Here are a few Art ideas that I have used with my class over the past few years.
Foam Snowmen
They were great fun to make and the children loved decorating them. Read the step by step instructions here.
Sock Snowmen
These were probably my favourite Christmas activity to do. I have done these with a lot of classes over the years, and it is a nice one that they can keep year after year.
You need:
white sock
colourful sock (for hat & scarf)
buttons/pom poms for buttons
elastic band
Rice
googly eyes
Hot glue gun is very useful for this but you could also use PVA.
This video is worth watching as it shows step by step instructions.
3D Cribs
This is a great project for the week leading up to the Christmas holidays. Each student brought in a shoebox and we used templates from Monster Chest's TPT Store. You can paint the background or use coloured paper/tissue paper.
Rudolph Baubles
This is a drawing and painting lesson with some construction of baubles too!
Firstly, we drew an outline of Rudolph from a template I drew on the board. Then we painted them, mixing different shades of brown. While they dried, we cut out 4 circles from different coloured paper. We folded each circle in half and glued one half of a circle to another, continuing until you had used 4 circles. This creates one bauble so repeat until you have 3 or 4 to hang from the antlers. You can also add a little glitter to Rudolph's nose. To finish, we backed them on red paper.
Clay Christmas Tree Decoration
Cookie cutters are really useful for this Art activity. Each student chose a shape they would like to make. They rolled out their clay and used the cookie cutters to create the shape. Some made little decorations for their Christmas Tree to give it more of a 3D effect. Using a straw, we put a hole in each decoration, so we could add a ribbon to hang it from the tree. Finally, we painted them!
This is a lovely colourful art lesson. We drew lines lightly to outline the ground. We painted the sky and added some snowflakes. While it dried, we used tissue paper to design our trees. We cut them out in triangular shapes and stuck them down.
Hopefully you might find an idea or two for this year. Feel free to add in your own favourites in the comments.
This is a really fun Art lesson to do in the lead up to Christmas. I got the idea from a colleague who had used shaving foam to make ice-cream cones in an Art lesson. The students loved the texture of the mixture, which feels like a marshmallow once it has dried.
What you need
Shaving foam
PVA glue
Coloured card
Big bowl
Spoons
Decorations (matchsticks, buttons, googly eyes, old socks as scarves, hats, nose)
How to make the foam
Add approximately 3 parts shaving foam to 1 part PVA glue to a bowl and stir.....that is it!
Draw a rough outline of 3 circles for the snowman on the card.
Using a big spoon and small spoon, add foam to the card (don't flatten it too much!) Shape it roughly into circular shapes.
Add mini snowflakes/snowballs if you want.
Add your details to the snowman (nose, buttons etc.). Allow to dry overnight and you have a really cute 3D foam snowman.
Tips
*Do a trail run first as different shaving foams can give different results. My first attempt looked great but didn't remain foamy the following day! *Use card as paper won't be strong enough. *Add all the decorations as soon as you have shaped the snowman (don't leave it to dry first!)
I have done this activity with my class over the past few years in the lead up to the holidays.
Usually I do it as a whole class activity where the children each contribute to a day on the calendar. If you have more/less students, you can compile a large list together and then select your favourite ones to add to each date on the calendar. Each year the children really surprise me with some great ideas!
Each evening, the children try to complete one of the tasks and they colour each one as they complete it.
Some ideas that my students have come up with over the years include:
No electronics for the evening
Write a card to a relative
Empty the dishwasher
Spend 20 minutes reading
Make mum/dad a cup of tea
Do some exercise
Pay a compliment to someone
Make a Christmas card for a classmate
Clean your room
Play a board game
You can download the resource by clicking on the image below!
1. What's your favourite Christmas movie? It would have to be The Santa Clause (it never gets old!) 2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We all open one each Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning. 3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?This is a hard one, I suppose setting alarm clocks with your siblings in places you would hope your parents wouldn't find to get up in the early hours to see what Santa brought! The excitement of creeping into the sitting room to find all our presents. 4. Favourite festive food? It has to be my mum's potato stuffing with the goose! And hot ports! 5. Favourite Christmas gift?Ed Sheeran tickets! 6. Favourite Christmas scent?Real Christmas Tree 7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?We always get a new pair of PJ's from mam (even now!) and we all choose one present to open on Christmas Eve. 8. What tops your tree? A gold Star 9. As a kid, what was the one gift you asked for but never received? A Gameboy 10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?This year, it will be having everyone back at home for Christmas, including my nephew. It will be his first Christmas with us so I am really excited about that.
It's finally time for Christmas excitement and decorations in the classroom. Below are some Art ideas that I will be doing this month with my class.
Christmas Snowmen
I recently saw this online and thought it as very cute and quite easy to do. I will ask each child to bring in any sock that may be odd at home (the more colourful the better) to make the hat and the scarf for the snowmen. We will use little pompoms or felt rather than pins. You could also use buttons if you have enough for the class (again they might have spare ones at home). Check out the video tutorial on Youtube.
Christmas Cards
Christmas cards are always a nice art activity to do for granny/grandad or even members of the class. It can be a useful activity on the last day or two before the holidays. I really like pop out cards for the older classes as it adds an extra challenge for them.
This is one that I used as inspiration for my class last year.
A useful way to recycle jars from home. the children add the outline of their design first and then choose suitable colours to paint them. They are lovely with a candle lighting inside them for Christmas.
Symmetry Snowmen
Doubling up with a bit of Maths these are really cute symmetry scenes.
This is a nice group activity where the children can make a 3D version of the Nativity scene in a shoebox. Adding straw is a nice touch if you or the children can get their hands on some.
This can be made using felt (it is nicer if you use the strong felt as they are more sturdy). The children can choose to make any Christmas related felt shape. PVA glue or a hot glue gun is the best way to stick the felt together. Pop on a ribbon at the end and it can be hung from the Christmas tree. Here are some ideas!
And finally, one that can be a whole class or whole school piece of art. Everyone can decorate their own star as they wish and combine them all to make a masterpiece!
