No-Stress Christmas Arts and Crafts

One great way to get your kids excited about Christmas is by giving them time to get creative and crafty.  There are lots of great Christmas art projects and crafts out there, but some of them are complicated, expensive, and not worth the trouble in the end.

I want to give my kids time to create at Christmastime, but there’s got to be a better way than trying to get my children to recreate Pinterest-perfect projects.  I need no stress projects!

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What’s my idea of no stress Christmas art or crafts?  For me, that means no stress projects should use easily accessible and affordable supplies.  

It also means that they should be fairly easy and, for the most part, can be recreated without much instruction.  Oh, and easy cleanup helps the stress level, too!

Here’s a look at some great choices for no stress Christmas art and crafts:

10 No-Stress Christmas Art Projects

1. Art for Kids Hub Projects

Art for Kids Hub is often my first stop for art tutorials for my kiddos.  We LOVE Rob and family!  It’s no surprise that they have a plethora of great Christmas art projects on their site.  

Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, reindeer, gifts, and more can all be found there.  See for yourself by doing a quick Christmas search on their site!

2. Glory to God Christmas Art

This Glory to God project is one of the favorites we’ve done. Not only is it beautiful, it’s easy and requires minimal art supplies.

Also worth noting, you could have your kiddos make a bunch of these and use them as Christmas cards. (PIN IT here)

3. Paper Strip Christmas Tree

It seriously does not get easier than this paper strip Christmas tree.  It seems like the pin was originally an idea for a bulletin board, but construction paper and scissors are all you need to turn it into an easy art project for your kiddo.  

Feeling extra fancy?  You can still keep it no stress and use patterned scrapbook paper for your strips instead.  Have your child make one to keep and a few extras for cards.  They’re so easy and cute that it would be a shame not to share!  (PIN IT here)

4. Easy Nativity Canvas

I’ve loved this DIY Nativity Canvas from the moment I saw it and, while it’s not difficult to create, there are some aspects of it that aren’t kid-friendly.

To create a no stress alternative for your kids, you could easily ditch the spray paint and fancy lettering.  Instead, they could write “Oh Holy Night” or “O Come Let Us Adore Him” using a paint pen and ideas from a kids hand lettering book.  (PIN IT here)

5. Fingerprint Christmas Art

Call me crazy, but I find handprint and footprint art to be super stressful!  Both of my kiddos hate keeping their feet and hands still enough to pull off some of these seemingly easy ideas.  

And the actual hand prints or footprints?  Well, they *never* actually end up in the position I’m going for. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all super cute, but they just don’t work out for us.

I much prefer fingerprint art and find it to be a great no stress alternative. See for yourself: Fingerprint Christmas Lights and this Rockin’ Reindeer make a convincing case!

Need another example? My little one did her version of this adorable Baby Jesus in a Manger Fingerprint Nativity years ago. It was super cute and definitely no stress.  (PIN IT here)

6. Snowy Layers

Snow on Christmas?  Not when it’s 75 degrees outside on Christmas Day! I’ve always lived in parts of the south that usually see snow once a year.  Twice if we’re lucky! But, somewhere out there, snow and Christmas go hand in hand and this Snowy Layers activity is a no-stress way to celebrate that fact.  

This is such an easy and fun idea, but the best part is that your kiddo only needs construction paper, a glue stick, scissors, and a little bit of white paint to make it all happen.  (PIN IT here)

7. Chalk Pastel Christmas Wreath

You ARE an Artist’s Christmas Wreath is super cute and super easy.  That combination makes me smile!

8. Pastel Christmas Ornaments

And, because I love pastel projects, I have to include this Pastel Shaded Christmas Balls project.  The black paper and use of chalks and oils really make the strokes pop.  (PIN IT here)

9. The Weary World Rejoices Painting

This project from our 5 Days of Mixed Media Christmas Art series is definitely low stress, but totally worth your time. In fact, we display this project in our home year round to remind us of the gift of hope we all received on that holy night.

10 No Stress Christmas Crafts for Children

10. Character Ornaments

Foam, scissors, markers, and glue are all you need to get your kids making their own character ornaments. This link covers Pete the Cat, Mickey Mouse, Angry Birds, and a couple of other characters, but these can all serve as inspiration for characters that aren’t included. (PIN IT here)

11. Lego Christmas Fun!

How fun are these LEGO Christmas Projects?  (PIN IT here)  

Along the same lines, this LEGO Jesse Tree Challenge comes with great instructions, making it a great no stress projects for your LEGO lover.  (PIN IT here)

12. Cardboard Ornaments

Not sure what to do with all of those Amazon boxes that take over each December? Turn them into Christmas ornaments. All you’ll need is a pair of scissors, cardboard, and some Sharpies. (PIN IT here)

13. Contact Paper Ornaments

I’m pretty much a fan of any kind of craft that uses contact paper and tissue paper, so the thought of these Christmas Ornaments qualify as no stress in my book.  The ones in the photo are made using gift bows and are laminated, but contact paper and tissue paper would work just as well.  (PIN IT here)

14. Melted Crayon Ornaments

I love how colorful and different these Melted Crayon Ornaments are!  Sure, you’ll need to help with this one, but the end result will be worth it!  (PIN IT here)

15. Twine Stars

We can’t leave out the older kids, right?  I love this Twine Star; you and your big kid will, too!  It only takes a few supplies and a few steps to create, making this a great no stress craft for teens and even some tweens.  (PIN IT here)

16. Jesse Tree Ornaments

I want to be that person who makes intricate ornaments for the Jesse Tree, but I’m just not.  In fact, we have yet to even got the Jesse Tree route because of how stressed out all the different ornaments make me.  This post from Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood has made me rethink that whole thing.  I love the fact that they just used Sculpey.  WE can totally do that!

17. Paint Swatch Christmas Tree

A Paint Chip Christmas Tree is a great no stress ornament for kids to make.  Be sure to check out the rest of the post, too.  There are several good ideas for Christmas crafts there, though all aren’t stress-free. (PIN IT here)

18. Christmas Tree Crayons

Christmas Tree Crayons are an easy way to use up all of those broken crayons in your home.  Your kids can help you gather and sort according to color or brand or you can work together to randomly fill the molds.  Either way, the silicone molds make this a no stress craft for kids of any age.  (PIN IT here)

19. Popsicle Stick Creations

Popsicle Stick Crafts like this Rudolph and this snowflake are generally low-stress and can be a great way for your kids to get creative.  (Rudolph – PIN IT here) and (Snowflake – PIN IT here)

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We’ve done several of these art projects and crafts in the past and have plans to try more this year.

We’re also looking forward to our time working through Masterpiece Society’s Winter Wonderland Mixed Media Workshop again.  Alicia and company do a great job making these beautiful projects fun for kids, teens, and adults.  

They also makes them no stress by walking you through every step and giving you exactly what you need to create some lovely pieces!

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