Easy Christmas crafts to make at home

Whether you’re looking to keep your festive costs low or for easy Christmas crafts to make with the whole family, we’ve got some fun and inexpensive ideas suitable for kids of all ages. 

So, get those glue sticks ready, as we share ten budget-friendly Christmas crafts for families.

Jump to:
Winter jar scenes
Christmas tree handprints
No sew sock snowmen
Egg box penguins
Flowerpot reindeers
Bottle top snowmen
Orange and clove pomanders
Paper chains
Paper snowflakes
Paper plate characters

Winter jar scenes

There's nothing we love more than a quick and easy Christmas craft you can make with things lying around your house! 
One such craft is these winter jar scenes. 

You'll need:  

• A clean glass jar
• Cotton wool
• Scissors  
• Coloured card
• Water (optional)
• Biodegradable glitter (optional) 

To make them, assist your little ones in glueing cotton wool to a jar lid, then carefully cut out some little Christmas trees from card you have hanging around or add pinecones or Christmas decorations to finish the look. 

If you're feeling really ambitious, you can even make your own snow globe by filling the jar with water and some biodegradable glitter. 

Once you're happy with your design, screw the lid on and stand it upside down.

Christmas tree handprints

When it comes to family Christmas crafts, there's no easier form than the classic handprint design. Perfect for festive cards or home decorations, this craft will go down a storm with younger children and can make for a cute snapshot of your family. 

You will need:  

• Green paint
• Brown paint
• Paper or card
• A watchful eye 

Just cover your child's hand with green paint (we know it sounds messy, but trust us – it'll all be worth it), then help them print their handprint onto the paper or card of your choosing. Paint on a trunk using the brown paint, and hey presto, you've got yourself a personalised handprint Christmas tree. 

Just keep an eye on your little ones. We don't want green paint in places it shouldn't be! 

No sew sock snowmen

Fun for the whole family and zero fuss to make, these sock snowmen are bound to be a hit with your family this Christmas. 

To make them, you will need: 

• An old, odd white sock
• Uncooked barley, rice, or lentils
• A handful of rubber bands
• Glue
• Buttons
• Scissors
• Orange felt  
• A black marker pen 

Firstly, take your old white sock and fill it with the uncooked grain of your choice, then tie the end tightly with a rubber band. Tie another rubber band closer to the top of the sock; this will form your snowman’s head. 

Once your snowman is formed, glue down your buttons for eyes (take care if you have smaller children that they don’t put buttons in their mouth) and carefully cut out a carrot nose from the orange felt. 

You can use the black marker pen to draw a mouth and any finishing touches you wish.

Egg box penguins 

Give your space a taste of Lapland with this fun Christmas craft for the whole family. 

You will need:  

• an egg box
• black and white paint
• orange felt
• scissors
• googly eyes

To start, carefully cut out each egg segment from your old egg box. We suggest doing this yourself if your children are on the smaller side. 

Then, draw a semi-circle on the front of each egg segment – this will be your penguin’s tummy. Paint this semi-circle white and wait for it to dry. Once fully dry, use your black paint to colour the rest of the segment. 

Using your orange felt, carefully cut out a triangle shape for the beak and two little feet for your penguin. Once the segments are completely dry, glue these features along with the googly eyes, and there you have it: a festive penguin craft from things around your home. 

Flowerpot reindeers

Why not use those empty pots you’ve got lying around your garden this Christmas with this easy flowerpot craft? 

All you’ll need is:  

• A standard brown flowerpot
• Glue
• A red pompom (optional)
• Googly eyes
• Brown pipe cleaners (optional)
• Brown felt
• Coloured paper (optional) 

Start by turning your flowerpot upside down. Then, use the glue to stick the red pompom for a nose and googly eyes. 

Follow this up by twisting your brown cleaners into the shape of antlers and attach them to the pot. Alternatively, you can use twigs as antlers for a more organic look. 

Finally, carefully cut petal shapes out of your brown felt; these will act as the reindeer’s ears. You can then glue them to the pot. 

Add any additional decorations you want to make your craft extra festive. You could also use coloured paper for the nose and eyes if you can’t source pompoms or googly eyes. 

Bottle top snowmen

If you’re looking for a Christmas craft with minimum fuss, look no further than our bottle-top snowmen. 

For this craft, you will need the following:  

• Plastic bottle tops
• Some white paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Ribbon 

Start by sticking scraps of paper cut into circles inside the bottle tops. It’s wise to use plastic bottle tops as metal ones can be sharp and cut little fingers. Decorate the paper with the trimmings of your choice. 

Then, stick the bottle tops together onto a piece of ribbon with Super Glue or a glue gun (if choosing the latter, ensure that an adult is working the glue gun). 

Your fun creations can then be hung from the Christmas tree and enjoyed for many years.

Orange and clove pomanders

Possibly the most traditional Christmas craft on this list, the pomander has stood the test of time for a reason. Simple, cost-effective, and highly festive, this craft is perfect for the whole family. 

To make your pomander, you will need:  

• An orange
• Cloves
• A sharp knife (keep away from children when using this utensil)
• A tea light 

To make your own scented pomander, start by helping your kids poke cloves into the skin of an orange in whatever design you like. Once decorated, take your knife, and carefully cut a small circle from the top of the orange. Once cut, you can place a tea light into the hole and light it. 

Your home will be filled with festive aromas in no time! 

Paper chains

A classic Christmas craft that always goes down well and looks fabulous when strung up around the house, the humble paper chain can achieve a lot with a little. 

To make yours, you will need: 

• Festive paper 
• Scissors 
• Tape 

Cut a piece of festive paper into strips of matching size and length. Form one into a loop and tape it in place. Throw another strip of paper through the loop and bring the ends together to create a second loop. From here, you can tape the second loop closed and repeat the process to create a chain as long as you wish. 

Once you’re happy with the length, use the take to secure your creation to the wall or ceiling.

Paper snowflakes

This is another classic Christmas craft that will go down a storm with your family. However, this craft does involve some fiddly scissors work, so it's best suited for older children. 

For these snowflakes, you'll need: 

• White paper 
• Scissors 
• Protractor  

Fold a square of paper in half to form a triangle. Then, fold it in half again to make a smaller triangle. 

Divide this triangle into three sections - you can use a protractor to be more accurate. Now, fold the first of these sections to the front. Follow this up by folding the second section to the front. You will be left with a shape that looks like an ice cream cone. 

Carefully cut off the top bits of paper sticking up to leave yourself a wedge shape. Then, randomly cut out small pieces from the wedge to create your snowflake design. 

Unfold the paper, and ta-daa! You've got yourself a snowflake to hang up.