DIY Christmas decorations to make for 2024

The weather is getting colder, and the nights are getting longer, which can only mean one thing - Christmas is just around the corner! If the kids are stuck inside and bored, why not get into the holiday spirit together and make your own Christmas decorations?

Follow our step-by-step guides to make these 11 easy Christmas decorations - they're simple and fun for the whole family!

Christmas is a time to make memories, and what better way than by crafting DIY Christmas decorations together as a family? Not only will small children remember the process of making them, the decorations can be used again and again each Christmas, sparking joy and laughter whenever they're brought out and put on display.

We used a craft box from Hobbycraft for most of the materials described here.

These easy to make decorations use something we all have at home - paper. Though these decorations are simple and easy, they're quite effective and small children will have a great time making them. For the parents, the materials are quick to find and clean-up is a breeze!

You will need

• White paper
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Fold the paper into four quarters.
2. Use the scissors to cut out shapes along the folded edges (get an adult to help!)
3. Unfold the paper to reveal your snowflake.
4. Why not thread some sparkly string through your snowflake and hang it from your tree?

You will need

• White paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pipe cleaners
• Pom-pom
• Lollipop stick
• Optional: glitter, sequins - general sparkles!

Instructions

1. Cut out a semi-circle from the paper.
2. Glue the edges together to form a cone shape.
3. draw and cut out wings from the paper, and then glue them to the back of the cone.
4. Insert the lollipop stick inside the cone, and attach the pom-pom to the top to serve as the angel's head.
5. Shape the pipe cleaner into a small circle and position above the angel's head. bend the excess down behind the head and glue to the lollipop stick.

You will need

• Colourful paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions

1. Cut the paper into horizontal strips, around 5cm wide.
2. Take the first strip and glue the ends to form a circle.
3. Thread the next strip through the first circle, and glue the ends.
4. Repeat this process until your garland reaches the length you want.

Spruce up your tree with these easy hanging decorations. Most use simple materials available from any craft store. Kids love getting crafty with glue, glitter and sparkles - just make sure you're on hand to help with some of the trickier bits like cutting or tying knots.

You will need

• Pipe cleaners
• Colourful beads
• Thread (for hanging your decoration)

Instructions

1. Depending on how long you want your candy cane to be, either use the entire length of a pipe cleaner or cut it in half.
2. Push the beads onto the pipe cleaner. We went for a classic red and white pattern, and another, more creative one!
3. Bend the pipe cleaner at one end to create the candy cane shape.
4. Tie a piece of thread to allow the decoration to hang from your tree.

You will need

• Pipe cleaners
• Colourful beads
• Thread (for hanging your decoration)

Instructions

Follow the same steps as for the candy cane, but instead of bending the pipe cleaner into a curve, create a circle and twist the two ends together to create you bauble.

You will need

• Lollipop sticks
• Pipe cleaners
• pom-poms
• optional - a star for the top

Instructions

1. Using three lollipop sticks, form a triangle shape - this will be your tree.
2. wrap colourful pipe cleaners around the tree to decorate it - this is your tinsel.
3. Add pom-poms to the tree as baubles.
4. Add a small star to the top of the tree.
5. tie thread to the top of the triangle and hang it from your tree.

You will need

• Pom-poms
• A sewing needle and thread
• Adult supervision

Instructions

1. Thread the needle and carefully pass it through the centre of the pom-pom.
2. Tie a loop with the thread to allow it to hang from your tree.
3. Add your bauble to your tree for a fun, festive touch!

You will need

• Pasta bows
• Paints
• Thread

Instructions

1. Take a dry pasta bow and paint it with any colours or designs you like.
2. Once it is dry, tie a piece of thread around the middle of the bow.
3. Hang it from your tree.

You will need

• Salt dough (100g flour, 100g salt, and enough water to achieve a play-dough-like consistency)
• Christmas cookie cutters
• Paints

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, salt, and water to make a salt dough with a consistency similar to play-dough.
2. Roll out the dough and use Christmas cookie cutters to cut it into shapes.
3. Let the decorations air-dry, or bake them in the oven at a low temperature until they're hard.
4. Once dry, paint and decorate your shapes however you like!

It's not just your tree or your walls that need a bit of festive cheer - at Christmas time, every nook and cranny of the house can be made to feel like Santa's grotto! Here are a few more DIY decorations to brighten up your home this festive season.

You will need

• Pom-poms or cotton balls (in three different sizes)
• Large and small toothpicks
• sequins, googly eyes, other decorations

Instructions

1. Take three pom-poms or cotton balls, ideally in different sizes, and position them like a snowman's body.
2. Stick a large toothpick through the pom-poms, largest on the bottom and smallest on the top.
3. Push two smaller toothpicks into the middle pom-pom for the arms.
4. Use googly eyes, sequins and any other decorations you want to bring your snowman to life!

You will need

• One large pine cone
• A small pot
• paints
• Yellow paper or a ready-made small star
• Glue, glitter, sequins

Instructions

1. Take your large pine cone and paint it any colour you like. We went with green, but be creative!
2. Cut out your star for the top of the tree (or use a ready-made star) and glue it to the pointed end of the cone.
3. Decorate your cone with glitter and sequins.
4. Once dry, place the come in a small pot and display.

We hope that these festive crafts have got you in the mood for Christmas!

The magic of Christmas begins in childhood, and making decorations for your tree is also a great way to make precious family memories that can last a lifetime.

But for vulnerable children across the UK, Christmas is anything but magical. No stockings. No presents. No tree. No festive food - maybe no food at all. Their first memories of Christmas could be going to bed hungry, being too cold to sleep and losing all hope when Santa doesn’t come.

But you could help change that. Your gift could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.

4.3 million UK children now live in poverty. That’s almost 1 in 3 children. It’s the worst number ever recorded, with 100,000 more children in poverty last year than the year before. More children are suffering. More families are at breaking point.

Childhood is short. We don’t have long to make magical memories. That’s why we need your support now.

By supporting Action for Children last year, and being a Secret Santa, incredible people like you helped us be there for 687,755 UK children, young people and families, through 372 services. Vulnerable children and families given hope and support, because of your amazing generosity.

Be a Secret Santa and you could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.