Are toddlers too young to make holiday treats? Not if you keep things simple and fun. Doing projects together is a great way to spend your time. With that in mind, I’ve pulled together a couple of fun and easy holiday treats that even little hands can be a part of.
We’ll take a look at awesome holiday snack ideas that will tickle and delight your children. With a chill in the air, there’s no time like the present to dig into a great recipe that your kids will adore making. Then, we’ll look at a handful of simple holiday crafts perfect for toddlers to put together with the help of mom.
Once we tackle this first section of treats and activities for the toddlers, I’ll show you a couple of fun options for the older kids as well.
Are you ready to get started?
Simple Holiday Treats: Kid-Friendly Choices
Delish starts us off with two great recipes perfect for kids.
Remember, the idea is to make things interesting and simple. Working with toddlers is different than baking cookies with older kids. Playing with textures, making things that don’t take long, are colorful or fun will keep their attention longer than trying to make something that takes too much time. We’re talking little ones, toddler friendly-to-make treats, here. Ready to try something new?
I found two great choices thanks to Delish that can add a blast of holiday fun. Your kids will be delighted with the funny melted snowmen you’ll be making. The best part of this recipe is that it starts with a batch of already made cookies, so it’s a quick, easy recipe that you can put together, then have your child help press the extra little pieces into place. To avoid a knife for spreading the icing, use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon! Together you can make a mess and have fun while getting these together.
The next I thought would be a good choice was a 15-minute recipe that makes Grinch riced-cereal treats. You can make the main part, and your kids can push the eyes and nose into place. Simple, easy, fast, and so much fun when they’re finished.
These holiday chocolate spoons are an easy, crafty treat. Melt chocolate onto the spoons, and let your kids decorate them with candy cane pieces or sprinkles. This is the kind of project that makes time in the kitchen with Mommy fun. It’s fast and easy. These would make great, last-minute quick gifts to hand out. Using yellow, red, and brown Reese’s Pieces can turn this festive snack into a Thanksgiving themed treat.
Ready to dig your hands in? I’ll bet your kids are. Scrub up good and get to work. These little no-cook peanut-butter goodies are another fun treat. It will be like playing with putty or Play-Doh! You mix the ingredients, then together you can patty-cake and roll them into fun ball-shapes!
A Fun Handprint Thanksgiving Turkey Craft
When it comes to toddlers, choosing basic ideas is a great way to keep them entertained. Let them experience the fun of different events, holidays, or crafty ideas whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Thanksgiving this season.
With this handprint turkey, it’s as easy as making a hand print
on paper, adding googly eyes, and using a crayon to draw feet and a beak. Want to make it extra fun? Use chocolate pudding instead of finger paint!
What else can you think of? How about some fun with snow, easy to use decorations, or chunky crafts perfect for little hands? Keep reading for more holiday ideas.
Winter Wonderland Fun
Window static cling stickers are a quick easy way to decorate your windows for the kids. But, what else can you do? Here’s a funny and unexpected way to make fake snow. Don’t mind getting a little messy? How about painted pasta necklaces? You can do them in shades of red and green for Christmas, or maybe yellow, brown, and orange for a Thanksgiving shaded theme. Help them finger-paint the pasta, and when it’s dry, little hands can thread the noodles onto yarn. Fun!
Rudolph! How about some Fun Reindeer Nose ideas?
First, we’ll look at a yummy, easy treat you can make, then we’ll hop into a couple of fun crafts for the kiddos. The biggest challenge will be not gobbling up all the yummy pieces to this recipe before you get started…
Reindeer Nose Treats only need three ingredients, which makes this a super easy to create treat. Pretzels, Rolos and M&M’s. You won’t believe how fast you can put these together! Your son or daughter will love helping pop the M&M’s on. This is a perfect rainy-day activity, with easy ingredients to keep on-hand.
How about a no-bake cookie with three simple ingredients? The key to a great recipe for little kids is making something with only a couple of ingredients, so it’s quick, easy, and not time-consuming.
Your kids will love helping you make these fun and adorable Rudolph inspired red-nose cookies. Crackers, condensed milk, and red melting chocolate chips (check the craft store if your grocer doesn’t carry them) make this holiday treat a breeze to make. Everybody loves Rudolph!
Time to Get Crafty
Now that you’ve made some yummy treats for later, how about some crafty activities to stimulate their brains and let them enjoy the fun of Rudolph’s shiny red nose in another way? While the older kids might not think paper plates can be fun, younger kids certainly will! Think of all the neat things you can put together with lunch paper bags or paper plates. How about something like making a paper chain with a glue stick and strips of construction paper?
Okay, let’s get back to another Rudolph idea.
Paper plate animals are a great way to introduce your younger kids to the world of paper crafts. They’re easy to work with, and you can use crayons, chalk, or hand paint to decorate them. This adorable Rudolph is an easy project that you can do together.
Popsicle sticks and pine cones make for other fun craft materials, great for little hands. Speaking of little hands, hand print art is a fun activity, like mentioned above for turkeys. You can even make a reindeer with these instructions.
One last idea to consider is making a fun Rudolph headband with a printout and pieces to glue together. A big, chunky glue stick is easy for little hands to hold so they can participate, too. Your little one will love wearing this cute accessory, and you’ll want to snap plenty of pictures of them wearing it.
What if your kids are a little older than toddlers?
Here’s a great popsicle stick reindeer ornament to get you started. This is fun for those old enough to use glue. The directions mention a hot glue gun (Mom’s part), but Elmer’s glue will work just as well.
Popcorn Snowballs are a great “make-together” treat, perfect for a holiday snack. Older kids will love making these penguin cookies, that will have the entire family smiling.
Do you have a favorite holiday treat or craft you like to do with your kids? Share it below!