5 Eco-Friendly Christmas Crafts that Kids Can Make (Including Toddlers & Preschoolers!) 

December is in full steam and the countdown to Christmas is on! To celebrate the magic of the holidays and unlock your Little Daydreamer’s creativity, we’ve put together a list of five eco-friendly Christmas crafts that you can do together. 

Looking to involve your little one more? Prep all the materials beforehand, get ready to get messy, and let your little one have fun with it!

Mason Jar Snow Globe

Celebrate the magic of the season by making a snow globe out of a mason jar you have lying around at home. You can either use a figurine your little one already has at home for this craft. Or take a walk in the park, find a pinecone, let your Little Daydreamer’s imagination decide what they want the pinecone to be - a reindeer, a Christmas tree…the options are endless! (Adapted from: PBS Kids)

What You’ll Need

• Mason Jar 
• Figurine at home or a painted pinecone 
• Biodegradable glitter
• Water
• Hot glue gun
• Glycerin (optional but it’ll make the glitter float better) 

How to Do It

1. Ask your little one to find a figurine that they want to use or take a nature walk in the park and find a pinecone. Have fun with the pinecone! Paint it green and make a Christmas tree. You can add colourful “ornaments” at the ends of the pinecone to make it more fun! 
2. Take the lid and use hot glue to stick whatever figurine or pinecone ornament your little one chooses onto it. 
3. Get your little one to pour cold water to fill the jar. 
4. Add 1-2 teaspoons of glitter into the jar and stir. Note, the amount of glitter will depend on the size of your jar. 
5. If you’re using glycerin, add it here. 
6. Put glue around the inside edges of your mason jar lid and screw it onto the jar. This makes it secure and hard for your little one to unscrew it. 
7. That’s it! Show your little one how the snow globe works by gently shaking the jar or tipping it upside down. 

Egg Carton Santa

Next time you finish a carton of eggs, save the egg carton and create this holiday craft. This project is quick and fun - perfect for those days you want to stay in, cuddle with a cup of hot cocoa, and do an activity together. (Adapted from: The Best Kids Idea)

What You’ll Need

• 3 x egg carton cups
• Egg carton strips from the lid
• Non-toxic paint
• Red construction paper
• Cotton balls
• 2 x Black buttons for Santa’s top
• 2 x Googly eyes
• Red pompom
• White pompom

How to Do It

1. Take 2 egg carton cups and paint it red. Choose a paint colour for the face and paint the remaining egg carton cup with it.
2. To make Santa’s hat, cut the red construction paper into a circle. Then, cut a slit into the circle, fold it, and form a cone shaped hat. Glue the ends together. Now, take the cotton ball, spread it around the brim of the hat, and glue it. Now, take the white pompom and glue it at the top of the hat. 
3. Glue the hat to the top egg carton cup.  
4. Time to make Santa’s face. Glue the googly eyes, give him a red pompom nose, and a cotton ball beard.  
5. Take each black button and glue it to each of the red egg carton cups. 
6. Time to assemble! Use the strips you’ve cut from the egg carton lid, make a square with each one, and glue them as spacers between the egg carton cups. 
7. That’s it! Create more egg carton Christmas crafts like elves and a Christmas tree here. 

Christmas Tree Toilet Paper Ornament 

Another simple holiday craft that your little one will love doing. If you’re feeling up to it, let your little one finger paint the lights on their Christmas tree instead of just painting it and make this a keepsake ornament for years to come. (Adapted from: The Resourceful Mama)

What You’ll Need

• 5 Toilet paper rolls
• Non-toxic paint
• Twine 
• Hot glue gun

1. Take 3 of the toilet paper rolls and cut them so each is slightly shorter. Once you lay them down, the top of the tree should be the shortest piece. 
2. Take 1 toilet paper roll and cut it to make the stump. This should be the shortest piece of the tree. 
3. Take the remaining toilet paper roll and the first 3 pieces and paint them green. Use assorted paint colours to paint the lights. 
4. Paint the stump brown. 
5. Assemble the tree by using hot glue to attach the pieces. 
6. Cut the twine to your desired length and use glue to attach it to your tree. 
7. That’s it! Ask you little one where they’d like to hang their craft. 

Handprint Salt Dough Ornament

We know how fast little ones grow! Their squishy little hands are so precious and what a better way to remember how small they were by making a keepsake ornament like this one. This holiday craft takes a bit more prep work but we promise it’s well worth it at the end! (Adapted from: Mommy Moment)

What You’ll Need

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water
• Twine

1. Preheat the oven at 200°F. 
2. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Create a well in the middle of your salt/flour mixture. Add water. 
4. Knead the dough. Once it is smooth, shape it into the ball. (Note: If you want to add colour, add food colouring drops while you’re kneading the dough)
5. Roll the dough out on a flat surface. To create a circle ornament, take a large mason jar lid and cut it into a circle. You can use any shapes and your little one like! 
6. Choose if you want to do a handprint or footprint. Press your little one’s handprint or footprint into your ornament. 
7. Take a pen and create a tiny circle at the corner of your ornament. This is where you’ll be stringing the ornament. 
8. Bake your ornament until dry. Thin ornaments may take 45-60 minutes while thicker ones take 2-3 hours. 
9. Once dry, take the ornament out of the oven to cool down. 
10. Now, choose a paint colour. 
11. Allow the paint to dry and then add a piece of twine to hang the ornament up. 
12. That’s it! Remember, you can do this no matter how big or little your child is. 

Rudolph Handprint

This is a simple keepsake holiday craft that turns out to be oh-so-adorable at the end! Pair this holiday craft with reading the story of Rudolph with your little one for a little extra fun! (Adapted from Parenting) 

What You’ll Need

• 1 Sheet of cardstock paper (any size)
• 1 Googly eye 
• 1 Red pom-pom
• Non-toxic paint
• Hot glue gun

1. Choose which hand your little one will make their handprint with first. 
2. Then, take the first hand and make a handprint facing up on the right top corner of your paper. This will be Rudoph’s head. 
3. Take the second hand and make a handprint facing down. This will be Rudolph’s body. 
4. Take some black paint and paint Rudoph’s hooves and smile. 
5. Let your little one decide if they want to paint or decorate Rudolph in any other way.
6. Once the paint dries, hot glue Ruldoph’s eye and nose. 
7. That’s it! Now, you can decide where you and your Little Daydreamer would like to hang their artwork. 

A Time to Slow Down

The holiday season is a time to slow down and make new memories with our loved ones. And what a better way to do that than to create something like a craft together. Have you been inspired to do one of these crafts with your Little Daydreamer? Let us know in the comments below or tag us in your artwork on Instagram!