Christmas Crafts and Activities

The Christmas holidays are always much anticipated by children and teachers alike, however sometimes there is so much anticipation that the wait for Christmas seems interminable. When we were small, my mother used to wise up to this and kept us busy. Alongside helping to decorate the house, she used to encourage us to create our own decorations and that our bedroom was our domain, to be decorated how we wished!

This led to many happy hours upstairs with paper, tape, scissors and a wide assortment of colouring implements. The only things not allowed were paint and PVA glue (only in the kitchen) but we were allowed glue sticks! I will freely admit that I do not have the biggest attention span and can be very easily distracted and I have often wondered how my sisters and I spent so many hours creating. None of us was hugely artistic, though we did create with a lot of heart. I have come to the conclusion that it is because we had a purpose. We created a work area, had everything we needed to hand, put on a cassette tape of music and away we went. We would often play different make believe games together and I think that taking on the role of ‘decorators extraordinaire’ helped us to stay on task … as well as the determination to decorate every inch of our shared bedroom!

Below I have listed a number of activities that we have tried and tested. I have also spoken to my wonderful NCT group who have all come back with some of their personal favourites too! The list is long so it may be better to scan the bold headings for something that may be of interest, or save the list and come back to it when you need a moment of inspiration!

Remember you don’t need to be super mum, clever and crafty each moment of the day. As a teacher, I knew that I was good (with the lesson observations to prove it) but there was still no way I could teach an outstanding lesson every hour of the day.  Just as now, as a Mum, it is impossible for me to be clever and crafty all the time… or even a small amount of the time. But my children aren’t going to remember every hour of every day. They will remember the special moments and the ‘awe and wonder’ moments.  Such as when we made snow in the heat of Africa!

Paper chains – a classic activity this one and these are great for practising fine motor skills with bending the paper to meet the other end and applying a dab of glue in the right place. Older children can be extended to cutting their own strips and decorating them. Using tape to fix them rather than glue can add another complicated element. This has kept my full of beans 2 year old happy for 20 minutes and after the first few loops, he was able to do this completely independently. Kutlo at the Honeycomb Hub is our resident expert and is happy to give lessons to anyone who would like a bit of help.

Snowflakes – another great activity that look lovely stuck to the window. The idea is simple. Fold a piece of paper in half, half again and (depending on strength of cutting fingers) half again but into triangles this time. Then cut little pieces off the folded edges. This is one of those crafts that creates awe and wonder as you carefully unfold the paper to see what patterns emerge. Just like real snowflakes, each one is different. (My friend posted this article with close-up photographs of snow falling recently and it is amazing to look at. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/alexey-kljatov_n_4373888.html)

For older fans of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Frozen or Guardians of the Galaxy, the amazing Anthony Herrera has created snowflakes based on these themes which are incredible, though a little more complicated to cut out. http://www.anthonyherreradesigns.com/

A fantastic reindeer by Ethan,
Thank you for sharing it. 

Who knew your feet would
make such great snowmen Ben?
Thank you for sharing them.

Creating Christmas Cards: The older the children, the more independently creative they can be. But some of my favourites are those you create with foot and hand prints. Especially if you make the same cards each year and see how they and their foot has grown!

Christmas Lanterns – Decorate a piece of paper in any way you like, fold it in half lengthways with decorated side facing out, cut slits along the folded edge and then unfold and tape the short edges together to make a cylinder. Then cut a strip of paper to be the handle.

Thank you to the Jackson family
for sharing your lantern
with us - it looks great. 

Posting -My sons both loved posting things and what better opportunity than with Christmas cards and a slit in a box to be a makeshift post box. Posting is great for developing hand eye co-ordination and has so many twists on the theme: pompoms in a tube, straws in a box (a favourite at Mamas and Babas and good for developing that pincer grip between index finger and thumb) ribbons into an empty tissue box and, another favourite, pipe cleaners into a colander which does then, obviously, become a space helmet!! You can also pre-post the pipe cleaners in the colander and they can pull them out strengthening finger muscles. For those little ones who love posting, they are going to be thrilled with our new post boxes in Tiny Town which will be up for our January opening.

In England they have been having snow, and I really feel as though I’m missing out!  The last few years have been very sparse on the snow down South where I used to live. The last time there was a lot of snow was 2010… when my husband and I were spending half a year travelling and had made it to the beaches of Thailand when my Father was sending me pictures of him knee deep in snow! I am trying not to take it personally that I have to leave the country for it to snow!! Short of catching a flight home, which is the tempting though expensive option, creating our own snow play seemed like the only option!

Play with snow – not for the very small, this activity is for children who are past putting everything in their mouths.  All you need is one nappy and some water. Carefully cut open the base of the nappy and gently shake out the absorbent powder crystals. Slowly add water and watch as the powder absorbs it turning into ‘snow’. I suggest putting it in a deep tray to contain it as much as possible first and then let them play! For an even more realistic version, simply put it in the fridge for half an hour first.

Snowball fight – Use cotton wool balls or scrunched up balls of scrap paper and let rip! Great for developing those arm muscles. To really improve the gross motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination create a target to aim for and watch how they improve as they get their eye in. You could use a box (covered in wrapping paper for the present look) or cut shapes into a piece of card such as through the snowman’s mouth or holes in the Christmas Tree. (At Rugbees we took this to the extreme and made a tunnel for the children to run through while the parents took aim with the foam balls…. Of course it was only fair to turn the tables and let the children have a go at aiming also! A great game for both developing throwing skills as well as developing our running and dodging skills.)

Ice Excavation – fill a small box with water and drop in a couple of objects such as toy dinosaurs (our favourite) coins or cars and then place the box in the freezer. (For the very organised you can add the water in layers and add an object with each layer so they are frozen at different levels!) Then present this with some water either in a jug, with a dropper or in a spray bottle, and some salt. A great way to see how salt and water affect ice. For the really brave, you could also add in a hammer or other tools but I would suggest some sort of eye covering here. Not quite as much science going on this way but an awful lot of fun!!

Create your own wrapping paper – Get some plain strips of paper – brown paper is awesome for this and they sell it by the meter on a huge roll at Sismo. Then get creative! Great fine motor skills can be refined by using stickers, stampers and pens. Awesome effects can be made by using unusual painting implements. Squirt paint directly onto the paper and use scrapers to move it around or alternatively put paint into a dish and use sponges, string, potato mashers, cookie cutters or whatever you can find to transfer the paint to the paper. I can guarantee it will be the favourite wrapping paper under the tree and loved by all who receive presents wrapped in it. 

Toy sort – A good friend of ours always has a sort through the toys with her children at this time of year. They each need to choose some things they no longer play with or have grown out of to give away. Not only does this make room for any new toys they may receive but it reminds that there are those less fortunate than us and of the importance of giving.

Fill a shoebox – We are supporting OT for Kids as they run their ‘Love in a Box’ campaign again this year. Simply wrap a shoebox in Christmas paper, choose an age of child to fill it for and choose relevant items. This activity is a great end point for creating your own wrapping paper, making your own cards and the toy sort. We are also a collection point for these boxes which will be taken to an orphanage in Tlokweng, though they must be brought in by 20th December.

Baking – This is one of the most festive past times as the house is filled with nostalgic scents. My husband's Aunt, the amazing Janice, had many German friends and I can remember visiting her one Christmas after they had been to visit and had brought the most amazing box of home-made biscuits. Each year they would spend a weekend baking and would try out a new recipe, however because everyone had favourites in the old recipes they ended up using them all. And being very savvy in their preparation to make sure that those that used just egg whites paired up with those that just used yolks! Baking is also a maths teacher’s favourite activity as there is such a combination of measuring skills embedded within it. My favourite biscuits to make with the boys are sugar biscuits cut out with different cutters and then decorated. However, if the baking seems a bit much, just open a packet of plain biscuits, make some coloured icing and away they go!

This recipe comes from the McDougalls cookbook. My Father
had a copy when he was young (and still has it)  and then we saved up tokens from the
back of flour packets so we could each get one too! I ought to think about
organising ones for my boys soon!!

Play dough – the most versatile of all activities and probably my favourite everyday play activity if I need a few minutes without interruption while I am getting tea. Rather than put on the television, set up an invitation to play with some playdough. This time of year it is great to scent it with ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon and set out some Christmas cutters, decorations or some glitter and sequins. I have tested out a wide range of play dough recipes over the years but I always come back to Anna’s recipe from her site ‘The Imagination Tree’. It is no cook, quick and is the softest, smoothest play dough you can make. Her site should be on everyone’s favourites list and you will never be short of an idea again. https://theimaginationtree.com/category/create/playdoughcreate/ 

Playdough makes a great centre piece for a children's table
-I had cloves and dried beans in pots for the children to add
to this apple and cinnamon scented playdough

Gao making oobleck for our
 0-5's Playgroup at The
Honeycomb Hub

Oobleck  - ( or gloop or whatever your name for it)  I can remember first being introduced to this in one of my science classes at university when studying to become a teacher and oh my goodness, I loved it … and I was 20! The fact that it could have the properties of a solid when put under pressure and then a liquid when just allowed to rest astounded me (and I was a science major) – and it was great to play with. When that memory has stayed with you for over a decade you know it is a good experience! My top tip for this is to add the water gradually to the cornflour (those are the only ingredients unless you add colouring, scent or glitter) and experiment with different consistencies as to whether you want to draw in it or use it to strengthen little muscles of children who will enjoy the change in consistency as they squeeze it.

Loose parts – There are no rules to loose parts play simply let the children imagine by exploring different objects, textures and materials, though as it is the season it is fun to give them a Christmassy twist. In a box place tinsel and baubles and let them explore. For the slightly older toddlers, grab a few sticks in a pot for them to wind decorations round as a miniature Christmas tree. Other great items for general loose parts play are cupcake cases, dry pulses (though may not be suitable for under 3’s) stones, sticks (a very good teacher friend of mine, also known to me as my Literacy Guru, believes almost any maths can be taught with just some sticks, I shall have to speak to her about a guest blog!!) empty pots, unusual implements from the kitchen, ribbons, scraps of fabrics, curtain rings, feathers, shells, drinking straws, sand… the list is endless and so is the imaginative play that will come from it. The real bonus here? It is amazing learning through play going on with relatively little effort on your part. You can join in their play if invited…. Or you can take a few moments, kick back and relax while watching the excellent play from the opportunity you have provided #Mum win # supermum # smug parent!!

A treasure box filled with kitchen implements.
1 minute preparation,
20 minutes independent play!

Treasure Boxes  - a great extension to loose parts play. Present a treasure box filled with interesting things which you can always group by theme such as colour. For example, for a silver box I went round the house and found anything silver: strips of foil, spoons, whisks, measurers, serviette rings, some glittery fabric, ribbons from presents, wrapping paper etc. and the boys really enjoyed exploring each item. Another great twist on this is to push the objects into an empty tissue box. Logic, hand eye co-ordination and motor skills all will come to the front as they try to retrieve the items through the small gap.

Thank you Dylan for sharing
 your brilliant artwork. 

Christmas Jumper - Draw a jumper outline on a piece of paper (basically a T with a bit of a scoop where the neck should be) and let the children design their own jumper. Use stickers, paint, crayons, glue on scraps of paper, buttons or ribbons, use finger prints, hand prints and glitter glue. And for those feeling really brave, grab an old, plain T-shirt and let the children loose with fabric pens! 

Blue Peter has a lot to answer for in England. A lovely children’s television show which we avidly watched that would frequently have a craft section. We made Tracey Island by following Anthea Turner’s instructions and last year Big One also made Tracey Island with his Aunt following the very same instructions 20 years on! Blue Peter is the reason that many children wait impatiently for parents to use up the washing liquid so they have the much needed bottle required for seemingly so many projects. However, it is also the reasons that every Christmas I would need 2 wire coat hangers, to make my Christmas decoration.

  Christmas… hanging…coat hanger ornament thing – (I’m sure Blue Peter had a much better name for it) Quite simply it entails taking 2 wire coat hangers and whatever green plants you have growing in the garden that have a chance of lasting out of water. In England this was mainly Holly, Ivy and the odd bit of Fir tree. Attach the hangers together and then attach said greenery to it by whatever means necessary, usually a combination of wire and string. I would lovingly create this each year from the age of around 7, and my parents would nobly hang it up at the bottom of the stairs for all to admire – parents really are quite wonderful aren’t they? My parents never knocked my lovingly created decoration that probably looked like… well, a hanger with greenery tied to it. And yet even now, I can remember the feeling of pride and accomplishment I had when I had finished and it was displayed for all to see. I am so glad my parents never laughed at my meagre efforts and that they celebrated the things we did (and still do!). That isn’t to say they accepted every offering but when they knew we had put a lot of effort into something, they let us know how proud they were of us and it is one of the things that has stayed with me. Even to this day, if I look inside my Father’s wardrobe there still hang pictures his 3 daughters made for him all those years ago, though just occasionally we do debate who actually made each picture and whether one or other of us has more on display!

Happy crafting and I hope that just one or two of these activities may not only be of use but may actually buy you a few minutes peace!

A huge thank you to Rachel Bell, Heena Bheda, Anna Crail, Julie Fox, Nina Harrison, Joon Higgins and Donna Jackson, and for your help and ideas. These 7 are a group of ladies I met when first pregnant and, though we now span 3 continents, are still the best of friends and my go-to network for support, advice and to share a hilarious mothering moment or two!