My 2.5yo toddler hasn't seen her grandparents in person since we flew back to Singapore at 10 months old, and they miss her dearly. Lately her creativity has really taken flight, and I find her drawing and making little "birthday" cards everyday in her open and accessible art corner. There's a "birthday" to celebrate daily in my household! :)
With Christmas fast approaching, we want to work on handmade gifts for people we love - in particular, her grandparents, whom we video-call often. This is a year of challenges and uncertainty that taught us that the littlest things matter most, and that we need to express unspoken love and gratitude strongly and as frequently as we can.
5 Easy Christmas Crafts for Grandparents from Toddlers
These are 5 special DIY crafts we co-created for her grandparents. While these craft activities were adult-led, my toddler was very involved in the cutting, taping, gluing and designing of the crafts..
These crafts have great sentimental value and some are practical and functional for this gift giving season as grandparents could use them to wrap presents for family and friends, as well as decorate the house to give it festive vibes.
These Christmas crafts are also lightweight or easily stored in a box, making it easy to be shipped afar as well.
1. DIY Christmas Card
A Christmas card is all time classic. Cards have a way of telling a story about that particular year it was written and sent in. It makes a wonderful keepsake for card-collectors (such as my mom).
Grandchildren could write/dictate (for younger ones) a Christmas card for their grandparents.
Or, blank Christmas cards could be sent to the grandparents for their use. Proud grandparents would love to send out their Christmas cards made by their grandchildren to family and friends.
This crafting activity setup is simple. I drew a Christmas tree outline on a card and invited my toddler to paste dot stickers (representing Christmas baubles) onto it.
Subsequently, I used a black permanent marker to draw designs on the dot stickers for the Christmas "baubles".
2. DIY Christmas Wrapping Paper
Inspired by @cardboardfolk, we co-created our own Christmas wrapping paper. It's an excellent way to recycle and create something useful and beautiful with everyday materials.
First, I made a large kraft paper canvas by upcycling a blank paper bag.
Then, I made a cardboard stencil in the design of a Christmas tree and modelled the use of it - placing the stencil on top of the kraft paper and painting within the stencil cut-out before removing the stencil.
My toddler loved the "reveal" moment.
When the paint has dried, I added Christmas tree trimmings and decoration to the design using light-coloured crayon pencils.
3. DIY Christmas Cardboard Ornaments
Inspired by @cardboardfolk (again!), we decided to make our own Christmas ornaments too - from cardboard since we have plenty!
We used the washi tape resist art technique to design the cardboard ornaments.
My toddler loves peeling and cutting tape so this was a wonderful fine motor activity for her.
We proceeded to paint over the washi tape and cardboard areas.
Again, the "reveal" moment was thoroughly enjoyed by my toddler when she peeled off the washi tape to see the streaks of cardboard uncovered by pain.
When the paint has dried, I used a white permanent marker to add decorations to the Christmas cardboard baubles.
4. DIY Christmas Wreath
Like our thanksgiving wreath, we made this one from an upcycled paper plate.
I provided a brush for my toddler to apply white glue onto a paper plate (with its center portion cut out). I cut out crepe paper leaves for her to place over the glue.
Crepe paper is wonderful for that layering effect. Alternatively, normal colored construction paper works too.
My toddler also helped to scrunch up red crepe paper to make little balls to represent wreath berries.
The berries were also glued to the wreath to add a lovely color contrast.
Special words could also be added to the wreath design using pipe cleaners. In below example, I crafted "joy" (not quite recognisable, I'm sure you'll do a better job!)
5. DIY Christmas Banner
These Christmas trees are made using my toddler's handprint paper cuts. She held her fingers together while I traced her hand on a stack of folded green construction paper. I cut out the stacked handprints to yield the quantity I needed.
My toddler helped to cut out hand-drawn stars in the interim.
She also helped with the threading of the completed Christmas trees.
Here's the end-product, proudly displayed on the wall.
They're easy to pack into a box (with some yarn string) to be shipped to grandparents who could put them up at home!
I hope these easy Christmas craft ideas are a hit with your child and well-received by grandparents! Wishing everyone a blessed Christmas!
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