The winter holiday season is a traditional time for treats and fun crafts in the classroom, and at home with your own kids too! It’s a fun time to browse through holiday ideas and choose a few that you will enjoy doing with your kids this year. Each year, I seem to find some new favorites! Here are some of them.
Holiday Treats
Hot cocoa. To make this an inexpensive treat, prepare a mix at home. It only takes a few ingredients, and if you include powdered milk in the mix, it’s easy to prepare later with just hot water. There are many different recipes, but all you really need are cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and powdered milk.
Peppermint Candy Canes. Buy them when they’re $1.00 a box at the discount stores. Forget about the name brand candy canes; the good old peppermints are the ones that taste like Christmas!
Melting Snowmen Cookies. Click on the image below to see the original post, from Better Homes and Gardens, which includes the recipe. Or, for a quicker treat, use ginger snaps or another type of plain, store-bought cookies for the base.
Holiday Crafts
Tree Ornaments. If you don’t have time to bother with paints during the rest of the school year, maybe the week before the winter holiday would be a good time to make an exception. There’s something that’s just fun and feels creative about using paints. Kids love them. Buy some small wooden holiday cutouts, one per kid is all you’ll need. Other than that, you’ll just need poster paint and some yarn to make a loop for hanging each one. Glitter and other messy and expensive materials aren’t really needed, and in fact, kids can be more creative with just the paint.
Garlands and Banners. Garlands are a great go-to craft because you probably already have all the supplies you need. Start with a paper chain in holiday colors. Kids enjoy this relaxing activity that allows a little time to talk with their friends while they work. Add kid-created ornaments that you either just glue to the chain or dangle from short lengths of yard. Or skip the chain, and just hang the ornaments from yarn, like a “happy birthday” banner only with a winter holiday message.
Pop-Up Cards. Kids love making these, and it’s another craft that only requires basic supplies like colored paper, scissors, glue, and markers. Patterns for these cards range from simple ones that any middle grade kid should be able to handle to really intricate ones that are designed for the pros. A quick search should provide plenty of ideas, or kids can come up with their own unique popups for a Christmas tree, a showman, or an ornament.
Do you have any new favorite holiday treats or crafts? If you would like to share an idea, just leave a comment!
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