Christmas crafts for toddlers

Christmas is a magical time of lights, sparkle, gifts and warm fuzzy feelings. Get your toddler into the festive spirit with these ideas for creative Christmas crafts.

An advent calendar

What you'll need:

a large sheet of construction paper or soft cardboard, a paper or plastic cup, washable acrylic paints, magazines, bits of coloured felt or material, glitter, child-friendly scissors, coloured markers

• Let your toddler paint the background onto the large sheet of paper. It can be whatever she wants – a picture, a single colour or a mix of several colours. Allow to dry.

• Show your child how to trace circles using an upside-down paper or plastic cup. Repeat 25 times. Let her decide where and how to trace the circles – as long as there are 25 in total, it doesn't matter.

• Number each circle 1 to 25.

• Let your child flick through an old magazine and choose fun designs to cut out and paste onto the circles. Do the same with the bits of felt and material, and add some glitter, ribbons and sequins for a sparkly touch.

• Allow the glue and paint (if any) to dry.

• Hang in the living room or in her room, and give her a small treat each day to mark another step closer to the big day.

Popcorn garlands

What you'll need:

popcorn, needle, thread

• Make some popcorn. Set aside to cool.

• Thread the needle and let your toddler hand you bits of popcorn to thread.

• Repeat until you have a complete garland and tie the ends of the thread together.

• Hand to your toddler to decorate the Christmas tree.

Lollipop Christmas tree ornaments

What you'll need:

lollipop sticks, washable acrylic paint or finger paint, child-friendly glue, buttons, glitter, sequins, twine

• Let your toddler paint the lollipop sticks with finger paint. Green is for trees, but let her choose whichever colour she likes.

• Break the sticks into different lengths (that when put together would make a tree shape).

• Keep one whole stick vertical and glue the broken sticks on horizontally, smallest to longest (in a triangular, Christmas-tree shape).

• Glue on decorations like colourful buttons, bits of glitter and sequins for a bit of sparkle.

• String some twine through the back where the vertical stick meets the vertical ones. Hang in your windows, on your Christmas tree or send out to family as Christmas decorations.