Holiday Magic in the Classroom: Creative December Projects for All Ages

8 projects that will inspire the joy and magic of the holiday season in your classroom

The weather is turning and we are feeling the chill that brings about lights, decorations, traditions and holiday gatherings. This is a great time to bring your classroom community together through creative projects that will bring the magic of the holiday season to life. All of these projects can be a starting place for you to get inspired, then you can take them and add your own flair to make them exactly what you want them to be. 

1. Holiday Wreaths

This project is a simple way to make something that looks elegant and fun. Scholars will love making these wreaths home to their families to add as decorations in their own homes. To prepare all of the parts for this board you will need to use your  MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine. You will also need to utilize the jumbo Winter Die Cut Set. Cut out snowflakes using different colors of cardstock that your students can pick from. You will also need to cut out several trees or snowmen for each child. Give your scholar's time to glue their snowflakes into one another until they create a completed wreath. Then allow them to choose if they want to glue a few trees or snowmen to the front. Giving them some autonomy here will give them the creative space to make their wreath exactly how they want it to look. This is something they can add to their bedroom doors or their families can add it to their holiday decorations for years to come. 

2. Decorative Snow Globes

This activity will be a fan favorite because it gives students a chance to really apply their creativity and unique perspective to the craft. You will use your MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine to cut out the Snow Globe #2 Die Cut using construction paper or cardstock. Next, have your students color and decorate their snow globe to make it however they want it to look. They can even add dots of glitter to their picture to show snow. You can also extend this project to add a written element such as asking your students to write about their favorite part of winter or which winter holiday they like the most and why. This would be a great chance to display your scholar's work on your door or on a bulletin board. 

3. Paper Roll Winter Look Alike

This craft will have the kids engaged and excited to participate. You will need to have a toilet paper roll for each of your students. You will also need to use your MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine to cut out the elements of the TP Roll-Winter Die Cut. This is a great opportunity for your students to create themselves in miniature form. An amazing extension would be to have your students write things that they believe represent themselves on the body of the TP rolls. They can add hats, scarves, reindeer antlers and googly eyes to complete their mini versions of themselves. Kids would love to read to themselves when doing their reading work for practice. The possibilities of adding in their Winter Look Alikes are endless in the classroom and your students will love the chance to utilize these in their work. 

4. Winter Hats

These adorable winter hats can be used as decorations, name tags, or even as a title page for writing winter stories with your scholars. Start by getting out your MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine to cut out the Stocking Hat #2 Die Cut for each or your students, using a light colored construction paper or cardstock is a good idea so that the children can draw a design on their hat with white crayon then they can paint hats with watercolors and the design will show through due to the resist technique. You can use the Stocking Hat #2 Die Cut to cut out writing pages so scholars can then staple their beautiful design to the front as a cover page for a winter personal narrative story. These could also be used as name tags for a wall display or at their desks for the winter season. You could also send these home with the scholars so they can decorate their homes with these as well.

5. Decorated Ornaments 

This project will be a fan favorite and can be a great winter gift for scholars to make for their families. Using your MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine you will need to cut out bunches of each of the elements of the Holiday Tags Die Cut. Have your scholars use crayons, markers, glitter, sequins, or any other of your preferred crafting supplies to create holiday ornaments or fun holiday tags to attach onto students' gifts to parents. You will need to punch a hole into the top of the tree, stocking and ornament and then string a piece of yarn, ribbon or string through the holes and they are ready to attach to a tree or to a present.

6. Reindeer Banners

This is a fun community building activity that can be centered around the holiday season. To make the reindeers you will need to use the MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine to cut out several Deer Head Die Cut for each of your students. Then have children decorate their reindeer heads by using crayons or markers. You will need to string together using yarn and small clothespins or adhesive. You could also use these for hallway decorations and cut them from brown paper and adhere brown buttons to the deer's nose randomly placing a red button along the way. Students could write their name, their current goal, or something they are proud of themselves for achieving thus far in the school year. Displaying these can be a way to share with others in the school how you are building your classroom culture and highlighting growth in a festive way!

7. Gift Boxes

Finding a way to allow your students a chance to create their own gifts for their parents builds independence and pride within your students. Creating these gift boxes for them to present their gifts in for their family members will be such a beautiful way for them to build that independence in artistic ways. To make these boxes you will need to use the MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine to cut out the Box #31 Die Cut using sturdy paper for each of your scholars. They can assemble these into boxes as you model the steps to them. You can then have students create their own designs on the box or use letters from any alphabet set you may have. Students can share which words they would like to add to their box and you can cut them out using the colors of their choice. Students can take these home and use them for whatever they see fit. 

8. Holiday Photo Album

This final project is a brilliant way to get your students' creative minds working while also creating a memory for their families that they will never forget. Use your MARK 5 Die Cutting Machine to cut out the Album-House Die Cut using the thickest paper you can find for the cover. Add additional pages behind the cover using cardstock or construction paper. Have scholars bring and add family photos to the pages of the album. To decorate the cover you can also use elements from the Holiday Tags Die Cut and the Numbers and Backgrounds Die Cuts. Students can add as much as they want to personalize these albums that they can give out as gifts to their family members.  

All of these projects are exciting ways to get kids thinking and working creatively while also focusing around the magical element of the holiday season. These are crafts that can be saved and remembered for years to come and their families will love the opportunity to receive these artistic gifts and decorations.