Have children trace their hands on felt then cut out(an adult may have to do the cutting). The children then decorate the felt "gloves" with mini pom-poms, sequins, etc. Then take a long pipe cleaner and bend it around to look like a string, glue ends to back of gloves. We did this with a large group so we made little mittens and had them pre-cut. They are adorable on the Christmas tree.
Here's a really cute idea and parents will love it.
Supplies: (for 1, duplicate x # of kids)
1 red piece of construction paper 11x17
2 to 3 sheets of green construction paper (reg.sz. 8x11)
1 sheet ea. or scraps all colors construction paper
Glue stick (any glue will do, glue sticks are easiest)
Have the child trace & cut out six of their hand prints (3 of ea. hand) on green construction paper.
Glue handprints onto red construction paper, upside down and in a pyramid, so that their hands form a Christmas tree.
Use the colored construction paper to cut out small circles for lights and a star for the top.
Be sure to have them write their name and the year on it.
It's really cute and will be a reminder and a keepsake of how small their hands once were.
Here's an idea for a reindeer
Supplies: (for 1)
1/2 sheet brown construction paper
1 sheet tan construction paper
1 set google eyes (about 1/4 inch size)
1 1/2" or smaller black pompom, red for Rudolph
Tacky or white glue
Have the child trace & cut out their foot, round over toes, onto the brown construction paper (for big feet use a whole sheet). This is the reindeer's head.(the heel is the nose)Have them write their name and year on the back.
Then have the child trace and cut out 1 of each hand (left & right). These are the deer's antler's.
Glue the antler's to the back of the deer's head behind the toes.
Turn over and glue on google eyes and then the pompom nose in the middle of the heel.
Now you have their small hands AND feet.
For the construction paper, glue and glue sticks, most schools already have these supplies on hand and would be more than happy to share with you. (They may even have pompoms and google eyes?) Ask your child's teacher or the principal.
Most of all Have Fun! These are the years to remember.
For about $4 you can buy a box of 1000 popsicle sticks. Hot glue 3 into a star, add a loop of ribbon for a hanger. For a few bucks more, you can get a big bag of mixed sequins. Give each child a few sequins in a dixie cup and a craftstick star. They decorate the stars. Use Tacky Glue so it dries quickly - have the moms go around and squeeze the glue out so you'll only need 2-3 bottles. Don't use regular Elmers. Have the kids sign and date the backs with a sharpie pen. If you have a little more prep time, you can spray paint the stars ahead. I have made tons of these in many situations and they are perfect for first graders. YOu can also cut up little pieces of felt, craft foam, use buttons, even alphabet macaroni, and dried beans, or even glitter if you are daring.
Thanks so much for the ideas!!!! I have NO money available except what I want to pitch in. I am going to have 4 stations with a different activity. One station will be the cookie decorating. One station will be a snacking station. I'm still looking for the craft and game idea. I have a few parents that are willing to help during the party, but that's it. I don't want to turn this post into a lack of parental involvement so I will stop now.
You could make your own play dough and have the kids mold and decorate it into a christmas present for their parents and depending on the time of the activity, bake it and then have them paint them. Or use plaster of paris. My favorite was a handprint plaque that my son did in pre-school. It still hangs by my front door but his fingers aren't nearly as small anymore!
They also make Christmas posters for parents using regular construction paper, paints, crayons etc. and afterwards laminate them (crayon colors become very vibrant after they are laminated) and decorate the wrapping paper.
Last year, the students used icing, graham crackers, and various candies to make their own gingerbread houses. Icing is also put on the paper plate to form the foundation. It too is a messy one but it's fun, gets their creativity going and tastes great when their done!
You can have more than one craft, game etc going and have small groups each do one and then rotate them. That is if you have enough parents to host each activity.
I've taken cookies for my kids' Christmas parties for years. I usually bake about 100 cookies (so the kids have 5 each), take a BIG tub of icing, sprinkles, disposable bowls, plates and knives. Depending on the party, we set up a cookie making craft station to which they rotate or else have everyone in groups at tables if they are doing it the same time. We use regular copy/typing paper as a place mat (sometimes disposable table cloths) and each child has a styrofoam plate with their name written on the top of it. As they finish each cookie, it goes on their plate. At the end, we slip the entire plate (cookies and all) into a zip lock bag (check the size in advance so that the plate will fit) leaving it to lay flat for transport home.
The kids always love this activity, but it is a bit messy - so have as much as possible that you can just throw away at the end.
