40+ Easy & Fun Holiday Crafts Toddler-friendly Ideas
Did you know that most parents say hands-on crafting helps toddlers develop fine motor skills faster than screen time? If you're looking to make this holiday season magical while keeping your little one engaged, you've come to the right place.
Crafting with toddlers can feel overwhelming—the mess, short attention spans, safety concerns. I get it. As a mom of 5, I've learned what works and what crashes. This guide covers holiday crafts toddler friendly enough for the wiggliest ones, with simple supplies and minimal cleanup.
If you're looking for even more creative activities beyond the holidays, check out my full guide to crafts for kids or explore specific Christmas crafts for kids of all ages. Ready to turn your home into a creativity hub? Let's dive in.
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Getting Started with Holiday Crafts Toddler-friendly
Christmas Crafts for Toddlers
The holiday season offers countless craft opportunities. Here are projects that work with toddler attention spans and skill levels.
Handprint and Footprint Ornaments
These keepsake ornaments are simple to make and become treasured memories.
What you'll need:
Air-dry clay or salt dough
Cookie cutters (optional)
Ribbon for hanging
Non-toxic paint or markers
For salt dough, mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup water. Knead until smooth, adding water slowly to avoid making it too wet.
Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Press your toddler's hand or foot into it—this may take a few tries. Use a straw to poke a hole at the top for ribbon.
Air dry for 2-3 days, flipping daily. Then paint, add glitter, and write the year on the back.
Paper Plate Santa and Reindeer
Paper plates are cheap, accessible, and versatile for toddler crafts.
For Santa:
Paint the plate pink or peach for the face
Glue cotton balls around the edge for beard and hat trim
Add a red triangle at the top for the hat
Let your toddler stick on googly eyes and draw a nose
For Reindeer: Paint the plate brown, add googly eyes, glue on a red pom-pom nose, and use construction paper or pipe cleaners for antlers. Don't worry about perfection—if your toddler uses fifteen cotton balls for the beard, that's fine.
Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees
Great for fine motor skills without being too complicated.
You'll need green popsicle sticks (or paint regular ones), glue, and small decorations like buttons, sequins, or pom-poms.
Glue three sticks together in a triangle. Let your toddler decorate with whatever you have. Add a yellow star or let them put buttons everywhere—there's no wrong way. These make great grandparent gifts.
Sensory Pine Cone Decorating
If you have access to pine cones, this activity is nearly free and highly engaging.
First, bake pine cones at 200°F for 30 minutes to kill bugs. Once clean and dry, set up a decorating station with:
Non-toxic glue or glue sticks
Pom-poms in holiday colors
Glitter (if you dare)
Ribbon
Let your toddler stick decorations into the crevices. Tie a ribbon at the top for an ornament or use as table decoration.
Toddler-Safe Gingerbread House Decorating
Skip real gingerbread—graham cracker houses are perfect for toddlers.
Use frosting to stick four graham crackers together. Handle the construction yourself, then let your toddler decorate with frosting and small candies like M&Ms, gummy bears, mini marshmallows, and candy canes.
Pro tip: Do this after meals, not before, to avoid a sugar rush.
Easy Paper Chain Garlands
Paper chains teach colors, patterns, and fine motor skills while making your house festive.
Cut strips of red, green, white, and gold construction paper (1 inch wide, 6 inches long). Show your toddler how to loop one strip and glue the ends, then thread the next strip through.
You'll likely need to help initially. Even if you do most of the gluing while they pick colors, they're still learning. Drape chains around doorways, on the tree, or across windows.
Contact Paper Christmas Tree Suncatchers
These create beautiful effects when sunlight hits them.
Cut a Christmas tree shape from green construction paper and cut out the middle, leaving a frame. Cut two pieces of contact paper slightly larger than your tree. Peel backing off one piece and lay it sticky-side up. Place the tree frame on top.
Give your toddler small torn pieces of tissue paper in different colors to stick onto the exposed contact paper. Put the second piece on top to seal, trim edges, poke a hole, and hang in a window.
DIY Playdough Ornaments
Homemade playdough is better than store-bought.
Recipe:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
Food coloring
Mix dry ingredients in a pot, add wet ingredients, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it forms a ball (3-4 minutes). Let cool, then knead.
Roll out dough and use holiday cookie cutters. Press designs with stamps or forks. Poke a hole at the top with a straw. Air dry for a few days until hard, then paint or leave plain.
Note: These get heavy when dry—use strong ribbon for hanging.
Hanukkah Crafts for Little Hands
Beautiful projects for celebrating the Festival of Lights with toddlers.
Paper Plate Menorah
Simple and colorful—teaches about menorah symbolism.
Turn a paper plate upside down and have your toddler decorate with markers, stickers, or paint. Cut nine candles from yellow or white construction paper—one shamash and eight others.
Glue candles onto the plate with the shamash in the middle or to the side, raised higher. Cut flame shapes from red, orange, and yellow paper for your toddler to glue on top. Discuss lighting one candle each night of Hanukkah while crafting.
Star of David Craft Using Popsicle Sticks
Surprisingly easy with six popsicle sticks.
Arrange three sticks into a triangle and glue at corners. Make another triangle. Once dry, place one upside down on the other to create the six-pointed star. Glue where they overlap.
This needs more adult help than some crafts. Toddlers can handle decorating with glitter and stickers. Add a ribbon to hang or attach a magnet for the fridge.
Dreidel Decorating
Buy plain wooden dreidels —making from scratch is too complex for toddlers.
Set up a station with washable markers, stickers, washi tape, stick-on gems, and paint. Let your toddler make their dreidel colorful and unique. Teach them about the Hebrew letters (Nun, Gimel, Hay, Shin) while decorating.
Use decorated dreidels to play the dreidel game with chocolate coins—the craft becomes functional, not just decorative.
Blue and White Collage Art
Sometimes simple is best. This celebrates traditional Hanukkah colors.
Gather materials in blue and white:
Tissue paper
Construction paper
Wrapping paper scraps
Fabric pieces
Ribbon
Cotton balls
Foam shapes
Give your toddler cardboard or heavy paper as the base and a glue stick. Let them create an abstract collage. The process matters more than the product—they're learning about color families and artistic choices.
Handprint Menorah Keepsake Cards
Sweet keepsakes that grandparents treasure.
Paint your toddler's hand in a skin-tone color and press onto blue or white cardstock with fingers spread—those fingers become nine candles. Once dry, use markers to add flame shapes on each fingertip in red, orange, and yellow.
Add Hebrew letters or "Happy Hanukkah" to complete the card. Getting toddlers to keep hands flat can take a few tries, but even smudgy prints are cute.
Simple Gelt Wrapper Crafts
Save gold and silver foil wrappers after eating chocolate gelt—they're perfect for collages.
Use wrappers to:
Make a collage on a Star of David outline
Create a shimmery border around a Hanukkah picture
Crumple into balls and glue onto a menorah shape
Practice fine motor skills by smoothing them flat
This teaches reusing materials and it's free. The crinkly texture is satisfying for little hands.
Tissue Paper Stained Glass Star of David
Similar to the Christmas tree suncatcher but with a Star of David shape.
Cut a star from black construction paper and cut out the center, leaving the outline. Use clear contact paper and let your toddler fill the star with torn blue and white tissue paper. Seal with another contact paper layer and hang in a window for a gorgeous blue and white glow.
Winter and Non-Denominational Holiday Crafts
Perfect for classrooms or families celebrating different traditions or focusing on the season itself.
Cotton Ball Snowman
The ultimate toddler winter craft—because toddlers love gluing cotton balls.
Draw a snowman outline (three stacked circles) on blue construction paper. Give your toddler cotton balls and a glue stick to cover the shape. Add button eyes, an orange triangle nose, and pipe cleaner arms.
Cotton balls are forgiving—even wonky placement looks like a snowman. Variations include adding snow on the ground or creating snow-covered trees.
Snowflake Crafts Using Coffee Filters
Perfect for indoor days—cheap, easy, and beautiful results.
Process:
Give your toddler a coffee filter and washable markers
Let them color all over it
Spray with water (or dab with wet paper towel)
Watch colors blend and spread
Let dry completely
Fold and cut simple shapes for snowflake patterns
You'll handle folding and cutting, but toddlers love the color transformation. Hang in windows with tape for pretty light effects.
Mitten Decorating
Cut mitten shapes from construction paper, felt, or cereal boxes. Set up a station with markers, stickers, pom-poms, sequins, and glitter glue.
Punch holes around edges for older toddlers to practice lacing with yarn—great for fine motor development. Or tape to construction paper for a winter scene. These also work as gift tags.
Winter Wreath Making
Wreaths aren't just for Christmas—make winter wreaths using paper plates.
Cut the center from a paper plate to create a wreath ring. Decorate with:
Torn white and blue tissue paper for snow
Real or fake pine branches
Small pinecones
Ribbons in winter colors
Cotton balls
Cut-out snowflakes
Take walks to collect natural items like pine cones and evergreen sprigs. Kids love being "nature collectors" and using their finds adds a nature element.
Pinecone Bird Feeders
Combines crafting with helping animals—toddlers love making something for birds.
Classic method:
Tie string around a pinecone at the top
Spread peanut butter all over (use butter knife or spoon)
Roll in birdseed
Hang outside on a tree branch
For peanut allergies, use sunflower seed butter or coconut oil. Hang where visible from a window so you can watch birds together.
Ice Painting
Unconventional but fascinating for toddlers.
Fill ice cube trays with water and add different food coloring to each section. Insert popsicle sticks (they'll stand up once freezing starts) and freeze overnight.
Let your toddler "paint" on paper with colored ice cubes. As they melt, they create cool watercolor effects. The melting and blending fascinates toddlers.
Warning: This is messy. Do outside or use plastic tablecloths and towels. Schedule right before bath time.
Cardboard Tube Penguins and Polar Bears
Save toilet paper and paper towel tubes for winter animals.
For penguins: Paint black and white, add yellow triangle beak and googly eyes.
For polar bears: Paint white, add black eyes and nose, pipe cleaner ears.
These become toys after crafting. Create Arctic scenes with cotton ball snow and blue paper "ice." Use foam brushes for better paint coverage—you may need two coats on brown tubes.
Salt Dough Ornaments in Various Holiday Shapes
Use the same dough as handprint ornaments for any cookie cutter shape you have.
Recipe:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
Mix, knead, roll to 1/4 inch thick, cut shapes, poke holes, and air dry. Once dry, let toddlers paint however they want—rainbow snowflakes, multicolored stars, wild combinations all work.
Pro tip: Bake at 200°F for 2-3 hours instead of air drying for faster results. Watch so they don't brown.
Kwanzaa Crafts for Toddlers
Kwanzaa (December 26 - January 1) honors African American culture. Crafts teach young children about the seven principles (Nguzo Saba).
Unity Cup (Kikombe cha Umoja) Decoration Project
The unity cup is used to pour libations and honor ancestors.
Use a paper cup, plastic cup, or small terra cotta pot. Give your toddler paint, markers, stickers, and African-inspired elements:
Kente cloth pattern stickers or fabric scraps
Black, red, and green decorations (Kwanzaa colors)
Tribal pattern stamps
Metallic markers
Talk about how the unity cup represents family togetherness while decorating.
Kinara Craft Using Cardboard Tubes
The kinara holds seven candles—three red, three green, one black.
Glue seven toilet paper rolls (or cut paper towel tubes) onto cardboard. Paint three red, three green, one black. Add "flames" from tissue paper or construction paper on top.
Discuss what each candle represents:
Black = unity
Red = the struggle and blood of ancestors
Green = hope for the future
African-Inspired Drum Making
Music and drumming are integral to African culture.
Use empty oatmeal containers, coffee cans, or large yogurt containers. Cover outside with brown paper or construction paper. Let your toddler decorate with African-inspired patterns using markers, paint, or stickers. Tie canvas or thick fabric over the top with rubber bands for the drum head.
Play African drum music and let your toddler drum along—combining craft with music and movement.
Red, Black, and Green Bead Threading
Excellent for fine motor development using Kwanzaa colors.
Use large wooden beads (1/2 inch diameter) in red, black, and green, plus pipe cleaners or thick string. Show your toddler how to thread beads, creating patterns with the three colors. Make bracelets, necklaces, or practice threading repeatedly.
For younger toddlers: Use pool noodle pieces (cut into 1-2 inch sections) threaded onto dowel rods—easier to manipulate.
Simple Woven Mat (Mkeka)
The mkeka (woven mat) is placed under the kinara, representing tradition and history.
Cut strips of red, black, and green construction paper (1 inch wide). Take paper in one color and cut slits across it, leaving an inch border on each side—this creates the "loom."
Show your toddler how to weave strips through slits—over, under, over, under. This is challenging for young toddlers, so you'll need to help. Glue ends down so strips don't slide out. Use as placemats or place your kinara on top.
Corn (Muhindi) Crafts
Ears of corn (muhindi) represent children and the future.
Cut an ear of corn shape from yellow construction paper. Let your toddler glue on yellow pom-poms, yellow tissue paper, or real popcorn kernels for texture. Add green construction paper or crepe paper at the top for husks.
3D version: Decorate toilet paper rolls with yellow paint and add green tissue paper at one end. Kids can arrange them on their mkeka or use in pretend play.
Creating Unity Chains
Unity is Kwanzaa's first principle—paper chains represent unity and connection.
Cut strips of black, red, and green construction paper. Show your toddler how to loop them together, gluing each link. Talk about how each link connects to others, like family members connect.
Hang unity chains around your home during Kwanzaa to add festive decoration while representing togetherness.
Mess-Free Holiday Craft Ideas
Sometimes you need crafts without the cleanup. Here are actually mess-free (or minimal-mess) options.
Sealed Bag Painting
Put tempera or washable paint into a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Add a few drops of different colors. Seal securely—double-check to avoid disasters.
Tape the sealed bag to a table or highchair tray. Let your toddler squish and mix colors with fingers on the outside. They get finger painting sensory fun without mess.
Optional: Cut holiday shapes from cardstock and put in the bag before sealing for a resist art effect.
Downside: You can't keep the artwork unless you photograph it, but toddlers care about process over product.
Sticker Scene Creation
Stickers are self-contained and mess-free.
Buy holiday-themed sticker sheets and blank paper or printed scene templates. Find free templates online—search "Christmas scene coloring page" or "winter scene template." Let your toddler add stickers wherever they want.
No glue dripping, paint spilling, or glitter everywhere—just stickers and paper. Great for restaurants, waiting rooms, or car rides.
Stamping Activities with Washable Ink Pads
Use ONLY washable ink pads—they wash off hands easily.
Get cheap holiday stamps from craft stores. Stamping naturally teaches patterns and repetition, which benefits developing brains. Make wrapping paper, greeting cards, or fridge artwork.
Tip: Start with one or two ink colors. Multiple colors lead to muddy brown when toddlers press stamps into everything.
Dry Sensory Bins with Holiday Items
Sensory bins don't need water or wet mess.
Use a large plastic container filled with:
Dried beans or rice
Small holiday figurines
Scoops, cups, spoons
Jingle bells
Pom poms in holiday colors
Pine cones
Cinnamon sticks (for smell)
Toddlers can dig, sort, pour, and explore. Put a sheet or tablecloth underneath—way easier to clean than paint or glue. Add learning by having kids sort by color, count objects, or make patterns.
Magnetic Craft Activities on Cookie Sheets
Everything stays in place with magnets.
Use a cookie sheet as your base. Cut holiday shapes from magnetic sheets: trees, snowflakes, ornaments, stars, stockings, candy canes. Let your toddler arrange and rearrange on the sheet.
Great for travel—magnets stay on the cookie sheet, so bag the whole thing for car trips or planes.
Window Cling Decorating
Window clings are mess-free miracles.
Buy blank window cling sheets for kids to draw on with permanent markers (supervised), or buy pre-made holiday clings for toddlers to stick on windows however they want.
Toddlers will stick, peel, and re-stick repeatedly—working fine motor skills while decorating. When the season ends, peel off and store for next year. No damage, no residue.
Reusable Water Painting Books
Water wow books have pages that reveal colors when "painted" with water, then dry for reuse.
Find holiday-themed versions with Christmas scenes or winter animals. Use the special water pen or a paintbrush dipped in water.
Zero mess, setup, or cleanup—you literally just need water. Keep one in your bag for waiting situations: restaurants, doctor's offices, etc.
Edible Holiday Crafts for Toddlers
Activities are easier when toddlers can eat half the materials. The inevitable putting-things-in-mouth phase works in your favor.
Decorating Holiday Cookies
Skip fancy royal icing and complicated techniques.
Make or buy simple sugar cookies in holiday shapes. Set up a station with:
Store-bought vanilla frosting
Sprinkles in holiday colors
Small candies (M&Ms, mini chocolate chips)
Plastic knives or popsicle sticks for spreading
Let your toddler frost and decorate freely. Yes, they'll use too much frosting. Yes, cookies will look chaotic. That's perfect—they're learning to spread with tools and practicing hand-eye coordination.
Do this after dinner when sugar intake doesn't matter. Decorate, eat a few, package the rest for gifts or Santa.
Creating Fruit and Cheese Christmas Trees
Healthier than most edible crafts and impressive-looking.
Use green grapes, cheese cubes, small tomatoes or strawberries, and wooden skewers or thick pretzel sticks. Show your toddler how to stack items on skewers to create tree shapes—wider at bottom, pointy at top. Alternate grapes and cheese or create patterns. Top with a tomato or strawberry star.
This requires hand-eye coordination, so you'll help stabilize skewers. Some kids will just eat everything instead of building—that's fine too.
Pretzel Rod Candy Canes
Simple but cute.
Melt white chocolate or candy melts per package directions. Dip pretzel rods halfway into chocolate. Let your toddler sprinkle crushed candy canes onto wet chocolate. Place on wax paper to dry.
You handle hot chocolate dipping—toddlers handle sprinkling. They'll love dipping finished candy canes into hot chocolate or eating them as treats.
Gift idea: Put in cellophane bags with ribbon for teachers or neighbors.
Rice Krispie Treat Holiday Shapes
Basically foolproof and shapeable into anything.
Make a batch following the box recipe. While warm and pliable, press into greased holiday cookie cutters on a baking sheet. Let cool completely before removing. Then toddlers decorate with:
Frosting
Sprinkles
Edible markers
Candy decorations
Melted chocolate drizzle
The base is sturdy enough for heavy decorating without falling apart.
Tip: Use chunky, simple shapes—thin parts break easily.
Decorating Mini Gingerbread Houses
Buy mini gingerbread house kits pre-assembled (Target has them for around $5). The house is built—you just decorate.
Set up candy decorations in small bowls:
Gumdrops
Peppermint candies
Mini marshmallows
Candy canes
M&Ms
Red hots
Licorice
Give your toddler frosting as "glue" and let them go wild. Some kids carefully place each candy, others create candy mountains—both are valid.
Frosting gets everywhere, hands get sticky, candy gets eaten—but they'll have the best time.
Making Holiday Trail Mix
The easiest "craft"—toddlers love making something edible.
Set out small bowls of:
Cheerios or other cereal
Mini pretzels
Chocolate chips
Dried cranberries
Mini marshmallows
Goldfish crackers
Raisins
Nuts (if no allergies)
Give each toddler a bowl or baggie to scoop in what they want. This works on scooping skills, making choices, and following directions. Call it "Reindeer Food" or "Snowman Snack Mix" for extra excitement.
Measuring and pouring develops early math skills—discuss "more," "less," counting scoops, and comparing amounts.
Fruit Kabob Snowmen
Thread marshmallows, banana slices, and strawberry or orange slices onto skewers to create snowman kabobs. Three marshmallows make the body, small fruit pieces create faces or buttons.
For toddlers, use short wooden picks less sharp than regular skewers, or skip sticks and stack food on plates.
Use chocolate chips for eyes and buttons, small carrot pieces for noses, and pretzel stick arms. Use frosting to "glue" pieces together if needed.
Fun for holiday parties—festive, relatively healthy, and kids eat anything on sticks.
Final Thoughts
Holiday crafts with toddlers create lasting memories and traditions. Yes, there'll be messes, glitter everywhere, and imperfect results—but that's the beauty of it. Those crooked snowflakes are priceless.
Crafting slows down the season, offering screen-free moments together. Start simple, choose what feels right, and don't pressure yourself to do everything. Be present—put your phone down and embrace the chaos. These moments pass quickly. Your toddler's creative vision is more magical than any Pinterest-perfect project.
Take photos, laugh at the mess, and cherish these sticky-fingered, memory-making sessions. Happy crafting!
