Decorating for the Holidays With Kids

| November 27, 2012 | 17 Comments

Decorating christmas cookiesMany families begin decorating for the holidays shortly after Thanksgiving, so you may be in the midst of hanging garland, putting up a Christmas tree or menorah and stapling lights around the outside of your house. When my kids were little, they always wanted to help decorate, but many of the decorations were too high or too breakable for them to be able to do so safely.

The answer here is to let them help you make decorations. Now, when you have children helping to make holiday items, your home is not going to look like the ones featured in Better Homes & Gardens, but you’ll have plenty of time for that once they’ve outgrown the desire to help you. In the meantime, here are some ideas for homemade decorations that the kids can help you make.

  • Anything with glitter. Glitter is shiny, sparkly, seasonal, and the kids love it! Little ones can enjoy smearing glue on paper ornaments or clay creations and then sprinkling with glitter. Of course, you’ll want to try to minimize the mess by putting down newspaper or letting them do their glitter on the deck or porch if it’s not too cold out.
  • Snowflakes. Cut a circle out of white paper, and fold into quarters or, for a more realistic shape, sixths. Show your child how to make small cuts into the folded edges, leaving some paper so that the whole thing doesn’t fall apart. Tape to the windows or mirrors, or hang from thread from the light over your dining table.
  • Cinnamon apple ornaments. Mix a cup of ground cinnamon with about 1/4 cup applesauce. You might need to vary the amounts; you want it to be a stiff dough. Roll out the mixture with a rolling pin until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Use seasonal cookie cutters to form shapes with the dough, and don’t forget to make a hole at the top of each shape for a ribbon to be tied through. Allow to dry for a few days. One great thing about these ornaments is that they will make your house smell great!
  • Paper chains. You remember these from when you were in elementary school, right? Have them make chains alternating red-white-green or blue-white or whatever color scheme you like for your chosen holiday. Hang these over doorframes or in the windows.
  • Suncatchers. Use a cheese grater or vegetable peeler to make crayon shavings with old crayons. Spread out a piece of wax paper and let the kids sprinkle it with the wax in whatever colors they want. Top with another sheet of wax paper, then with a dishtowel. Iron the towel until the wax is melted, then cut out seasonal shapes. Hang them in the window and let the sun shine through!

Spending some time on these activities with your children will fill them with fun memories of the holiday season, and of being included in the preparations.

What are some of your favorite holiday decorations to make with the kids?

Comments (17)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Kimberly Davis says:

    This brings me back to my childhood. We use to do arts and crafts for the holidays. I remember all these we made. So, much fun. Good ideas if you don’t know.

  2. sara m ford says:

    I love when they are young and want to do Holiday art for the house. Now they just want the lights and “Santa” to get there lists

  3. denise smith says:

    i love this time of year we decorate the house together my husband and kids we love doing it every year

  4. Chavonne H says:

    It’s awesome to involve kids in creating decorations for holidays or just putting them up and around the house. Creates great memories.

  5. Sabeeta says:

    Decorating with kids is so much better than doing it alone, though it is a little tiring too 😀

  6. Kelvin Justine says:

    This is really a good bonding for the family.

  7. Debra Givens Wagner says:

    Decorating for the holiday is such fun with the kids!

  8. Elizabeth W. says:

    I love decorating with my son for the holidays, brings the family closer together.

  9. Tausha says:

    I love it being a family event

  10. Bonnie says:

    I love having the kids help with the deco. What is Christmas without them:)

  11. Charlene Thomas says:

    Fun!

  12. christina says:

    my minis and i go decorating crazy and always do DIY decorations!

  13. Lauryn Heintzelman says:

    This is what we always do during holidays!

  14. June Isbel says:

    This is what I used to do with my Gradson and He always enjoyed it. I’m not sure if He will this year as he is getting older. I sure am goin to show him some of these ideas! Thanks!
    Happy Holidays,
    June

  15. Jennie Hawkins says:

    I am now a grandmother, I miss this more than any thing. I loved decorating the house woth my kids. Every year we came up with a new project.

  16. Holly Belew says:

    I Love this timeof year with my family cooking and being together

  17. Susan Johnson says:

    I really like the suncatchers idea. That’s one I haven’t come across before, and it can be used for various holidays.

Leave a Reply