Christmas crafting with the kids
Christmas time is coming and everywhere you look, you can see lights glistening and decorations shimmering in windows along the street. Now is the time to start filling your home with Christmas spirit and Christmas crafts are an easy way to give your house a personal touch. Crafts are always a fantastic way to get the whole family involved, especially the kids. To stock up on all the necessary craft supplies click here.
Christmas stockings – Christmas stockings can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes so it is a fun craft item to make as they all look completely individual. Christmas stockings can be brought out of the loft every year so they are a lovely way to celebrate and have as a keep sake as your children grow up. You could try to make a fabric stocking or use a template that has already been made then add your very own style to your design.
Christmas garlands and bunting – Garlands and bunting are a great way to add a bit of life and colour to your home this Christmas. For younger members of the family they can add drawings and words to fabric or paper garlands using a whole host of colour pens to share their ideas. Older children or teens could try forming their own garlands using folded paper to make individual stars.
Chocolate tree decorations - Tree decorations come in a huge variety of styles and you can make your very own to match the theme in your home. For those who have a sweet tooth create your own chocolate tree decorations and wrap them up with different coloured foils. For recipe ideas have a look at bbcgoodfood.com.
Glass baubles - If you are feeling more experimental then why not try making your very own Christmas baubles? Either buy some cheap plain baubles or use your old ones and get the kids to decorate them with glitter, sparkly sequins and draw on designs with gold or silver pens. Have a look at wikihow.com for more ideas.
Snow globe – We all hope that it will be a white Christmas but unfortunately we cannot guarantee that we will get one on the big day or even during the festive period. A snow globe is a simple, yet very effective craft that adds a little wintery flourish of snow no matter what is happening outside. You'll only need a few very simple items: a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, a plastic figurine, waterproof glue, water and the most important ingredient glitter. Let your child choose the character that is added, then glue it inside the lid. Make sure the glue dries before adding the water.
Christmas Day placemats – Brighten up your Christmas Day table by adding homemade paper placemats. Either add them for the kids to colour in as they sit during the meal or make them beforehand so they are ready for the big day. To make them extra special laminate them so you can use them over the whole festive period.