With Christmas just around the corner, my kids are getting into the Christmas spirit by making this adorable Christmas Craft for Kids. This ornament is unique to each child because each child creates the snowman using their fingerprint.
It makes a great gift for grandparents and it is even an easy craft to make with a large group of children, such as for a holiday art project in a classroom.
We put up our Christmas tree the other day. It is always fun to bring out all of the ornaments. We have some beautiful ones that we have purchased over the years. However, the best ones are the ones that my kids have made. The ones with their little handprints, footprints and their art work.
Our tree does not look like the ones you would find in a magazine, but to us it is even better and filled with memories. This Snowman Fingerprint Ornament is our latest addition and will hang on our tree for years to come.
There is also a cute printable poem that you can attach to your snowman. It’s perfect if you are giving it as a gift. If you are creating it in the classroom, it is an easy way to finish off a gift to send home.
I love being able to find art projects that are personalized and give kids creative freedom to add details and features. This Christmas craft for kids is a great art project that allows kids to do just that.
For another unique Christmas ornament, check out a Christmas tree handprint ornament.
Once you’ve had some fun creating this snowman ornament, curl up with some G-rated Christmas movies that your family is sure to love.
Christmas Craft for Kids Materials
I really like working with polymer clay. It is very easy for kids to work with because it doesn’t dry out, and it lasts for a long time. However, if you don’t have polymer clay, you could use playdough or another type of salt dough. Any of these options will work.
However, polymer clay is the strongest of these options and will last much longer.
For this Christmas craft for kids, you will need:
- White polymer clay
- Orange polymer clay (carrot nose)
- Black polymer clay
- Other clay colors for decorative pieces
- Gloss (optional)
- Twigs
- Ornament hooks for clay
- Printable poem tag (link to the free download below)
Christmas Craft for Kids Steps
I love when I find a craft that can be done by kids of all ages. Even young children can easily create this snowman ornament. Older children have the opportunity to add extra details to their snowman and make it more complicated.
Whatever the age group, you will end up with a unique, personalized snowman ornament.
To start, roll three white balls of polymer clay. A small, medium and a large ball, for each part of the snowman’s body.
Next, start with the largest ball, and have the child press their thumb into the clay to flatten it. Do not push down too much, just enough so that the ball is flattened and the thumbprint is visible.
Next, have the child use either their finger or thumb to squish down the middle and smallest ball. Depending on the size of the polymer clay ball and the child’s fingers, you can use any finger/thumb that fits the ball best.
Either way you will have a clear print on each part of the snowman unique to the child.
Once you have all of your balls flattened with a fingerprint, line up your snowman’s body and gently push it together so that it sticks.
Snowman Ornament Details
Next, depending on the age of the children creating the snowman ornament, it is time to add details and snowman features.
If you have young children creating, you can create some of the parts for them and simply have them attach them on their snowman.
Add eyes, a carrot nose, button smile and buttons. Give kids the opportunity to add any color they want or anything else they want to add, such as a scarf.
My kids used toothpicks and other tools to add details to the nose and scarf. This is a great opportunity for kids to experiment and create with clay.
Once you have the snowman’s body done, next you can add the twigs for arms by sticking them into the polymer clay. My kids enjoyed searching our yard for the perfect twigs to use for their snowman’s arms.
The twigs can be added later with glue if you prefer.
Next, attach the hook, or other clasp you plan to use to hang the ornament later.
Follow the directions for cooking your polymer clay and then once cooled, your ornament is just about ready!
Christmas Craft Details
We decided to add a layer of gloss to our snowmen and it made a huge difference in giving it a finished look. (Link to gloss at bottom)
We added our ornament hooks and put our snowmen on our tree. They look really pretty and I love that the hold memories of creating them and also show how little my kids fingers are. It will be fun to measure their fingers and thumbs to the markings in future years.
The final detail that you can add is the poem that goes along with the snowman. As a teacher, I always love including a little note with crafts and gifts that go home.
It is a simple way to point out the fact that the snowman is handmade and shows the size of the children’s fingerprints.
Within the free printable, there are large cutouts of the poem or small ones to attach to the actual snowman. You can print, and use whatever works for you!
Tips and Tricks
A few other ideas to keep in mind as you create your Christmas craft for kids is to use a sharpie marker to print the year on the back of the ornament. You can also engrave the year with a toothpick.
Also, if you have more than one child creating a snowman, print each child’s name, or their initial on the back. I still have a few ornaments from years ago that my kids made that I didn’t put their name on – thinking that I would never forget which of my kids made it – but as years go by, we have forgotten.
Another cute feature that we thought about for our snowmen was to use googly eyes. They add a different look that I liked, but I left it up to my kids if they wanted it for theirs.
Christmas Craft for Kids FREE Printable
This Christmas craft for kids can make a great gift for grandparents or family. Add a small printable tag to the snowman to complete the gift.
As a teacher, this Christmas craft is easy enough to make with a full class of students. Each snowman is unique to each child and it gives children an adorable present to put under the tree and give to their families on Christmas.
The printable tag is a great final touch. The poem is available for free. Click the image below to subscribe to Hands-On Teaching Ideas and get instant access to my Free Resource Library where you can print the poem.
For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
More Hands-On Teaching Ideas
If you are looking for more hands-on activities for kids, below is a collection of my favorite, and most popular learning activities for kids. From storytelling activities and STEM challenges to outdoor learning and DIY escape rooms, there is lots to keep kids busy and learning.
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