I just love this little activity because it’s a fantastic activity for so many ages. I’ve done this with 3 year olds, right up to 8 year olds. But even older kids will still love making these bright and colourful Christmas trees.
These pictures look great as a stand alone picture or you can turn them into a card for your kids to give to their teachers or grandparents.
For the younger kids I have all the strips prepared and cut to different sizes. Older kids are really capable. I’ll still cut long strips for them in lots of different colours, but then I’ll get them to cut one long strip to size, and then cut each strip 2cm shorter, until they get to the top. This allows the older children to practise their measuring skills, which they love.
Play based learning – Christmas tree craft
Materials you will need
Scissors
Glue
String
Coloured A4 paper
A4 white paper
Buttons, glitter and sticky shapes for decorations on the tree (optional)
What to do
Depending on the age of your children cut 9 strips of different coloured paper, or allow them to measure and cut them out themselves. I made my strips 2cm shorter each time, which seems to make a great tree-shaped triangle, that fits nicely on to an A4 sheet of paper. The longest strip is roughly 20cm long and the smallest strip is about 2cm long.
Next, cut a square or pot shape for the base of the tree.
Once the strips are cut to size, glue them on to a white sheet of A4 paper. Start with the biggest piece at the bottom, and make your way to the smallest piece at the top.
Now cut out a star, diamond or whatever shape you like to place on the top of the tree.
To finish off the tree, decorate with bits and bobs around the house. We used small buttons and sequin shapes.
To hang your Christmas tree craft, you simply need to poke a hole in each side of the A4 sheet of paper, thread some string through the holes, and tie.
Our kids are learning and developing
Cognitive – Children gain experience in thinking through problems, exploring solutions and making decisions on their own. Making these Christmas trees is teaching your child about measuring, ordering, and arranging objects from smallest to biggest.
Communication – This activity lends itself to your children building on their vocabulary. They will have the chance to talk about smallest, biggest, and medium sized.
Physical skills – This activity is great to help children develop their fine motor skills. They’re doing this by cutting and sticking objects in place. Fine motor skills are important to practise because it helps small children perform everyday skills like cutting, threading beads, self care tasks like zipping and buttoning, and doing puzzles and writing.
