DIY gifts: Welcome to the Christmas workshop!
What better way to shorten the wait for Santa than an afternoon of crafting? You can make wonderful DIY gifts together with your children – and build up even more excitement for the festive season. Here are a few tips for crafting fun during Advent.
Creative and active: why crafting is so good for kids
When scissors, paper and craft supplies turn into a masterpiece, children feel empowered. It helps them develop their motor skills, improve their speech and social abilities, and have heaps of fun along the way. Completing a craft project is an achievement children can be rightly proud of – especially when the lucky recipient is absolutely delighted!
Into the woods!
Even when nature is dormant, a walk in the woods provides plenty of crafting materials. With branches and twigs, the last remaining nuts and chestnuts, or even moss and dried leaves, you can bring lovely Christmas ideas to life – such as garlands or a pretty door wreath. To get crafting, you'll naturally need crafting scissors, paints, paper, decorations, and age-appropriate craft sets.
Personalised Christmas Tree Ornaments
Everyone loves Christmas decorations - especially when they are personalised! Unbreakable plastic baubles are easy to paint – use finger paints for younger kids and water-based acrylics for older ones.
Pro Tip: To ensure the artwork lasts, prime the baubles with plastic primer before painting and seal them afterward with clear varnish. Feeling extra creative? Try airbrush sets for easy colour application.
Cozy Wool pendants
Wool is an ideal crafting material. Together with thick cardboard, craft glue and beads, you can conjure up decorative pendants.
How-To: Cut out Christmas shapes (trees, stars) from cardboard, glue the beginning of a ball of wool onto the cardboard, and let the children wrap the wool tightly around the shape, criss-crossing as they please. Glue the end of the thread, decorate the unique piece with beads or other little things, and thread a thin hanging loop through the top.
Easy peasy crafting
A real wooden nutcracker is quite tricky to make. Decorative nutcrackers made from toilet paper rolls, on the other hand, are child's play! All you need are empty toilet paper rolls, craft paints, paper and glue. You'll find plenty of templates and inspiration online for that traditional nutcracker look – or you can let your creativity run wild! Santa, reindeer, angels and many other festive friends can be made in no time at all.
