Easy Kids Christmas Crafts -
Make Homemade Christmas Tree Decorations

Here you'll find kids Christmas crafts that are easy to make. There's something special about making your own homemade Christmas tree decorations. It's lots of fun and your tree will look festive for Christmas!

Dried Fruit Christmas Decorations

You will need:

citrus fruit
a knife
baking tray/cookie sheet
string

Cut thin slices of oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits. Place slices on a baking tray and dry them in oven on low heat at 250F (120C) degrees for about 45 minutes, then turn over and leave for another 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when the rind is hard (the middle part of the fruit should still keep its color). Make a hole in the top of each slice, thread with a string and hang on the Christmas tree.


Sugar Christmas Lilies

You will need:

Crisco (or other vegetable shortening)
1 7-ounce package white sugar paste (from cake supplier or craft store)
yellow food coloring powder
small paintbrush
rolling pin
sharp knife
florist wire or clothes hanger wire
silk ribbon, 6 10-inch pieces

Makes 6 lilies.

Rub shortening on cutting board.

Separate sugar paste into 7 equal portions. Pat into 7 circles. Place on cutting board. Use rolling pin to roll out each circle so it is very thin.

Draw a heart shape on a piece of paper to use as a template (should be about 3 X 3"). Place over sugar paste circle and use a sharp knife (kids should be supervised) to cut 6 heart shapes. With the remaining sugar paste, separate into 6 equal balls. Add yellow food coloring until each ball is yellow. Roll into a 2" sausage shapes to make the lily stamen flower center.

Cut 6 pieces of wire, about 3 inches in length and push into the yellow sausages about half way through. Place the yellow sausages with the wire inside onto the heart shapes in the middle of the top of the heart shape so that the wire sticks out the top about 1 inch to hang on the Christmas tree.

For each lily, fold over one side of the heart shape to touch the center of the yellow flower center. Use a little water on your finger to wet it so it will stick. Then fold the other side over and wet it too, using your finger to press it down. Hold this down for a minute or two to make sure it has stuck well.

Take the top of the wire that is sticking out and bend it to make a loop for hanging. Next thread pretty colored silk ribbon through the loop and tie the ribbon around the loop.

Let the ornaments dry for 24 hours before hanging.


Gingerbread Man Christmas Ornaments

You will need:

wax paper
rolling pin
quick-dry, air-dry modeling clay
acrylic paint (brown, red, white and black)
matte varnish
paintbrushes
crystal glitter
Christmas colored fabric
fabric glue
gingerbread man cookie cutter

Lay out wax paper on your kitchen counter top. Use rolling pin to flatten and roll out clay to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to press out gingerbread men. Remove excess clay. Wet your fingers and smooth out the edges of each gingerbread man. Let dry.

Paint each gingerbread man with brown paint. Let dry. Use white paint to make the icing trim across the gingerbread man's head, arms and feet. Let dry.

Use white paint to make two eyes and a smiley face. Use red paint to make 2-3 buttons and rosy cheeks. Let dry.

Apply a matte varnish and sprinkle with crystal glitter (for a snowflake effect) while still wet. Let dry.

For the final touch, cut a small piece of Christmas colored fabric (plaid is cute). Make a bow tie by tying a knot in the middle. Glue the bow tie onto the ornament just above the top button.