Handprint Christmas Tree

I'll admit, I have no "during the project" pictures for this one, because we did this while T was at work and I'm not Superwoman. Painting my toddler's hand and doing the handprints was job enough for me without trying to take a picture of it, too :)

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - green paint
     - paper bag or large construction paper
     - yellow paper or paint
     - baby hand (baby is optional)

There is a hard way and an easy way to do this. Let's say I learned the hard way. Set the paint and paper up and paint your toddler's dominant hand liberally. You want to make sure you have enough room to do three handprints across the bottom. Reapply paint as needed. Top the bottom row with 2 handprints in the middle row. Follow with one handprint on the top. Let dry and add a star (paint, paper, whatever you choose) and a tree trunk, if desired.

Paper Candy Canes

I have to be honest, I am so glad this 25 day challenge is almost over. It is really hard to find time to prepare, make, and clean up a craft and edit the pictures and write the blog every single day! But I shall persevere. Today we are making Paper candy canes.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 sheet construction paper
     - red paint
     - tape
     - gold glitter glue (optional)

You will need to cut out as many candy cane shapes as you want and tape them to a paper bag or scrap paper. Use the tape to block off stripes on the candy canes, so they will stay white. The un-taped parts will be red.

Set your toddler up with the page of candy canes and some red paint. Let them paint a thin layer of red, making sure to cover all the exposed paper. Let him or her experiment with different styles and techniques of painting. Half way through, Roo discovered the "dab" technique :)

Let dry for a few minutes and remove the tape very carefully, so you don't rip the paper. If your toddler wants to add a little gold streak to the candy canes, be my guest!

Red Christmas Tree

This craft uses a left over template from some Christmas gifts I made and leftover poms from several other crafts we have done. Roo loved that the tree wasn't green like it usually is. She finds it funny when things are silly colors.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 cardboard "tree" shape
     - red paint
     - tacky glue
     - a few poms

This craft is really plain and simple. Let your toddler paint the tree to their heart's content. Let dry for a few minutes.

Let your toddler decorate with poms and glue. Roo says "boop" with each pom she adds :)

Old Christmas Card Ornaments

Did you get so many Christmas cards this year but don't want to just toss them in the trash when the season is over? That's my problem too... Here is a great way to reuse them and turn them into seriously cute ornaments.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - old cards
     - large circle (bowl, lid, etc.) to trace around
     - glue
     - glitter
     - hole punch
     - string

You can choose the size of your ornaments by tracing any circle you can find, large or small. Cut out (or if you have an older kid, have them cut out) the circle, and punch a hole at the top. Draw many thin circles of glue around the outer edge. Let your child go to "Glitter Town" as we call it. Apply extra glitter to allow for some falling off along the way.

Let dry and thread the string through. You are done! I love these :)

Spaghetti Ornaments

This one is pretty unusual but my girl loved it!

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 cup cooked spaghetti
     - red and green paint
     - glue
     - waxed paper
     - glitter (optional)

Mix about 1 tsp paint and 1 tsp glue with half of the spaghetti, and do the same with the other color and other half of the spaghetti. Draw two circles on the waxed papers and have your toddler transfer the noodles to the 2 circles and arrange them however they want! If you want to add glitter, do so when the paint is still wet.

Let dry overnight or longer. Add a string through a strong part of the ornament and hang on the tree. Now, these aren't the most "attractive" ornaments we've made, but Roo sure had a ton of fun messing around in the noodles!

Finger Print Candy Canes

These are so cute and fairly easy. They make great gifts, too!

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - Scrap paper
     - red and white paint
     - baby finger (possibly the baby, as well)

Paint your child's index finger with red paint and have them press their fingerprint in the shape of a cane, leaving space between for the white prints. Wipe off the red paint and redo with white! I would plan on making extras in case your little one accidentally messes a few up, like mine did :)

 How cute are these?

Winter Sky

Another simple, quick, hands off craft.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - white paint
     - snowflake stamp
     - 1 sheet blue paper
     - silver glitter (optional)

No prep needed, just set your toddler up with some paint in a shallow dish and let your little one stamp, stamp, stamp. If they end up with globs of paint, that's good! Let them shake some glitter on there and it becomes even more magical!

Touch and Feel Winter Scene

I saw this on a blog a couple weeks ago and thought it was adorable. It actually went really well too, which I didn't think would be the case! This craft has many different textures to stimulate your toddler's curiosity.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 sheet cardstock or cardboard
     - 1 blue construction paper sheet
     - yellow and green paint
     - 1/4 cup rice
     - 5-6 cotton balls
     - glue

Before you begin, you need to color the rice with a few drops of green paint. Spread the rice out and let dry for about a half hour. Affix the construction paper to the cardstock or cardboard.

Now it is time for the fun! Apply the glue for the land and horizon. Tear the cotton balls into smaller, fluffier pieces and allow your toddler to cover the "ground" with them.

Paint the glue on in the shape of a tree using a q-tip. 2-3 trees should be enough. Allow your toddler to pat the rice onto the glue, the more the merrier! Shake off the excess.

And lastly, have your toddler paint a little circle of paper with yellow paint (or even, gold glitter glue if you want to be a little sparky) and, when dry, glue it to the sky section of the board.

There you have it!

Bubble Wrap Christmas Tree

This is a super cute, really easy craft. Also, you can adapt it for so many different Christmas themes (Santa, Wreath, etc.) and colors.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - Bubble Wrap
     - Paint and brush
     - construction paper or paper bag

Before you begin, cut out the shape of the Tree. Set your child up with the Bubble Wrap and paint and instruct them to cover the wrap with paint. Let them play around with this for a while, the more paint the better.

Place the Tree on top of the Bubble Wrap and press firmly. Your child can help rub the back of the Tree to transfer the paint. Gently remove the tree and let dry.

If you want, you can decorate the tree or add a cute star on the top like we did (ok, I did that part haha).

Handprint Wreath

This is a great little activity to track the size of your child's hand each year, but be ye warned- This is more work for the parent than for your child ;) But well worth it, I think.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - green paper (2 or 3 sheets)
     - tacky glue
     - small paper plate
     - red puff balls
     - red string (for bow)
   
Cut the middle out of the paper plate to form the base for the wreath. Trace your child's hand on the green paper. You will need about 10-12 hands cut out. Let your child paint glue on the paper plate and stick the hands to the plate to form the wreath. Let dry.

Now let your child decorate the wreath with glue and red poms, then add a bow at the bottom.

Again, let dry. You're done!