Easy Christmas Ornament Craft for Young Children

Christmas is a time for the young and the young at heart. It is always fun to have young children help with Christmas decorating. Getting them involved not only keeps them occupied but it also allows them to feel as if they have some control over all that is going on around them. When you are in the middle of wrapping presents, having a simple craft to keep them busy can be a life saver! Crafts that they are able to complete can make wonderful additions to your Christmas tree or can be given as Christmas gifts to Grandparents. There are many different crafts that young children are capable of doing. Coloring, cutting and gluing are fun for the whole family.

This particular craft is one that I have done with my older child and will be doing with my two youngest this year. It is simple and only requires minimal assistance for children ages five and up. My middle child is three and will need more assistance, but he will still enjoy it! This is such a simple and easy craft to make but is so cute when it is finished.

Reindeer Tree Ornament Craft

Materials Needed

3 Popsicle sticks per deer

Google eyes

Fuzzy pompoms

Hot glue gun (for parent's to use)

white glue

ribbon

Holly leaves and berries made of foam or cut from paper

Instructions

Glue the three Popsicle sticks into an A shape. Not a triangle. You want them "legs" of the A to be sticking out like an actual letter A. Use the hot glue gun to glue these in advance and allow them to cool. Turn the A shapes upside down so that the point becomes a reindeer "nose" and the "legs" become "antlers".

Allow your child to glue a pompom onto the nose of the deer. Use a small spot of white glue. Older children may be able to help you use the glue gun with supervision. Have your child glue two Google eyes to the face of the reindeer halfway between the nose and the top of the head.. Glue the holly leaves and berry to the top of the head in between the antlers. If you have used white glue, set the deer aside to dry completely before taking the next step.

Use the hot glue to attach a loop of ribbon to the top of the head behind the leaves after the rest has dried. Using a fine tipped permanent marker, write your child's name on the back of the ornament along with the year. This will be a wonderful keepsake! Allow your child to experiment with colors or different decorations on their reindeer. Younger children may prefer to color their reindeer with crayons or markers as well as gluing on pompoms and eyes. Various sizes of eyes and pompoms are available. You can also use construction paper to cut out eyes and noses rather than purchasing them.

Hang your reindeer on your Christmas Tree or present to a grandparent!