one!
That’s all part of the fun.
10. Homemade Christmas Garland
Making your own garland is an easy way to create Christmas decorations together.
The traditional paper-chain version is always a lovely place to start. Cut strips of coloured paper and join each loop through the previous one.
You could alternate traditional festive colours or let everyone choose their favourites.
For something different, create a garland using paper stars, Christmas trees, dried orange slices or handmade decorations.
Once complete, hang your family creation across a wall, doorway or mantelpiece.
11. Recycled Cardboard Christmas Village
Before throwing away your delivery boxes, save some cardboard for a festive craft project.
Cut simple house shapes from the cardboard and let everyone design a building for your family Christmas village.
Paint on windows, doors, snow-covered roofs and Christmas lights.
You could create houses, shops, a church or even a tiny Santa’s workshop.
Arrange all the buildings together once they’re finished and you have a Christmas decoration created by the whole family.
12. Handprint Christmas Keepsakes
Children’s handprints don’t stay little forever, which is why handprint crafts can become such lovely keepsakes.
Trace your child’s hand onto coloured card and transform the shape into a reindeer, Christmas tree, angel or Santa.
Write their name and the year on the back.
You could also turn the finished design into a Christmas card for grandparents or another family member.
Sometimes the simplest craft idea becomes the one we treasure most.
13. Paper Snowflakes
Paper snowflakes are a classic winter and Christmas activity, and no two need to look exactly the same.
Fold a square piece of paper and carefully cut small shapes along the edges. Open it up to reveal your snowflake.
Children who are old enough to use scissors safely can experiment with their own patterns.
Stick the finished snowflakes onto windows or join several together to create a winter garland.
It’s an easy Christmas activity that requires very few materials.
14. Family Christmas Memory Ornaments
For this Christmas craft, make your ornament personal.
Ask each family member to write down one of their favourite memories from the year or something they’re grateful for.
Place the little notes inside clear fillable ornaments, if you have them, or create paper pockets that can be hung from the tree.
You could make this a yearly tradition.
Over time, your Christmas decorations will hold little reminders of family holidays, funny moments, achievements and everyday memories that meant something to you.
15. Family Christmas Craft Collage
For the final activity, bring everyone’s creativity together.
Use one large piece of card or paper and create a family Christmas collage.
Everyone can contribute something.
One person might make the Christmas tree, another can create Santa, someone else can add presents, snowflakes, stars or a festive wreath.
You could even include family photographs from throughout the year.
Write the year at the bottom and display your finished piece somewhere in your home.
Rather than everyone taking their own craft away, you’ll have one creation that represents the whole family.
Turn It Into a Christmas Craft Afternoon
You don’t need to complete all 15 Christmas crafts at once!
Choose two or three ideas your family would enjoy and make an afternoon of it.
Put some Christmas music on, prepare a few festive snacks and drinks, cover the table to protect it from paint and glue, and place your craft supplies where everyone can reach them.
Most importantly, try not to worry about perfection.
Children may put the decorations in completely unexpected places. Someone’s Christmas tree may lean to one side. There may be glue everywhere.
That’s okay.
The aim isn’t to create decorations worthy of a shop window.
It’s about being together.
Making Christmas Memories Together
One of the things I love about family activities is how something incredibly simple can turn into a memory.
We can spend so much of Christmas trying to make everything perfect — the decorations, presents, food and plans — that sometimes we forget to simply enjoy the people we’re doing it all for.
Making Christmas crafts as a family gives us an opportunity to slow down.
To talk, to laugh, to create and to be present with one another.
When you unpack those homemade ornaments next Christmas, you might not remember whether the house was perfectly tidy or whether every Christmas plan went exactly as expected.
But you may remember sitting around the table together, laughing as pom poms rolled across the floor and proudly hanging your homemade decorations on the tree.
Those little moments are part of what makes Christmas special.
So gather your paper, paint and craft supplies, choose your favourite Christmas craft idea, and enjoy creating something together.
It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be yours.
