Playdough is great for kids of all ages and if you are looking for a cool Christmas activity with this fun material have the kids make a playdough Christmas tree. It’s easy to make and allows for quite a bit of creativity. So grab some Play Doh from the store or make your own playdough and let’s get artsy craftsy.
This tutorial will show how to make a Christmas tree out of playdough a little bit differently as the end result is a lovely little scene that can be displayed on the wall.
*This post contains affiliate links*
Crafting with playdough offers a multitude of benefits; it stimulates creativity and imagination, and it enhances fine motor skills as kneading, rolling, and shaping the dough require precise hand movements. Playdough also serves as a sensory tool, engaging tactile senses. And so much more! Most importantly, kids love to create with playdough so it’s always a fun experience for them.
As the holidays are near, we wanted to create a Christmas craft that is made with play dough and that, once finished, kids will be super proud of. The end product can even be used as a gift.
How to Make the Playdough Christmas Tree
What you need:
- four wooden craft sticks (jumbo craft sticks are the best)
- glue (white school glue or wood glue is best to use for this project)
- transparent tape (or contact paper).
- playdough (we used white, green, yellow, purple, blue, and orange)
Step by Step Tutorial
You will need four craft or popsicle sticks to make the frame for this project.
You can leave them as they are or you can have the kids paint the popsicle sticks.
Have kids arrange them into a square shape and glue them together.
Cover the frame with clear tape or use contact paper.
The frame should be covered from top to bottom. If you are working with younger kids, this part will need to be done by you.
Flip the frame so the sticky part of the tape is facing upwards.
Let’s make the Christmas scene with playdough.
Have kids roll a white chunk of playdough into a snake to create a snow blanket at the bottom.
Press down the snake to flatten it at the bottom of the window frame.
The playdough will stick to the tape.
The Christmas Tree
Let’s make the Christmas tree next. Have kids shape one piece of green or other colored playdough into a triangle.
Then, stick it to the tape, overlapping the white playdough slightly.
Have children create one or two more triangles and place one on top of the other (overlapping slightly).
The Star
To create a star, we’ll use yellow playdough and roll a ball first, but kids can use any color they like.
Pinch the ball to shape a star and place it on the tip of the Christmas tree.
Tip: younger kids can make a ball instead of the star or use something else (pre made paper stars) instead of playdough.
The Ornaments
Have kids roll more small balls in different colors to decorate the tree. For example, we used purple, orange, and blue playdough.
This Christmas tree will look very pretty!
They can add as many ornaments as they like.
Tip: instead of using playdough for the ornaments, your kids can also use pom poms or little paper circles form paper punches.
The Snow
Have kids roll small balls from white play dough and apply them to the transparent tape around the Xmas tree scenery to create snowflakes. They can also use white pom poms.
To prevent dust from sticking to the tape, cover the front side with clear tape as well, protecting this little work of art.
How do you like yours?
Want instant access to all of our printable crafts, activities, and resources?
With thousands of crafts, activities, worksheets, coloring pages, and drawing tutorials to print, you will always have just the resource you need at your disposal. Perfect for parents and teachers alike!
