Children enjoy decorating the family Christmas tree.  Making their own decorations and hanging them on their Christmas tree will invoke in them a sense of pride and achievement.

Christmas trees can be decorated inexpensively if you and your kids make the ornaments yourselves.

It’s not only an inexpensive way to add beauty to your house for Christmas, but it’s a great way to make memories with your children that you can look back on when you unpack their homemade decorations each year.

Try some of these fun DIY craft ideas with your kids for your Christmas tree this year, instead of spending a fortune on ready-made ornaments.

Mini Wreaths:

You’ll need white glue, green pompoms, red ribbon, smaller red pompoms, and sturdy cardboard to create these mini wreaths. Cut a wreath shape out of cardboard and use a small circular object to trace the inner circle and cut out. Thread the ribbon through the inner circle and tie, and then glue so it’s lying flat against the cardboard. Glue green pompoms all over your wreath shape until completely covered, then add a few small red pompoms for berries.

Snowman or Gingerbread Family:

Have your children create paper snowmen or gingerbread people that represent each member of the family and anyone who will be visiting during the holidays. Use scraps of festive ribbon for scarves, and find twigs outside to use as arms for the snowmen. Personalized details can be added to the gingerbread people such as clothes or hair to make them look like the people they’re meant to represent. Punch a hole in the top and string ribbon through to hang on the tree.

Egg Shell Ornaments:

Punch a pinhole in the tops and bottoms of eggs and blow gently through one end to expel the contents. Wash the shells and let dry thoroughly. Paint the eggs in whichever colors fit your theme, and decorate with sequins, tiny beads, pompoms or glitter.

Sweet Smelling Heart Ornaments:

Cut hearts out of two layers of fabric in the shape of a heart. With wrong sides of the fabric together, stitch around the heart until half sewn, then fill with potpourri, broken cinnamon sticks and pine needles, or cotton balls scented with essential oils before sewing closed. Attach a ribbon loop to the top to hang.

Cinnamon Stick Santas:

Use 6-inch cinnamon sticks for Santa’s body, and 2 1/2 inch sticks for arms. Paint the bottoms of the arms red and white to look like cuffs, and paint Santa’s face and hat on the long cinnamon stick. Hot-glue the cinnamon sticks together, with the long stick in the center. Use a red ribbon to make a loop and glue it to the top, and add a tiny white pompom to the hat.

Ornaments from Nature:

Some of the most beautiful decorations are already hanging on the trees outside. Look around your backyard and consider adding things found in nature to your tree. Dried blossoms, stalks of wheat and grapevines can all add a beautiful natural touch to a tree, or try one of the following ideas made out of natural materials.

-Dry 1/4 inch thick rings sliced from oranges in the oven at the lowest temperature for an hour. When cooled, poke a hole with a knife tip and thread with a ribbon to hang.

-Make bundles of cinnamon sticks tied with a ribbon.

-Tie a ribbon around the top of pinecones and decorate with pom poms, or roll in glue and sprinkle with colorful glitter.

Treat filled Stockings:

Cut two layers of material in the shape of a stocking, and sew together, leaving the top open. Decorate with sequins or other embellishments and fill each stocking with tiny treats like miniature candy canes, or wrapped candies and chocolates.

Tiny Presents:

Gather small boxes you have around the house, the kind that bottles of medicine or tea bags come in, and just the right size. Wrap with wrapping paper and ribbons as you would for real gifts.

Recycled cards:

Instead of keeping greeting cards you’ve received over the years tucked away in a box, punch a hole through the top and hang from the tree with ribbon.

Edible ornaments:

– Make strings of popcorn, cranberries, or cereal to wrap around the tree.

– Bake gingerbread or sugar cookies, and use a straw to make a hole for hanging before baking, then decorate as you normally would.

– Bags of gumdrops can be strung using a strong craft needle and heavy-duty thread to create a whimsical garland but, if you have children in the house, this one may not last very long on the tree!

Christmas Crackers:

These can be filled with smalls treats and given to guests that stop by or left empty to be reused for multiple years. Use paper towel rolls cut in half, or the rolls from wrapping paper into appropriate sizes. Wrap each tube in a piece of colored tissue paper, leaving enough room at each end to twist. Twist one end of the cracker and fasten with ribbon or string, then fill with treats if you’re adding them, then twist the other end closed with more ribbon or string. The crackers can be decorated with stickers or markers if desired.

Glitter Glue Snowflakes:

These make great lightweight decorations that can be hung individually or strung together to create a garland. Draw a basic snowflake design on paper, and place it under a sheet of waxed paper. Draw the snowflake in hot glue by following the lines of your design. Sprinkle with glitter so the design is fully covered. Allow the snowflake to cool and then peel off the waxed paper and add string or ribbon to hang.

Christmas tree ornaments don’t need to be expensive to be beautiful. Our ancestors used things they found in the natural world or made themselves to decorate for the holidays. Bring back this family tradition and save money by using some of the ideas above to create a charming and sentimental tree this year with your kids.

SEE ALSO

There are countless ideas and tips on how to decorate a Christmas tree with your kids.  Here are a free from around the web.

Christmas tree decorating for kids from Crate and Barrel found here

19 most creative kids Christmas trees ideas here

12 Christmas tree ideas for kids from Martha Stewart found here

26 adorable handmade Christmas ornaments here

13 DIY Christmas ornaments kids can make can be seen here