Creative Holiday Crafts To Do With Children Ages 6 and Up

Get creative with your children this holiday season!

The leaves have all fallen from the trees, and there is a cold nip in the air as the holidays are approaching. Now is the time to start coming up with creative holiday crafts to keep your children occupied during these chilly, rainy Pacific Northwest days.

1. Recount the past year.

A great activity for children, and one that helps create memories, is making a scrapbook reflecting on the past year. Look back at all the photos you’ve taken on your phone this year of the kids at their sports activities, school plays, church pageants, family get togethers, and family field trips and print out your favorites—you’ve been meaning to do it anyhow! 

Instead of getting each and every one of those photos framed, put them in a scrapbook instead! Pick different colored construction paper to paste the photos on, and experiment cutting the photos and paper backing into different shapes. Take the project one step further and jazz the pages up with glitter, ribbon, markers, or even moments from the places you’ve visited. Those brochures you’ve gotten from the museum are great pieces to cut up and add to your scrapbook. 

If you want to add more personality to the scrapbook, have each person take a photo from each event you want to highlight in your scrapbook and give their point of view about what happened. Each person can take a photo and write a memory down on the page—it can be fun to see what were the highlights of everyone’s day and what they remember and enjoyed the most!

2. Create your own holiday tree decorations.

If you’re looking for a holiday craft the entire family can enjoy, think about different holiday tree ornaments you can make. Some ornaments are as easy as cutting a tree shape out of a paint chip sample, to more advanced tree ornaments that involve tying ribbon and fabric strips on a stick to create the shape of a tree.

The options are limitless, thanks to the internet. You can focus on ornaments involving paper,  beads, or whatever else you have lying around! A quick search on Pinterest can turn up more ideas than you could ever think of.

Don’t forget to make ornaments using photos of your children! Those are the ones grandma and grandpa like the best!

3. Create a holiday time capsule.

You’ve heard of time capsules before—they are a great way to preserve memories from a certain time period. As a family, pick some items that best reflect the year you’ve had. Maybe it’s a family photo, a ticket stub from a favorite movie or ball game you attended, and add them all to your time capsule. Seal up the capsule and put it in the attic to be re-opened at a later date—maybe five or 10 years away. This can become a yearly tradition for your family to gather their favorite memories and enclose them in one place.

4. Assemble a holiday village.

Create the ideal holiday village with your family! Discover which materials make the best building. Try using popsicle sticks, cardboard, paper, tin cans, and other materials you can find around your home. Is your village set in the Colorado Rockies during the winter, full of holiday crafts for kids pine trees covered in snow? Or is your dream holiday destination something warmer that includes some sand, umbrellas, and bright sunshine? This activity can allow each family member to create their ideal environment, or everyone can join together to make one village that has it all.

5. Something for the birds.

Don’t forget about creating something for the birds this holiday season! There are a number of easy do-it-yourself birdseed ornaments to make. 

One option for bird lovers is to make bird seed into ornaments following a recipe like this. You can also spread peanut butter on a toilet paper roll tube, roll that in bird seed, and then hang it in a tree for your feathered friends to enjoy.

Have more than just birds in mind? Make an edible garland to hang in trees that incorporates berries, dried fruits, whole-grain cereal, popcorn, and other animal-friendly treats. More than just your feathered friends can enjoy this special treat—squirrels, rabbits, and deer love these treats as well!

6. Crafts make great gifts.

If your kids have fallen in love with being creative, don’t forget that homemade crafts can make the perfect gifts for friends and family this holiday season! Instead of using traditional wrapping paper, stamp or color designs on newspaper for an up-cycled look!

Happy holidays from Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry!

The team at Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry wants to wish you and your family a happy holiday season. We enjoy taking care of your smiles and hope to continue seeing you at least twice a year for your checkups! If you’re due for a checkup or want to discuss your smile makeover options, call our office or book an appointment today.