24 Days of Christmas Crafts and Activities as a Mom Who’s Sick of Screens (Dec 1 – Christmas)(2024)
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Last year’s daily simple, at-home Christmas craft/activities were such a hit, we’re making it a new family tradition! This year we’ll be out of town for thanksgiving weekend so we’re starting everything December 1st so we’ll be doing 24 days of Christmas crafts and activities all the way up to Christmas as a mom who’s sick of screens!
Click here to see last year’s full list!
- Recommended Supplies before you get started:
- Download the Free PDF with clickable links! 👇🏻
- This Year’s 24 days of Christmas Crafts & Activities for Kids:
- Day 1: Paper Chain Christmas Countdown
- Day 2: Mondo Llama Melty Bead Ornaments
- Day 3: Paper Snowflakes
- Day 4: Paper Hand Reindeer Hats
- Day 5: Paintable Christmas Suncatchers
- Day 6: Foam Dress up Character kits
- Day 7: Brown Paper Bag Christmas Puppets
- Day 8: Bake and Decorate Sugar Cookies
- Day 9: Mondo Llama Ornament Photo Frames
- Day 10: Hand Print Christmas Tree Skirt
- Day 11: Mondo Llama Foam Gingerbread houses
- Day 12: Posable Paper Elf Craft
- Day 13: Decorate Felt Christmas Trees
- Day 14: Paper Plate Christmas Trees
- Day 15: Bake & Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
- Day 16: Plate Snow Globes
- Day 17: Mondo Llama Foam Magnet Characters
- Day 18: Beaded Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes & Candy canes
- Day 19: Mondo Llama Color Your Own Christmas Fort
- Day 20: Decorate Your Own Stocking
- Day 21: Paper Strip Ball Ornaments
- Day 22: Gingerbread House competition
- Day 23: Christmas Paper Plate Masks
- Day 24: Christmas Scavenger Hunt & DIY Binoculars
- Time to get crafty!
Be sure to follow me on IG (I’ll be posting in stories) and Tiktok to follow us doing our activities!
I loved how last year a daily festive craft kept everyone away from the screens and instead bonding together, spending time as a family, and making the season feel magical!
This year I my 4 boys are ages 8, 5, 4, and 3, so again, I scrounged Pinterest, Target, and Hobby Lobby for ideas, and put together the perfect clickable link PDF calendar with 24 simple at-home activities to make the season magical, spend more time making memories, and less time with the tech.
Snag the PDF below! But first,
Recommended Supplies before you get started:
- Table cloth: Either disposable or washable to protect your crafting area. I loved the festive ones at target or disposable ones always make clean up a breeze!
- Kid Smocks or Aprons: Makes for quick cleanup and less stress on making a mess allowing you to actually enjoy each activity. Target has cute $5 kids aprons, or Amazon has a cheap pack of kid craft smocks!
- Storage Bin/Craft organizer: A bin for all your craft supplies is a necessity! Along with a craft organizer of a sort to place on the table to make the crafting easier and less messy. I went with a simple chip and dip tray from the dollar store!
This Year’s 24 days of Christmas Crafts & Activities for Kids:
I kept a quite a few of my crafts and activities the same this year because I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel every time.
Plus it makes this daily Christmas activity tradition easier to maintain for us too!
Day 1: Paper Chain Christmas Countdown
Starting the same way we did last year with a Christmas paper countdown chain! We’ll simply cut out 24 strips of paper and staple them together to make a chain. Each day we’ll rip off a link to count down the days until Christmas!
Supply List:
- Construction paper (Any color you’d like, random colors, Christmas colors, brown for reindeer, white for snowman, etc.)
- Mini Staplers (easier for little hands + only $3 at Target!)
- Scissors
- Glue (for details if desired)
- Googly Eyes
Day 2: Mondo Llama Melty Bead Ornaments
Taking it back to the my own 90’s childhood with these melty bead ornament kits! All you do it align the beads on the tray and use an iron to melt the beads together. We did these for Halloween and my kids thought they were great!
Supply list:
Day 3: Paper Snowflakes
An oldie but a goodie! Last year we used made a bunch of paper snowflakes and hung them from the ceiling in our play room. It’s such a basic craft but so fun to try to come up with new designs and practice motor skills like cutting.
Supply List:
- Paper
- Scissors
- Tape or String to hang them (optional)
Day 4: Paper Hand Reindeer Hats
On day 4 we’re gong to make reindeer hats by tracing and cutting out the shape of their hands on brown paper to be used as the antlers. We”ll then cut a strip of brown paper to use as the headband of the hat. Finally you finish the headbands with the antlers, some googly eyes, and a red pom-pom for the nose.
Supply list:
- Brown construction paper
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Googly Eyes
- Red Pom-Poms
- Glue
Day 5: Paintable Christmas Suncatchers
On day 5 we’ll be doing these paintable Christmas suncatchers from Hobby Lobby. All you do is paint the acrylic shape then hang it in a window! Each set comes in a pack of 2 so I grabbed 4 sets for a total of 8 suncatchers.
Supply List:
Day 6: Foam Dress up Character kits
For day 6 we’re using another Hobby Lobby craft kit! The kit has options of Gingerbread men, yetis, or snowmen and has all the supplies to dress them up. Very similar to a paper doll situation.
Supply List:
Day 7: Brown Paper Bag Christmas Puppets
For day 7 we’ll be making these cute and simple brown paper bag Christmas puppets! Hobby lobby also has a puppet reindeer kit if your more keen on simply purchasing a kit!
Supply List:
- Brown Paper Bags
- Construction Paper
- Glue
- Googly Eyes
- Scissors
Day 8: Bake and Decorate Sugar Cookies
Supply List:
- Rolling Pin
- Frosting & Sprinkles for Decorating
- Paper plates
- Plastic knives (for spreading frosting)
Day 9: Mondo Llama Ornament Photo Frames
Day 9’s activity is to make these cute ornament photo frames! These would make great gifts for family members or they can just be used as decorations on your tree.
Supply List:
- Mondo Llama Ornament Photo Frame kit
- Photos of each child
Day 10: Hand Print Christmas Tree Skirt
Last year we started this tradition and this year we will be adding on to our hand print tree skirt! Last year we made our handprints into reindeer and added the year. This year we’ll make our hands into a different character like Santa, a snowman, or a tree and add the year.
Supply List:
- Fabric tree skirt (One like this, or make your own!)
- Puff or fabric paint
- Fabric Markers/Decorations of Choice
Day 11: Mondo Llama Foam Gingerbread houses
Day 11 we’ll be making these cute foam gingerbread houses from the Mondo Llama brand at Target! Hobby lobby also has a version too. They come with one house per kit so I grabbed 4 total to have one for each of my boys.
Supply List:
Day 12: Posable Paper Elf Craft
We’re doing a elf craft on day 12! I found these paper posable elves at Hobby Lobby and thought they’d make such cute decorations for their rooms or to use in imaginative play! All you do is color the sections then put them together using the pins, and hang!
Supply List:
- Posable Elf kit
- Crayons or Markers
Day 13: Decorate Felt Christmas Trees
Day 13 we hit up Hobby Lobby again for these felt Christmas trees! I love the idea of these as a simple way to decorate and let them have their own special trees.
Supply List:
Day 14: Paper Plate Christmas Trees
To do Day 14’s Christmas craft, you’ll need a green paper plate cut into 4 quarters or paint a regular plate green. Stick the wedges together to make a tree then add a popsicle stick on the bottom or a piece of brown paper for the stump. Decorate it with sequins or small pompoms.
Supply List:
- Green paper plates
- Scissors
- Glue
- Sequins or Pom-Poms
- Popsicle sticks or brown paper squares for stump
Day 15: Bake & Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
Supply List:
- Rolling Pin
- Frosting & Sprinkles for Decorating
- Paper plates
- Plastic knives (for spreading frosting)
Day 16: Plate Snow Globes
For day 16 we’re making these cute and easy plate snow globes! You’ll simply layer a clear plate on top of a regular plate to make the look of a snowglobe. But first your decorate the regular plate with festive drawings or photos of the kids. Then you’ll include some filling glitter, foam balls, or snowflakes, and seal the clear plate on top with hot glue.
Supply List:
- 2 plates (one clear, one regular)
- Hot glue
- Glitter, foam balls, or snowflakes for filling
- Markers or photos to decorate regular plate
Day 17: Mondo Llama Foam Magnet Characters
For day 17 we’re using another foam kit from Mondo Llama at Target to make these cute and festive magnet characters! These would be great decorations for the fridge or metal front door.
Supply List:
Day 18: Beaded Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes & Candy canes
For day 18 we’re making these beaded pipe cleaner snowflakes and candy canes! These are super simple to make and can be used as ornaments or just decorations around the house.
Supply List:
- Pipe cleaners
- Assorted beads (clear, white, red/green for Christmas colors)
- String to hang them as ornaments (optional)
Day 19: Mondo Llama Color Your Own Christmas Fort
Day 19 is all about getting creative and building a fort with these cool Mondo Llama color your own Christmas forts! These would be great for imaginative play or just as a fun hideout. They have a bakery option, gingerbread house, and Santas workshop!
Supply List:
- Mondo Llama Color Your Own Christmas Fort Kit
- Crayons or Markers
Day 20: Decorate Your Own Stocking
For day 20 we’re decorating our own stockings! You can buy plain stockings for $1 at Walmart and personalize them with fabric markers, stickers, or iron-on patches. Or you can opt for a kit that comes with everything included.
Supply List:
- Plain Stockings
- Fabric Markers/Stickers/Iron-On Patches
Day 21: Paper Strip Ball Ornaments
Day 21 is another kit from Hobby Lobby that I thought looked fun and easy for the kids! These paper strip ball ornaments come with everything you need to make 6 different colored ornaments.
Supply List:
Day 22: Gingerbread House competition
For day 22, we’re doing a gingerbread house decorating competition! You can either make your own gingerbread houses or buy pre-made kits. Split the family into teams and have a friendly competition to see who can decorate the best house.
Supply List:
- Gingerbread House Kits (or ingredients to make your own)
- Frosting & Candy for Decorating
Day 23: Christmas Paper Plate Masks
On day 23, we’ll be making these fun Christmas paper plate masks! You can find templates online or make your own designs. Just cut out the middle of the plate and let the kids decorate them with paint, markers, stickers, etc.
Supply List:
- Paper plates
- Scissors
- Popsicle sticks
- Decorating supplies (paints, markers, stickers)
Day 24: Christmas Scavenger Hunt & DIY Binoculars
We made it to Christmas eve and the last day of our Christmas crafts! Last year I DIY’d a Christmas scavenger hunt (you can see that here!). We’ll use the same one I made last year but make new festive binoculars for the kids to use while they search for their clues!
Supply List:
- Christmas Scavenger Hunt (printable found here!)
- Toilet Paper Rolls
- Glue
- Paint and/or Markers
- Yarn or String (for strap)
Time to get crafty!
I’ll be posting everyday from December 1st through December 24th on Tiktok and on my Instagram stories of us doing our crafts so be sure to follow along there!
This has been such a fun new tradition we’ve started in our family and I can’t wait to see how it evolves as the kids get older. I hope these ideas give you some inspiration for your own holiday crafts with your family! Happy holidays and happy crafting! 🎄🎅🏼❤️
Happy crafting, everyone! Feel free to share your own ideas and creations and tag me on IG or Tiktok @CassScroggins. Let’s spread some holiday cheer through creativity and fun activities with our loved ones. Wishing you all a joyful and crafty holiday season! 🎁🌟✨
