Simple Christmas Tree Ornaments

This is the perfect holiday craft! All ages and skill levels will be able to enjoy this craft. If you are looking for a Christmas craft to do with a group of people this is a great choice. Added bonus? These Simple Christmas Tree Ornaments add childhood whimsy to your Christmas Tree!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SIMPLE CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS

glitter cardstock
beads
button
yarn
sequins
rhinestones
scissors
hole puncher
glue
paint brush

AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT ENHANCED THROUGH SIMPLE CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS

fine motor development
language development
creativity
patience
turn taking
delayed gratification
color recognition
shape recognition

HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS

Prior to introducing this activity to children cut large triangles from the glitter card stock and punch a whole at the top of each triangle so that you will be able to string the ornaments and hang on your tree. Set up a table with a variety of rhinestones, buttons, beads, yarn, etc. This is a great opportunity to use small amounts of leftover craft materials. For this project I used small dishes of glue with one paint brush per child to support fine motor development when using the paint brush. I also decided to have two children share one collection of craft materials to help facilitate turn-taking, delayed gratification and patience. All challenging, but important skills at this age!

Have each child pick a colored triangle. Introduce the activity explaining that today we are going to use the materials to decorate our own triangle Christmas Trees. Encourage your children to use the paint brush to place small amounts of glue on the the triangle and then choose different “decorations” to glue on. Because I wanted to support the pincher grip which is an important step towards successful writing I encouraged my children to choose one bead/button at a time rather than a handful. This also helped them be more conscious of the creative choices they made.

Like with all children’s art work it is crucial to focus on the process of the art rather than the end product. When speaking to children about their art remember to focus on what the children are doing rather than statements that begin with “I like it” or “It looks like a…” Statements that further facilitate learning include “Charlotte, look at the way you are dipping your brush in the glue and placing it carefully on your paper. You chose a green bead to use on your tree.” “Quinn, I notice you are making a line of beads on your tree. That looks like a lot of hard work!” These types of statement aid language development while giving your children the freedom to explore their work in their own words. If I simply say to a child “It looks like a monster face” and that was not the vision the child had in his head I have inappropriately told that child that my vision is the most important and that his art works has to look like something. These are not the lessons we want our children to learn. Art should give children the freedom to explore materials in their own way.

When given the freedom of exploration your children will be so proud of their work!

Once your children decide they are finished lay the Christmas Tree ornaments flat to dry. This is a great time to observe each other’s work. We focused on how interesting it was that we all used the same materials but our trees looked very different. I had each of my children name one thing that was different about their Christmas Tree. They loved this and were so proud to share with all of us!