Kids' Christmas Crafts

Kids will love counting down the days until Christmas with a miniature chest made of matchboxes. As its drawers are removed and reversed, a festive picture emerges.

With an icy tingle on the tongue and a pinwheel of Santa-red and snow-white stripes, peppermints are the coolest holiday sweets -- especially when transformed into edible hanging ornaments. Lay five or so peppermint candies in a circle to form a wreath; bond sides together with icing. Adorn front with cinnamon candies or mints. Let dry two hours before hanging. Loop twine around ornament; knot.

The snowflakes outside will sigh with envy when they see this one in the window.

Kids will love mixing and matching different buttons to create an entire tree's worth of adorable Christmas figures.

These merry snowmen get their roly-poly forms, red scarves, and carrot noses from rolled fondant.

Kids can write their own messages inside these cheerful cards and hand them out to classmates and teachers, or punch a hole at the top and tie on ribbon or yarn to use as tags.

Sprinkles on gumdrops and sweet gummy rings -- these are a few of kids' favorite things. It's easy to turn candy into lively decorations and ornaments.

Kids can lend a hand in holiday baking; let them help prepare the dough as well as serve as the model for the cookies inspired by their little palms.

Invite these friendly gingerbread characters to hang around for the holidays.

The shimmering magic of snowfall is always transfixing, whether it's outside your window or inside this classic toy.

Button shapes resemble many seasonal things, as on these simple cards made of folded card stock. Construction paper cut-outs and a snip of ribbon help turn green buttons into a wreath, tiny red ones into holly berries, and white ones into a friendly snowman. (When they're turned vertically, the holes in the snowman's belly button look like buttons themselves.)

With these edible snowflakes, only the cheese melts.