We’ve all seen those pinterest and blog posts about easy kids crafts. We recently went on a mission to see just how easy some of them really are! Unfortunately, due to copyrights I won’t be able to display the side-by-side comparisons of how some of these SHOULD have turned out. I did try to provide instruction and then step aside to let the kids do the craft themselves. As difficult as that was, I wanted to see how doable these actually were for kids.
Snowman
We attempted to make a snowman with pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and cotton balls. Only a few supples required and looked easy enough, I thought this would be an easy home run. Then my son decided he didn’t want to use glue because he really likes tape. Due to his lack of following instructions, this turned out as mostly a fail. Although he was very proud of himself and enjoyed using all the tape.
Elf
We tried making elves out of red construction paper, pipe cleaners and their school pictures. Trying to cut out an elf body turned out harder than anticipated. My youngest son again went crazy with the tape. However, he loved his elf and proudly put it on display….while my oldest had a meltdown because he didn’t like his elf body. Ugh, so I counted this as another fail.
Christmas Tree Art
We attempted to make a Christmas Tree on canvas. This one seemed sooooo easy. You just cut out a Christmas Tree and tape it on the canvas. Then have your child use their finger to make red and green fingerprints all around the canvas. Then remove your Christmas Tree. No problem……right? Well, my son smeared some of his finger prints. When we finally removed the Christmas Tree stencil, it just seemed to leave an odd empty space. Whereas all the pictures I saw online it was perfect! We will call this yet another fail.
Gift Tags
We bought a pack of blank tags and twine. Then we had a collection of Christmas type craft supplies such as red and green buttons and stamps. All the kids had to do was decorate the tags so I thought this was an easy win. Turns out I don’t think the kids fully comprehended what gift tags are used for. Plus I don’t think they had too much fun with this one. However, I kind of liked it. So as a kid craft it was a fail but as an adult craft it would be a win!
Glitter Ornaments
All you need for this one are clear glass ornaments, glue, and glitter. We simply poured some clear glue into the ornaments, rolled it around to spread it out. Then you pour in glitter and shake it up. I failed on getting the glitter inside the ornament without a huge mess. The messier the more fun for my boys. These turned out OK and the boys enjoyed it so I would say it was a win. Although I will warn that the boys tried to clean up the glitter which was more of them spreading it around. It ended up all over the house after all was said and done!
Snowman Ornaments
This one involved clear glass ornaments, black and orange paint, and tiny little styrofoam balls. First, the kids painted a snowman’s face on an ornament. After it dried, then we headed outside to fill them. After using glitter I learned my lesson, so these styrofoam balls and glitter are now banned from indoor use. I have no idea how you are supposed to get those tiny balls inside the ornaments. It was another huge mess but a success! However, I will never use those little balls again and would opt for some cotton balls instead.
Candy Mint Ornaments
I choose this one again because it seemed easy and required I only buy some mints. The concept is simple, you grease up an old cookie sheet and place the unwrapped mints inside cookie cutters. Then put them in the oven for a few minutes for the mints to melt. We forgot about putting a hole in them when you first pull them out to string them on the tree. What others failed to mention is that the mints could melt and spread under the cookie cutters. Also, after they cool and you try to take them out of the ornament, they are extremely fragile! We ended up getting a good result out of a few and it was low effort so I would say it was successful.
Salt Dough Ornaments
These are a classic that I am sure everyone is familiar with by now. You whip up some salt dough, roll it out, and use cookie cutters just like you would for making Christmas cookies. Throw them in the oven for a couple hours. Then after they cool, you can paint them. These were a lot of work. My mom came over to help us with this one and it still took a long time. The painting can get messy as you really need to cover the whole ornament. However, these are ones that are easily a win. The kids really enjoyed the whole process and now you have keepsake ornamanets from your kids.
Crayon Ornaments
The only supplies needed are old broken crayons and glass ornaments. You place the crayons inside the ornament and then use a hairdryer to melt them. As they are melting, we swirled around the ornament to spread the crayons around. Not only did the boys enjoy this, but so did I! We would make these again in the future.
Gingerbread ….People?
I was at Hobby Lobby and picked up a foam gingerbread craft kit for a couple dollars. It involved zero effort other than opening the kit and letting the kids go to town. Crazy enough, this might have been the kids favorite craft of the weekend, go figure!
Conclusion
After many tears and laughs, I wouldn’t trade the weekend for anything. The boys had a blast while we listened to Christmas Carols, watched Christmas movies and made a whole lot of Christmas Crafts! I don’t think my husband will ever allow us to do it again after the mess we made. It is apparent that I am not crafty and should be banned from Pinterest 😉
Click here for a list of some of the needed supplies.
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