These TIN FOIL ORNAMENTS look just like little Christmas gifts, and are easy for toddlers and preschoolers to make. They’ll add shimmer to your Christmas tree, and provide lots of fine-motor practice.
We made these adorable little tin foil Christmas gifts to hang on the Christmas tree the other day, and the toddlers and preschoolers loved the process.
We used small blocks of styrofoam to make our ornaments, and we covered them in foil and decorated them to look like tiny Christmas presents.
The process provided lots of opportunities for the kids to strengthen their fine-motor skills, and it was a wonderful craft to make using things we already had around the house.
We love the way these mini-gifts sparkle when the lights of the Christmas tree reflect in the foil.
Supplies for making your Mini Gift ornaments:
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- aluminum foil
- permanent markers
- glue
- pipe cleaners and mini bows
- glue
- craft jewels (optional)
- something to wrap (styrofoam blocks, toilet rolls, small cardboard box, wooden blocks etc.)-
Making your mini-gift ornaments
Wrapping with tin foil
Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover whatever it is you’re wrapping.
Have your little one wrap their “present”, squeezing and scrunching the foil to keep it all in place.
Skill development
This is such a terrific activity for toddlers for so many reasons:
- engages their senses (feel, sound)
- spacial recognition
- critical thinking
- fine motor and hand muscle development
Decorating the ornament
Now your child can decorate the ornaments with permanent markers and craft jewels.
Colouring on aluminum foil:
If you’ve never coloured on aluminum foil with a permanent marker, you’re in for a real treat. The markers glide across the foil so smoothly, and the colour on the foil looks shiny and beautiful. Colouring on tin foil is one of the older kids’ favourite art activities here in my daycare.
For the square ornaments, we added “ribbon” to our mini-gifts by wrapping each one in a metallic pipe cleaner, twisting the ends together to secure in place.
Those ends became the “tails” for the mini bows that they stuck on. If you don’t have bows, you can fashion the ends of the pipe cleaner into a bow.
The mini bows were a nice touch.
The kids loved peeling off the paper back of the sticky tab on the bow.
To finish, string a length of metallic thread under the pipe cleaner so you can hang your ornaments.
For the toilet roll ornaments, simply push the thread through the roll, and tie a knot.
So cute and so simple!
Another super-easy Christmas ornament for the kids to make for your Christmas tree this year.
More Tin Foil Christmas Crafts for Kids:
Sharpie and Tinfoil Christmas Trees
Tin Foil and Tissue Paper Christmas Tree Ornaments
Mason Jar Lid Ornaments with Sharpies and Tin Foil
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.
pegges
like! … lol. you have to enable the like button for me!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ann @ My Nearest and Dearest
Jackie, you have the best ornaments!
happyhooligans
Aww shucks, thanks, Ann! xo
Renea Pike
Love these! Does the permanent marker rub off when you touch it? For example little hands grabbing at the ornaments on the tree 🙂 I don’t know how sharpies work on foil 🙂
happyhooligans
No! That’s the beautiful thing thing with Sharpies and tinfoil! It doesn’t rub off. If you use a child’s washable marker, it probably will though. 🙂
Renea Pike
Oh I am excited! I don’t have any cool colored Sharpies so I wanted to make sure before I went out and spent money on them 🙂 I love all your crafts! I just found your blog through Pinterest:)
MommyLabs (@MommyLabs)
Jackie, these ornaments are the cutest! I love how simple and do-able they are and yet so festive. Stopping by to wish Merry Christmas in advance. It’s been a long time that we connected. I’ve missed visiting my fav blogs all these days. Going to get back in the groove with the New year 🙂 I’ll be sharing this.
happyhooligans
Thank you, Rashmie! Merry Christmas!! I’ve missed you too. Looking forward to re-connecting in the New Year. I hope you have a restful holiday. xx