Christmas Crafts With Grandkids: 14 Cozy Projects Grandparents Love to Make Together

Christmas crafts with grandkids are where some of the sweetest holiday memories begin, at a kitchen table covered in glue, glitter and giggles. Years from now, they will not remember the store bought toys, but they will remember the afternoon grandma helped them make a reindeer out of clothespins. That is the kind of gift that lasts. This list is made for grandparents who want easy, low mess projects that work for little hands and big hearts. Most use paper plates, pinecones, felt, yarn and things already in the cupboard. Below are 14 cozy projects, each with a short supply list and simple steps, plus a few safety notes for the parts grown ups should handle. Put the kettle on and clear the table..

A Table Full of Christmas Crafts With Grandkids

There is something magic about a table covered in half finished crafts, paper scraps and little paint smudges. It is messy for an afternoon, and then it turns into memories that last for decades. The trick is to set up before the grandkids arrive: cover the table with an old cloth, pour small cups of paint and lay out the supplies for one project at a time. Keep wipes close and expectations low. The wonky ones are always the best ones..

You will need: An old tablecloth or kraft paper, washable paint, glue sticks, kid safe scissors, wipes, and a box to hold the finished crafts.

How to make it: 1. Cover the table and set out one project’s supplies at a time. 2. Show the grandkids a finished sample. 3. Let them choose colors and do as much as they can on their own. 4. Take a photo of each finished piece with the date.

Paper Plate Christmas Tree

This simple idea went huge on Facebook, where one paper plate tree video gathered more than 336,000 reactions on the Home is Where the Art is page. A grown up folds and cuts the plate into a cone or triangle, and the kids paint it green and go wild with pom poms and stickers. It is cheap, fast and every tree comes out different. Which grandchild will add the most ornaments?

You will need: Paper plates, green washable paint, brushes, small pom poms, stickers, glue and a paper star.

How to make it: 1. A grown up cuts the plate into a tree shape or folds it into a cone. 2. Kids paint it green and let it dry. 3. Glue on pom poms and stickers as ornaments. 4. Add a paper star on top.

Salt Dough Handprint Ornament to Keep Forever

Of all the Christmas crafts with grandkids, this is the one grandparents keep forever. A small handprint pressed into salt dough captures exactly how little those fingers were this year. Write the year on the back, and every Christmas you hang it, you will smile. The baking step is for grown ups only, and once it is cool, the kids can paint it any color they like. Do you remember how small your own children’s hands once were?

You will need: 1 cup flour, half a cup salt, half a cup water, a rolling pin, a round cutter, a straw, paint and ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Mix flour, salt and water into a dough. 2. Roll it out, cut a circle and press a hand in gently. 3. Poke a hole with a straw and a grown up bakes it low and slow until hard. 4. Paint when cool and add ribbon.

Popsicle Stick Sled Ornament

Little wooden sleds are adorable on the tree and easy for small hands. Kids line up the sticks and paint them, and a grown up handles the glue gun for the runners. Add a tiny twine loop to hang it, and maybe a mini pom pom present riding on top. These also make great gift toppers for presents under the tree. How many sleds can your crew make in one afternoon?

You will need: Popsicle sticks, two half sticks for runners, paint, twine, white glue and a hot glue gun for an adult.

How to make it: 1. Glue five sticks side by side with two across the back. 2. Paint and let dry. 3. An adult glues two curved runners underneath. 4. Tie a twine loop at the front.

Pinecone Bird Feeder With Seed

Here is one of the Christmas crafts with grandkids that gives back to nature. Kids spread sunflower butter or shortening on a pinecone and roll it in birdseed, then you hang it together outside. Watching the birds come to visit over the next days gives everyone something to look forward to. Use seed butter if anyone has a nut allergy. Who will spot the first bird?

You will need: Large pinecones, twine, sunflower seed butter or vegetable shortening, a butter knife and birdseed.

How to make it: 1. Tie twine around the top of each pinecone. 2. Spread the butter into the scales. 3. Roll it in a tray of birdseed. 4. Hang it on a branch you can see from a window.

Christmas Crafts With Grandkids: Clothespin Reindeer

Three wooden clothespins, a pair of googly eyes and a red pom pom nose, and suddenly you have a reindeer. It is one of the easiest Christmas crafts with grandkids because it needs almost no waiting. Clip them to stockings, gift bags or a garland on the mantel. Kids love naming each one after Santa’s team. Which reindeer will be Rudolph?

You will need: Wooden clothespins, brown paint or markers, googly eyes, small red pom poms and white glue.

How to make it: 1. Glue two clothespins back to back as antlers. 2. Glue a third upside down as the head. 3. Add googly eyes and a red nose. 4. Let dry and clip it anywhere.

Christmas Crafts With Grandkids That Smell Like Cinnamon

These smell amazing and fill the whole house with the scent of Christmas. Mix cinnamon and applesauce into a dough, roll it out and let the kids cut stars, hearts and gingerbread shapes. They dry flat over a day or two. Remind little ones that these are for decorating, not eating. Hang them on the tree or tie them to gifts. Who will be in charge of the cookie cutters?

You will need: 1 cup ground cinnamon, about three quarters of a cup applesauce, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, a straw and ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Mix cinnamon and applesauce into a firm dough. 2. Roll it out and cut shapes. 3. Poke a hole with a straw. 4. Let dry flat for 1 to 2 days, flipping once, then add ribbon.

Paper Chain Countdown

Remember making paper chains as a child? Now you can share the same joy through Christmas crafts with grandkids. Kids cut strips of red and green paper and loop them together, one link for each day until Christmas. Each morning, they tear off one link and the excitement grows. Write a small activity on the inside of each link, like bake cookies or call grandma. What would you write on your links?

You will need: Red and green paper, kid safe scissors, a glue stick or tape and a marker.

How to make it: 1. Cut paper into strips about 1 inch wide. 2. Write a small activity on the inside of each one. 3. Loop and glue the strips into a chain. 4. Hang it and remove one link each day.

Painted Rock Snowmen

Smooth rocks from the garden become cheerful little snowmen with a coat of white paint, two dot eyes and a carrot nose. Kids can give each one a different colored scarf and hat. Line them up on a windowsill or tuck them into potted plants. They also make sweet paperweights for parents. Our Christmas crafts for seniors list has more calm projects you can enjoy on your own too. How many snowmen will join the family?

You will need: Smooth flat rocks, white acrylic paint, black and orange paint pens, small brushes and clear sealer.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the rocks. 2. Paint them white with two coats. 3. Add eyes, a smile and a carrot nose with paint pens. 4. Paint a scarf and hat, then seal.

Mason Jar Snow Globe

A homemade snow globe always gets a gasp, and it is a favorite among Christmas crafts with grandkids. A grown up glues a tiny tree or figure to the inside of the lid, then the kids fill the jar with water and glitter. Seal it tight and shake. A plastic jar is a safer pick for very young children. It sits on a shelf and becomes the thing everyone picks up when they walk past. Ready to make it snow?

You will need: A small plastic or glass jar with a lid, a tiny plastic tree, waterproof glue, distilled water, a little glycerin and glitter.

How to make it: 1. An adult glues the tree to the inside of the lid and lets it cure. 2. Fill the jar with water and a few drops of glycerin. 3. Add glitter. 4. Screw the lid on tight, seal with glue and flip it over.

Christmas Crafts With Grandkids: Stamped Wrapping Paper

Turn plain brown kraft paper into one of a kind wrapping paper. Kids dip cookie cutters into paint and stamp stars, trees and hearts all over a long sheet. When gifts are wrapped in their art, everyone opening them feels the love. This is one of those Christmas crafts with grandkids that saves money too. Whose gift will you wrap first?

You will need: A roll of brown kraft paper, metal cookie cutters, washable paint and paper plates for the paint.

How to make it: 1. Roll out the paper and tape the corners. 2. Pour paint onto paper plates. 3. Dip the cutters and stamp all over. 4. Let dry flat and wrap your gifts.

Felt Christmas Tree Wall Board

A felt tree on the wall gives little ones their own tree to decorate again and again. Felt ornaments stick right on without glue, so they can move them around all season. It keeps small hands busy and away from the real tree. Make it together, and they will be proud to show it off. It is one of those Christmas crafts with grandkids that gets played with daily. Who will put the star on top?

You will need: A large piece of green felt, colored felt scraps, scissors for grown ups and removable wall tape.

How to make it: 1. Cut a big tree shape from green felt. 2. Tape it to the wall at kid height. 3. Cut balls, stars and presents from felt scraps. 4. Let the kids decorate and redecorate.

Yarn Wrapped Stick Star

Gather sticks on a walk together, then turn them into a cozy star. A grown up ties five sticks into a star shape, and the kids wrap yarn around and around in any color they want. It is calm, simple work that lets you chat while you craft. Hang it on a door or in a window. Which colors will your grandkids pick?

You will need: Five straight sticks of the same length, twine, colorful yarn and a little glue.

How to make it: 1. Lay the sticks in a star and tie each corner with twine. 2. Add a dab of glue at each knot. 3. Let the kids wrap yarn around the arms. 4. Tie a loop for hanging.

Christmas Crafts With Grandkids: Graham Cracker Houses

No baking needed for this sweet classic. Graham crackers make the walls and roof, and thick icing holds it all together. Kids get to pile on candy and sprinkles however they want. It is a little sticky, a lot of fun and the perfect way to end a day of Christmas crafts with grandkids. Snap a picture, then let everyone nibble a corner. Who builds the tallest house?

You will need: Graham crackers, a small milk carton or paper cup for support, thick royal icing, candies and sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Pipe icing on the edges of the crackers. 2. Press them around the carton to make walls. 3. Add two crackers for the roof. 4. Decorate with candy and let it set.