Christmas Crafts and Edible Treats for Preschoolers

Christmas Crafts and Edible Treats for Preschoolers

Crafting and cooking are lovely ways for young children to get involved in the festivities, whether they're decorating something for the tree, making a homemade gift or helping to create a Christmas treat.

With preschoolers, it's important to choose materials and foods that are suitable for their age and stage of development. Always supervise young children closely, particularly when using scissors, glue or small craft materials, which can present a choking hazard. 

Ready to get creative? Here are a few ideas to try together.

Have some craft fun this Christmas

Festive cardboard roll characters

What you'll need:

  • Empty cardboard toilet or kitchen rolls
  • Child-friendly paints
  • Paintbrushes
  • PVA glue
  • Coloured paper or card
  • Ribbon, wool or other age-appropriate decorations
  • Child-safe scissors

What to do:

  1. Decide which festive character you'd like to make. A snowman, Father Christmas, reindeer or angel are all good places to start, or encourage your child to invent a character of their own.
  2. Paint the cardboard roll in colours to match your character and leave it to dry.
  3. Cut facial features and accessories from coloured paper or card. Younger children can help choose the shapes and colours while an adult does the cutting.
  4. Stick everything into place and add any finishing touches.
  5. Display your finished characters on a shelf or windowsill.

Reindeer decorations

These make a sweet gift for nursery teachers or friends and family.

What you'll need:

  • Brown card
  • Child-friendly paint, crayons or felt-tip pens
  • PVA glue
  • Red paper
  • Ribbon
  • Child-safe scissors

What to do:

  1. Draw a simple reindeer shape onto brown card and cut it out, with adult help where needed.
  2. Let your child draw or paint the reindeer's face.
  3. Cut out a bright red paper nose and stick it into place.
  4. Add antlers cut from card or trace around your child's hands to create them.
  5. Add a loop of ribbon and hang your reindeer on the Christmas tree.

Tip: Handprint antlers are a lovely way to personalise each decoration and turn it into a keepsake too.

Christmas trees

What you'll need:

  • Green card
  • Large wooden craft sticks
  • Child-friendly paint
  • Glue
  • Scraps of coloured paper
  • Ribbon

What to do:

  1. Cut a simple Christmas tree shape from green card.
  2. Paint a wooden craft stick brown and stick it to the back to make the trunk.
  3. Tear or cut coloured paper into different shapes to create decorations.
  4. Let your child arrange and stick their decorations onto the tree.
  5. Add a ribbon loop if you'd like to hang your finished tree.

Tip: Hang from your tree, or 'plant' these in a small pot, instead!

Paper-plate wreath

What you'll need:

  • A paper plate
  • Green paint
  • Coloured paper or card
  • Child-friendly glue
  • Ribbon
  • Child-safe scissors

What to do:

  1. Have an adult cut the middle from a paper plate to create a wreath shape.
  2. Let your child paint the plate green and leave it to dry.
  3. Tear or cut colourful pieces of paper to make berries, bows, leaves or other decorations.
  4. Glue everything onto the wreath.
  5. Add a ribbon and hang it somewhere everyone can admire it.

Create edible treats at Christmas

Christmas creativity doesn't have to stop at decorations. Getting children involved in simple food preparation can be just as enjoyable.

Remember that young children should always be sitting upright and closely supervised while eating. It's also important to consider the size, shape and texture of foods offered to children under five to reduce the risk of choking. 

Check the ingredients you're using for any allergies or dietary requirements, too.

Christmas cone trees

What you'll need:

  • Ice-cream cones
  • Vanilla icing
  • Green food colouring
  • Age-appropriate edible decorations

What to do:

  1. Mix a little green food colouring into the icing until you've reached your chosen shade.
  2. Turn the ice cream cones upside down on a plate or tray.
  3. Spread the green icing over each cone.
  4. Decorate your trees with suitable edible decorations.
  5. Admire your creations before tucking in!

Festive fruit trees

What you'll need:

  • Soft fruit your child enjoys
  • Banana
  • Yoghurt
  • A plate

What to do:

  1. Have an adult prepare the fruit so that it's appropriate for your child's age.
  2. Arrange pieces of fruit on the plate in a simple Christmas tree shape.
  3. Add pieces of banana to create decorations or a star.
  4. Add small spoonfuls of yoghurt for a snowy finishing touch.
  5. Enjoy your Christmas creation together.

Note: Take particular care with small round fruits. NHS food-safety guidance recommends cutting foods such as grapes and berries appropriately, including cutting small round fruit into quarters, for babies and young children. 

The finished creations don't have to be perfect. For preschoolers, much of the fun is in choosing the colours, getting a little messy and proudly showing everyone what they've made.

So put on some festive music, clear a space at the table and enjoy a little Christmas creativity together.