Christmas Tree Craft Project for Toddlers or Preschoolers

    It's December, so let's start out the season right!  This is a project that I came up with based off of something similar my sisters and I did when we were little.  I will be perfectly honest with you up front...if you are attempting this with a toddler, it will not be the easiest thing to accomplish.  Make sure you start out with plenty of patience, and leave behind any OCD tendencies (this one can be difficult for me!  I'm not often OCD, but when it comes to symmetry and the placement of things I am).  However, having said all of that, Sugarplum did really well, and it really wasn't all that bad.  She did try to pull the "ornaments" back off the tree, but she enjoyed the project and did well with the concept.

    Okay, prep time.  The first thing you'll need is two sheets of construction paper, one green and one white (or whatever other colors you want your tree and background to be).

    Fold the green sheet in half lengthwise.

    Cut out the shape of half of a Christmas tree on the fold.  I freehanded mine, since it's a pretty simple shape.  But if you'd rather, you can search for "Christmas tree pattern" on Google images and come up with lots of options.  Just print one out in an 8x10 size and cut around it on top of the green paper.

    Next, unfold the tree and use stick glue to adhere it to your white background.  Be generous with the glue, and make sure to hit the edges and points well.  I recommend using a scrap piece of paper underneath the tree.

    Let this dry for a few minutes before you start the project with your child.

    The other items you will need are tissue paper squares.  I used red, yellow, and white tissue paper.   Fold a sheet of tissue paper up and cut on the folds until you have approximately 2 inch squares (this is the part that is slightly time consuming!).

    To make the ornaments for the tree, you'll take these squares and crumple them up into little balls.  You can do this as part of the prep if you'd like, but I just made the balls as we worked.

    Find a good work surface that your child can easily reach.  I took the tray off of Sugarplum's highchair and let her work at the kitchen table.  Place the tree in front of your child, hand them an ornament (yes, they may try to un-crumple it!), and let them place it wherever they want on the tree.  Then use the glue stick to stick down the ornament in that spot.  Another alternative, particularly for slightly older children, is to let them point to a spot on the tree where they'd like the ornament to go.

    You could try using regular Elmer's glue as well, but I didn't want to deal with wet glue and a toddler at the same time.  The stick glue worked perfectly well for us.

    Be sure to write the child's name and the date on the back, then hang their masterpiece for everyone to admire!

Check out my Etsy shop! I sell hand painted wooden signs with a variety of themes including geek, Disney, and Christian, and I also make custom orders!

No-Mess Painting with a Baby or Toddler

    I don't do many crazy, creative projects with Sugarplum because I don't generally consider myself a super creative person when it comes to those sorts of things. Also, I am blessed with a generally happy-go-lucky baby who entertains herself pretty well!  However, this project was one I adapted from a couple of different Pinterest ideas, and it was a big hit not only with Sugarplum, but with everyone who saw the results.
     The original ideas I was seeing on Pinterest were using paint in a Ziploc bag, taped to a table.  This way baby can squish the paint around without making a big mess using finger paints.  However, I wanted an actual painting in the end, not just a Ziploc bag full of paint to throw away!
    Pretty easy fix.  I just added paper to the bag!  The main issue here is finding paper that will not fall apart with the amount of paint soaking into it.  This will depend on how much paint you use, of course.  The first time, I didn't use very much paint, so construction paper worked just fine.  Next I tried cardstock with a lot more paint, and when I peeled the bag off it peeled most of the paint and the top layer of paper off, too! :(  After that I used a thin piece of 8x10 canvas that I got from Hobby Lobby.  It's a bit pricier, of course, but the great thing about using canvas is you can create a real keepsake.  We framed Sugarplum's canvas masterpiece and gave it to my mom as a Mother's Day gift.
    So, step 1.  Select your paper or canvas.  Then add paint (I just use cheap craft paint that you can get at a craft store or Walmart) in little blobs all over the paper.  Carefully slide the paper into a gallon-size Ziploc (or off-brand if you're like me!) bag, and seal it tightly!  Sealing is definitely one step you don't want to skimp on, if you truly want no-mess painting.  :)
    Depending on the age of your baby/toddler, there are a few different options for the next step.  Our first time painting, I taped the bag using painter's tape to our kitchen table, and put Sugarplum in her highchair with the tray removed so she could reach to pat on it to her heart's content.  The next couple of times, she was crawling, so I taped it to the hardwood floor or the front porch and let her crawl and sit all over it.  Now she's walking, so the most recent time, she grabbed that bag and carried it all over the house with her (this works best with canvas, not paper).  Any of the above will work just fine.  The main thing is to get the paint thoroughly squished all over the paper, and for your tot to have a good time doing it.  You can also experiment with using toys to roll over and beat on the painting, which can create interesting patterns.
     The last step is to get the bag back from your toddler (if you can!), lay it flat on top of something you don't mind possibly getting paint on, and cut the bag open.  You will need to cut all down the sides of the bag and peel the top layer back, rather than trying to slide the paper back out.  Then lay your child's masterpiece somewhere safe and flat to dry and enjoy!

    These pictures are from our first try:

    The rest of the times I used more paint, and I liked the end results better.
    Painting on the porch:

    End results, framed for hanging:

    Have fun painting!

Check out my Etsy shop! I sell hand painted wooden signs with a variety of themes including geek, Disney, and Christian, and I also make custom orders!