DIY: 3 Kid-Friendly Holiday Projects

Our favorite crafts projects with kids strike a balance between doing something fun (for them and for you) and making something of value (for the house)–such as these easy holiday decorations that Alexa invented. All are sourced from found objects, antiques you’re likely to have around the house, and the hardware store. Here are step by step instructions; just add young DIYers.

Jingle Bells

Materials

• A dozen small bells of any sort; we opted for the Christmas Brass Bells, $19.50 per green rope strand of six, shown above, from Irona Works
• Everbilt Jute Twine Natural; $2.33 for a 190-foot spool at The Home Depot
• Pair of household or sewing scissors
• A pack of 60 13/32 Inch Nickel Thumb Tacks; $1.30 at The Home Depot

Steps One and Two: Remove the string that the bells came on (which is typically coarser than we like for this project). Thread the bells through strands of jute twine spacing them in even intervals and tie simple slip knots to hold each bell in place. Size the strands to drape across your window or door (leaving room to make a loop at each end), and create as many as groupings as you see fit. For a front door, we made three strands with groupings of three, four, and five bells. Original photography shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR. The filmmaker’s camera.

Step Three: Tie each end of the strand of bells to make a loop. Hammer or press in a thumb tack and fix one loop around the tack.

Step Four: Drape the strand in a swag across the window and attach the other loop with a tack.

Above: The finished results: a layering of bells reminiscent of a Dickensian Christmas.

Insta-Tree

Materials

• One medium-sized branch of winter greenery
• A few Christmas decorations that are either vintage or family heirlooms
• Five to seven classic silver ornaments, such as the 101 Pack of 2-Inch Silver Shatterproof Ornaments (a great option for a kid-friendly household) from The Home Depot
• Everbilt Jute Twine Natural; $2.33 for a 190-foot spool at The Home Depot
• Square screw hooks, such as the Zinc-Plated Square Bend Screw Hook; $1.18 for a set of three from The Home Depot
• A sprig of holly or mistletoe

Steps One throught Four: Find a spot on the wall big enough to display your branch. Position three screw hooks to hold the branch at both ends and in the middle. Next, thread pieces of jute through the round ornaments and knot to make loops. Hang the ornaments along the length of the branch alternating between the new and old designs.

Above: The finished bough makes a perfect Christmas tree substitute; it’s also ideal for decorating a child’s bedroom or hanging in an entryway.

Dipped Pine Cones

Materials

• Four to five pine cones
• Metallic wire, such as 28 Gauge Brass Hobby Wire ($6.99 for 75 feet) or 24 Gauge Steel Galvanized Wire ($3.99 for 100 feet), both at The Home Depot
• A pack of 60 13/32 Inch Nickel Thumb Tacks; $1.30 at The Home Depot
• A roll of brown butcher paper
• One quart of Behr Pure White Semi-Gloss Enamel Zero VOC Paint; $12.98 from The Home Depot
• A makeshift drying rack to hang the pinecones from while they’re drying (we used a set of wooden pegs)

Steps One and Two: Spread butcher paper onto a work surface and spread out all materials. Create a hanging loop around each pinecone by winding the silver wire around the stem and threading the wire in and out of the seed casings to make sure it holds.

Step Three: Dip a pinecone into the white paint until it’s fully submerged.

Step Four: Pull the pinecone out of the paint and let the excess paint drip off into the can before moving it to your hanging drying rack. Repeat the process with each pinecone.

Step Five: Allow the pinecones to dry for a few hours before moving them onto the brown paper to fully dry overnight.

Above: The finished pinecone ornaments have a festive snowy (rather than enameled) look, and can be used year after year.

Looking for more holiday projects that are satisfyingly simple? Check out Holiday Gift Wrap, Five Ways and The Sawhorse Holiday Table for Less than $100.