It’s the holidays! Such a magical time of year, but between the spirit week dress schedule, family plans, and general preparation for the season, it can also feel overwhelming. Below are some stress free and mess free craft projects that can be used at a group gathering with friends or during a night in with family.
Craft Ideas
Foam wreaths
A wreath creates a beautiful decoration no matter the season or holiday that you are celebrating, and wreaths are even more special when they are constructed at home. I love wreath making kits like this one from Amazon. They are simple, kids can assemble them independently, they come with sticky foam backing so there is no glue or mess required, and they are very reasonably priced. Children can make wreaths to decorate their bedroom, house windows, or turn them into sparkly ornaments.
I recommend separating the stickers into bowls by category so that children are able to quickly pick the decorations they need. A simple table layout like the one below will ensure that stickers do not end up all over the house and are easily accessible to all. When we did this project at home, we also set up a “discard bowl” so that children could place all of the sticker backings in a single large bowl for easy clean-up after the fun.
Ornament Making
Some of our favorite ornaments year over year are the precious ones our children create. Ornament making is always a huge hit, and children love hanging their special creation on the tree. Below are some simple ornaments that are sure to wow at your next holiday party.
As a tip, if you are doing an ornament that requires a photo, it is a nice added touch to email guests before the gathering, so they can send you a copy of the picture they would like incorporated in the ornament. Then you can print the pictures in advance and have them waiting for folks when they arrive. This also ensures that your guests don’t leave the party with the take home project of printing off a picture for the ornament. If your party guests are young and have not yet mastered scissors, it might also be nice to have the image cut and secured in the ornament in advance.
Foam Ornament
I love this one because it is truly low lift. You just need a picture, some markers, and the foam stickers that come with the ornaments. You can find these in a variety of shapes at your local craft store. Very low effort on the organization, but still an adorable ornament and snapshot from the year.
Popsicle Stick Ornament
This ornament is great because it is incredibly affordable. You can purchase dyed popsicle sticks, use plain wooden ones, or make coloring your popsicle sticks with a marker part of the craft. Before the party, I glued four popsicle sticks into a rectangle and then glued a chosen photograph behind the popsicle sticks. Then, when guests arrive, they just need to decorate their frame. You can use anything to decorate.
If your guests are younger, I would suggest markers, small stickers, or foam stickers. If your guests are 7 years old and up, they can handle more elaborate decorations that might need to be secured with hot glue.
Sequins Ornament
A glitter ornament can sound like a mess waiting to happen, but these sequin ornaments get all of the flash without the mess! To make these, cut colored cardstock into a circle, then secure a photograph in the center, provide guests with elmers glue, and sequins (I like to put these in a shallow bowl or platter so children can see the options, but the sequins stay contained). Tell guests, “a dot does a lot,” and let them put dots of glue on the cardstock around their photo and then place a sequin in the dot of glue.
A tip for these, it is best to have children complete this project at the beginning of the party. That way, the glue will have time to dry before everyone departs.
Painted Wooden Ornaments
I saved this one for last because it has the biggest potential for mess; however, for older or more mature party guests, this can be a lot of fun. You can purchase wooden ornaments like the one above from Michaels or any local craft store. Then add the photo for each child.
Helpful Tips to Minimize Mess
It is helpful to provide each child with a palette pre-filled with each of the washable paint colors. Store the rest of the paint bottles out of sight. If a child needs more of a certain color, not a problem, an adult can fill up their palette. This prevents children from overfilling colors, grabbing more paint when they don’t need it, or squeezing paint all over your house. Another tip for this project is to lay out a paintbrush for each child in advance, as well as a cup of water and a rag for blotting. This will ensure that they are able to clean their brush before moving on to their next color without taking their brush to your sink to wash it off. Finally, children should complete this whole project on a plastic winter themed tablecloth that you don’t mind throwing away at the end of the gathering. Again, I would do these ornaments at the beginning of the party so the paint has some time to dry before your guests head home.
Holiday Characters
Children love building puppets or even paperdoll characters. Building Santa, Rudolph, or a snowman can be a great, simple activity at parties.
Foam Characters
You can find a variety of foam peel and stick characters that are very user friendly. These Santa dolls were so fun for my four year old to put together. Again, I love them because they are very easy. All of the foam pieces come with adhesive, so you simply need to peel the backing off of the foam and stick the Santa together.
Recycled Characters
A more advanced version of this craft is to use recycled household items to create your own winter themed character. My seven year old and his friends really enjoyed this project. My son and I collected things from around the house, like toilet paper tubs, bottle tops, cans, tissue boxes, etc. We then made a maker’s kit for him and his friends, complete with markers, sequins, some stick on letters and stickers, hot glue guns, a stapler, and tape. They had a blast turning old objects into their new characters.
Bringing the Crafts Together
The holidays are a wonderful, though sometimes stressful, time of year. It is such a joy to gather with friends and family, but it can feel challenging if you don’t have a lot of time to plan. The simple, cost effective, and low mess ideas above provide a great solution. I can also guarantee that your guests will look at the precious photo ornament or wreath that their child made for years to come and remember the magic you created.