Making homemade Christmas cards is a great way to occupy a toddler or older children during the festive season. Whether you use the traditional card format and decorate it accordingly, or make something completely unique, you are guaranteed some fun together.
Making Christmas cards can often involve the use of scissors and glue. With that in mind, you need to supervise your little one closely and avoid them using anything that might prove harmful. It’s also a good idea to pop a smock or apron on them, especially if there is paint and glitter involved!
6 homemade Christmas card tips:
Make a list of everyone who will receive a homemade card from your family. You can get your toddler to cross off the names as you work your way through the list. It will give them a great sense of achievement to do this.
Instead of throwing out the junk mail, get your little one to save it and spend some time together cutting out all the pictures that are Christmas decorations like holly or stars. Store them in an envelope or plastic wallet so that you build up a little collection. You can also source some great packs of Christmas card decoration craft from craft stores that will occupy you for endless hours.
While you may go for cheap and cheerful decorations for the cards, don’t skimp on the quality of the cardboard and glue you will be using. This will ensure the cards won’t fall apart after being put into or taken out of the envelope.
Remember that, with a little one helping you out, the cards will be more love-intensive than skilled. So it may be better to stick to a fairly simple idea for them. One suggestion is creating a collage of the images they have collected and sticking them on the front of the cards to create a Christmassy effect.
If you have lots of cards to make and limited time, it is a good idea to print a message that you can trim and stick inside all the cards. That way you only need to add an addressee name and signature.
If you are mailing, rather than hand-delivering the cards, make sure you have envelopes to fit the size of the card you are using. Otherwise trim the cards so they fit a regular-sized envelope. This will help you save on postage.
Creative card making:
If you decide to make something from scratch then we’ve got the perfect homemade Christmas card idea for you. Equipment:
Light coloured card
Scissors
Paint brush
Non-toxic paint
Instructions:
Begin by covering your work area in newspaper or craft paper.
Fold a piece of white or light-coloured construction paper into the shape of a card.
Fold another piece of paper in half, trace one half of a Christmas tree, and cut out the shape. (Or, make cards non-denominational by using a present, snowflake or snowman shape instead of a tree.)
Lay the tree shape on the front of the card.
Using a small paint- or toothbrush, demonstrate how to splatter the paint, mainly around the tree shape: Coat the brush in one colour and gently whip the paint onto the paper. Have each brush only contain one colour.
Remove the tree shape once the paint is dry and write a special holiday note.
Homemade Christmas cards are very special to anyone who receives them. They will appreciate the effort and time that has gone into making them. It’s also a good idea to keep one as a memento of the time you’ve spent with your little one. You can also use it to see the progress their artistic skills will make in the years to come!
