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For quick Christmas crafts, start with paper chains, reused-card ornaments, handmade cards, fingerprint pictures, lolly-stick decorations or a paper cone tree. They use familiar supplies and avoid the oven. If you want a keepsake to paint and hang, salt-dough ornaments are a good longer project, but they require drying or baking and close adult supervision.
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| Project | Oven? | Typical supplies | Preparation and supervision | Finished item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper chain | No | Wrapping paper, scissors and glue | Cutting may need adult help; assemble immediately | Room decoration |
| Reused-card ornament | No | Old Christmas cards, wrapping paper or foil, ribbon | Adult help for making the hanging hole | Hanging ornament |
| Handmade card | No | Folded card, drawing or printed picture, colouring materials | Optional glitter, foil or cotton wool need age-appropriate handling | Greeting card |
| Fingerprint picture | No | Paper, paint and felt-tip pen | Use washable, suitable paint and supervise younger children | Picture or card panel |
| Lolly-stick decoration | No | Lolly sticks, glue, paint, decorations and ribbon or string | Wait for glue to set; supervise small decorations | Hanging ornament |
| Paper cone tree | No | Thick green paper, scissors, glue and decorations | Cutting help; cocktail-stick topper requires adult handling | Tabletop decoration |
| Salt-dough ornament | Yes, or extended air-drying | Plain flour, salt, water, paint and ribbon | Keep dough out of mouths; adult controls oven and hot trays | Painted hanging ornament |
The British Council’s 2016 Christmas craft ideas covers paper chains, card ornaments, cards and fingerprint pictures. The NSPCC’s 2020 Christmas crafts pack includes lolly-stick decorations, a paper tree and salt dough.
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Fast, no-bake Christmas crafts
Paper chains from wrapping paper
- Cut wrapping paper into strips about 20 cm by 3 cm.
- Loop one strip and glue its ends together.
- Thread the next strip through the first loop, then glue it closed.
- Continue until the chain reaches the length you need.
For a woven variation, fold two strips over one another as shown in the British Council activity sheet. An adult can do the cutting while a child handles looping and gluing.
Ornaments from old Christmas cards
- Cut out a picture from an old Christmas card.
- Back it with wrapping paper or foil and trim around the picture.
- Ask an adult to make a hole near the top.
- Thread ribbon through the hole and knot it for hanging.
This gives used cards a second purpose without requiring special ornament blanks.
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Handmade cards with simple embellishments
Fold a piece of card, then draw or print a Christmas picture on the front and colour it. Cotton wool, glitter or foil can be added if suitable for the child and workspace. Keep loose embellishments optional so the card still works with only paper and colouring materials.
Fingerprint robin, snowman or penguin
- Put a small amount of paint on a palette or washable surface.
- Press a fingertip onto paper to make the body shape.
- Let the paint dry, then add eyes, beak, wings and other details with a felt-tip pen.
- Repeat the same method with different colours to make a snowman or penguin.
Use paint labelled for children and protect clothing and furniture before starting.
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- Let young children exercise hand-eye coordination and patience in play. As well as cultivating children's hands-on skills, fostering teamwork, enriching children's imagination and creativity, these shapes and tools double the time of playing with dough, stimulate open thinking, and encourage children to see new possibilities!
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Lolly-stick stars, trees and reindeer
- Arrange lolly sticks into a star, tree or reindeer shape.
- Glue the joints and wait until the glue has set.
- Paint the shape, then add decorations.
- Attach a ribbon or string loop once everything is dry.
The NSPCC activity describes these shapes; supervise glue, paint and any small decorative pieces.
Paper cone tree
- Cut a circle from thick green paper.
- Remove one quarter of the circle.
- Roll the remaining shape into a cone and glue the overlapping edges.
- Decorate the cone with drawings, paint or small paper shapes.
A cocktail-stick topper is optional; an adult should handle that sharp component.
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Salt-dough Christmas ornaments
Salt dough is suitable when you have time for a bake-and-paint project. It is not edible: The Scout Association specifically tells leaders to keep it out of mouths, noses and ears (activity guidance, copyright 2025).
Mix the dough
The Scouts’ ratio is two parts plain flour to one part salt, with one part water added slowly until the dough is workable. The NSPCC gives a measured batch of 250 g plain flour, 125 g salt and 125 ml water in its 2020 pack. Choose one method rather than combining the quantities; add water gradually because flour and room conditions vary.
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Shape and make the hanging hole
- Roll the dough to about 5 mm thick.
- Cut shapes with cookie cutters, or shape them by hand; cutters are optional.
- Make a hole for ribbon far enough from the edge to reduce the chance of breakage.
- Move shapes to a tray before baking.
Dry, bake and paint
The Scouts’ instructions use the oven’s lowest setting for three hours, while the NSPCC describes about three hours at 140°C. These are source-specific methods, so follow the instructions for the recipe you chose and use your oven’s guidance. An adult must operate the oven, remove hot trays and let ornaments cool fully before children paint them. The Scouts note that baking and painting can be split across two weeks for group activities.
Once cool, paint the shapes and add ribbon. Store finished ornaments dry and handle thin edges carefully.
Safety and accessibility checklist
- Tell children that salt dough is not food and must not go in mouths, noses or ears.
- Check allergies, intolerances and sensitivities before choosing ingredients or decorative materials.
- Offer gloves or tools for anyone who does not want to touch dough.
- Keep scissors, cutters, cocktail sticks and other sharp items supervised and secured.
- Only an adult should operate the oven and carry hot trays; cool baked pieces away from children.
- Check small decorations for choking risks and match materials to the child’s age and ability.
Educational versions have different intended age bands: the IET lists salt-dough work for ages 5–7, 7–11, 11–14 and 14–16 (resource), while NASA labels its activity for grades K–4 and 5–8 (page last updated May 22, 2023). Those labels describe the resource audience, not a promise that every child can complete every step independently.
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Quick Recap
Painting ideas for the finished pieces
- Use two or three colours on paper-chain links for a coordinated garland.
- Paint lolly-stick trees in one base colour, then add dots or short lines as lights.
- Give salt-dough shapes a solid base coat before adding names, dates or simple patterns.
- Use fingerprint marks as repeated baubles, snowflakes or animal bodies on a card.
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