Easy Christmas Crafts for Middle Grade CCD Class

Christmas crafts are a fun part of religious education class and a popular time-filler for any class leading up to Christmas.

The following Christmas crafts are tried and true, age appropriate for third- and fourth-graders. They take less than a class period, and are a fun, hands-on addition to a lesson.

Good Deed Advent Wreaths

When children make their own Advent wreath they are able to take home the lesson of advent and mark the season with their families. A good deed advent wreath allows children to add a leaf onto the wreath every time they do a good deed.

To make good deed advent wreaths, the supplies needed are:

• Paper plates
• Construction paper in pink, purple, green and red
• Glue

Before class, the teacher should pre-cut candles out of pink and purple construction paper, flames out of red paper, and leaf shapes out of green. In lieu of leaves, a nice substitute is a hand shape, to symbolize “helping hands.”

Cut out the middle of a paper plate to make a wreath base. The children will each get a wreath base, three purple paper candles and one pink paper candles, four red flames to attach later, and a stack of green leaf or helping hand shapes.

Attach the candles to the wreath by bending about an inch of the bottom of the candle paper and gluing it down. (If your construction paper is thin, you may have to reinforce the candles with heavier card stock in between two layers of pink or purple paper.) The children take the other supplies home in a baggie.

As the children move through Advent, for each good deed they do, they can write it on one of the green shapes and glue it onto the wreath. The more good deeds they do, the fuller and prettier their Advent wreath becomes.

For each Sunday in Advent they can "light" the appropriate candle by gluing a flame onto a paper candle.

Bell Ornament

A simple bell makes a pretty Christmas tree ornament. Supplies needed for this bell ornament are:

• Egg cartons, cut and separated into single cups
• Aluminum foil
• Pipe cleaners or chenille craft sticks cut into 4-inch lengths
• Ribbon

Each child gets a cup from an egg carton and a square of aluminum foil. Poke a hole in the bottom of the egg carton cup. The children can then wrap their cup in the foil, covering it completely and lining it, inside and out. Poke the pipe cleaner through the hole and bend it so it won’t slip out. Bend the top into an arch to hang it on the tree. Add a ribbon tied into a bow.

Spirals

Quick and easy, here's a Christmas craft idea that requires only old Christmas cards, scissor, a hole punch and ribbon. From the fronts of old Christmas cards, cut a circle. Starting at one edge of the circle, start cutting a spiral about ½-inch from the edge, continuing around the circle in one continuous cut, until you get to the center. Punch a hole in the center piece and tie a ribbon. Attach a short piece of wiry tinsel and twirl it around your pinkie finger for a top decoration. When held by the top, the circle will open up and spiral down.

Christmas Card Shapes

Here's another craft idea using old Christmas cards. From the fronts of old Christmas cards, cut a heart, a star and a teardrop ornament shape. Punch holes in the top and bottom and tie together in a vertical line with red or green ribbon. Hang from a ribbon at the top.

Candy Cane Reindeer

Kids love these cute little reindeer. Supplies needed for this Christmas craft are:

• Candy canes
• Googly eyes
• Red pompoms
• Brown pipe cleaners or chenille craft sticks
• Glue
• Ribbon

Leave the cellophane wrapping on the candy cane. With the hook at the top and facing you, glue eyes on rounded face of the candy cane. Glue red pompom on the face for a nose. Tie ribbon into a bow on the straight part of the candy cane. Cut one of the pipe cleaners in half. Wrap the full pipe cleaner around the crook of the candy cane to begin the antlers. Use the cut pipe cleaners to manipulate into antlers.

Making Candy Cane Reindeer

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