easy Christmas crafts

These easy crafts are simple enough for a one,  two, and three year old to make!  I had the joy of doing this with my kiddos and one of our favorite neighbor and friend.

Materials needed for Santa face:

Santa face template ( got mine from DLTK kids)

cotton balls

glue

Basically you glue cotton balls to the beard,  I remember doing this in elementary school myself.  I put the glue in small bowls and had the children "dip it, dip it, then stick it" to their pages.  It is amazing that something this simple is so fun for all kids.
Materials for Christmas letter picture:

Paper

Marker

Christmas themed stickers

Write the first letter of the child's name on a sheet of paper.  Let them "trace" their letter with the stickers.  Older kids could do their whole name and write it themselves.

sensory caterpillars

This activity took us a while to complete but the kids loved doing it and were (surprisingly) very patient. This is a good sensory activity for preschoolers that I found in The Mailbox magazine.

Materials needed:

Several cut circles from construction paper
popsicle sticks or pipecleaners (for antennas)
glue
Different "sensory" materials ( we used cotton, aluminum foil, uncooked macaroni shells, glitter glue, foam stickers, and feathers)

Glue a different sensory material on each circle. As we were gluing we talked about how each material felt. Was it soft, smooth, sticky, etc.? You can also talk about what each object looks like....hard, shiny, sparkly, dull, etc. You may need to help younger children with the squirting of the glue.
Finish your caterpillar with a face that has antennas attached to the top. You could also add legs if you are really ambitious.....we stopped with the antennas.

Let your project dry for most of the day or overnight before displaying on a wall. This was indeed one of my kids favorite activities!

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magic nuudles

Materials Needed:
thick paper or foam sheet
magic nuudles (can be found at craft & hobby stores)
wet washcloth or paper towel
marker

This can be used to practice fine-motor skills and reinforce shapes. You could also use this activity with letters or numbers.

Take a marker and draw a shape on your paper or foam. I also like to write the word out for the kids.



You use your magic nuudles by slightly wetting them to stick to each other or the foam surface. Use the noodles to outline the shape, letter, or number.
Note: The noodles are nontoxic if your child does happen to put them in his or her mouth.





This is a super easy, educational activity......ENJOY!!