17 Christmas Gift Crafts for Kids to Make for Family and Friends

Kids love giving presents they made with their own hands. A lopsided ornament or painted jar can mean more to Grandma than any store gift.

This roundup gathers sweet Christmas gift crafts for kids to make for family and friends, from simple paper projects to keepsakes that last for years.

Most use supplies you already own, like felt, glue, paint, and cardboard. Each idea comes with tips on materials, time, and skill level, so you can match the project to your child’s age.

Grab some newspaper for the table. Your little elves are ready to get busy, and every gift will carry a bit of their heart.

1. Watercolor Name Ornaments on Wood

• Materials: Round wood discs, liquid watercolor or washable markers, a white paint pen, and twine.
• Make: Let kids drip or dab bright colors, then mist lightly so the shades bleed together.
• Finish: Once dry, they write their name and the year in white paint pen.
• Display: Hang each one on the tree or tie it to a wrapped gift as a bonus present.

Ten little ornaments, ten little artists. On every wooden disc, pink, orange, teal, and purple blend into a bright tie dye wash, finished with a gold glitter cap and a twine loop.

White handwriting sits on top, wobbly in the best way, and grandparents will treasure that.

Make it easier: Draw letters lightly in pencil first so small kids can trace them with the paint pen. This coloring method is a suggestion, so test it on a scrap disc before starting.

2. Salt Dough Santa Handprint Ornaments

Few gifts beat a tiny handprint frozen in time. Here, each print becomes Santa, with the fingers forming a fluffy beard and the thumb curving into the tip of his hat. Baker’s twine in red and white makes a ready loop for hanging.

These look like salt dough or air dry clay, though the exact recipe isn’t clear from the photo.

Try pressing your child’s hand into rolled dough, cutting around it, and letting it air dry or bake low and slow. Once hard, paint a white base, then add a skin tone face and rosy cheeks.

Spot the variety in the hats: red polka dots, a green check, deep burgundy, and a teal patterned band.

Sweet Christmas gift crafts for kids like this one land best with grandparents, so write the child’s name and year on the back.

3. Character Topped Paper Chain Countdown

Paper chains get a cheerful upgrade with a character on top. The first chain alternates red and green loops under a tree dotted with pom poms.

Another uses brown strips below a reindeer with googly eyes and a fuzzy red nose, while the third is all white under a snowman in a black top hat.

Why it works:

• Simple motion: Looping and gluing strips builds fine motor skills without frustration.
• Built in countdown: Kids can tear off one loop each day until Christmas.
• Room for siblings: Each child can claim a character and make their own chain.

Holiday twist: Count the loops to match the days left before Christmas, then give the chain to a cousin or grandparent as a homemade countdown.

4. Popsicle Stick Car Photo Ornaments

Grandma will love a car hauling home the tree, especially with her grandchild in the window.

Shimmery pink and soft mint paint cover these craft stick cars, with a small photo tucked behind the frame. Fuzzy black pom wheels, a white star on each, and a green pipe cleaner tree finish the scene.

The detail to steal: Tucked at the base of each sparkly pipe cleaner loop, a gold jingle bell rings softly when someone brushes the branch.

Glue tip: Tacky glue or a glue gun holds pom poms and pipe cleaners better than school glue. An adult should handle anything hot.

Time needed: Plan about an hour, plus drying time for the paint.

5. Fuse Bead Santa Hat Gift Tags

Best for: Older preschoolers who can handle small beads, and families wrapping a pile of homemade holiday gifts.

Gift tags count as gifts too when kids make them. Each kraft tag here holds a tiny Santa hat built from red fuse beads, with a white brim and a white pom at the tip. Black stamped letters below spell out a sweet two word message.

Most likely, the beads were ironed on a pegboard first and then glued down, though that step isn’t shown.

Children place the beads; a grown up irons them under parchment paper. Letter stamps and a black ink pad let little hands add words without worrying about neat writing.

Budget swap: Sticker dots or paper punch circles in red and white can form the same hat shape.

6. Pink and Gold Craft Stick Ornaments

You’ll need: Craft sticks, green and white paint, chunky yarn, felt balls, tinsel, puffy stars, and tacky glue.

Pink and gold give classic craft stick ornaments a playful twist. Up front, a triangle tree wears a cream yarn garland, hot pink felt balls, tiny gold bells, and a glitter star.

Nearby, another stick frame disappears under gold tinsel and puffy metallic pink stars.

Older kids can paint the sticks and glue the frames, while younger ones handle decorating. Set out small bowls of trims and let each child pick a color story.

Rounding out the set is a white stick snowman with a dotted smile, rosy cheeks, and a pink velvet bow.

Texture note: Mixing fuzzy felt, shiny foil stars, and twisted yarn gives each ornament depth, so even simple shapes look rich on the tree.

7. Santa, Reindeer, and Snowman Treat Cups

• Materials: Paper cups, colored paper, googly eyes, cotton balls, a red pom, and clear treat bags.
• Make: Wrap or color each cup, then glue on faces, paper ears, and a curly paper beard.
• Finish: Fill a cellophane bag with sweets, twist the top, and tie it with red ribbon.
• Display: Line them up on a teacher’s desk or a party table for easy grab and go gifts.

Three friendly faces turn plain paper cups into sweet treat holders. Pretzel sticks poke up behind the reindeer like antlers, and candy canes hook over the Santa and snowman cups.

Kid made Christmas presents like these suit teachers, bus drivers, and classmates.

Kid friendly: Curling the beard strips around a pencil is a fun job for preschoolers, and it keeps them busy while glue dries.

8. Fingerprint Candy Cane Cards

Little fingertips do all the painting on these cards. Red and white dots alternate to form a candy cane hook on brown kraft card stock.

Different bows finish each card: red velvet, red and green plaid, or a skinny gold cord.

Start with a light pencil hook so toddlers know where to press. Dip one finger in red paint and another in white, then take turns down the line. Wipes nearby save a lot of mess between colors.

Bows go on after the paint dries, held with a dot of tacky glue. Inside, kids can scribble a drawing or dictate a short message for you to write.

Grandparents tend to keep cards like these for years, so add the date on the back.

9. Craft Stick Gingerbread House Ornaments

Gingerbread houses look sweeter when nobody has to worry about stale icing. Brown painted craft sticks form each little house, with rainbow wooden beads lining the roof and a peppermint swirl near the peak.

Arched foam doors in pink, teal, yellow, and blue get a candy stripe trim from red and white twine.

Paint tip: Streaky brown paint is a plus here, since it reads like baked cookie texture. Encourage loose brushstrokes instead of neat coverage.

Skill level: Easy for ages five and up, with some help wrapping twine around each door.

Accent idea: Swap a foam door for a tiny family photo, as one house here seems to do, so the gift feels personal.

10. Bow Tie Pasta Christmas Tree Art

Bow tie pasta makes surprisingly realistic branches once it’s painted green. Rows of farfalle sit on a green tree shape painted onto plain cardboard, with a brown trunk at the base.

Rainbow pom poms dot one version, while the other sticks to sparkly red ones under a yellow star.

Why it works:

• Recycled base: Shipping box cardboard costs nothing and holds heavy pasta well.
• Big pieces: Pasta and pom poms are easy for small hands to grab and place.
• Two textures: Ruffled pasta edges and fuzzy poms make the tree pop off the board.

Beginner shortcut: Shake the pasta in a zip bag with a squirt of green acrylic, then spread it out to dry before gluing. Framed or left as is, this pasta tree makes an easy Christmas gift kids can make for a grandparent’s fridge or wall.

11. Pine Sprig Christmas Cards

Best for: Classroom card making, nature walk crafts, and families with a pine tree in the yard.

Real pine sprigs make these cards smell like Christmas. Small hands glued a branch onto folded kraft paper, then dotted it with red, green, and pink buttons. Glitter stars in gold or silver crown the tops, so no two cards look alike.

Snow comes from white fingertip dots, plus a swipe of paint along the bottom for the ground.

Some branches also wear a dusting of white paint and silver glitter. Strong glue matters here, since needles and buttons are heavy for paper.

Upcycle idea: Collect fallen sprigs on a walk instead of cutting live branches, and use loose buttons from an old sewing tin.

12. Glitter Foam Spiral Trees

• Materials: Glitter foam sheets, a plastic straw, and a craft glue that grips foam.
• Make: Draw a spiral on a foam circle, cut along the line, and stretch it upward.
• Finish: Thread the straw through the center and glue a foam star at the top.
• Display: Stand a pair on a windowsill or desk where the sparkle catches light.

Spirals give these little trees a bouncy, springy shape. Purple foam coils around a purple straw on a green base, while its twin pairs green glitter with a pink layer underneath. Gold and red stars sit on top, and both trees stand up by themselves.

Safety note: Spiral cutting takes steady scissor skills, so younger kids can decorate the base while an older helper cuts. The exact assembly isn’t shown, so treat these steps as a suggested approach.

13. Paper Plate Yarn Christmas Trees

Frosty blue wall hangings start with ordinary paper plates. Every plate wears a different shade of blue, from pale sky to deep royal, with a white triangle tree in the middle.

Yarn zigzags across the triangle in gray, navy, or teal, and a curled blue ribbon tops it off.

Tool tip: Wrap tape around the yarn end like a shoelace tip so it slides through punched holes easily. Lacing details aren’t visible, so treat this as one simple approach.

Color note: Sticking to one color family keeps a group project looking polished, even when every child decorates differently.

Accent upgrade: Silver star confetti, blue glitter squares, and a strip of holographic paper for the trunk add sparkle at little cost.

14. Skinny Popsicle Stick Santas

Skinny Santas might be the easiest ornament on this list. A single wide craft stick is painted red at both ends, leaving a bare wood strip for his face and a white band for the hat brim. Fluffy cotton forms the beard and the pom on his hat.

Two black dots make the eyes, and a tiny red pom becomes his nose. Below that, a black belt holds a fuzzy yellow pom buckle. Looped at the top, red ribbon lets him hang from any branch.

Preschoolers can paint and glue most of this alone, which makes it a great pick for DIY Christmas gifts from kids just starting to craft. Make a batch in one sitting and tuck one into every card you mail this year.

15. Painted Pinecone Christmas Trees

Pinecones already have the shape of a tree, so kids only need paint and a few trims.

Bright green paint covers the scales, along with tiny rainbow pom poms and a gold glitter star. Underneath, a wood slice wrapped in fluffy cotton snow holds each tree upright.

Why it feels cozy:

• Natural base: Bark edged wood slices bring a rustic cabin feel to any shelf.
• Soft snow: Puffy batting around the bottom hides the glue and looks like fresh snowfall.
• Tabletop size: Small enough for a nightstand, kitchen counter, or office desk.

Outdoor option: Gather pinecones on a family walk, then let an adult dry them in a low oven to drive off any bugs before painting.

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16. Cupcake Liner Snowman Picture

You’ll need: Purple card stock, three white cupcake liners, googly eyes, two buttons, white paint, cotton swabs, and a brown marker.

Cupcake liners keep their ruffled edges when pressed flat, which gives this snowman a fun, frilly outline.

Stacked up the page, three liners form the body, with googly eyes, an orange carrot nose, and a dotted smile on the top one. Down the middle run two blue buttons.

Cotton swabs dipped in white paint make easy falling snow. Along the bottom, a thicker band of dots becomes snowy ground. Quick marker strokes in brown add the stick arms.

Display idea: Slip the finished art into a simple frame so a grandparent can hang it all winter.

17. Paper Cup Snowman

Best for: Quick homemade Christmas gifts kids can hand to teachers, neighbors, or classmates.

One plain white paper cup becomes a cheerful snowman with just a few cuts and doodles.

Both body circles look slightly raised, as if they were traced and partly cut into the cup wall, though the exact method isn’t shown. His hat and scarf are cut from red paper, with a white pom on top.

Marker details make up the face: closed smiling eyes, pink cheeks, an orange carrot nose, and a tiny mouth.

Stick arms reach out to the sides, and three dots run down his tummy. Kids under five can handle the drawing while an adult helps with any cutting.

One small change: Turn the cup upright to hold pencils, or set it over a wrapped treat so the snowman hides a surprise.