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10 Homemade Christmas Ornaments That Kids Can Make

Jen Betterley
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Published on: December 13, 2011

Gumdrop craftGumdrop Gorgeous

We can't get enough of these beautiful DIY gumdrop Christmas ornaments featured on My Blessed Life. They're so good, you could almost just eat them!

Besides the fact that these bright holiday orbs are easy on the eyes, they're also a snap to make with only a handful of supplies, including styrofoam balls, ribbon, glue, and some colorful candy. Overall ease and appeal points make for a great Christmas craft that your little ones will love, and a homemade holiday decoration that's sure to leave your guests wondering why they'd never thought of it before!


Paper ornamentsPretty on Paper

Curbly Editor-in-Chief Chris includes this great idea for making simple Christmas ornaments with colorful paper strips. And for how quick and easy this project is, it's hard not to be mighty impressed with the outcome!

Putting a modern spin on the Christmas "onion bulbs" that he used to make as a child in Sunday school, Chris notes that you'll only need to have cardstock, binder clips, a hole punch, scissors, and an eyelet kit (or glue) on hand to make these festive decorations. Certainly one project that will take you back to your own childhood favorite crafts, these simple yet elegant ornaments are sure to be an instant crowd-pleaser this season!


Play Dough ornamentsPlay Dough Perfect

The Magic Onions offers up this fun two-for-one craft idea for making homemade play dough -- and transforming some of it  into DIY Christmas ornaments. Not bad for a play-filled day, right?

To get started on the dough, you'll need a handful of ingredients and food coloring if desired (full recipe and walk-through included on the site). After your dough is ready to go, set the little ones loose with festive Christmas cookie cutters and plenty of glitter -- and don't forget to add holes at the top for hanging! Preheat your oven to 250°F and simply pop them in the oven for an hour as the day's playtime winds down. All in all, a fun afternoon activity that's sure to keep those small hands busy during the holidays!


Rudolph ornamentRudolph, the Red-Nosed Thumbprint

After making handprint snowmen ornaments for gifts last year, Little Bit Funky Mama Crystal decided to try her (child's) hand at making reindeer thumbprints for this year's tree decorations. Pretty darn cute -- we know!

Dubbed by Crystal as a "20-minute crafter," these fun ornaments are easy to make and a great project for small hands. To get started, you'll want to pick up the plain Christmas ornaments of your choice (Crystal says that "Rudy" can be seen better on those with matte finish), and have some red and brown craft paint, along with a Sharpie on hand. Check out the site for the full pictorial -- and don't miss out on the equally easy yet beautiful way that Crystal's family chose to giftwrap these sweet little guys!


Snowflake Christmas ornamentsSimple Christmas Snowflakes

We love this quick and easy DIY idea for making homemade snowflake ornaments featured on Alphamom. If you're a glitter fan, we're sure you'll agree!

Made using the bottoms of plastic berry baskets, your tot will love tranforming those common baskets into gorgeous sparkling snowflakes with only a bit of glue and some shiny glitter love. Once the glue and glitter has dried, add some invisible string (or fishing line) to the end and begin bedazzling the family tree. Also a great idea for a sweet homemade gift for your child's favorite teacher!


Ice cream Christmas ornamentsIce Cream Christmas Social

How About Orange offers up these sweet paper ice cream cone ornaments -- bonus that this is an excellent afternoon crafting idea for younger kids!

Simply made with recycled grocery bags, tissue paper, glue, and string, these vibrant DIY ornaments will certainly help lessen your recycling, while offering up some bright, unique decorations for this year's tree. Be sure to check out How About Orange for the full tutorial -- and for a variety of other gorgeous homemade paper ornament ideas!


Snowy owl craftSnowy Owl Spectacular

If you've got an animal lover at home who gives a hoot about owls, don't miss out on these homemade Christmas snowy owl ornaments featured on That Artist Woman!

Made with only a handful of supplies ,including felt, glue, feathers, googly eyes (our favorite!), and old book pages, these little feathered friends will make great tree decorations or holiday gifts for loved ones. And the best part -- they can be reused in years to come! Be sure to visit That Artist Woman for plenty of tips on creating your own Christmas birdies.


Origami ornamentsOrigami Ornament Specialties

If you're looking to give this year's tree a nice pop of bright color without blowing your budget, be sure to check out Mini-Eco's idea for making these beautiful origami homemade Christmas ornaments!

Worried about her young boys possibly breaking her fragile glass Christmas baubles, Mama Kate decided to deck out their tree instead with these easy-peasy paper origami ornaments. Made with only paper and string (and beads if wanted), Kate admits that this might not be the best project for younger tots, but that older kids will certainly enjoy it. For the full tutorial, visit the site -- and consider browsing through some of Mini-Eco's other colorful handmade treasures while you're there!


Recycled ornamentsRecycled Holiday Sparkles

Paint Cut Paste features these bright and colorful cool upcycled ornaments that are made out of magazines and junk mail. What a great excuse for ripping up all of that unnecessary paper and turning it into something beautiful!

To get started on her colorful Christmas orbs, Mama Jen's daughter shredded up all of her paper, and then they took a quick trip to Michael's for some shaped, brown paper ornaments. Once home, she got to work on Mod Podging the paper pieces into a collage and adding glitter for a sparkly final touch, before hanging the ornaments up to dry. Overall, a quick and easy holiday project that packs plenty of ripping-good fun, and one that will certainly help eliminate the bulk of your junk mail. (Reducing and reusing at the same time -- always a huge bonus!)


Christmas beads craftColorful Christmas Beading

And for another great holiday ornament idea that's good for younger kids, we love these beaded pipe cleaner ornaments included on Plum Pudding!

Mama Megan admits that in past years with small children her family was confined to using paper-made ornaments, so these bright and beautiful newbies were warmly welcomed! To make your own, you'll need to have on hand a variety of colorful pipe cleaners and beads -- or only pipe cleaners for the even younger kiddos. Either way, you're sure to create some snazzy decorations that will look fabulous on your tree, and come away from the holidays with some new family holiday keepsakes.

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