5 Christmas Crafts & Activities the Kids will Love

The Christmas holidays are just around the corner and that means a tonne of festive decorations, gifts to buy, turkey to roast, but most importantly... the school holidays are here! For more schools in New Zealand, this means a break of up to six weeks where the kids are at home (or around at friends' houses for the day) with very little to keep them occupied.

So, what do you do if you've got kids of your own who are complaining they're bored, or school-aged friends over for the day who are looking to be entertained? Entertain them! There are some really excellent craft ideas out there to get the kids into the festive season and geared up for Christmas.

The best news? They're not too expensive to put together, and they offer hours of entertainment. That's a win-win.

Here are our five favourite Christmas holiday activities that the Kids will love. Send us your completed craft pics when you're done!

1.  How to Make Grinch Christmas Slime

If you haven't been living under a rock this year, you'll already know that the slime craze was one of the biggest kids DIY activities to hit the schoolyard this year - and what's cooler than spicing it up with a little bit of glitter and one of Christmas' beloved characters; the Grinch?

What you'll need:

• Airtight container
• Clear glue
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon contact solution
• Green food colouring
• Green glitter

How to do it:

Putting this one together is pretty straightforward. Pour your glue into a bowl with half a cup of water, followed by a few drops of food colouring - make sure to stir it well! Next, add your baking soda to thicken your mixture, and mix in your glitter (don't be shy with this part, this is what'll make your slim super-grinchy!). Add your contact solution and watch the magic happen. Remember to keep stirring until you get the perfect slimy consistency. You can store your fresh Grinch-themed slime in an airtight container and continue the fun for weeks to come.

2.  How to Make Twig Reindeer Ornaments

There's nothing more fun than putting together your own special Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree during the silly season. While a lot of DIY ornaments require a tone of sparkly craft materials, the best part about this one is you can find the main material outside: twigs. Plus, the nodes on twigs make for particularly good antlers, we think.

What you'll need:

• Twigs
• Googly eyes
• Red button
• Tacky craft glue
• Scissors
• Twine or ribbon

How to do it:

Take a trip into your back garden and look under the trees for the perfect three twigs, that'll form the basis of your reindeer. Glue (or sellotape if it's easier) the three twigs together in a triangle shape. Make sure that two of the twigs overshoot the third to make antlers (see image above). Secure the googly eyes and red button nose to the twigs with glue. Feel free to get creative with your embellishments here - are you making a Rudolf or a Vixen? Finally, attach your ribbon or twine and form a loop to hang on the tree.

Dirt and Dust Cleaning Tip:

While there's not too much to worry about when it comes to sticky mess on this one, the real risk is what the kids trudge from the outdoors, in. If you get a lot of mud and dirt traipsed through the carpet, the easiest way to remove this is to vacuum the top layer of dirt off the carpet, then follow up with the Spot Remover. If the spots of dirt still persist, it could be time for a deep clean with a machine to get the job done.

3.  How to make a Christmas Card Holding Wreath

The best part about getting the kids to make their own Christmas card holding wreath, is that it's not just for decoration - it actually serves a pretty useful purpose! If you've ever wondered what to do with the dozens of Christmas cards the kids bring home from school or you find in the mail, here's the answer!

What you'll need:

• Hula Hoop (though, any donut shaped object would work)
• Gold spray paint (or wrapping paper to cover the hoop)
• Faux berries
• Faux evergreen sprigs
• Pine cones
• Hot glue
• Jute twine
• Pegs

How to do it:

The first step is to get your hula hoop looking Christmas-esque. This can be achieved with a few things (wrapping paper, Christmas themed sellotape, sparkly Duracell - get creative) but if you have it handy or the money to grab some, gold spray paint works best. Next, loop your twine back and forth across the hoop using tape to hold it in place. This will create the 'clothes line' for you cards. Add any decorations you'd like around the outside of your ring. This version uses faux berries and sprigs, but baubles, tinsel and sparkles would work too. Finally, use your pegs to hang your Christmas cards from the twine.

Paint Cleaning Tip:

If your using spray paint, and somehow it makes its way onto the carpet don't stress! If it is a water-based paint we'd suggest the Spot Remover again, but this time, if the stain is already dry, you might need to dampen the area for an hour before applying the Spot Remover.

4.  How to Make a Cardboard Christmas Elf

Super cute and super easy to create, these cardboard elves are a great addition to any room over the Christmas period. Plus, they're an excellent example of how to make recycling fun, and if you've ever heard of elf on the shelf... a good opportunity to get involved with the mischief, while sticking to the budget!

What you'll need:

• Cardboard Tube (toilet roll or paper towel roll)
• Acrylic Kid Friendly Paint
• Coloured Paper
• Pom-pom’s
• Yellow felt (or paper)
• Stapler
• PVA Glue
• Fine tipped paintbrush (or sharpie)
• Scissors

How to do it:

First, cut two triangular shapes into the top of the cylinder to form the elf ears, and paint the cardboard tube after this to prevent the paint from peeling. Add a few details like eyes and nose onto the front of the cylinder to create the elf's face, then using a piece of coloured paper, draw and cut out a large circle and cut the circle in half. This will form the elf's hat, which you can pop on his head! Add a pompom to the tip of his hat with some PVA glue, followed by a belt using your yellow felt around his waist. The rest is up to you! You could create an extra-fancy decorative elf, or a more simplistic design.

Cleaning Stains on Clothing Tip:

If your arts and crafts adventure leaves a few traces on the kids clothing, did you know that you can actually use the Rug Doctor Spot Remover on clothing to get rid of those particularly hard and fast stains? Simply apply to the effected area, soak, and put through a wash cycle and your clothing will be good to go.

5.  How to Make a Fingerprint Lights Photo Frame (made of dough)

Of course, sometimes you're not going to have all of the pompoms and pipe cleaners available to you, so this one's great if you've got some basic baking materials in the cupboard you can use. Plus, it's a well known fact that kids love baking and getting their hands messy with dough!

What you'll need:

• Salt Dough - 1 cup of flour plus 1 cup of salt mixed with half a cup of water
• An old plastic photo frame
• Gold spray paint
• Red and green paint
• Ribbon
• Alphabet Cookie stamps (or a toothpick)

How to do it:

Mix your dough together (1 cup of flour plus 1 cup of salt mixed with half a cup of water) until you have a nice consistency, then roll out a rectangular shape. The dough should be about 1cm in thickness. Use an old photo frame to press in the basic shape, but you can make this up with a ruler or scissors if you don't have a frame handy. Next, get the kids to gently press in their fingerprints where your Christmas fairy lights will go and create two holes at the top of the frame for the hanging ribbon. Dry the frame in the oven at 80'C, and if you have the time, leave to further dry out over night. Once this is done, the kids can go to town decorating with paints and felt tip pens. Finish by attaching your ribbons to hang on the wall.

Craft Cleaning Tip:

The one common denominator here, is that when you're getting crafty with kids, there's probably going to be a little mess left behind. Never fear! For any spot or stain left behind, there's a way to clean it. Just check out our FREE stain removal guide for some great tips and tricks that'll help you out.