The easiest Christmas card starts with folded cardstock, glue and something you already have at home. Here are eight cards a young child can make with a little help. The last one is ready to print: four cards your child colors in.
What do you need?
Cardstock or thick paper, scissors, a glue stick and pens. Some cards also need finger paint, buttons, yarn or cotton balls. Fold the cardstock in half before you start, so the size is already set.
8 easy Christmas cards
1. Fingerprint reindeer. Press brown fingerprints on the front of the card. When the paint is dry, draw antlers and a red nose on each one.
2. Button tree. Draw the outline of a tree and glue colorful buttons inside it as ornaments.
3. Yarn tree. Cut a triangle out of cardboard and wind green yarn around it. Glue the triangle on the card and add a paper star on top.
4. Cotton ball snowman. Glue three cotton balls in a stack and draw eyes, a nose and a scarf.
5. Paper star card. Cut a small paper star the same way you cut a snowflake and glue it on dark cardstock.
6. Stamp card. Use a bottle cap or a potato stamp to print ornaments on a tree or snowflakes in the sky.
7. Pop-up card. Cut two short slits into the fold and push the tab between them inward. Glue a small tree on the tab. When the card opens, the tree pops up.
8. Printable Christmas cards. Print four ready-made cards to color. Each one has a greeting, like "Merry Christmas!" or "Warm wishes!". Cut along the dashed line and glue the card on the front of folded cardstock. More pictures for cards: Christmas coloring pages.
On your phone? Save the PDF and print it later.
What should you write in a Christmas card?
A short message is plenty. A young child can draw their name or a heart, and an adult writes the rest. A school kid can write it all. A few to borrow:
- Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
- Wishing you a peaceful Christmas, love from [child's name].
- Warm Christmas wishes from all of us.
- Merry Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa!
When should you mail Christmas cards?
Postal services publish their last recommended mailing dates for Christmas every year, so check your own. Cards sent abroad need more time. If you make the cards at the end of November, there's no rush.
For parents
Ayaka is a Finnish multivitamin for children over 3. Your child decorates their own jar, so the vitamin moment becomes their own thing. A refill comes through the letterbox once a month. See the starter pack
