When it comes to crafts with kids, I hear so many mamas say they just aren’t creative.
But here’s the thing, mamas, there are no rules! There are no expectations. If the kids are having fun, that’s all that matters. What they want most is for us to sit with them and do something. Anything. Am I right?
The number one phrase being used in my house right now is, ‘Mom, I just want to be near you’. Dang it! They know just what to say!
Well, here’s a craft that is perfect for mamas that don’t craft. It gives the kids something to do, near you, that is easy and makes a great Christmas memory.
This past Sunday we decorated our tree. With three boys, 7 and 4-year-old twins, I’m sure you can imagine, decorating the tree wasn’t exactly magical.
I lost count on the number of ornament casualties. This is the first year that I have actually attempted to put real ornaments on the tree since having babies. It has already fallen over once.
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The memories we ‘think’ we are making
As I was going through them, I started thinking about craft ornaments I had made in school or church as a kid. I realized my kids don’t have anything special they’ve made to hang up every year.
The one that sticks out in my mind from my childhood was a picture of me cut into a circle and glued to a gold metal ashtray from Hardee’s. An ashtray! That’s the one I remember the most. See! Craft doesn’t always have to mean fancy.
Another mom told me that every Thanksgiving, she used to go all out decorating and cooking. Her now-adult daughters tell her that what reminds them most of Thanksgiving is the smell of Pine-Sol from having to clean the bathrooms before company arrived.
A CRAFT FOR THE ANTI-CRAFT MOMS
I happened to be in Dollar Tree looking for ornament hooks when I saw these DIY clear plastic ornament balls. Right next to them were different colored jingle bells and pompoms. The possibilities were endless.
I found white shredded crinkle paper in the gift wrap section. Snow! Cotton balls could also work. I started thinking: Snow globe.
KEEP CRAFTING WITH KIDS SIMPLE
For my kids, crafts have to be easy and fast. I focused on things that could go inside the ball. I don’t attach much to the outside. It will gradually fall off over the years. If you have more experienced crafters, let them go to town with paint or whatever.
I grabbed a package of glitter glue because one of the boys has been asking to use glitter. At home, I already had goggly eyes, a few buttons, red ribbon, and permanent markers. Just look around your house for things that might look fun inside a snow globe.
Here are some options:
- Cut paper
- Dry noodles
- Hole punch holes
- Twigs
- Dry berries
- Beads
I hunted down a picture of each of them, which is hard to do these days when most of them are still on my phone.
TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED
- Prep your supplies ahead of time. If your kids are like mine, they just start grabbing and you’re already frustrated.
- Sometimes I act as a store clerk or banker and have them request what they would like to use. That way I have some control over who gets what.
- Pop the top off of each ornament and set them out of the way.
- The boys filled the ornaments with all of the goodies while I cut their heads out of pictures.
- Bend the pictures just enough to get them through holes
- Push them to the outside of the ornaments. They can shake them and look for their faces.
- My oldest wrote his name with a marker on the outside and I wrote the other two boys names.
- You may want to glue the top back in place, though some tops are more secure.
- Tie ribbon around the tops of each one, with a second piece of ribbon through the loop on top to use as a hook.
- Add a little sparkle to the their names. I recommend using only a small amount. It take a while to dry and the kids will want to hold their creations, check them out.
My crew seemed to enjoy this and I’m excited for them to have personalized ornaments that they can enjoy every year.
These also make cheap (er, precious!) grandparent gifts. Include all of their faces in one and write ‘We Love Nana’ on the outside.
The possibilities are endless.
This is such a great easy craft! You could let the kids make a new one each year so they have a memory from each Christmas with their photo in it from that year! Or put in things they liked from that year like paper in their favorite color etc. So many possibilities!
Such a good idea with a little something favorite from each year! And if the tree got too cluttered, you can always hang them on a garland or something special that you make to display them. Love it
I absolutely love this! We will have to try these out. This year my youngest picked out our tree at Coop for 19chf and then they ran to the basement, got all the ornaments, and decorated all by themselves. Yes, one ornament that the girls made in London broke, but otherwise they were amazingly self sufficient. I just turned on the Christmas songs. It’s all about the holiday season and not worrying about the perfect ornament or craft. Great post!
Wow, I love the independence!
Such a fun idea! I wish we had such a thing as a Dollar Store around here, especially for crafts supplies. They are so expensive in Switzerland. Also, where do I get transparent ornaments?
Tamara, I would imagine a larger craft store here in Switzerland would have things like this. There’s one in Bern that I’m hoping to get to in the next few days 🙂
I really love this idea of putting picture inside the ball! I have seen something similar but with a bottle of transparent handwasher. I hope you imagine what I mean? Really great gift!