Snowflake Ornaments with Craft Sticks and Buttons: an easy, fine-motor Christmas craft for kids.
By now you’ve probably noticed we get a little excited about Christmas crafting here in my daycare.
As much as we do a lot of crafting throughout the month of December (generally one craft per day), I like to stick to projects that are easy for toddlers and preschoolers to make, and I like to keep the supply list simple.
We made these snowflake ornaments with craft sticks and buttons the other day.
They were easy enough to make, but they look great, and they provided lots of opportunity for developing those fine-motor skills.
Supplies for craft stick snowflakes:
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- glue gun
- craft sticks
- craft paint
- glitter glue
- school glue
- white buttons
- hanging thread
Confession time: The “craft sticks” you see here are actually Starbucks’ stir sticks. I grab a few extras every time I’m in there (which thankfully, isn’t often; I don’t get to Starbucks often; we don’t have one around here). I just love how long and delicate these stir sticks are; perfect for snowflakes! You could certainly use regular craft sticks to make these ornaments though, if that’s what you have on hand. Mmmmm… now I’m totally craving a Grande Cafe Americano!
Making our snowflake ornaments:
To start, I used my glue gun to form the stir stick snowflakes. While I was busy gluing, the hooligans were rifling through the paint drawer choosing the colours for their craft.
Some frustration and how we conquered it:
Painting their snowflakes proved to be more challenging than they thought it might be. Those stir sticks were pretty darn narrow compared to the regular and jumbo craft sticks we’re used to painting! The youngest hooligan actually became quite frustrated every time her paint brush slipped off the stick and onto the table, so I coached her through it, assuring her that she was doing a fine job, and that it was absolutely ok if the paint went on the table, and that yes, it WAS tricky to paint such a skinny stick…
A little encouragement and positivity can go a long way. And its important to remember when you’re creating with your child, that the focus not be on perfection or the finished product. The process of creating, exploring the materials, indulging the senses, getting messy and spending time together are what’s important, and ultimately what your child will remember long after the craft itself has been forgotten.
When their snowflakes were dry, they brushed on some glitter glue, and then out came the buttons!
Ohhh, the buttons! I love ’em. The kids love ’em. Is there anyone who doesn’t love buttons?
Just look at them sinking their hands into that tray. What a wonderful sensory experience!
The hooligans used a paintbrush and glue to apply their buttons to their sticks.
Let your child decide…
Some chose to cover every last bit of their snowflake with buttons, while others were more selective and added them sparingly.
Let your child decide how he wants to decorate his craft. When a child says “I’m finished”, rather than suggesting they add more of this or that, I simply say “Ok, you’re done? Are you happy with how it looks? Occasionally they’ll change their mind and want to continue, but more often than not, when they say they’re done, it’s because their project looks exactly the way they want it to. We need to respect that.
Even if that snowflake has only 7 buttons on it, those 7 buttons are exactly where your child wanted them to be. And in all honestly, a few years from now, when you take that little snowflake out to hang it on your Christmas tree, you’ll love it all the more for it’s quirky imperfections.
Aren’t they pretty? And true to life: no two are exactly alike. 🙂
You can see ALL of our easy and inexpensive Christmas crafts and activities for kids on my Hooligans Xmas Pinboard!
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Courtney @ Crafts by Courtney
Hi Jackie, I love your snowflake ornaments! And as you said, each one is unique 🙂
By the way, you have LOTS of buttons, LOL. I actually made some popsicle stick snowflakes last year that I’m sure you’ll love!
You have such an amazing passion for kids crafting. You can see all the joy in the kids faces 🙂
Thank you for all the crafting inspiration,
Courtney