33 Fun and Engaging Winter Crafts for Kids in 2024

When the colder season approaches, you may be looking for activities you can do indoors; that’s where winter crafts for kids come in handy. Crafting has benefits for kids of all ages. For preschool-aged children, it can help develop fine motor skills and reinforce shapes and colors, according to Scholastic. Kids in elementary school can develop creativity, patience and self-esteem. Plus, crafting can provide a sense of accomplishment as kids finish each project.

What’s great about winter crafts for kids is that you can use them for holiday or seasonal decor. They can be gifts for family members or mementos that mark each holiday season. Plus, many crafts use materials you already have or that are easily bought at an art store. For example, you can learn how to make playdough using just 2 ingredients found in your kitchen.

Looking for a fun activity to do throughout the colder months? Look no further! Whether you’re looking for an activity for a snowy day or a craft that can become a yearly tradition, we’ve rounded up 33 winter crafts for kids they’re sure to love.

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• Easy Winter Crafts for Kids
• Winter Craft Ideas for Kindergarten
• Winter Crafts for Toddlers

Easy Winter Crafts for Kids

1. Art Classes

If you’re looking for a more hands-on craft, then pottery and painting might be just the thing. Kids can learn the foundational techniques during art classes in Atlanta, art classes in New Jersey, art classes in Washington, D.C. and online art classes where they can learn to draw, paint and even throw on a wheel from expert teachers.

2. Air-Dry Clay Snowmen

Air-dry clay provides an easy way to sculpt at home without having to fire it at high temperatures. You can purchase this clay from craft stores for an easy winter craft for kids. They can build snowmen or other winter characters and then leave them to dry for a few days. Once they’re dry, kids can paint their snowmen and add felt accessories to make them come alive.

3. Ceramic Village

Many people like creating winter villages as a tradition each year. For this winter crafts for kids, purchase unpainted ceramic village buildings. Everyone can paint a building with the colors and styles of their choosing. Once they’re all dry, place the building together to create a village.

4. Paper Stars

Paper snowflakes are a classic winter craft for kids. But paper stars are a fun update. Using heavy construction paper, you can make folded paper stars. Then, allow kids to decorate them with markers, paint or glitter. Once everything is dry, punch a hole in one of the arms to make a star garland.

5. DIY Snow Globes

Kids love shaking snowglobes, and now they can make their own. You can make the globes out of old jars, add in the glitter, and glue plastic figurines to the underside of the cap before encapsulating it all. Include a turkey to make Thanksgiving crafts or a deer for a winter craft.

6. Snowflake Suncatchers

Catch a little of the winter sunlight and throw a little color around the room with this winter-season craft idea. You’ll need snowflake templates and colored tissue paper. Kids can cut and glue pieces of tissue paper to create a colorful piece of decor to hang in the windows.

7. Pinecone Angels

You can make this winter craft for kids after going on a nature walk to collect pinecones. You’ll also need paint, wooden beads, construction paper, glue, flitter and sparkly pipe cleaners. Use the bead to make the angel’s head and face and cut the wings out of the paper. Kids can decorate the wings however they want with glitter or paint

8. Wood Bead Elves

Another easy winter craft for kids you can do with wood beads it to make little elves or gnomes. String wood beads together and use pipe cleaners and felt to make the accessories and use paint or markers to make the faces. You can turn these into fun ornaments or even keychains for the holiday season.

9. Scented Candles

Candles can help create a cozy atmosphere throughout the winter. Purchase wax, molds, wicks and candle scents from a craft store. You can color wax in fun holiday and winter colors before pouring them into fun-shaped molds. Once everything is dry, pop out your candles and use them as decor in your home. Homemade candles can also make Valentine’s Day crafts for couples to do together.

10. Snowball Wreath

Who doesn’t like having a snowball fight in winter? A snowball wreath is one of the most fun and easiest Christmas crafts. You’ll need white foam balls of different sizes, ribbon, a wreath base and glue. Glue the foam balls to the wreath base in a random arrangement, putting different sizes next to and on top of each other. Finish off with a bright bow before displaying.

11. Snowflake Mobile

Creating snowflakes from paper is one of the most fun winter crafts for kids. Have kids cut snowflakes out of construction paper. Then, let them decorate the snowflakes with glitter. Once everything is dry, attach invisible strings to the snowflakes at different lengths and attach them to a wire or tree branch.

Winter Craft Ideas for Kindergarten

12. Watercolor Snowflakes

Play with color during this winter craft idea for kids. Cut snowflakes out of watercolor paper, then allow kids to paint on all their favorite colors. When the paint is dry, you can tape these up on the wall or hang them to be a colorful mobile.

13. Beaded Icicles

Beaded winter craft ideas for kindergarten are great to help with fine motor skills. Choose white, blue, silver and clear beads of different sizes and shapes. Use invisible beading string to create icicles with smaller beads at the bottom and larger beads up top. Use the extra string to make a loop to hang the icicles from the tree or ceiling.

14. Pinecone Owls

Here’s another fun art project you can use with pinecookes. Pull apart cotton balls until they look like fluff and glue them to the pinecone. Then, cut faces and wings out of felt and finish off with googly eyes. This is a fun arts and crafts for adults to do with kids on a winter day.

15. Hand Penguins

If you’re looking for winter crafts for kids that are easy, make hand penguins. Have kids trace their hands on construction paper and carefully cut them out. Then, cut out a beak and a white circle for the tummy and glue it to the hand. Add googly eyes to finish off your penguin.

16. Pinecone Bird Feeders

You can attract winter birds to your yard with this winter craft for kids. Use pinecones to make a bird feeder. Spread peanut butter on the pinecone, then sprinkle birdseed on top. Allow it to dry, then tie a piece of twine to the pinecone. Hang it up on a tree branch by a window so kids can watch birds visit.

17. Popsicle Stick Sled

For this winter craft for kids, you’ll need craft popsicle sticks, twine, scissors, paint and hot glue. Glue popsicle sticks together to create a flat surface before gluing two on the bottom to make the blades. Once everything is dry, you can paint the sled. Then, attach the twine to make this sled a tree ornament.

18. Cotton Ball PomPom Winter Hats

This winter craft for kids is simple. Draw a winter hat onto construction paper and cut it out. Allow kids to decorate their hats with markers, paint or glitter however they want. Then, glue cotton balls on top of the hats to add a fluffy finishing touch.

19. Stick and Pinecone Ornaments

Make nature-inspired ornaments for DIY Christmas decorations. Take a nature walk to collect pinecones and sticks. You’ll also want to use twine, glue, paint and glitter. Create stars, snowflakes and more out of sticks, gluing and securing them with the twine. Sprinkle a little glitter onto ornaments to give it a little shine and add twine hoops so they can hang on the trees.

20. Paper Cone Trees

A simple winter craft idea for kindergarten-aged kids is turning paper cones into trees. Twist construction paper into a cone and secure it with tape. Then, use marker, paint and glitter to decorate the tree. You can also cut out ornaments from paper and a star to put on top.

21. Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes

Gather pipe cleaners of different colors for this winter craft for kids. Then, bend and twist them around each other to make snowflakes. You can attach invisible strings to these and hang them from the ceiling so it’s always snowing.

22. Popsicle Stick Snowflakes

Another way to make snowflakes is with popsicle sticks. For this winter craft idea for kindergarten, have them glue popsicle sticks on top of each other in the shape of snowflakes. Adults can cut smaller pieces to add details. Kids can then paint and add glitter to finish the craft.

Winter Crafts for Toddlers

23. Winter Character Windsocks

If you’re looking for winter crafts for kids that are easy, create windsocks with toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Use construction paper, felt, pom poms and googly eyes to create winter characters like penguins, polar bears and snowmen.

24. Snowcovered Tree Finger Painting

This is a simple winter craft for toddlers that is very hands-on. Draw a tree with bare branches on a piece of paper or wood board. Then, paint the kid’s fingertips white. Have them stamp their fingers all over the tree to make it look like it’s covered in snow. Make this tradition by adding new fingerprints every year.

25. Pebble Magnets

Have kids collect a few pebbles; flat, smooth ones look best. Then, kids can paint them with winter colors and winter scenes. When the design is done, add a clear coat to avoid chipping. Once it’s all dry, glue a magnet to the back to make this a functional piece of art. This easy project is great for all holidays, including 4th of July crafts.

26. Ice Wreath

A simple project for cold weather is an ice wreath. Purchase silicone doughnut molds, winter berries and twine. Allow kids to lay out the winter berries in the molds, then pour water over top. Freeze overnights to create ice wreaths, then attach twine to hang them outside. You can watch birds peck at the wreath to get the berries.

27. Snowman Spoons

Here’s a winter craft for kids that they can also eat. Melt chocolate over a double boiler, then help kids dip a spoon in it to cover the head. Then, kids can add mini marshmallows to create a snowman complete with pretzel arms. Use the snowman spoons to stir their hot chocolate and watch him “melt.”

28. Foil Icicles

For this simple winter-season craft idea, you can use the foil you have in your kitchen. Crumble up foil into icicle shapes, then allow kids to paint them with blue, white and silver paint or add glitter so they sparkle. Hang them from the ceiling to glitter all winter long.

29. Handprint Reindeer

Trace kids' hands on a piece of red felt and carefully cut it out. Add a red nose to a face made from brown felt and googly eyes. You can back this craft with cardboard to create DIY Christmas ornaments to hang on a tree.

30. Fake Snow

Have all the fun of playing with snow while being warm and cozy inside your home. With this winter craft for kids, all you need is baking soda and shaving cream. Combine a pound of baking soda with some shaking cream until it reaches a snowy consistency. Place it in a high-walled tray so kids can build snowmen and snowballs inside.

31. Paper Fan Snowmen

Fold white construction paper into fans and glue them together to create circles stacked like a snowman. Finish this winter craft for toddlers with a carrot nose, top hat and scarf cut out from construction paper and glued to the snowman.

32. Popsicle Stick Gingerbread House

You’ll need a lot of popsicle sticks for this winter craft for kids. Glue sticks together to create a house and roof. Then, they can use paint, pompoms and plastic candy to decorate the gingerbread house however they want.

33. Stencil Painted Coasters

Use wood coasters as the base of this winter craft for kids. Tape snowflakes, snowmen or other winter-themed stencils over the coaster and allow kids to sponge on different colors of paint. When the paint dries, remove the stencil and add a clear coat on top. These will make great handmade gifts for family members.

Winter crafts for kids are the perfect way to keep them entertained and creative all season long. Using standard craft supplies, kids can make fun creative projects to use as seasonal decor, give as gifts to family and friends or just make a tradition to do as a family. Try one of these winter crafts for kids or get inspired by them to make your own crafts. You’ll never know what you can create until you try! 

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