Winter Crafts for Kids

Are the kids getting restless from being cooped up indoors? If playing in the snow has lost its charm, try making some of these creative crafts with your kids to break their cabin fever.

Penguin Puppet

Kids will love creating this adorable winter-themed penguin puppet. For this craft, you will need:

(1) 9"x12" piece of black construction paper
(1) 3"x4" piece of white construction paper
(1) 1"x3" piece of orange construction paper
(2) 3"x3" piece of orange construction paper
(2) 3"x6" pieces of black construction paper
scissors
paste or glue

Put paste along one 9" side of the 9"x12" black construction paper. Roll the paper into a tube and paste the ends together. Put paste on the inside of one end of the tube and pinch together. Round off the corners of the pinched end of the tube to create the penguins head.

Trim off the corners of both pieces of the 3"x6" black construction paper to create wings. Paste to the back of the body you just made.

Fold the 3"x4" white construction paper in half and trim the corners to create the chest. Paste to the front of the body.

Fold both pieces of the 3"x3" orange construction paper in half. Cut a half-moon shape on one end of each piece to make the webbed feet. Fold the top edge down about half an inch to make a tab, and paste to the inside front edge of the puppet.

Fold the 1"x3" piece of construction paper in half and round out the edges to make the beak. Make an additional fold on both sides of the middle fold to make a surface so it can be pasted on the body.

Use scraps of white and black construction paper to make the eyes.

Have fun!

Torn-Paper Snow Pictures

You can make a snowy winter landscape using just torn paper. For this craft, you will need:

(1) piece of blue or black construction paper
(1) piece of white construction paper
several scraps of colored construction paper, all colors

To begin, tear the white piece of construction paper in half lengthwise. Paste one half on the black construction paper as the "ground." Tear the other half into small pieces to create "snow." Paste a few pieces of snow onto the black construction paper.

All of the other things in the picture must also be torn. Tear the colored scraps of paper into geometric shapes (circles, squares, triangles, etc.) and use them to make objects like a snowman, accessories for your snowman, and a tree. Glue your pieces onto the black construction paper.

Add the rest of your "snow" and enjoy your wintry creation!

Starch Poinsettia

These paper poinsettias are great gifts for kids to give to parents around the holidays. For this craft, you will need:

(6) 2"x6" pieces of red tissue paper, construction paper, or fabric
(2) 3"x5" pieces of green construction paper
yellow yarn or paper for the center
liquid starch
small, thin tin can
scissors

Fold the 2"x6" pieces of red paper in half length-wise and then width-wise, so each piece is in quarters. Round off the corners with scissors to create pedals.

Dip each pedal in liquid starch and pull through your fingers to remove any excess. Drape over the top of the tin can in a criss-cross pattern so each pedal overlaps in the middle and about a half an inch the ends of each pedal hang over the side. It should look somewhat like a flower when you've finished laying all of the pedals. Let the pedals dry completely.

Fold each 3"x5" piece of green paper length-wise and cut into leaves.

Carefully remove your dried flower from the tin can. Use yellow paper or yarn to add a center to it, and glue the leaves to the underside.

Your flower is complete!

Sponge-Painted Snowman

This sponge-painted snowman makes the perfect winter decoration. For this craft, you will need:

one sponge, cut up into small pieces
clothespins
thick white tempura paint
light blue construction paper
scraps of paper, buttons, fabric, and yarn
scissors
paste or glue

Clip a clothespin to a small piece of sponge, and dip the sponge into the paint. Sponge paint three circles onto the construction paper to create the shape of a snowman. Sponge paint along the bottom of the paper to create the ground, and also sponge paint some falling snow.

When the paint is dry, decorate your snowman with a scarf made of paper or fabric, button eyes, scraps of yarn for the mouth, and even real twigs for the arms.

Hint: If you are working with a large group of children, set up a table just for sponge painting. While some children are painting, others can work on creating accessories for the snowman.

Snow Resist

This snowy crayon and paper craft can make a beautiful card. For this craft, you will need:

any size and color of construction paper you want
one crayon the same color of the paper
very thin, white tempura paint
wide paint brush

Draw a picture on the paper with the crayon, pressing very heavily.

Paint over the picture lightly with the white paint. The paint must be thin enough so that it doesn't cover the crayon, but thick enough so it covers the paper and gives a snow effect.

Snowman Mobile

Children will have a blast creating this winter-themed arts and crafts snowman mobile. For this craft, you will need:

white construction paper squares in the following sizes: (4) 6"x6", (4) 4"x4", (4) 2"x2"
(4) 2"x3" pieces of colored construction paper
(2) 1"x6" pieces of colored construction paper for the arms
(2) 2 foot pieces of string
4 pieces of black construction paper
black crayon
scissors
glue or paste

Cut circles from the white construction paper squares. Cut hats from the 2"x3" pieces of colored construction paper.

Lay the circles and hat in order. Glue on the arms. Run glue down the center of your snowman and attach a piece of string. Don't let the string hang down from the bottom of the snowman.

Attach another set of circles and hat to the other side of the snowman so the string is covered. Draw on a face and buttons.

Once you have made two snowmen, glue the string to the outside edges of a long strip of paper. Glue another strip of paper over the string. Let enough string hang out of the top so you can tie the two pieces together to hang your mobile.