Christmas Pudding Card

You will need:

White card
A small amount of green card
Several shades of brown tissue paper
Red tissue paper
Glue

Cut out a piece of white card approximately 20cm x 10cm and fold it in half, to make a card 10cm x 10cm.
With the fold to the left, draw a pudding shape on the card making the left side of the pudding straight for about 4cm as shown.
Keeping the card folded, so that the back and the front will be the same, cut out the shape.
On the front of the card glue small pieces of the brown tissue paper all over until it looks like a pudding. Leave to dry.
Using the top of the card as a template, draw out the sauce shape on another piece of white card, making the bottom look like the sauce pouring down the sides.
Glue this on top of the brown tissue at the top. 
Cut two or three Holly leaves from the green card, and glue these on top of the pudding, adding small scrunched up balls of red tissue for berries.

Snowman Card

You will need:

White and pale blue card (for card base and snowman)
A small amount of black, orange,and brown card and a choice of coloured card for the scarf (alternatively a small piece of material could be used)
White paint
Glue

Cut a square of pale blue card 15cm x 15cm and fold in half to form the card base. From the white card cut a rectangle 15cm x 4cm and glue this at the bottom of the front of the base to give the appearance of snow. Then using some white paint let the children fingerprint snow falling on the area of blue card left showing as above. Set aside to dry.

To make the snowman cut two circles from the white card, one 10cm diameter and the other 5cm diameter. Glue the small circle onto the larger one, overlapping it slightly.

From the black card cut a hat (use the top of the snowman's head as a pattern for the top), two eyes and two buttons. From the orange card cut a carrot nose and from the brown card cut some twig arms. Glue these into place. From your chosen card or fabric cut a scarf and again glue into place.

If the card base is dry, glue the snowman into place; you could add a touch of clear glitter glue to make the snow sparkle.

To make the cards more individual, use different hat styles or noses.

Finger Print Christmas Tree Card

You will need:

White card
Coloured card for the tub
Brown card for the trunk
Green paint
Glue
Glitter
Either ribbon or card for the bow

Out of the white card cut two identical triangles with a 10cm base and a perpendicular height of 12cm as shown.

Cut two trunks out of the brown card about 4cm(width) x 10cm(height).

To make the tub using your chosen coloured card cut a rectangle 12cm x 4cm, then fold it in half to form a sturdy base.

By repeatedly painting one finger with the green paint, print the tree shape onto one of the triangles. Working up from the bottom, build up the layers to look like a tree. You could also print the other triangle for the back of the card and maybe leave it undecorated.

While the tree is drying open up the tub and on each inside, glue a trunk positioned in the middle but glued from the lower edge to add strength. When dry, refold and decorate the front of the tub with either a bow as shown or your own design.(Make sure the fold is on the left as you look at it).

Decorate the tree as you wish using sequins, glitter etc. Add a star and glue onto the trunk leaving just a small amount of trunk showing. Glue the other triangle to the other trunk in the same way.

3D Christmas Card

You will need:

Coloured card for the tree top, trunk and container
Paint, sequins etc to decorate the tree
Glue
Paper or thin card to make the template

To make the template:

Cut a rectangle 12cm x 20cm out of piece of paper or thin card. Fold the card in half so it is now 6cm wide and draw three horizontal lines to divide the card into four equal sections as shown.
Use the the top three sections to form the main part of the tree. It may be easier to draw a line from the top to the side to give the basic triangular shape before drawing the branches. Then draw the trunk and container in the bottom section, the base of the container should measure about 2.5cm.

Cut out the whole shape and then open it out.

Using the template cut out two trees from your chosen coloured card. The trees can now be decorated and the trunk and container covered in your choice of coloured card or paper. Each cut out tree will need to be decorated on both sides.
Once the decoration is complete, cut one of the trees from the top 10cm down to the centre and the other 10cm from the bottom to the centre. The trees should now slide together to form a cross at the base. To hold the tops together a star could be added.

Snowman Bookmark

You will need:

Blue card
White paint
Black pen
A selection of other coloured pens
Hole punch
Thin coloured cord or embroidery silk to make a small tassel

Cut a rectangle 15cm x 5cm out of the blue card,

With the white paint and using a thumb print for the body and a finger print for the head, print several snowmen down the card. The number you can print will depend on the size of the child's fingers. Leave the snowmen prints to dry.

Using a black pen add a hat, some eyes and buttons. Then add noses; these can be orange as shown to represent an orange or a carrot and then add some scarves in the colours of your choice.

To complete the bookmark, punch a hole at the bottom and add a tassel.

Make the tassel by cutting five 12cm lengths of coloured cord or embroidery silk. Fold the lengths in half by looping them over your finger, then push the looped ends through the small hole on the bookmark from the front to the back. Allow enough to pull the loose end through the loop and tighten up like a tying a tie.

If you have access to a laminator the bookmarks can be laminated to make them more durable. This obviously needs to be done before you punch the hole. Once laminated, trim round leaving a small overlap so that they are completely sealed and finish off as above.

Robin Bookmark

You will need:

White or pale coloured card
Brown and red paint
Fine black pen
Hole punch
Thin coloured cord to make a small tassel

Cut a rectangle 15cm x 5cm out of the card and taper one end as shown.

With the brown paint and using a thumb print for the body and a finger print for the head, print four or five robins down the card. Leave these prints to dry before putting a red finger print on top of the body to make the red breast.

With the black pen draw in an eye, beak, legs and a little tail on each robin.

Punch a hole at the point at the bottom of the bookmark and make a tassel out of the cord.

If you have access to a laminator the bookmarks can be laminated to make them more durable. This obviously needs to be done before you punch the hole. Once laminated trim round leaving a small overlap so that they are completely sealed and finish off as above.

Reindeer Bookmark

You will need:

Brown card for the head and main section
Small amount of red, pink and beige or white card for the nose, inner ears and antlers
Paint or pens to make the eyes and mouth
Glue

Cut a rectangle 15cm x 2.5cm from the brown card for the main section. For the head again using the brown card draw two overlapping circles, one circle with radius 1.5cm and another with radius 2cm as shown and cut out along with two ears.
Two smaller inner ears can be cut from pink card and a round nose from the red card.
To make the antlers the same, fold a small piece of either cream or white card in half and draw an antler shape. Cut them out while still folded.

To assemble the bookmark, first make the head. Glue the inner ears to the outer ears and then glue them to the main part of the head. Add the antlers and nose and paint or draw on the eyes and mouth.
Finally glue the rectangle of brown card to the back of the head to form the completed bookmark.

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Counting down the days to Christmas can be fun and by making their own advent calendar, children can improve their number skills as well as be creative.

You will need:

A hand-print Christmas tree for the base
Card for the baubles
Paint
Glue
Sequins, glitter etc for decorating the baubles
Paper or cut out pictures for inside the baubles
Small amount of Blu-Tack

Make a Christmas tree out of hand-prints, (1 metre high is probably the smallest it could be for the size of baubles shown), and add a trunk and tub at the bottom.

Cut 24 rectangles 8cm x 4cm out of the card. Fold each piece in half and draw a circle to fit but overlapping the folded edge slightly about 1-2cms as shown. With the card still folded cut around the shape except along the folded edge so that you are left with a hinge. When all 24 circles are cut out, the front of each one can be decorated to look like a bauble using paint, glitter and sequins.

To make the baubles look more authentic a small piece of silver paper or foil could be glued on the top of each one to look like the metal hanger.

Inside each bauble either get the children to draw pictures or glue cut pictures from old Christmas cards or magazines.

When all the baubles are completed the children can help glue small numbers onto each bauble and then glue them onto the Christmas tree. A small piece of Blu-Tack will hold the baubles shut until they get opened.

Street Advent Calendar

You will need:

A selection of coloured card
Paint
Glue
Glitter

An alternative advent calendar that can be a great group activity is a long street of terraced houses.

Each house can be made separately by a couple of children from a standard shape and then glued side by side to form the street. The fun is making each house individual by making each door a different colour and style, adding letterboxes and door knobs.

The windows can be all the same size using a rectangle of paper, which is then decorated with a tree or candles as shown. The frame is then glued on the top. Not all of the windows in each house have to be decorated, some can remain just plain as though the lights are off.

In this calendar, it is the doors that are numbered and opened to reveal a picture. To achieve this, glue the doors on separately down one edge so that they can be opened. The children can draw or paint a little picture to go behind their own door.

Angel Advent Calendar

You will need:

White card for the body and wings (the wings could be made from netting or some other suitable material)
Large bead or compressed paper ball, usually available for craft stores for the head
Wool or strips of crepe paper for the hair.
Length of dowel and small block of wood for the stand
Glue
Silver glitter for decorating the dress and wings
Paper or cut out pictures for inside the advent windows
Small amount of Blu-Tack
Paint

Craft knife (For adult use to cut the windows)

Cracker

You will need:

Card
Tissue paper
Crêpe paper
Cracker snaps
Thread or ribbon
Wrapped chocolate and/or a small gift
Your own joke
Glue

Help of a kitchen roll sized tube or a rolling pin

Start by making a tissue paper hat to go inside the cracker. Choose a piece of tissue and cut a piece 15cm wide, that is long enough to go round a head with at least 2cm overlap. (It is probably best to measure either an adult's head or child's depending on who the cracker is for).
Cut one of the long side to a design that you like, eg in a zigzag, to form a crown, 2 curved shapes to look like a pirate's hat or a wavy edge to look like petals. Decorate the hat as required and then glue the two short sides together, adjusting to fit before the glue dries.

For the cracker 

Out of card cut:
2 pieces 6cm x 15cm, and 1 piece 10cm x 15cm
1 piece of crêpe and 1 piece of tissue both 30cm x 18cm
Glue the three pieces of card onto the tissue as shown. Using a kitchen roll tube or rolling pin to help you get an even shape, roll the tissue and card to form a tube, remove the roll/pin. Wrap the piece of crêpe paper around the tissue and card, overlapping by 3cm and glue into position.

Place a cracker snap through the cracker and then using the thread or the ribbon, tie around the cracker at one end in between two of the pieces of card and pull reasonably tight. Drop a gift, chocolate, joke and folded hat into the centre of the cracker and then tie up the other end.
Decorate the cracker using glitter, sequins or cut out shapes. Fringing the ends of the cracker can also look pretty.