I’m doing 31 Christmas Crafts & Activities with my Kids from Thanksgiving to Christmas as a Mom Who’s Sick of Screens

This idea came to me out of a desire to spend less time watching tv (scrolling my phone for me), but also didn’t leave me playing pretend for hours because mom said no tv…😅

I thought, what if the time between dinner and bedtime became a no technology time for the whole family and was instead filled by a daily kids craft or activity we could do. Then they would play for the rest of the time until bed.

Something small, easy, and at-home but would keep us together, entertained, and hopefully making magical memories. So I planned it all out and here it is! Follow me on Instagram to see our daily activites here!

Download the Free PDF Calendar with Clickable Links👇🏻

Click for Free Calendar PDF with Links🎄

My Daily Christmas Crafts & Activities from Thanksgiving to Christmas Schedule:

I scrounged Pinterest, and used what I found as inspo for what Christmas crafts and activities I wanted to do. For some such as slime, or the Christmas popcorn I followed that specific recipe and supply list.

However for most I simply found an inspo picture and grabbed whatever I though I needed. So most crafts and activities are just linked to the inspo picture, not a step-by-step tutorial. (We get scrappy around here!)

Next, as a mom of 4 boys aged 7, 4, 3, and 2, I considered what activity I wanted to do when. I planned it all our because I needed to account for gymnastics class (when we would need a quicker project) and soccer practice (when the activity would just be with my younger 3 boys).

Finally, This is the schedule I decided to go with. Feel free to mix up your days or completely swap out the craft/activity as you please.

Also you can follow my crafting and activities journey in my stories on Instagtram here!

Some Recommended Supplies Before You Start:

Before starting your list of craft supplies, here are some basic supplies I highly recommend you have on hand for this month of crafts and activities to help things go more smoothly!

• Disposable or washable tablecloths (I bought a couple $1 disposable table cloths from Walmart and plan to use them multiple times and then throw them away when they get too dirty or when we’re done crafting!) These are nice to have especially for the paint or glue projects
• Full Craft Smocks – These smocks are long sleeve, full shirt smocks that you can throw on and tie in the back to protect their clothes. I bought these ones for my boys. That way they can craft without me worrying about a mess!
• Large tub/Bin for all craft supplies – I bought this big bin to house all my supplies for the crafts and activities in one spot! Then I’ll use it to store my Christmas decor when the crafts are done!
• Dollar store veggie & dip platter for craft supplies – I filled this tray with all the things we need for decorating crafts! So all I have to do is grab it from the top of the fridge and all our craft supplies are ready to go. I have things like pom poms, jewels, stickers, string, and scissors/staplers, etc.

Day 1: Paper Chain Christmas Count Down

I decided the best way to start this 31 day adventure would be to create some sort of countdown to Christmas or advent calendar! So taking inspo from this Etsy listing photo from Pinterest, I decided to plan to do this Christmas paper chain craft. We’ll make enough chains for each day remaining before Christmas and we’ll rip one off each night to help us countdown to Christmas!

Supply List:

• Construction paper (random colors, Christmas colors, or brown for reindeer, or white for snowman. Used for chain and also for details if desired)
• Mini Stapler
• Scissors
• Glue (for details if desired)
• Googly Eyes

Day 2: Paper Snowflakes

Day 2 we’re going to cut out basic paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling of the playroom!

Supply List:

• Paper
• Scissors
• String or fishing line
• Tape
• Folding instructions and cutting templates

Day 3: Handprint Christmas Tree Skirt

Day 3 We’re going to make a Christmas Tree Skirt for the Christmas Tree in the boy’s playroom! I’ve got fabric and will let them each decorate a quarter and then I’ll sew it together! I’m using view A of this pattern to make it.

Supply List:

• Free Sewing pattern and instructions
• 2 ½ yards of fabric (this is for both top and bottom, you can do 1 ¼ yards each for top fabric and bottom if you want different fabrics)
• 6′ of ribbon (6 peices 12″ each to tie the skirt together)
• Fabric or acrylic paint
• Puff paint
• Sewing supplies:  Sewing machine, pins, thread, a measuring tape.

Day 4: Paper Plate Wreath

Day 4 I’m making these cute paper plate wreaths and then we’ll use them to decorate above the window in the playroom! You can use a glue tick to stick the paper strips together or you can use a stapler for young kids who won’t wait for the glue to dry! This worked well with my 2 year old who loved to help squish the mini stapler!

Supply List:

• Paper Plate
• Green construction paper cut into strips
• Glue stick or stapler (for papers)
• craft glue for details
• Pom poms, ribbon for bow, construction paper for candle
• String to hang it

Day 5: Potato Stamp Christmas Lights Art (I’m using a sponge instead)

For day 5 We’re going to be doing this potato stamp Christmas lights art for our playroom but with a few alterations. Instead of potatoes I’m going to use dish sponges I got from the dollar store and cut them into the oblong shape of a Christmas light. Then my kids can use it to stamp the shape.

I am also going to use 12″ square white paper instead of big art paper because we have a checkerboard wall in our playroom (You can see it here!) made of 12″ black vinyl so we will make a bunch of these on white paper and add it to the wall on the blank spaces to make it a checkerboard/christmas light wall!

Supply List:

• White paper
• Paper plates (for paints)
• Black and colorful paint for stand and lights
• Small Potatoes or sponges (cut potatoes in half, or cut out light shape in sponge)
• Smocks (reccomended)

Day 6: Spiral Paper Plate Christmas Tree

For day 6 we’re going to make these spiral paper plate Christmas trees and hang them with the paper snowflakes from the ceiling of the playroom!

Supply List:

• Paper plates
• Green paint
• Scissors
• Colored construction paper for star and ornaments
• Hole punch
• String
• Tape or glue for star

Day 7: Mondo Llamma Create-Your-Own Craft Stick Characters Christmas Kit ( $5-Target)

We’re going easy for day 7 which I love! For today I got this $5 Mondo Llamma Create-Your-Own Craft Stick Characters Christmas Kit for only $5 from Target! It comes with everything you need and makes 5 character ornaments which we will use to decorate the kid’s tree in the playroom.

Supply List:

• Mondo Llamma Create-Your-Own Craft Stick Characters Christmas Kit $5 from Target

Day 8: Beaded Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes & Candy Canes

Day 8 we’re making beaded pipe cleaner snowflakes and candy canes to decorate their Christmas tree with.

Supply List:

• Pipe cleaners (I got green, red, blue, silver, and white)
• Red and white craft beads for candy canes
• blue, white, and clear beads for snowflakes
• Wire cutters to cut pipe cleaners
• Pliers to curve ends to beads don’t fall off
• String to hang them (optional)

Day 9: Holiday Themed Sensory Bins

For day 9 I’ve prepped holiday themed sensory bins for the kids to play with! I’m sure they’ll play with these all season long so I’m excited to pull them out early in this crafting plan. I put together 4 total bins so that each of my boys had one to play with then they could rotate and trade as well. You can also just buy pre-made sensory bins as well.

Winter Snowman Rice Bin Supply List:

• Bin
• Rice
• Blue food coloring
• Foam Snowflakes
• Clear cups (draw snowman faces on them)
• Scoops
• Any Other Elements you want

Hot Cocoa Bin Supply List:

• Bin
• Coco puffs or brown dried beans
• Marshmallows or white pom poms
• candy canes or fake plastic mints
• Hot cups
• Hot Cocoa Recipe cards

Jingle Bell Bin Supply List:

• Bin
• Jingle bells (I used these ones from Hobby Lobby)
• Sorting cups (I used treat cups from Walmart)
• Christmas colored Paper Filler
• Sensory scoops for bells
• Insruction cards (Free Canva template here!)

Winter Cotton Ball Search Bin Supply List:

• Cotton balls
• Foam and acrylic snowflakes
• Any other winter themed elements ( I found tons at hobby lobby and the dollar store!)
• Ball scoops
• Key to what items to find (can make your own cards using my Canva template here!)
• Sorting cups

Day 10: Christmas Lights Paper Garland

For day 10 we’re going to make this paper Christmas lights garland and use it to decorate the room or wrap the tree in it!

Supply List:

• Silver, black, or gray card stock or construction paper
• multicolor card stock or construction paper for lights
• Whole punch
• stapler
• string

Day 11: Cotton Ball Snowman Art

For day 11 we’re going to make cotton ball snowman art! Then we’ll decorate the playroom with them.

Supply List:

• Construction paper for bakcground
• cotton balls
• marker to trace snowman guide for kids
• sticks for arms (could go on a scavenger hunt for them or just use pretzel sticks)
• googly eyes
• paper for hats, heart, scarf, buttons, mouth and other details
• snowflakes for background detail
• Glue
• Scissors

Day 12: Group Christmas Tree Art

Since I have 4 boys I figured this would be perfect! For day 12 we’re going to make this group Christmas tree art project. Each kid will get their own green triangle (mom and dad could participate too) and then when it’s done you put all the triangles together and display it all as one big tree!

Supply List:

• Large green construction paper or card stock
• decor elements (pom poms, pipe cleaners, glitter, string, construction paper, gems, markers, stickers, tinsel, etc)
• Glue
• Paper star & trunk

Day 13: Jumping Characters Kit ($3 from Hobby Lobby)

Day 13 I’m taking it easy and doing these jumping Christmas characters kit from Hobby Lobby. It’s originally $3 but all Christmas items are 50% off most of the season making it $1.50 for the kit and it makes 6!

Supply List:

• Jumping Christmas Characters Kit $3 from Hobby Lobby – Makes 6

Day 14: Bottle Snowman Craft & Sensory Activity

On day 14 we’re going to first decorate a water bottle to look like a snow man, then use pom poms or cotton balls with sensory scoops or rice with a scoop and funnel to fill it up as a sensory activity.

Supply List:

• Empty water bottle
• googly eyes
• buttons or paper
• ribbon or pipe cleaners for scarf
• glue
• pompoms, cotton balls, or rice
• pinchers or funnel and scoop

Day 15: Keepsake Hand or Photo ornament

On day 15 we’re going to make keepsake ornaments! Either the press mold hands (I will do with my young kids) and use this wreath photo frame ornament kit from Hobby Lobby for everyone to capture them every year. The kit is $5 and makes 24 photo wreaths but everything Christmas is usually 50% off all season so I snagged the kit for only $2.50.

Supply List:

• No-bake clay ornament impression kit
• Wreath photo ornament kit
• Photos of your child
• Marker to write name and year

Day 16: Christmas Tree Rice Crispy Treats

Day 16 is the start of our first Christmas treat with making Christmas tree rice crispy treats!

Supply List:

• Full Recipe Here
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 package (10 ounce) marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• green food coloring
• mini M&M’s
• butter to grease pan, spatula and cookie cutter
• white cookie icing
• Tree cookie cutter

Day 17: Mondo Llama Color-Your-Own Bake Shop or Gingerbread House Kit ($25 at Target)

For day 17 we’re going to color these Mondo Llama color-your-own bakery or gingerbread house kits! They are large cardboard houses that kids and toddlers can color and then actually play in after! I’m going to get crayons, felt, and jewels to decorate it with!

Supply List:

• Mondo Llama Color-Your-Own Bakery Kit – $25 From Target
• Or Mondo Llama Color-your-own Gingerbread House Kit – $25 from Target
• Crayons, markers, paints, felt, construction paper, jewels, or anything else to decorate it with.

Day 18: Christmas Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods

On Day 18 we are going to make Christmas chocolate covered pretzel rods! We’ll take pretzel rods dip them in chocolate and white chocolate (maybe even color it red or green) then cover them in Christmas sprinkles!

Supply List:

• Pretzel Rods
• Baking Chocolate to melt (regular and white or whatever you’d like)
• Christmas Sprinkles and Christmas M&Ms
• Parchment Paper

Day 19: Jingle Bell Reindeer Necklace Craft Kit

On Day 19 I’m keeping it easy again with a kit from Hobby Lobby! We’re going to use their Jingle Bell Reindeer Necklaces Craft Kit to make necklaces!

Supply List:

• Jingle Bell Reindeer Necklace Craft Kit – $3 from Hobby Lobby (Makes 6 Necklaces)

Day 20: Decorate .99¢ Felt Stockings

Day 20 we will be decorating our own stockings for Christmas. I just snagged us each one of these .99¢ felt stockings from Walmart and we’ll use glitter, felt, pom poms, puff paint, and more to make them our own!

Supply List:

• .99¢ felt stockings
• felt
• scissors
• puff paint
• glitter
• pom poms
• glue
• anything else to decorate

Day 22: Santa Searcher Binoculars and Christmas Scavenger Hunt (Free PDF!)

For day 22 we’re going to make these Santa searcher toilet paper roll binoculars and then do this Christmas scavenger hunt I made throughout the house!

Simply print the scavenger hunt images on card stock, cut them out, then use tape to place them around your house. Print the key pages then grab some stickers (Christmas theme, or those cheap dot stickers work great, or just use a pen to make a check mark!) And then tell your kids to come get a sticker from you each time they find a character!

They have to tell you where they found the character to get the sticker. This makes them come back and forth to you each time they find a character instead of just blasting through the scavenger hunt!

We did a Halloween version and my kids spent 30 minutes finding every character and loved it! They even asked to do it again when we were done so I took down the characters, moved their spots and they did it all over again!

Plus if they help their younger siblings it takes a little longer too, but even my 2 year old loved doing this!

Supply List:

• My Free Christmas Scavenger Hunt PDF
• Card stock
• Paper
• Scissors
• tape
• toilet paper rolls
• glue
• pom pom (+ anything else to decorate)
• String
• Hole punch (for string)

Day 23: Bake & Decorate Sugar Cookies

For day 23 we’re baking again! Today we’re going to get away from the screens by baking and decorating sugar cookies! If you have a favorite recipe, use that! As for me I’m sticking with the good ol’ sugar cookie mix!

Supply List:

• Sugar cookie mix or recipe
• cookie frosting
• food coloring (to make your own frosting)
• Cookie cutters
• Candies and sprinkles

Day 24: Christmas Tree Hand Platter & Hand Card for Grandparent Christmas Gift

For day 24 we’re going to make our grandparent Christmas gifts. We’re going to make this diy keepsake hand print platter and hand cut out Christmas cards!

Supply List:

• Ceramic Platters (I got this set of 2 from Amazon)
• Ceramic Liquid Paint
• Dishwasher safe sealer Mod Podge
• Paint Brushes
• Paper for cards (tutorial here)
• Scissors
• Pen (to write inside card)
• Decorations for card (paint, construction paper, cotton balls, pom poms, etc.)

Day 25: Giant Gingerbread Men

On day 25, we will be using a large roll of brown craft paper to trace ourselves and decorate to make giant, life size, gingerbread men! Then we will hang them on the wall of the playroom!

Supply List:

• Roll of brown craft paper
• tape
• marker
• Paint
• stickers
• pom poms
• glue
• anything else to decorate

Day 26: Christmas Crunch White Chocolate Popcorn

For day 26 we’re making Christmas crunch white chocolate popcorn! We may even bag it up and give it out to our neighbors for Christmas. That is if we don’t eat it all ourselves first.

Supply List:

• Popcorn kernelsPopcorn kernels (if you don’t have an electric popcorn popper you can use the brown paper bag and microwave method.)
• White Melting Chocolate
• Pretzels
• Christmas M&Ms
• Christmas Sprinkles
• Full Recipe here.

Day 27: Salt Crystal Snowflakes STEM Activity

On Day 27 instead of watching screens we’re doing this salt crystal snowflake STEM activty! Essentially when you place your pipe cleaner shaped like a snowflake into this salt liquid, within a 2-3 days it forms salt crystals! Such a fun science experiment and so fun for the kids to watch it grow!

Supply List:

• Full Tutorial/Instructions Here
• Mason jars
• Salt
• Pipe cleaners
• Clothes pins

Day 28: Paper Plate Snow Globe Craft

For day 28 we’re making paper plate snow globes! We will paint the plate maybe add a picture of ourselves and then fill it with pom poms or styrofoam mini balls to make a snow globe! Then we’ll use our snow globes to decorate the playroom!

Supply List:

• Instructions here
• Paper Plate for back
• Clear plate for front
• Photo of child, or foam ornament for inside
• Paint
• pom poms, or styrofoam balls
• confetti (optional)
• glue (sticks and hot glue)
• tape
• Markers

Day 29: DIY Christmas Slime

For day 29 we’re making stretchy Christmas Slime! This is such a fun sensory activity for the kids! I plan to add little pom poms in mine to make it even more fun to stretch and squish! I think my boys will love making This!

Supply List:

• Slime tutorial/instructions here
• Liquid school glue (preferably clear)
• Contact lens solution
• Baking soda
• Red and green glitter
• Red, green, and white pom poms
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cup and spoons
• I also bought little plastic jars from the dollar store to keep it in

Day 30: Christmas Building Block Mini Sets

My boys are obsessed with Lego so when I saw this Christmas building block set that made 4 characters (I have 4 boys!) I knew we had to do it! The set makes one Santa, reindeer, snowman, and gingerbread man.

It may be more of an older kid activity so feel free to swap it with something else (I’ve included a list of alternative crafts and activities I wanted to try but didn’t have room at the end of this post!)

Supply List:

• Christmas Building 4 Figurine Set from Amazon

Day 31: Graham Cracker Gingerbread House building competition

We’ve made it all the way to Christmas Eve! On Christmas Eve we are doing to do a graham cracker gingerbread house building competition with the whole extended family! This is something we do each year and has been so fun for all ages!

Just get graham crackers, make your own super easy icing, and a bunch of candies! We also cut out cardboard trays from delivery boxes (usually have a lot on hand from holiday shopping) and wrap it in aluminum foil for everyone’s house to sit on!

Supply List:

• Graham Crackers
• Icing (Here’s a good, and easy recipe. Plus it only has 3 ingredients!)
• Food coloring for icings
• Candies and sprinkles to decorate (m&ms, gumdrops, coconut flakes, nerds, pretzels, swedish fish, and anything else you can find!)
• Cardboard for trays (cutting up a cardboard box works great!)
• Aluminum foil
• Piping bags (or cut the corner of a ziplock)