Christmas Craft Activities, Art Projects, Snacks and Recipes | Little Giraffes Teaching Ideas (2024)

Snacks/Recipes

Reindeer

Reindeer-cut bread into triangle shape and spread on peanut butter. Use pretzels for ears, chocolate covered raisins (or brown M&Ms) for eyes and a red M&M for a nose.

Apple Santa

Make an Apple Santa by putting large marshmallows and red and green gumdrops on toothpicks and inserting them in the apples for arms, legs and head. A face can be drawn with frosting from a tube or by dipping a toothpick in food coloring.

Christmas Tree

Thanks to Hada for sharing this picture and idea of using an ice cream cone decorated with green icing and candy to make a Christmas tree.

Gingerbread Houses

3 boxes of graham crackers…4 halves for the sides of the carton and 2 halves for the roof…(angle them to make a pointed roof)
1 can of vanilla frosting for each child
1 milk carton washed out and taped shut for each.
1 plastic knife for each
1 solo plastic plate to place the carton on.
Assorted bags of candy to decorate the houses (each child could be assigned a topping to bring in such as chocolate
chips, gum drops, m & m’s, or skittles)
Paper plates to put the candy on…two children share the candy on 1 plate.
2 bags of coconut for snow
2 bags of spearmint leaves for bushes
1 bag of Hershey kisses for chimneys
Newspaper to cover desks

Have 1 parent helper for every 2 children. Frost the carton and assemble the house and roof. Decorate the house with candy. Use additional frosting on the plate to make snow and a path to the door. Let them dry over night and take them home the next day. This project can be integrated into the curriculum as a math activity by having the children “purchase” the decorative toppings–see the idea above in the Math section.

An alternate suggestion is to hot glue the graham crackers to the milk cartons first. It is hard for the children to attach the crackers to the carton anyway, plus it uses so much icing. And, if they don’t use very much icing, then when they start putting candy on it, the crackers fall off.

You can read the Gingerbread Baby story and then give them a small gingerbread shaped cookie. Have them put the cookie in the carton, because they caught the gingerbread baby and they are going to make a house for him. After the children are gone for the day, hot glue the crackers to the cartons so they are ready for the next day. If you have parent helpers, you could do this all in one day. Then the children can decorate the houses without using all that icing. It would probably take 3 to 4 cans of icing for 18 children.

Send home a note to the parents with the gingerbread houses, stating that the crackers have been glued on and not to allow the children to eat the crackers but only eat the candy.

Art Projects

Make a Santa mobile. Put a mustache, nose and eyes on a 6×18″ piece of pink construction paper. Glue a 1 inch white band to the top and roll this into a cylinder. Staple 2 red triangles inside the top of the cylinder; bring these triangles together at the top by stapling on a white circle. Decorate with a holly leaf and berries. Accordion fold 6 one and a half inch strips of white paper and glue inside bottom of Santa face. Hang by the circle at the top.

Cut light bulbs from paper or craft foam. Students write one letter of their name on each bulb. Use pinking shears to cut black strips of paper and fold them over yarn and staple to the bulbs to attach to the necklace.

Printable Christmas Lights

Use an Ellison die-cut to punch out 2 Christmas trees from craft foam. Glue on sequin decorations and let dry. Cut one tree halfway up from the bottom and the other halfway down from the top. Slip 2 trees together so it will stand.

Trace one footprint and two handprints to make a reindeer. Add wiggly eyes and a pompom nose. Hang ten in a row and use the antlers to practice counting by fives and tens to 100.

Slide beads (tri-beads) on to a pipe cleaner and bend over to make a candy cane. Put the beads on in a pattern–AB or ABC to reinforce math skills.

Make a Santa by stuffing a water bottle with red crepe paper. Make a belt from black electrical tape. Add wiggly eyes and a cottonball beard.

Watercolor Tree

Form decorated gingerbread men into a tree shape.

Spray paint a coffee can. Insert a wire handle and sponge paint a snowman decoration on the can. Use the can to carry home Christmas ornament gifts.

Handprint Snowman Ornament

Paint child’s palm and fingers white. Carefully have them hold the blue ball to create the five snowmen. Use a paint marker to make hats, faces, and scarves. Attach a tag with this poem:
These aren’t just five snowmen
As anyone can see.
I made them with my hand
Which is a part of me.
Now each year when you trim the tree
You’ll look back and recall
When my hand was just this small.
-Write child’s name & year on the last line-

Tag for Handprint Snowman Ornament

Large Ornaments

Cut large green and red circles with a 12 inch diameter. Have students color and cut out 2 simple pictures such as Santa, a snowman, a star, or a gingerbread man. Attach an ornament hanger to the top of each side of the ball after gluing a picture on each side. These make colorful decorations hanging from the ceiling.

Candy Cane Mouse

Make an oval shape (about 4 inches long) from green paper or felt. Cut two slits (close to an inch long) horizontally about an inch apart. Add red mouse ears, a red pompom nose, and bead or wiggle eyes. Slide a candy cane through the slits and the round end becomes the mouse’s tail.

Rectangle Tree

This tree was designed by our Art Teacher, Ms. Bittle.

Santa Countdown

Glue a cotton ball on each day in December to count down to Christmas day.

Santa’s Countdown to Christmas {free printable}

Santa’s Elves

This idea came from Mrs. Begg’s site. I used Adobe Photoshop to “liquify” the children’s ears and make them longer and pointy. The children cut out the hats and collars and glued on the cotton balls.

Christmas Countdown

Make read and green chains to count down the days till Christmas. The star at the top has this poem:
From December 1 till Christmas
Is the longest time of year.
Seems as though old Santa
Never will appear.
How many days till Christmas
Is mighty hard to count
so this little paper chain
Will tell you the exact amount.
Take off a link every day.
It isn’t very hard.
Christmas Day will be here
When you reach the star.

Handprint Wreath

Sew or hot glue a pocket at the top of the felt for the dowel rod. I used pencil to lightly trace a Cool Whip lid in the center so the heel of the child’s hand made something close to a circular shape for the center of the wreath. Paint the child’s hand with acrylic paint. Use a finger dipped in red paint to make some holly berries. Glue on a red bow. Write the child’s name and year at the bottom of the wreath. Tie a piece of yarn to each end of the down for a hanger.

Wooden Tree

This tree was created by Mr. Hatherill, our other kindergarten teacher’s father. The children painted the pieces and used a pencil eraser dipped in paint to make the ornaments.

Reindeer Food

Click here for Printable Letter & Poem

Leave this letter, 2 bags (oats and gold glitter), 2 spoons and the labels to be “found” by your class. You can add the ingredients to a Christmas ziplock bag or make a reindeer lunch bag like the one below.

Dear Mrs. Flanagan and Little Giraffes,
Here are all the things you’ll need to make the secret reindeer food that will help my reindeer find their way to your house on Christmas Eve. there are 2 spoons and 2 bags of secret ingredients. Use the big spoon to scoop out 2 spoonfuls of magic food. Use the little spoon to scoop out 1 spoonful of magic gold. Mix them together in a bag. Sprinkle this on your lawn or sidewalk on Christmas Eve so we can find your house or apartment. Don’t worry if some is left over…sometimes reindeer don’t eat a lot when they have to fly. I sent along some directions for you to take home with the magic food. Be good! HO! HO! HO!

Love,
Santa

Tag for back of bag:

Reindeer Food

Be sure to take this magic food
And sprinkle it on the lawn.
On Christmas, Santa’s reindeer
Travel miles before the dawn.
The smell of oats and glitter path
Will guide them on their way.
And you’ll wake up to Santa’s gifts
Next morn on Christmas day!

Christmas Program Clothes

Make elf hats shown in the picture. Add a sentence strip headband to fit each child. Cut a collar from white construction paper that has been folded. Add cut out holly leaves and red marker holly berries in between the leaves. Tie bows with red crepe paper streamers that have been stapled to the collar.

Related Pages

Class books, printable books, patterning, Roll-A-Christmas Tree, and graphing ideas.

Christmas Party Games11 party game ideas and links to more.

Gingerbread Activities

Polar Express Activities