This Christmas get a little messy with your kids and create with paper mache. The holidays are a great time to try something new and make something adorable! If you’ve ever used paper mache to make a piñata or small craft, you’re going to love this Santa Paper Mache Project for Kids.

With just a few simple materials from around the house you can use paper mache to make a textured Santa, perfect for the holidays. I’ve included a free Santa template to help form your Santa image. The template is also perfect for young children to help guide their Santa picture.

This project is perfect to create in the classroom, or at home. When I first paper mache art for Christmas with my kindergarten children, they were each able to make something beautiful. However, I found when I gave them the option to use a template, they loved using it and adding the colors of paper mache they wanted to make it their own.

If you’re looking for another Christmas activity to try as a family or with young kids, check out Hands-On Teaching Ideas Christmas Escape Room Game. The printable puzzles are all free and you can set it up using your holiday decorations.

If you’re looking for more paper mache ideas check out the collection of other free templates to use your paper mache with 5 easy Christmas Paper Mache Ideas for Kids. Or grab more paper mache ideas to try any time of year here: Simple Paper Mache Ideas for Kids

Santa Paper Mache Project for Kids

You don’t need a lot of materials for this Santa art and if you have young kids, you may already have a lot of the materials. You will need:

• Paper
• Water
• Glue
• Paint
• A Blender
• Tweezers
• Paint Brushes (Optional)
• Free Santa Template

Making Paper Mache

If you have children you’re making the Santa’s with, if you can include them in the making of the paper mache, it’s a great sensory experience for them. Start by soaking the ripped paper in warm water.

Next use a blender to break down the paper and create a pulp. This pulp is fun to feel and for kids to touch. When I create it with my students getting to dip their hands in a container filled with this pulp is always their favorite.

Once you have a bunch of the pulp, drain out some of the water so that the pulp is not dripping wet. Next, add glue to your pulp so that it is fully mixed in. You don’t need a lot of glue, but enough that it mixes across all of the pulp.

The final step is to add paint to the pulp to create a pile of each color you need for the different parts of the Santa. Once you have all of your paper pulp made and mixed, you’re ready to start creating.

Paper Mache Santa Art

Young children can pick up the paper mache with their fingers and start filling in their Santa. You can add any colors you want. Sometimes using different, or unusual colors turns out in a way that kids love.

For some of the smaller sections of the image, tweezers work really well to get into and fill smaller spaces. Fill all of the spaces on the Santa and let it dry. Depending how wet the pulp was your Santa may take longer to dry. Once it is hard it is done.

When it is dry you can cut it out and place it on a different background. You can also add small details to your Santa to compete it. I glued on googly eyes, which looked really cute.

There were also a few sections of my Santa that the color of the paper pulp was not as bright as I wanted. Once it was dry I painted over the red to make the color more vibrant. You’ll keep the textured look, but can paint or touch up any part of your project.

Santa Paper Mache Project for Kids

Download the Template Here

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