Christmas Projects for Preschoolers

The following crafts are Christmas projects for preschoolers and toddlers who make up the largest majority of daycares. They are age appropriate and easy for little hands to do.



Table of Contents
Christmas Countdown Chain Jigsaw Puzzle Picture Frame
Cinnamon Tree Ornament Stained Glass Candle
Snowflake Tree Ornament Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree
Egg Carton Christmas Tree
Christmas Countdown Chain


Christmas Countdown Chain

Young children don't understand the concept of time. You can help them understand how many more days until Christmas by constructing this colorful linking chain.

christmas countdown chain

Supplies Needed:

Print the Christmas Chain Poem & Template. Cut out the poem with decorative scissors. Cut out the bell pattern with regular straight scissors. Use the bell pattern to cut a bell from red, green or yellow construction paper. Glue the poem to the center of the bell. Punch a hole in the top of the bell and cut a slit in the bottom of the bell to attach the first link.

Cut 1/2" x 4-1/2" strips of red, green and yellow construction paper.  These will be used as links for your chain. The number of links in the chain will be determined by what day of the month you make the chain.  Attach one link per day from the date you make the chain until Christmas Eve when Santa Claus comes. You can help the kids wait for the glue to dry by having them hold the loop between their fingers and say "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-Do it Again!-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10". It should then stick together. I write the numbered day of the month on the inside of the links to help keep track of which one they should be ripping off.

Cut a small length of ribbon to attach to the top of the bell as a hanger.


Jigsaw Puzzle Picture Frame

christmas project for kids

Supplies Needed:

  • Old jigsaw puzzle
  • Spray paint in various colors
  • Glue gun
  • Tongue depressors
  • Ribbon or strip magnets
  • Photo of each child

Adult:

Spray paint the puzzle pieces with various colors in a well ventilated area.

Children (with adult assistance):

Using the hot glue gun, connect four tongue depressors together to create a frame.

Randomly glue the painted puzzle pieces onto the frame.

Mount the child's picture to the back of the frame.

Attach a ribbon to hang the picture frame or attach strip magnet to hang on the refrigerator.


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Cinnamon Tree Ornament

cinnamon tree ornament

Supplies Needed:

  • 4 oz cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup applesauce
  • waxed paper
  • rolling pin
  • Christmas cookie cutters
  • plastic straw
  • candy decorations
  • flour
  • ribbon or yarn

Mix the cinnamon with the applesauce. Roll the dough between two pieces of waxed paper to 1/8" thickness.

Use the plastic straw to make a hole in the top of the ornament for hanging. Use candy decorations to decorate your ornament. Sprinkle with flour if you'd like the snow affect.

To dry and harden the ornament, you can air dry it for 2-3 days or place in an oven at 200 degrees for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

When dry, tie ribbon or yarn to ornament for hanging.


Stained Glass Candle

stained glass candle

Supplies Needed:

  • Baby food jar
  • Any color tissue paper (2-3 colors)
  • Elmers glue
  • Large paint brush
  • Tealight candle
  • Exacto knife

Cut the tissue paper into 1" squares.

Paint an outside section of the baby food jar with glue. Place tissue paper squares in the glue at different angles and overlapping each other.  Paint another section with glue and cover with squares.  Continue this process until entire jar in covered. Take care not to go over the top of the jar because you don't want the tissue paper to catch on fire. Use the exacto knife to trim the edges at the top.

Paint over the tissue paper squares with another layer of glue.
Let dry completely.

Place the tealight candle inside the jar and light.


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Snowflake Tree Ornament

snowflake tree ornament

I have a really hard time finding craft projects that two year olds can participate in and actually complete. This is one they can do. It is extremely easy with a really nice looking finished project.

Supplies Needed:

  • Silver pipe cleaners
  • Blue, silver and white pony beads
  • Invisible string

That's all you need!

For each ornament, cut three pipe cleaners in half. Criss-cross the pipe cleaners in a star formation. Fold over each other to twist in the middle but maintain the star formation.

The kids can lace 3 beads onto each branch of the snowflake.

Fold over the end of each pipe cleaner to prevent the beads from falling off. When you fold over the last branch, insert a loop of invisible string to attach to a hook or a tree branch.

That's it. You're done. You have a beautiful handmade ornament to hang on your Christmas tree.


Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree

Another pipe cleaner project. Very easy to do, but looks really nice on a tree. And the kids are so proud when they can hang ornaments on the tree that they made!

pipe cleaner christmas tree
  • Green pipe cleaners
  • Various colors of pony beads
  • Yellow craft foam
  • Transparent glitter
  • Invisible string
  • Scissors
  • Tacky Glue

Start by bending the bottom 1/2" of the pipe cleaner up onto itself to prevent pony beads from slipping off. String the pony beads onto the pipe cleaner. The first two should be brown and pushed all the way to the end to represent the tree trunk. After that, choose any color and leave space between each pony bead. Bend the pipe cleaner into the shape of a tree.

Cut a 4" piece of invisible thread and tie it to the top of the tree to form a loop for hanging.

Cut a yellow star out of the craft foam. Paint the star with Tacky Glue and sprinkle with transparent glitter. After it dries, glue the star to the top of the tree. 


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Egg Carton Christmas Tree
Christmas Projects for Preschoolers

egg carton christmas tree

This project is a little intense for little hands so you'll want to spread it out over an entire week. The finished product will be worth it!

Supplies Needed:

Start cutting rows of egg carton sections, starting with one cup and going all the way to a row of six cups. Paint the cups green.

Cut a triangle out of the corrugated cardboard box that has a base line of 10" and a height of 10-1/2". Use the tacky glue to glue the egg carton strips in a pyramid format onto the corrugated cardboard. Let dry.

Using one color at a time, use fingerprint marks to make the red, white, blue and yellow "lights" on the tree. After it drys, use adhesive spray and then sprinkle clear glitter. 

Cut a 2" star out of yellow construction paper.  Glue to the tip of the popsicle with tacky glue. Attach the popsicle to the back of the tree with masking tape.


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Marcia Reagan is the creator of DaycareAnswers and lives in Central Minnesota with her husband and two children.  She's been an in-home daycare provider for over twenty years and loves to share her experience and passion for daycare with other providers.  


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