Here are 5 simple but fun Christmas card ideas that children may wish to make. These festive activities can be completed independently or with the support of an adult and can be adapted by the child to meet their interests. They will also complement the following areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): Physical Development, Communication and Language, PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development), and Expressive Arts and Design.
1. Handprint Christmas Trees
How to make:
- Fold the card in half.
- Discuss the different ways of making a handprint on the card. Some children may like the feeling of painting their hand with a paintbrush, whilst others may use a sponge or dip their hand in some paint to create a tree-like shape. Will they use green to represent the needles or white to make it a snow-covered tree? Children will have their own ideas about how they want to represent this.
- Provide a range of materials and glue so that children can decorate their tree, such as sequins, cotton wool balls, glitter, string or in this case, pom poms.
- Finally, finish the card by adding a special tree topper.
What you need:
- Card
- Paint
- PVA Glue
- Pom Poms
- Something for the top of the tree (we decided to use a star)
2. Paper plate trees
How to make:
- Fold the card in half
- Assist the child whilst they are using safety scissors to cut the plate into three pieces (or, if you prefer, cut the pieces yourself).
- Have paint available so the child can explore a range of colours and paint the parts. Some children may use green to represent the traditional colour of a Christmas tree or some may choose to use their favourite colour. Any colour is okay, it makes the card individual and unique to the children.
- Encourage the child to spread some glue onto the card and place the three pieces of the plate onto the card.
- Provide a range of materials and glue so that children can decorate their tree with whatever they like, such as sequins, cotton wool balls, glitter, string and pom poms.
What you need:
- Paper plate
- Safety Scissors
- Green paint
- Card
- Glue
- Something to decorate (we decided to use Pom poms)
3. Tissue paper trees
How to make:
- Fold the card in half
- Assist the child whilst they use safety scissors to cut out a shape or, if you prefer, cut out a triangle shape for them and stick it onto the front of the card
- Assist the child whilst they cut the tissue paper into little pieces. They can make them as big or little as they like.
- The child can have fun and explore sprinkling and sticking the tissue paper pieces to the card. Some children might want to sprinkle the tissue paper pieces from higher up to watch them float and fall.
What you need:
- Card
- Tissue paper
- Glue
- Safety Scissors
4. Straw Christmas Tree Art
How to make:
- Fold the card in half
- Assist the child whilst they use safety scissors to cut out a shape or if you prefer, cut out a Christmas tree template yourself.
- Assist the child whilst they make snips into one end of the straw and then bend out to create a snowflake-typed shape.
- Have paint available for the child and now they can use the straw to dap into a variety of paint colours and have fun decorating how they want with a range of materials.
What you need:
- Straw
- Safety scissors
- Paint
- Card
- Glue
5. Fingerprint Christmas Tree
How to make:
- Fold the card in half
- Assist the child whilst they use safety scissors to cut out a shape which they can then stick to the front of the card.
- The child can have fun with a variety of paint to decorate the card, they may want to use their fingers and dab them in the paint and then onto the card. Encourage the child to talk about how the paint feels on their fingertips.
What you need:
- Safety Scissors
- Card
- Glue
- Paint
Have you made all your Christmas crafts yet? Don’t forget to tag us on social media using to showcase your favourite festive craft activities. We would love to see!
