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Here is my big list of free and easy to make homemade Christmas card ideas for kids. There are ideas suitable for toddlers to make right the way through to card crafts for kids in their tweens and teens.
There is surely nothing more delightful than receiving a homemade Christmas card from a child. But Christmas card making is also a great Christmas craft activity for excited kids in the run-up to the festive season.
12 FREE AND EASY HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS CARD IDEAS FOR KIDS
Making Christmas cards is a bit of a rite of passage for kids. Of course a lot of schools now do the thing where the kids design a card and it gets printed.
But there’s something super special about a handmade Christmas card crafted by a child.
That said, when life is a hectic juggle, it can be hard to magic up an easy to make Christmas card idea that stands a good chance of looking good when it’s finished.
So that is why I’ve taken the time to search out the best Christmas card ideas that are perfect for kids to make.
Before you dive into the list to see which handmade card ideas your children might like to make. I thought it would be useful to put together a list of tips for having a successful card crafting session.
Related: Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids
14 USEFUL TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS CARDS WITH KIDS
I am well aware that the fantasy of a lovely crafting session with young children can go awry and that older kids can start something that they don’t get around to finishing. So use these tips to get prepared for productive Christmas card making!
- Start early if you want to avoid late night panic finishing
- Aim for between 5 – 10 cards at a time
- Don’t be surprised if your child says ‘I’ve finished’ after one card
- If you’re making cards with younger children, aim to make two or three cards yourself for every one card your child does
- Make a range of different cards else kids will get bored
- Avoid designs that need young kids to be precise
- Invest in good scissors for kids who can cut – scissors for kids can be frustrating – just make sure to be around to be safety monitor. These Amazon Basics scissors are spot on, they’re soft grip, which is great for kid’s hands and they’ve got a good titanium blade – with an 81% 5* customer rating. Add the scissors to your crafting toolkit
- Prepare! Fold cards, pre-cut shapes, pre-print basic elements. I’ll let you into a secret, I cheat by buying ready-folded cards that come with matching envelopes
- Regular glitter has been found to be dreadful for the environment, but luckily you can buy eco-friendly glitter that is biodegradable, like this biodegradable glitter by Hemway
- Use household items – raid the recycling! – as craft materials to avoid spending a fortune buying things to craft with
- Create simple paint stamps from potatoes, bottle tops, even toddler hands and feet!
- Build fun learning and exploration into card making to keep kids engaged
- Don’t just stick to Christmas colours – excite kids’ interest with eye popping brights
- Think about what is going to survive the post! Save fragile cards for hand delivery
Got to grips with all the crafting tips? Ready for some Christmas card ideas to start making with your kids? Dive into the list below and find the perfect card designs.
Related: Easy Christmas Marshmallow Craft Recipes
12 EASY AND FREE HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS CARD IDEAS TO MAKE WITH KIDS
CHRISTMAS CARD IDEAS FOR KIDS TO CRAFT AND MAKE
This is a big list of Christmas card ideas for kids to craft and make, either with parents helping toddlers and preschoolers or for older kids, tweens and teens to craft by themselves or with a little parental guidance.
The list of ideas for homemade Christmas cards focuses on Christmas card designs and templates that are easy to make, all of the idea, how-to-guides and templates are free. Some of the tutorials also feature step-by-step tutorial videos to make life super easy.
Sometimes simplicity is just the best! This totally eye-catching Rudolph the rednose reindeer card design is one of my absolute favourites. Great for preschoolers and older kids to make, this is a card that is sure to go down well with anyone who receives it.
If you are looking for a homemade Christmas card idea that is both quick and easy, you can't go far wrong with this 5 minute craft idea! Again, sometimes simplicity is the way forward for budding artists.
This washi tape baubles Christmas card idea is so simple but so clever. There is an easy to follow step-by-step tutorial.
Let the festive crafting begin! Kid's Advent calendar, cute Christmas cards & handmade gift tags!
These thumb print red robin Christmas cards are absolutely perfect for time poor parents who want to help toddlers or preschoolers to make a cute card. Parents can draw the robin outline and then the budding artist can create the redbreast of the robin with their thumb. Totally simple but very effective.
This mono print Christmas tree card from Blue Bear Woodis super duper easy to make and looks really striking when it's finished. It's up to your kids how much or little embellishment they add.
This elf Christmas card craft is a fun and easy way to get your kids into the holiday spirit! They'll love creating these adorable cards, and family and friends will love having a cute keepsake to stick on the fridge. There's a brilliant video tutorial and a free handprint template you can download.
Now this is a great Christmas card design idea for older children who want to do homemade cards, but don't necessarily want to spend ages crafting with glitter and paint. This tutorial comes with a free printable template and instructions on how to fold it to make it into a pop-up.
This is a great Christmas card idea for kids to make using old buttons and old bits and bobs from the bottom of the craft cupboard! Younger kids and toddlers can keep it simple and older kids, tweens and teens can get more creative.
Christmas Crafts for Kids: Handmade Christmas Tree Cards - True Aim
Want to go for the least messy option? Well, you can keep things really easy and simple by just getting the kids' crayons out and having them draw something Christmassy on some cards!
Another card making idea that is simplicity itself! This tutorial for designing a Christmas card involves using the eraser end of a pencil and an ink stamp. Genius!
This Christmas card tutorial features hand and footprints, so it is perfect for creating keepsake Christmas cards with babies and toddlers. Which grandparent isn't going to love having their precious grandchild's handprint or footprint on a beautiful homemade Christmas card?!
This 3D is a great card idea for tweens and teens to have a go at crafting. It's more for hand delivery rather than putting in the mail, but it is rather fabulous.
The card is made using construction paper loops, there is a great step-by-step tutorial video to follow.
SO WHICH CHRISTMAS CARD IDEAS ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE?
I hope this list has given you some inspiration for Christmas card ideas for kids.
If you want to do something personal but are just struggling to find time to produce enough – this was us last year!! – you can always resort to photo cards which can be based on your children’s artwork.
Related: Download your free Christmas to do list planner printable
PIN TO SAVE:
You can find a whole bunch more Christmas craft ideas over on my Christmas Pinterest Boards.
Anne M
Wednesday 30th of October 2013
Gidday Alice. These are fantastic and your timing couldn't be more perfect. I've got to start getting the kids organised to make these for their teachers and you've saved me the hassle of looking for ideas. Thanks for linking up to Thriving on Thursdays. I'm featuring this one tomorrow.
Anne xx
Denise Murtha
Monday 28th of October 2013
Alice...thanks for stopping by and linking up at Share It Sunday. I don't have any christmas posts to link yet as this will be my first christmas blogging. but I will check back. Thanks again. Fabulous ideas for me to use with my daughter!
Glitzy Gleam
Sunday 27th of October 2013
Wow lots of great ideas, popping over from #PoLoCo xx
Victoria Welton
Saturday 26th of October 2013
Another fantastic list. Thanks for linking to PoCoLo x
Barb Marshall
Friday 25th of October 2013
So thrilled you are encouraging card sending at Christmas! I love to do this too and at any time of year really. Not just the same when you receive a christmas greeting over the email. Found you via "TheBlogStrut" link up. You may enjoy my blog where I gush about all things stationery and the lost art of letter writing - I'm # 124 in the linkup