What Are the Best DIY Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make Themselves?

The best DIY Christmas ornaments kids can make themselves are shrink-plastic charm ornaments: kids draw and color the design, an adult bakes it for a few minutes, and the plastic shrinks into a glossy, tree-ready keepsake. One afternoon plus the Christmas Shrink Art DIY Craft Kit ($19.99) makes 20+ ornaments — enough for the tree and handmade grandparent gifts.

Step 0: Pick your ornament lane

Match the craft to your kid's age and your tolerance for mess:

• Shrink-plastic charms — draw, bake, done. Fast, impressive, genuinely durable. Best overall for ornaments kids make themselves.
• Felt and fabric ornaments — sewing or sticking. Slower, good for patient crafters.
• Wooden paint kits — sturdy but heavier on the tree, more cleanup.
• Suncatchers and window art — gorgeous on the window, less of a tree ornament.

For ornaments a kid can truly make start-to-finish in one sitting, shrink art wins.

Step 1: Set up the ornament station

Lay out a clear table with the kit contents. The Christmas Shrink Art DIY Craft Kit comes with Christmas-themed shrink sheets (Santas, reindeer, snowmen, trees), coloring supplies, and the findings to turn finished pieces into charms, keychains, and tree ornaments.

Add from your own drawer: scissors, a standard hole punch, parchment paper, a baking sheet, and ribbon or string. That's the entire supply list.

Step 2: Trace and color — big and bold

This is the step where kids do all the work, and one trick makes or breaks the result: shrink plastic darkens and shrinks dramatically, so drawings should be roughly five times bigger than the finished charm, colored bolder and lighter than you'd expect.

Have kids trace the Christmas templates or draw freehand — their own handwriting is the best part. Names, dates, and little messages ("Love, Mia, 2026") turn crafts into keepsakes grandparents actually hang every year.

Step 3: Cut out and punch the hole — BEFORE baking

Cut each design out, then punch a hole where the string or keychain ring will go. Forgetting the hole is the number-one beginner mistake — you can't punch it after baking without cracking the plastic. Round the corners slightly when cutting; sharp corners can curl unevenly in the oven.

Step 4: Bake (adults only for this step)

An adult handles the oven, full stop. Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake per the kit's included instructions — typically a few minutes in a hot oven.

Expect this: the pieces curl, twist, and look ruined. They aren't. Within a minute or two they flatten back out into small, thick, glossy charms. Show kids the curl-then-flatten moment through the oven window (at a safe distance) — it's the whole magic of the craft.

Step 5: Flatten, cool, and finish

Slide a spatula under each piece and press it flat under a heavy book for a minute while it cools. Thread ribbon through the holes for tree ornaments, or attach the included keychain rings for bag charms and zipper pulls.

Pro move: make a few extra as gift tags — thread a finished charm onto a present's ribbon and the tag is part of the gift.

Step 6: Give them away

This is where DIY ornaments beat every store-bought bauble. A box of twenty handmade ornaments becomes grandparent gifts that cost under a dollar each and get hung every December, classroom exchange gifts (flat and light — they travel in an envelope), party favors, and hostess gifts when visiting family.

One afternoon, one kit, and the kid's entire gift list is done.

Four kits that actually work, compared

Our pick: Christmas Shrink Art DIY Craft Kit — $19.99. Christmas-themed shrink sheets plus all the findings to finish ornaments, charms, and keychains in one box — flat, lightweight finished pieces that are cheap to mail to grandparents.

Pros: Christmas designs ready to go — no template hunting; one kit makes 20+ ornaments, enough for the tree and gifts; finished charms double as keychains and gift tags. Cons: the oven step needs an adult, so it's not a fully independent project; finished charms are small — plan designs accordingly. Ages: school-age kids, with an adult on oven duty.

Made By Me Create Your Own Holiday Window Art (Horizon Group USA). A 20-project kit: paint suncatcher frames (Santa, reindeer, tree, snowman, candy cane) and make window clings, then hang them as ornaments or window decor with the included suction cups and cording.

Pros: 20 projects covers a whole classroom party; no oven needed — mess-free paint tubes. Cons: window paint needs hours to dry; finished pieces read more "window decor" than tree keepsakes. Ages: listed 6+.

Creativity for Kids Sweater Ornaments. Decorate 3 mini "ugly sweater" ornaments with rhinestones, bells, trims, and felt shapes, then hang them on the mini sweater hangers.

Pros: hilarious results kids love; zero baking, zero drying time. Cons: only 3 ornaments per box — budget for multiples with siblings; lots of small bits for younger kids. Ages: 6+.

Christmas Felt Ornaments Kids Craft Box (Michaels). Six felt sewing projects — snowflake, star, tree, stocking, angel, gingerbread man — with all supplies and follow-along instruction videos.

Pros: teaches real sewing skills; soft finished pieces look genuinely handmade. Cons: sewing is slow — needs patient kids and more of your afternoon; six ornaments per box. Ages: 5+.

Tegeme 36-Pack Felt Ornament Craft Kit (Amazon). Thirty-six self-adhesive felt ornaments in snowman, reindeer, penguin, and Santa designs — no tools, no glue, just peel and stick.

Pros: cheapest per ornament by far; instant results, great for toddlers and class parties. Cons: sticker-style assembly means less "I made this" pride; pre-cut shapes limit creativity. Ages: little kids with zero craft experience.

If anyone in the family isn't ready for the oven step, there's also a no-bake Christmas option in our own shop: the Snowman Clay Craft Kit ($20.99) uses air-dry clay to build snowman figures — a good pick for younger siblings while the big kids run the shrink-plastic station.

Quick troubleshooting

• Colors look washed out? Color heavier than you think — everything intensifies as it shrinks.
• Piece curled in the oven? Normal mid-bake behavior — it flattens out. If it finishes curled, warm it briefly and press flat (adult job).
• Forgot the hole? Glue a small ribbon loop to the back instead of re-punching.

FAQ

What age can kids make shrink-plastic ornaments? School-age kids can handle the drawing, coloring, and cutting. An adult should always do the baking step.

How many ornaments does one kit make? A $19.99 shrink art kit like ours makes 20+ charms depending on how big kids draw — enough for a family's tree plus grandparent gifts.

Do the ornaments last? Finished shrink charms are solid plastic — no cracking like salt dough, no fading like paper. They'll look the same next December.

Can kids really give these as gifts? That's the whole point. Add a keychain ring for a bag charm; thread ribbon and a handwritten tag for a ready grandparent gift under a dollar.

What if my kid says "I can't draw"? Use the kit's traceable Christmas templates or trace around cookie cutters. The shrink-and-gloss effect makes even simple shapes look impressive.