Easy DIY Christmas Ornament Craft Activity for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Do you think you don’t have time to do crafts with your toddler this holiday season?
Looking for a perfect gift for your child’s grandparents?
Do you believe you aren’t crafty?
This DIY ornament-making craft activity is all you need. You can set it up in minutes using things you most likely already have. Another thing that I love about this activity is that it allows Emma to practice her cooking skills. Pouring, mixing, kneading, and rolling the dough are skills your toddler can participate in while making the ornaments.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
Materials:
cinnamon (2.45 oz bottle)
1/2 cup of apple sauce
2 tbsp of Elmer’s glue
cookie cutters
MAKINg the ornaments
Instructions:
Invite your child to transfer the apple sauce into a bowl.
Open the cinnamon bottle and let your child empty it in the bowl, and slowly mix everything.
Add 2 tablespoons of glue to the mixture (I did this step on my own, but you can let your child do that if you like). Ask your child to mix everything again.
Place the dough in the bowl into the fridge to chill. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
5. Next, roll out the dough onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it. The dough is quite sticky, so sprinkle some extra cinnamon on the parchment paper, and assist your toddler as needed. Aim for the rolled dough to be about 1/4 inch thick.
6. Invite your child to choose a cookie cutter and cut her ornament.
7. Repeat rolling the dough and cutting the ornaments.
8. Make a hole in each ornament (use a straw or a toothpick to do that).
9. When done, bake them at 200 F for 3 hours. Or let them air dry for at least 24 hours before decorating them.
DECORATING
Let your child decorate the ornaments as they wish. We used paint and glitter paste that I bought accidentally instead of regular glitter for sprinkling.
Notes:
Emma has a lot of experience in the kitchen, so I let her do most of the steps by herself. If this is all new for your child, give him help as needed.
Before making the dough, tell your child what you’ll be making. Stress to her that the dough isn’t edible. As always, supervise during the whole activity.
Baking the ornaments - if you’re sensitive to the cinnamon smell, you might prefer to let the ornaments air dry.
To preserve the ornaments, spread a thin layer of Mod Podge on them.
This recipe was adapted from Busy Toddler
Will you make this easy Christmas craft project with your kids?
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