My kids love to make crafts, especially at Christmas. We have been busy making lots of easy Christmas crafts and had some wooden cubes left over. I came up with another simple craft that we could make with the cubes and my kids loved it so I wanted to share it with you here.
I love using the wooden cubes for crafts because they are inexpensive, easy for kids to create with and the craft projects tend to last longer. Plus they make a great keepsake, or gift.
Since I also teach art to young kids, I am always looking for new ideas that are easy enough for 3-6 year olds.
These Christmas trees are adorable and even my kindergarten children were successful in creating them!
Materials
The materials for this craft are fairly simple and inexpensive. We decided to use different shades of green for the trees. Pick from one shade of green to several shades for your tree.
- Wooden Blocks
- Paint
- Glue
- Beads/Decorative Items
If you want to create an ornament, it is best to use small wooden cubes. However, we have also created this tree using all 1 inch cubes, or bigger. The larger cubes create a great decoration for a table top or on a shelf.
Larger cubes are easier for young children to handle and paint, however, you can end up with a really large Christmas tree depending on the size you use. Find a size that works for you and it will turn out great!
You can create the tree in the same way regardless of what size cubes you use.
Steps to Creating Your Easy Christmas Crafts
There are two different cube trees that you can create. One of the trees is flat and 2 dimensional. The other tree is 3 dimensional. The 3D tree is more sturdy to stand on its own, but it requires more blocks to create.
Christmas Tree #1
Start by painting each of your wooden cubes. Kids will love simply painting. We used the different shades of green because my kids had more fun with different colors.
To start, paint 27 wooden cubes green, and then one yellow cube for the star. You will also need to paint 4 cubes brown. Make sure to paint all of the sides of the each cube.
Once they are painted, leave them to dry.
Once dry, set the cubes in rows into the shape of a tree. This is a great problem solving and math activity for kids as they count their cubes and create rows.
Ask children to start with 7 cubes on the bottom row. For each row above, use one less cube until you end with a row of 2 cubes.
Once the tree is formed, place the one yellow cube at the top and the 4 brown cubes in a square in the middle of the bottom row of the tree.
Next, use glue to attach each of the cubes to each other to create a tree. Once everything is dry, it is time to decorated the trees.
There are lots of things you can use to decorate the trees. We used craft materials that we had at home.
My kids used puffy paint for some of the details, such as garland and ornaments. We also used beads and sparkly paint to add details. I really like the look of the puffy paint because it gave the tree some extra texture and it looked great.
Christmas Tree #2
The trees can be put together as either a 2-D tree or it can be 3-D. If you want to create the 3D tree you will need the same materials as you do for the previous tree, but you will need 39 cubes.
You always have the option to make the tree bigger, by using more cubes and simply making each row include more of the wooden cubes.
It is easiest to glue each of the squares described below together first and then glue them on top of the square below.
Start by painting 30 of the cubes green. Once dry create a square of the green cubes that is 4 cubes wide and 4 cubes long. On top of this square, place another square in the middle that is 3 cubes wide and 3 cubes long.
On top of this square place another square in the middle that is 2X2. Finally, add your last single green square to the middle of the 4 piece square.
Glue the yellow cube on top of the single green cube on top.
Last, create a cube with the 8 brown squares by gluing them all together to create one large square that is 2 cubes wide, 2 cubes long and 2 cubes high.
Once all of the cubes are glued together, you can add the decorations to your tree. Puffy paint, beads and sparkles all work well, but use what you have on hand. My kids added white around the edges to look like snow on the tree.
Once you are done you tree you can simply use it for decoration, or you can add a string, so that it can be used as an ornament.
I love the fact that these are kid made. My kids at home were able to create them and decorate them on their own. Even my young students at school were all successful in creating their own cube Christmas tree.
Since it is an easy Christmas craft, you can allow children to use their imagination and creativity to create and decorate their tree. I like to simply put out materials to decorate with and see what the children come up with. I am always impressed with what they think of.
They can be put together and then decorated in many different ways. They also make a great gifts from kids!
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More Christmas Crafts and Hands-On Teaching Ideas
If you are looking for more learning activities, below is a collection of my most popular and favorite activities for kids to try at home, or in the classroom. From science experiments and math activities to outdoor activities and more arts and crafts, there are lots of things to keep kids busy and learning.
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