In addition to being a season of focus on the significance of the Word Made Flesh, Christmas is a fine time to engage in meaningful craft activities with children!
In celebration of this beautiful holiday, my little ones and I crafted a project designed to add festive, decorative flair to our home – and also allowed us to discuss the concept that we are called to be the hands and feet of the Lord here on Earth.
{We made one wreath using handprints from all four of my children; even my eleven week old daughter is represented! It could certainly be modified to make one wreath for each child in your family, if you so desire.}
Begin by cutting a loose interpretation of a circle from green construction paper. Trace each child’s hand to make a pattern. Trace the patterns on to several shades of green construction paper; cut them out.
Starting with the largest size, glue the paper hands around the green circle. Layer them from largest to smallest.
As your little ones glue the hands together to form a wreath, use the time to engage in an age-appropriate conversation about what it means to use your hands to be a “helper for God.” As my children are preschoolers and toddlers, I kept the lesson fairly simple, asking them how they can use their hands to help the people in their lives. We talked about the purpose of hands – to lift in worship {Psalm 63:4} and to meet the needs of other people {Proverbs 31:20}. We then discussed Christmas, and that when Jesus came to Earth to live as a man, he taught us to use our hands to serve and show God’s love to others.
We finished our wreath by cutting a bow and some simple embellishments from a sheet of red construction paper.
The wreath hangs in a prominent place, reminding us that while we enjoy the festive fun of the holiday, now even the smallest hands know how to keep the Christmas spirit alive all year long!
