The holidays bring magic to every home, but for preschoolers, it’s pure wonder. Tiny hands eager to create, minds full of imagination, and hearts bursting with excitement.
Christmas crafts offer the perfect chance to channel all that energy into something beautiful.
Parents and teachers know the challenge. Finding activities that are simple enough for little ones yet engaging enough to hold their attention.
This collection brings together Christmas crafts explicitly designed for preschoolers. Easy instructions. Quick completion times. Big on fun. Let’s turn this season into a creative celebration kids will remember.
Skill-Building Benefits of Preschool Christmas Crafts
Christmas crafts do more than keep little hands busy. They build essential skills that support learning and development. Here’s how these festive projects help preschoolers grow.
- Strengthens fine motor skills through cutting, gluing, and decorating activities
- Boosts creativity and self-expression as children make unique artistic choices
- Develops focus and patience while completing multi-step craft projects
- Encourages color recognition and understanding of patterns and shapes
- Builds confidence when kids proudly display their finished creations
List of Christmas Crafts for Preschool Kids
From paper plate Santas to popsicle stick reindeer, this collection covers every Christmas theme imaginable. Each craft is designed with preschoolers in mind.
Classic Paper & Plate Crafts
Preschoolers enjoy approachable Christmas craft projects using simple paper shapes, plates, cups, and glue. These familiar tools build confidence while encouraging creativity, layering, and fine motor development through colorful activities.
1. Paper Plate Santa
Children paint a paper plate for Santa’s face, glue cotton balls for a fluffy beard, and add paper shapes for the hat and details.
Googly eyes and a pom-pom nose complete this cheerful craft, giving preschoolers practice with gluing, arranging, and building confidence through simple, engaging steps.
2. Handprint Christmas Tree
Kids trace hands on green paper, cut them out, and glue the pieces into a layered tree shape.
They add stickers, stars, and paper ornaments for decoration. This sentimental project celebrates creativity and fine motor growth while producing a treasured keepsake featuring their unique hand sizes arranged in a festive design.
3. Cotton Ball Snowman
Children fill a snowman outline with cotton balls, creating a soft-textured figure. They add paper hats, scarves, buttons, and facial features to personalize each snowman.
This hands-on craft strengthens coordination, encourages shape recognition, and brings winter charm to preschool learning through approachable, sensory-friendly materials that inspire joyful participation.
4. Paper Strip Christmas Tree
Kids glue green paper strips from longest to shortest to form a triangular tree. They decorate with sequins, stickers, and a star at the top.
This project strengthens sequencing skills, visual organization, and creativity while keeping instructions simple and achievable, offering meaningful practice with arranging lengths and building artistic confidence.
5. Paper Chain Garland
Children loop colorful paper strips and glue them to create a chain. Alternating colors or patterns adds variety.
This craft introduces patterning, fine motor coordination, and teamwork when done collaboratively, producing a festive decoration that helps preschoolers enjoy contributing to the classroom environment through repetitive, confidence-building crafting steps.
6. Paper Plate Wreath
Kids paint a paper plate green, cut out the center with help, and glue tissue pieces, stickers, or pom-poms around the ring. Adding a bow completes the wreath.
This craft builds dexterity, teaches circular composition, and encourages creativity while producing a charming decoration for families to enjoy during the holiday season.
7. Paper Snowflakes
Children fold paper and snip shapes along the edges to reveal snowflake patterns. They can decorate with crayons or glitter for extra sparkle.
This craft introduces symmetry, precision cutting, and surprise-based creativity as preschoolers open each snowflake to discover unique designs, reinforcing confidence through satisfying visual results.
8. Torn Paper Christmas Tree
Kids tear green paper into pieces and glue them into a tree shape. Adding colored scraps as ornaments enhances creativity.
This tactile craft supports hand strength, sensory exploration, and flexible design choices, helping children gain comfort with tearing and arranging materials while creating a festive collage that feels personal and expressive.
9. Paper Stocking Decoration
Children decorate paper stocking cutouts with markers, cotton, stickers, or sequins. They personalize the top band with their names.
This craft supports creativity, introduces seasonal symbolism, and encourages self-expression, giving preschoolers a meaningful way to participate in holiday traditions through straightforward design steps that produce colorful, cheerful results.
10. Gingerbread House Coloring Craft
Kids receive gingerbread house outlines to color and embellish using stickers, crayons, or tissue “candy” pieces. Cotton can be added for snowy roofs.
This low-mess craft encourages imagination, storytelling, and design choices, allowing each child to create a unique holiday house that reflects personal preferences and growing artistic confidence.
11. Paper Gingerbread People
Children decorate brown paper gingerbread shapes using markers, buttons, fabric scraps, and paper cutouts. They design clothing, expressions, and accessories, fostering imaginative thinking and personal storytelling.
This approachable craft strengthens fine motor skills, supports identity exploration, and introduces holiday themes through cheerful character-building activities that preschoolers enjoy.
12. Paper Plate Christmas Tree
Kids fold or cut a paper plate into a cone or triangle tree shape, paint it green, and decorate with pom-poms, sequins, or stickers. Adding a star completes the design.
This 3D project encourages creativity, builds coordination, and offers an engaging introduction to dimensional crafting techniques.
13. Santa Paper Plate Mask
Children transform a paper plate into a Santa mask by adding eye holes, cotton beard pieces, and a paper hat.
An elastic band allows for wearing. This playful craft fosters imagination, encourages pretend play, and strengthens fine motor skills while letting preschoolers become part of their holiday creativity.
14. Reindeer Paper Plate Mask
Kids create a reindeer mask using a paper plate, adding handprint antlers, eyes, and a nose. This encourages expressive decoration and pretend play.
The craft supports motor development, character-building, and confidence, giving children a chance to bring festive imagination into interactive storytelling moments.
15. Paper Cup Angels
Children turn cups upside down to form angel bodies, adding paper wings, heads, halos, and decorations.
This craft introduces assembling separate shapes into a figure, encouraging symbolic understanding and creative expression while giving preschoolers a simple sculptural project that feels purposeful and meaningful during holiday celebrations.
16. Paper Cup Snowmen
Kids decorate paper cups as snowmen using markers, paper hats, scarves, buttons, and googly eyes. Stacking two cups creates a taller figure.
This easy craft encourages imagination, supports shape recognition, and gives children gentle practice arranging details while celebrating winter themes in a hands-on, cheerful way.
17. Christmas Tree Dot Marker Craft
Children use dot markers to add colorful circles to a tree outline, creating ornaments and decorations.
This craft strengthens grip, spacing awareness, and pattern recognition.
It encourages expressive design while offering a low-mess, enjoyable process that suits young learners and supports emerging coordination with simple, satisfying results.
18. Santa Beard Cutting Activity
Kids receive a Santa face with long paper strips for a beard and practice snipping along them. This improves scissor control and builds confidence.
The activity stays playful and encourages independence, letting preschoolers enjoy measurable progress while contributing to a festive visual craft.
19. Tissue Paper Wreath
Children crumple tissue paper squares and glue them around a wreath outline or cut a ring.
Adding a bow completes the decoration. This tactile activity builds hand strength, improves placement skills, and encourages creativity while producing a bright, textured craft suitable for displaying at home or school.
20. Christmas Tree Collage
Kids assemble various green paper shapes into a tree on a background page, adding ornaments from sequins, pom-poms, or stickers.
This collage fosters creativity, promotes decision-making, and helps children explore layering and arrangement, resulting in a unique, expressive tree that reflects individual artistic choices.
21. Christmas Sticker Scenes
Children create holiday scenes using themed stickers placed on background pages. They position characters, trees, and decorations, supporting storytelling and design choices.
This mess-free craft strengthens planning skills, spatial placement, and creativity while allowing preschoolers to build imaginative holiday moments easily and confidently.
22. Snowflake Resist Art
Kids draw snowflakes with white crayon; then watercolor reveals hidden shapes as paint glides over the wax. This magical effect excites curiosity while encouraging exploration of art techniques.
The craft supports fine motor skill development and visual discovery, producing winter artwork with surprising, delightful textures.
23. Christmas Ribbon Tree Craft
Children glue ribbon strips in decreasing lengths to form a tree shape.
Adding a trunk and a star completes the design. This simple craft teaches size comparison, sequencing, and visual arrangement while offering tactile exploration and festive creativity using colorful ribbon textures.
24. Christmas Tree Lacing Cards
Kids lace yarn through holes punched around a tree shape. This strengthens coordination, concentration, and early stitching skills.
The finished craft becomes a decorative piece that highlights their progress, giving preschoolers meaningful motor practice within a festive, achievable project.
25. Paper Strip Candy Cane Craft
Children glue red and white paper strips onto a candy-cane outline to create a patterned design.
This craft teaches pattern recognition and precision placement. Kids enjoy building seasonal decorations while developing early math and fine motor skills through simple, structured repetition.
Sensory & 3D Builds
These sensory Christmas crafts allow preschoolers to explore textures, build three-dimensional shapes, and engage in tactile learning.
26. Popsicle Stick Reindeer
Kids glue sticks into a triangle, add googly eyes, pipe-cleaner antlers, and a pom-pom nose.
This craft introduces assembling small components into a recognizable figure, supporting coordination and imaginative play while creating a charming decoration that encourages storytelling.
27. Fingerprint Christmas Lights
Children use paint-dipped fingertips to create colorful bulbs along a drawn string. Connecting the lights with marker lines completes the design.
This project celebrates individuality, strengthens finger control, and offers a cheerful, personalized decoration that builds confidence through simple, expressive steps.
28. Pinecone Christmas Trees
Kids paint pinecones green, add small pom-poms or beads as ornaments, and top with a star.
This craft offers rich texture exploration, strengthens fine motor skills, and encourages creativity while connecting nature with holiday themes.
29. Toilet Paper Roll Angels
Children decorate cardboard tubes as angel bodies, attaching wings, heads, and halos. They personalize each figure with coloring and embellishments.
This craft supports imagination, symbolic understanding, and assembling multiple parts into a meaningful holiday creation.
30. Felt Gingerbread Men
Kids decorate felt gingerbread shapes using buttons, fabric, and craft glue. They design expressions and clothing, practicing arrangement and storytelling.
This soft, tactile craft strengthens fine motor skills and encourages creativity through character-building possibilities.
31. Sticker Christmas Cards
Children personalize cards with a variety of holiday stickers, arranging characters, shapes, and messages.
This activity supports expression, kindness, and simple composition skills while producing shareable holiday greetings that feel special and thoughtful.
32. Cotton Ball Santa Beard
Kids glue cotton balls onto a Santa outline, focusing on shaping the beard. Adding paper hat details completes the craft.
This sensory experience supports placement skills and introduces texture exploration while remaining easy and festive.
33. Santa Hat Cone Craft
Children roll red paper into cones, add cotton trim, and decorate with stickers or glitter.
This craft introduces shape formation and festive design while strengthening motor coordination and creativity through simple assembly steps.
34. Elf Paper Bag Puppet
Kids turn paper bags into elf puppets by adding hats, ears, clothing, and facial features.
This craft encourages storytelling, role-play, and imaginative interaction while practicing gluing, arranging, and expressive decoration.
35. Christmas Tree Sponge Painting
Children dip shaped sponges in paint and stamp trees onto paper.
They add colorful dabs for ornaments. This sensory craft introduces printing techniques and strengthens hand control through repetitive, enjoyable stamping.
36. Jingle Bell Bracelets
Kids thread jingle bells onto pipe cleaners or yarn, forming bracelets.
This project combines sound exploration with fine motor practice, giving children wearable festive accessories that bring auditory joy and creative accomplishment.
37. Christmas Sensory Bottles
Children fill bottles with glitter, beads, water, and seasonal items. Shaking them creates soothing visual movement.
This craft fosters calmness, sensory exploration, and delight while producing engaging, reusable tools for quiet-time activities.
38. Snowman Paper Bag Puppet
Kids decorate paper bags as snowmen with scarves, hats, and faces. This encourages storytelling and dramatic play while strengthening motor coordination and expressive creativity.
39. Christmas Tree Playdough Mats
Children press and shape playdough onto laminated Christmas tree mats to create ornaments and decorations. This activity strengthens hand muscles, supports open-ended creativity, and encourages imaginative seasonal play.
Kids enjoy designing unique trees while practicing fine motor skills in a fun, sensory-rich holiday experience.
40. Sponge Painted Snowflakes
Kids stamp snowflake-shaped sponges dipped in cool-toned paint to create soft, textured prints. This activity develops rhythmic printing skills, enhances sensory engagement, and introduces pattern awareness.
Children enjoy producing wintry artwork while experimenting with texture, repetition, and gentle mark-making.
41. Nativity Handprint Craft
Children use handprints to form nativity elements such as angel wings or a manger, then decorate with paint and markers.
This keepsake craft promotes symbolic understanding, creativity, and emotional connection to the holiday story while preserving meaningful childhood memories in a simple, heartfelt project.
42. Snowman Spoon Puppets
Kids turn spoons into playful snowman puppets using markers, fabric, and paper accessories. This craft encourages storytelling, imaginative play, and fine motor development.
Children enjoy designing expressive characters and later using them in puppet shows, enriching language skills and creativity through hands-on crafting.
43. Yarn-Wrapped Christmas Trees
Children wrap yarn around cardboard tree shapes and add simple decorations once covered.
This tactile process strengthens hand coordination, persistence, and focus. Kids enjoy creating textured ornaments while practicing controlled movements and exploring color through festive, durable holiday decorations.
44. Pinecone Reindeer
Kids transform pinecones into reindeer using googly eyes, pipe-cleaner antlers, and pom-pom noses. This nature-based craft encourages creativity, spatial placement, and tactile exploration.
Children delight in producing charming reindeer figures that can be displayed, gifted, or used in imaginative seasonal play.
45. Christmas Q-Tip Painting
Children use Q-tips dipped in paint to dot along outlines of trees, stars, and lights.
This encourages precision, patterning, and patient focus. Kids enjoy building colorful designs with small, repeated marks while strengthening hand control and exploring gentle, rhythmic painting techniques.
46. Christmas Tree Pasta Craft
Kids glue-painted pasta onto tree shapes to create ornaments, garlands, and textured details. This project strengthens fine motor skills, encourages sensory engagement, and promotes creative experimentation.
Children enjoy combining shapes and colors to design unique, festive Christmas trees.
47. Christmas Foam Shape Craft
Children use foam shapes or stickers to build holiday scenes or decorate cards. This activity supports layering, planning, and creative arrangement.
Kids enjoy the tactile feel of foam pieces while developing spatial awareness and producing cheerful seasonal artwork with simple, satisfying materials.
48. Winter Pom-Pom Painting
Kids dab paint onto paper using pom-poms clipped inside clothespins to create snowy scenes.
This gentle technique supports sensory exploration, hand control, and experimentation with texture. Children enjoy building soft wintery effects while engaging in relaxed, expressive seasonal art-making.
49. Christmas Tree Finger Painting
Children finger paint a Christmas tree shape, adding swirls, dots, and lines as decorations. This open-ended craft encourages sensory play, creativity, and confident mark-making.
Kids enjoy the freedom of using their hands while producing vibrant, expressive holiday artwork.
Ornaments & Gifts
Each craft in the list emphasizes creativity, independence, and joyful participation through simple steps suitable for young learners developing fine motor skills and festive expression.
50. Salt Dough Ornaments
Kids shape salt dough with cutters, poke holes, and paint the pieces after baking. This hands-on activity enhances sensory skills, creativity, and patience.
Children create keepsake ornaments that families treasure, making the crafting experience both meaningful and memorable.
51. Pom-Pom Wreath
Children glue colorful pom-poms onto a cardboard ring and add ribbon for hanging.
This cheerful craft strengthens placement skills, coordination, and color choice. Kids enjoy building fluffy textures while creating a bright, festive ornament suitable for gifting or decorating.
52. Handprint Reindeer
Kids use a handprint as the reindeer’s face, then add features like eyes, antlers, and a nose. This personal craft captures memories, encourages creativity, and supports fine motor control. Children enjoy seeing their own handprint transformed into a charming holiday character.
53. Pom-Pom Christmas Tree
Children glue green pom-poms into a tree shape and add colorful ones as ornaments.
This tactile craft develops spatial awareness, creativity, and coordination. Kids enjoy forming 3D textures while designing a bright, festive decoration that can be proudly displayed.
54. Button Ornament Craft
Kids glue assorted buttons onto a cardboard circle to form an ornament. This activity builds placement control, color decision-making, and creative design skills. Children enjoy arranging the varied textures while producing a charming, visually interesting holiday decoration.
55. Popsicle Stick Snowflakes
Children glue popsicle sticks into snowflake shapes, paint them, and add glitter. This craft introduces symmetry and layering while strengthening fine motor skills. Kids enjoy decorating their sturdy, sparkling snowflakes, which make lovely ornaments or handmade gifts.
56. Santa Handprint Ornament
Kids press painted handprints onto cardstock or clay shapes, then decorate them with Santa hats and beards. This sentimental craft preserves childhood memories and encourages creativity.
Children enjoy turning their own prints into recognizable, festive characters.
57. Reindeer Footprint Craft
Children use footprint shapes to create reindeer, adding eyes, antlers, and details. This keepsake craft highlights growth moments and encourages imaginative decoration. Kids enjoy transforming simple prints into expressive characters for display or gifting.
58. Ornament Suncatchers
Kids place tissue paper pieces onto clear contact shapes, then seal them to form glowing ornaments.
Hanging them reveals bright, colorful patterns. This craft introduces light play, color arranging, and simple layering while producing beautiful window decorations.
59. Reindeer Popsicle Stick Frame
Children build a reindeer-shaped frame using popsicle sticks, add facial details, and include a photo. This craft encourages careful assembly and thoughtful gifting. Kids enjoy creating a heartfelt keepsake that families will cherish.
60. Nativity Star Craft
Kids decorate star shapes with paint, glitter, or cardboard accents and add nativity symbols through stickers or drawings.
This craft promotes storytelling, creativity, and gentle reflection on the holiday theme while providing a meaningful ornament for display.
61. Watercolor Christmas Ornaments
Children paint watercolor circles, blending soft hues before adding simple details.
Once dry, they attach a string for hanging. This calming activity encourages expressive freedom, color mixing, and careful finishing, resulting in delicate, beautiful ornaments.
62. Glitter Star Ornaments
Kids cut star shapes, apply glue, and sprinkle glitter before attaching loops for hanging. This sparkly craft supports hand control and creative decorating.
Children enjoy the dramatic, festive effect that makes each ornament shine brightly.
63. DIY Santa Ornaments
Children assemble Santa faces using paper shapes, cotton beards, and simple drawn details.
This lightweight craft encourages creativity, shape placement, and recognition of familiar holiday imagery. Kids enjoy constructing cheerful Santas for decorating the tree.
64. Pipe Cleaner Ornaments
Kids twist colorful pipe cleaners into stars, candy canes, or fun shapes, adding beads as accents.
This flexible craft strengthens dexterity and encourages creativity. Children enjoy bending materials into unique forms that become festive, eye-catching ornaments.
65. Santa’s Belt Ornament
Children wrap red and black paper around a cardboard circle, adding a gold buckle to resemble Santa’s suit. This project teaches layering, simple design, and festive symbolism.
Kids enjoy assembling recognizable features to create a playful holiday ornament.
66. Christmas Pom-Pom Sort & Glue Craft
Kids sort pom-poms by size or color before gluing them onto ornament shapes.
This blends early math with creative expression while encouraging careful placement. Children enjoy designing vibrant decorations through structured yet playful crafting.
67. Snowman Fingerprint Ornament
Children use fingerprints to form small snowmen on ornament surfaces, adding details with markers. This personalized craft captures unique prints and encourages delicate decorating.
Kids enjoy the novelty of seeing their fingerprints transformed into charming winter characters.
68. Mini Wreath Ornament
Kids twist green pipe cleaners into wreath shapes and decorate them with beads or bows.
This hands-on craft strengthens fine motor skills and provides quick, satisfying success. Children enjoy creating small festive decorations they can proudly hang or gift.
69. Elf Hat Craft
Children decorate paper elf-hat shapes using sequins, bells, and colorful trim before adding a hanging string. This craft supports symmetry, creativity, and playful expression.
Kids enjoy designing festive hats that reflect the joyful spirit of the season.
70. Rudolph Thumbprint Ornament
Kids use thumbprints to create Rudolph faces, then add antlers, eyes, and a red nose.
This keepsake craft captures unique prints and encourages careful, simple detailing. Children enjoy turning their thumbprints into familiar holiday characters.
71. Nativity Silhouette Art
Children place black silhouette shapes over colorful backgrounds that they create with paint or crayons. This project encourages symbolic understanding, layering, and expressive art-making.
Kids enjoy seeing dramatic contrasts from meaningful holiday imagery.
72. Santa Stick Puppet
Kids glue Santa features onto craft sticks to create puppets for pretend play. This activity promotes storytelling, sequencing, and creative character design.
Children enjoy bringing Santa to life through imaginative play and crafting.
73. Star Handprint Craft
Children trace and cut handprints, arranging them into a large star shape. They decorate with glitter or bright accents. This keepsake craft celebrates creativity, preserves memory, and encourages fine motor practice through simple tracing and assembly steps.
Safety Tips to Follow for Preschool Christmas Crafts
Safety comes first when little hands get creative. A few simple precautions ensure craft time stays fun and worry-free. Keep these guidelines in mind before starting any project.
- Always supervise children when using scissors, glue guns, or small craft materials.
- Choose non-toxic, child-safe supplies and check labels before purchasing.
- Keep small items like beads and buttons away from toddlers who might swallow them.
- Set up crafts in well-ventilated areas, especially when using paints or markers.
- Have cleaning supplies nearby to address spills and messes quickly.
To Conclude
These Christmas crafts prove that holiday magic doesn’t require perfection. Messy glue, crooked cuts, and paint outside the lines, that’s precisely how preschool creativity should look.
Every ornament made, every card decorated, every reindeer assembled becomes a memory.
Years from now, parents will stumble upon these handmade treasures tucked in boxes and smile at the tiny fingerprints preserved in glitter and glue.
So gather those supplies and let the crafting begin. Turn off the perfectionist voice. Embrace the chaos. Celebrate the lopsided stars and uneven snowflakes.