With Christmas still a week or so away, it’s a great time to make some homemade decorations and cards with your children to display around the house or gift to friends and family. You can’t beat a homemade decoration and here at ARTventurers West Leeds and ARTventurers Aire Valley, we’ve collated these fab ideas are easy to make with little ones of all ages under supervision, with things you will hopefully have around the house already!
Pom Pom Christmas tree
You will need:
Cover the plate in green paint and allow to dry. Cut a straight line from one edge to the centre point of the circle. Twist the plate into a cone shape and secure with tape. Glue your pom-poms all over.
You could add stickers or tissue paper rolled into balls.
Rudolph the reindeer
You will need:
Paint the roll with brown paint and allow to dry. Attach the googly eyes and pom pom nose with glue. Once dry, tie a piece of twine/ ribbon or string around the roll for a festive scarf. Lastly, twist a shorter length of a pipe cleaner around the end of the longer pipe cleaner about 1 cm from the end to make the antlers. Attach these to the inside of the roll with tape to secure.
Fork painted Christmas tree cards.
A favourite activity in our classes- and it’s effective but so simple!
All you will need is:
Fold your card. Using the fork, dip generously into the paint and apply in strokes creating a general Christmas tree shape. We used 2 shades of green for a bit of depth, but you will get a lovely effect with just one.
Dab a bit of brown paint for the tree trunk.
Once dry add stickers, or balled up tissue with glue.
Don’t forget to add a special Christmas message.
Santa Fox
You will need ‘fox’ coloured card – print a brown star shape onto white paper or paint it
This gorgeous fox is very easy to make and something just a little bit different to decorate your tree or house with.
Simply cut out a star shape for the fox head. Paint one top section red or stick red paper for his Santa hat. Apply glue to the top and bottom of the hat and stick on the fluffy cotton wool
Stick/paint 2 eyes in the centre
Apply white paint as shown on one of the ears and nose area
Cut out a roundish nose shape out of black card or paper or painted onto white, stick to the end of the pointed bottom part of the star.
Get a piece of ribbon or twine, simply fold in half – ensure it is long enough to create a loop to hang, tie a knot and fix to the reverse of the hat with tape or glue.
Ta Dah !
Santa snowglobe
You will need:
Paint or cut out a snow globe shape from blue card
Paint the bottom half a different colour
Apply white paint to a sponge or roller and apply to child’s hand and create a handprint on the snow globe. Fingerprint in white snow around.
Fingerprint paint 2 pink cheeks and a red nose. Allow to dry
Cut out a red shaped santa hat simple paint on. Add 2 eyes. Add some glue to the base and sprinkle glitter (allow to dry before shaking off).
In a container mix pva glue/shaving foam/white paint in equal parts, to create puffy paint then apply to Santa’s hat with fingers or brush. Apply the puffy paint to the bottom of the blue part of the snowglobe. The puffy paint may take a while to dry so keep flat.
Snowman Christmas card
You will need:
This is a really cheap and simple idea
Fold the card in two to create a card
Put some white paint on a plate, coat the top or base of the cups in white paint and press firmly on the card to create 2 different size circles for the head and body
Fingerprint some white snow. Fingerprint a red scarf. With a black pen draw some buttons, 2 eyes, a mouth and twig arms. Draw a carrot nose in orange
Allow to dry.
Repeat and send to friends and family to spread some festive cheer.
