By Christa Protano
Confession: my Christmas decorations have been up since before Thanksgiving — and I’m not afraid to admit it. The holidays always creep up fast, and I like to fit in all the requisite kid-friendly activities that go hand-in-hand with this time of year. While 2020 may not be the most wonderful, there is still joy and fun to be had. First up: Christmas Crafts. Here are our top five picks.
Painting rocks is quickly becoming one of my daughter’s favorite pastimes. She got a kit for her birthday and I’m pretty sure the grandparents are sending her one to open on the 25th. This Christmas-themed kit will get everyone in the holiday spirit with six rocks, paints, pom poms, glitter (you’ve been warned!), and an easy-to-follow instructional guide. We like placing our painted rocks underneath the tree once they dry.
Preschooling at home this year? ’Tis the season for some holiday finger painting. Toddlers can hone their fine motor skills by adding more thumbprint lights to the tree and fingerprint reindeer to help pull Santa’s sleigh. They can even potato stamp their way to a friendly snowman (spud not included). More importantly, this set’s non-toxic and washable paints make this craft project a win-win.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Pencil Toppers
Confession No. 2: I feel like I’m buying school supplies all the time! Thank you, virtual schooling. Fortunately, these pencils are a lot more fun to shop for thanks to everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer. Featuring Santa, Clarice, Bumble and Rudolph himself, five festive toppers complete this set of colored pencils and activity book, which takes readers on an interactive journey to the North Pole and Land of Misfit Toys.
Super Sticker Activity: Christmas
No child’s holiday craft project is complete without its own set of holiday-themed stickers. In this 32-page book, classic Christmas friends the likes of penguins, gingerbread men, and magical elves are all dressed up for winter via 75-plus puffy stickers. This is a great activity to stash in your bag to keep little hands busy during those long car rides to grandma’s house.
Fans of adult coloring may want to level up to artful etching in order to bring on a sense of calm this holiday season. From Thunder Bay Press, this Christmas-inspired book lets you scratch away at ten beautifully-etched boards to reveal colorfully, complex holiday scenes. Complete with a wooden stylus and a fold-out scratch-off Advent calendar, Artful Etching: Christmas is sure to be a hit with teens and young adults. Parents may want to pickup a copy for themselves too.
