The Christmas season is a magical time, especially for families with young children. There’s something incredibly special about the excitement of decorating the Christmas tree together, and what better way to add a personal touch than by making your own ornaments? DIY Christmas ornaments are not only a great way to engage children in festive activities, but they also create lasting memories. Imagine years down the road, looking at your tree filled with little handmade treasures from your kids.
In this post, we’ll explore more than 80 easy DIY Christmas ornaments that your kids will love to make. These projects are fun, simple, and use everyday materials, making them accessible for families on any budget. So, grab your craft supplies, fire up those holiday playlists, and let’s get started!
1. Paper Plate Snowmen
Kids of all ages can make these cute snowmen using paper plates, construction paper, markers, and a bit of glue. You can add cotton balls for texture or even some glitter to make them sparkle. Attach a string to the top, and you have a perfect snowman ornament ready for your tree!
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2. Popsicle Stick Reindeer
Transform basic popsicle sticks into adorable reindeer! Use brown paint for the body, googly eyes, red pom-poms for Rudolph’s nose, and pipe cleaners for antlers. It’s easy, quick, and fun for toddlers and preschoolers alike.
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3. Salt Dough Ornaments
Salt dough ornaments are a Christmas classic. The dough is easy to make with just salt, flour, and water. Roll it out, use cookie cutters to create festive shapes, bake, and let the kids paint or decorate the hardened shapes with glitter and sequins.
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4. Handprint Snowflake Ornaments
Create sentimental ornaments by capturing your child’s handprint. Simply trace your kid’s hand on construction paper, cut it out, and decorate it with paint, glitter, or stickers to resemble a snowflake. You’ll love pulling this one out year after year to remember how small their hands once were.
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5. Pipe Cleaner Candy Canes
This super-simple project only requires two pipe cleaners! Take one red and one white pipe cleaner, twist them together to make a candy cane shape, and voila—instant festive ornament! Kids as young as two can do this with minimal supervision.
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6. Button Wreaths
For this craft, you’ll need buttons in various shades of green and red. Children can string the buttons onto wire to form a wreath shape. Add a little ribbon bow to the top, and you have a sweet, simple ornament for your tree.
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7. Felt Christmas Trees
Cut small felt Christmas tree shapes and let your kids decorate them with buttons, sequins, and beads. You can also use small strips of ribbon as garland. These are soft, colorful, and fun to customize.
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8. Paper Straw Stars
Paper straws come in a variety of fun patterns and colors. For this project, have the kids glue them together in a star shape. Add a little glitter or metallic spray paint for extra holiday flair!
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9. Mason Jar Lid Ornaments
Repurpose old mason jar lids by turning them into ornaments. Kids can paint inside the lid, add a photo, or glue in small decorations like holly or mini Christmas trees. These make lovely keepsakes or gifts for grandparents.
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10. Cinnamon Stick Trees
This craft will fill your home with a wonderful holiday aroma! Use cinnamon sticks as the base of your ornament and glue small pieces of fabric or ribbon across the stick to form a Christmas tree. Finish it off with a star on top.
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11. Mini Mittens Garland
Create tiny mittens out of felt and string them together to make an adorable garland for your tree. Kids can help by sewing the mittens or simply gluing the felt pieces together.
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12. Pom-Pom Snowman
Using different sized pom-poms, kids can create a little snowman with a mini scarf made from ribbon and a hat from felt. This fluffy little snowman will look cute hanging from any branch!
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13. Beaded Candy Canes
Another easy candy cane craft involves using red and white beads strung on a pipe cleaner. Kids will have fun making patterns with the beads and twisting the ends to secure the ornament.
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14. Pinecone Angels
Transform simple pinecones into beautiful little angels. Paint the pinecone white or gold, glue a wooden bead on top for the head, and add wings made from paper or felt. These ornaments are both rustic and elegant.
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15. Clothespin Reindeer
Using traditional wooden clothespins, create reindeer by painting the body brown, adding googly eyes, a red nose, and pipe cleaner antlers. These fun and whimsical reindeer can sit on branches or be hung up.
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16. Scrap Ribbon Trees
Do you have leftover ribbon from wrapping presents? Use it for this easy ornament! Tie short strips of ribbon onto a stick or dowel in descending lengths to form a Christmas tree shape. Add a little star on top, and you’re done.
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17. Puzzle Piece Snowflakes
Gather old puzzle pieces that are missing from their sets and paint them white or blue. Glue the pieces together in a snowflake shape and let the kids decorate them with glitter and sequins.
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18. Craft Stick Santas
Using jumbo craft sticks, have the kids paint one side red for Santa’s hat, then glue on cotton balls for his beard and hat trim. Add a small pom-pom for the nose and googly eyes, and you’ve got a jolly Santa ornament!
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19. Bottle Cap Snowmen
Collect a few metal bottle caps and glue them in a vertical line to create a snowman shape. Paint the inside of the caps white, add a small piece of fabric for a scarf, and draw on the eyes, nose, and buttons.
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20. Yarn-Wrapped Ornaments
Kids can wrap colorful yarn around cardboard shapes, like stars or trees, to create a cozy ornament. Add a little glue to keep the yarn in place, and you have an easy craft that even toddlers can help with.
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21. Cookie Cutter Ornaments
Instead of using cookie cutters to make cookies, use them as the base for your ornament! Fill the inside of a metal cookie cutter with glue and decorations like beads, sequins, or glitter to create a festive design.
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22. Pinecone Christmas Trees
Pinecones are naturally shaped like Christmas trees, making them the perfect base for a mini tree ornament. Let the kids paint them green, add small beads as ornaments, and top it with a star.
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23. Glitter Pinecone Ornaments
Add a touch of sparkle to your tree with glittered pinecone ornaments. Coat the tips of the pinecones with glue and let the kids sprinkle on glitter. It’s a simple craft that delivers a lot of holiday shine!
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24. Beaded Snowflakes
Using pipe cleaners and beads, kids can make snowflake-shaped ornaments that are both pretty and easy to create. Simply twist the pipe cleaners into a snowflake shape and add beads in between for a little extra shine.
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25. Felt Gingerbread Men
Cut out gingerbread man shapes from brown felt and let your kids decorate them with buttons, ribbons, and other embellishments. These cute little guys are perfect for hanging on the tree or even as gift tags.
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BONUS IDEAS: MORE EASY ORNAMENTS TO TRY
26. Toilet Paper Roll Santas
27. Glitter Star Ornaments
28. Painted Wood Slices
29. Mini Embroidery Hoop Ornaments
30. Cotton Ball Snowmen
31. Paper Mache Ornaments
32. Fingerprint Ornaments
33. Sock Snowmen
34. Craft Stick Christmas Trees
35. Twine Ball Ornaments
36. Glittery Pinecones
37. Tin Can Lid Ornaments
38. Marbled Paper Ornaments
39. Clothespin Angels
40. DIY Christmas Photo Ornaments
41. Nature-Inspired Ornaments
42. Jingle Bell Ornaments
43. Glitter Mason Jar Lid Ornaments
44. Recycled CD Ornaments
45. Tissue Paper Stars
46. Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
47. Christmas Tree Pom-Poms
48. Nut Button Wreaths
49. Ribbon Candy Canes
50. Origami Christmas Stars
51. Burlap Star Ornaments
52. Painted Acorn Ornaments
53. Snow Globe Ornaments
54. Scrabble Tile Ornaments
55. Cork Reindeer Ornaments
These are just a few of the easy and festive DIY Christmas ornaments you can make with your kids. Not only will you create something unique for your Christmas tree, but you’ll also be making memories that last a lifetime! Whether you prefer using natural materials like pinecones and cinnamon sticks, or you want to get creative with glitter and felt, these ornaments offer plenty of variety to suit every crafting style.
So, gather your supplies and let your creativity flow this holiday season! Comment down below for more Ideas 🙂
