This little ‘Let It Snow’ winter town is such a delight to make, and it’s great for winter imaginary play.
Christmas angel play dough
Kids Christmas decorations :: creative art station
…. Click here …. for your guide to a cosy and connected winter with your family.
Today we’re decking the tree with a glorious jumble of kid-created art. This version of kids’ Christmas decorations can combine process art, sensory play and team work. Here are three simple steps to set up a creative Christmas art station.
Kids Christmas decorations: creative art station
Step One: select a location. It’s great if you have a space where you can leave out the materials for a few days, so the children can come back again and again to enjoy some creating – a corner of a room, a table, even a shelf full of things they can use. I taped a plastic tablecloth to the floor so the children could glitter and glue happily.
Step two: provide a tree – the focal point and inspiration for all the making! It’s fun to be able to hang your decoration on the tree just as soon as you’ve finished making it.
Step three: add goodies. You can raid your craft shelves for basics and add in some inexpensive festive flourishes. If you mix and match and add a couple of new materials each day it can be a really great way to keep inviting the children back to create some more. You could include…
card :: paper :: felt :: wrapping paper :: strips of glittered paper :: fabric :: cotton wool :: ribbon :: pompoms :: pipe cleaners :: glitter (go on – it is Christmas) :: sequins :: pens :: pencils :: glue :: sticky tape :: buttons :: anything fun and festive you can find
A little tray of chocolate treats is always a bonus – plus you can use the foil wrappers in your crafting!
Then step away and let the children create. Any decoration they like, any colours, any materials, any shapes. As many as they like until the materials run out, or the tree begins to bow under the weight of it all. This is not about perfection, colour-schemes or matching themes. It’s about having fun, exploring the materials, seeing what you can make and creating a glorious child-made Christmas tree fiesta!
Let’s make this winter the year when we delight in the cold and the dark.
Gather your children, get cosy, and make memories and connections together.
I’ll show you how with this guide to a cosy and connected winter:
…. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR GUIDE ….
Winter and Christmas activities for kids
QUICK RESOURCE >> Download your ready-made Nativity Unit here
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! If you’re looking for some fun Christmas activities for kids we have some great ideas for you!
I’ve gathered together our most popular Christmas crafts and activities all in one place, so you can browse our archive and choose some fun ideas for your children.
Download your ready-made Nativity Unit
Download the Play Academy’s ready-made Nativity Unit and you’ll have everything you need to lead a set of activities to introduce your children to the Nativity story.
This Unit includes artist-drawn puppets/colour-in nativity scene characters and printable Bible verse cards, that your children can use year after year.
In this Nativity teaching unit your children can:
:: learn about the Nativity and create their own Nativity book or small world scene using colour-in puppet / nativity scene characters
:: learn about Mary and Joseph’s journey, and explore junk modelling
:: learn about the shepherds role, and explore loose parts
:: learn about Jesus’ birth
:: learn about the three wise men, and complete their book / re-tell the story in their small world
Bonus Nativity thematic unit printables
The Play Academy’s thematic units come with practical printables that make the lessons more engaging for your children and easier for you to teach.
No need to go searching for printables to accompany your lessons, they’re all included when you download your chosen unit.
In this Nativity Unit you’ll receive these bonus printables:
:: My Nativity Story book to write, colour and complete to tell the Nativity story
:: a set of artist-drawn My Nativity Puppets to colour, cut out and use to re-cap and act out the Nativity story
:: Nativity Vocabulary Cards to recap and consolidate learning
:: Nativity Bible Verse Cards to read, narrate your own acting out of the story, and perhaps to memorise
How to download this Nativity thematic unit
You can download this unit along with over 50 more from NurtureStore’s Play Academy.
If you are already of the Play Academy, you can download this unit straight away from our Library here.
If you are not yet a member, find out more and choose your first unit here. Your teaching is about to get a whole lot easier!
Pompom robin
…. Click here …. for your guide to a cosy and connected winter with your family.
QUICK RESOURCE >> Download your ready-made Nativity Unit here
How to make a pompom robin
You can use this robin as a Christmas decoration or make a family of them to play with. It’s probably better suited to children aged 6 plus (my 4 year old hasn’t got the patience to make it, but my 7 year old loves them) and is a nice craft to do an a cold winter’s day as you sit on the sofa and chat.
You will need: card to make two rings, scissors, red yarn, brown yarn, glue, card to make eyes and a beak
1. Cut two circles from a piece of card. We made ours about 7cm in diameter.
2. Cut an inner circle in both the circles. The bigger you make this circle, the longer it will take you to complete your pompom. We made ours around 3 cm in diameter.
3. Start by making the red breast. Take 75cm lengths of yarn and wind them around the ring. Keep them close together, just where you want the red breast to be.
4. Use 75cm lengths of brown yarn to wind around the remaining section of the ring. Keep adding in lengths of yarn until your ring is full and there is no space left in the centre to thread any more yarn – but remember to just keep the red yarn to one section.
5. Use some scissors to cut around the outer edge of the ring, so the yarn fills out to create a ball.
6. Take another length of yarn and tie round, inside the two rings of card. Knot tightly to hold all the threads of yarn in place. If you’re making a decoration you can use the long lengths of yarn to hang it up, otherwise you can trim them.
7. Tear off the rings of card and fluff out your pompom.
8. Add eyes and a beak and you have a fluffy little robin.
Why not make some smaller ones to create a family?
Let’s make this winter the year when we delight in the cold and the dark.
Gather your children, get cosy, and make memories and connections together.
I’ll show you how with this guide to a cosy and connected winter:
…. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR GUIDE ….