DIY Christmas Cards with Kids

'Tis the season for spreading joy and what better way to do so than by engaging in some festive crafting with your little ones? Making DIY Christmas cards together is a simple yet heartwarming holiday activity that never fails to bring smiles all around. As the kids dive into the world of crafting, you get to witness their creativity in action, and the recipients of these creative holiday greetings are sure to treasure the personalized touch.

Our collection of DIY Christmas cards is not only easy to make but also creates lasting memories as you craft together as a family.  Each homemade card idea incorporates a special touch – a handprint, footprint, or fingerprint – adding an extra layer of uniqueness. 

They include an SVG file to add some special details. This file can be used with your favorite paper cutting machine! The steps are simple. 

Before you start crafting with your kids, be sure to cut out the paper embellishments and have them ready to go. This can eliminate some frustration as your kids are ready to craft. 

Here’s a glimpse into the holiday cards you can create with your kids.

Picture this: your little one’s foot transformed into a festive stamp. Paint their tiny foot and let them stomp a print onto the paper (or a few papers). After the paint dries, there is more fun to be had. Start with assembling the cutout pieces to bring adorable characters to life. These footprint cards will surely capture the holiday spirit.

We have footprint designs for Santa, Olaf, a basic snowman, and a Christmas tree.

Consider using colored cardstock for contrast when making the snowman and Olaf. They use white paint and we like it to stand out. Another option is to lightly tint the white paint with a touch of color to make the footprint pop when using white cardstock for these cards. We even think Santa looks great on a colored background too!

Painting the Footprint: Paint the toes white, the middle red, and the heel peach for the head on the footprint.

Additional Pieces: After the paint is completely dry, glue on the paper pieces. There is a Santa hat with a fur band, a beard, arms, mittens, a nose, eyes, and a belt to tie the Santa Claus design together.

These Santa cards will bring a jolly, “Merry Christmas” to the recipients as well as a special Christmas keepsake.

Painting the Footprint: Apply white paint entirely on the foot.

Additional Pieces: When the paint has dried, glue the cut out pieces onto your footprint. There are twigs for hair, a big toothy grin, a fat carrot nose, animated eyes, long twig arms, and buttons to create Olaf.

Painting the Footprint: Paint the foot with green paint to resemble a tree.

Additional Pieces: Once the green paint dries, use the circle pieces for ornaments. Place the tinsel-like strips on the tree, and a bright star for the top of the tree.

Painting the Footprint: Use white paint to cover the entire surface of your little one's foot.

Additional Pieces: Once the paint dries, add the hat, two eyes, a scarf, a triangle for the carrot nose, stick-like hands, and three buttons to complete the snowman.

Get ready for handprint magic! Paint your little one’s hand and press it down on paper, creating the base for these fun Christmas cards.

Whether it’s a nativity scene, the Grinch, or a melted snowman, these handprint cards are festive and showcase your child’s unique touch. They make the perfect keepsake for a homemade card everyone will love.

Painting the Hand: Paint the entire hand a Grinchy green and press the hand with the fingers together on the card.

Additional Pieces: After the paint dries, add the Grinch face design.

Painting the Hand: Paint the entire hand white and press the hand with the fingers together on the card.

Additional Pieces: Once the paint is dried, add a mess of the pieces. We have included a hat, two arms, two eyes, a carrot nose, and a scarf. You want the pieces to look like a melted snowman, which doesn’t always mean they are all together.

This melted snowman card is perfect for your young kids who don’t fully understand the handprint craft. Let them move their hand around as you print their handprint on the card.

Painting the Hand: Paint the palm of the hand brown for the manger and paint each of the fingers a different color. We tried to match our paint with the papers we cut out for each character. This helped the kids match the head covers with their fingers. We also used tinted white and gold glitter for our angel.

Additional Pieces:  Once the paint is dried, add the head and hair for each character. Then, add the wings for the angel. Next, add the straw and swaddle blanket for baby Jesus right in the center of the palm.

For those seeking a smaller canvas, our fingerprint cards are the perfect choice. We offer printable designs for fingerprint Christmas cards with wreaths that your little one can decorate.

We also created a Cricut cut file to help you create the cutest fingerprint penguins.

Painting the Fingerprints: Paint the thumbprints white and stamp 3 copies on each card. We used colored paper, so that our white penguin bellies stood out, but you could also tint the paint slightly to make it stand out on white.

Additional Pieces: After the paint dries, add the feet, beaks, eyes, and wings. We also added extra clothing for the penguins —a hat and scarf.

Painting the Fingerprints: Paint the fingerprints any Christmas color.

To get your hands on our sample bundle of the Christmas Wreath Fingerprint DIY Christmas Cards, simply download it using the button below. For immediate access, subscribe to our newsletter by filling out the form provided. As a new subscriber, we will occasionally sprinkle your inbox with other fun family ideas, along with complimentary printables that have been released! Already subscribed? Just enter your email address below and click download without worries of being 'resubscribed' or receiving additional emails.

If you are looking for all the designs, our full bundle is the way to go. You can buy the bundle by clicking here and visiting our Etsy store. The SVG file is compatible with your digital paper-cutting machines like Silhouette or Cricut, enabling the effortless creation of these keepsake DIY Christmas cards. Additionally, enjoy a PDF file featuring the same patterns to trace and cut shapes from colored paper or print onto white paper and allow your little one to color the shapes then you can cut them out to glue on your cards.

Let the joy of crafting together begin with these versatile downloads that bring our handprint Christmas cards to life. Download now and let the holiday cheer flow!

Ready to keep the creative momentum going? After you've crafted your DIY handprint Christmas cards with the kids, why not dive into more festive projects to brighten your home and holidays? Explore more engaging family activities by visiting other holiday favorites. These projects not only add a personal touch to your celebrations but also help build lasting memories. Continue the fun and make these creative endeavors a beloved family tradition this holiday season!