12 Christmas Crafts for Seniors 2017

By Anna Hazard

Introduction

Winter holidays such as Christmas tend to be a bountiful time of year when it comes to making crafts with plenty of easy & inexpensive tutorials for seasonal items abounding. These crafts can pull triple duty not only as an entertaining activity for the whole family, but also acting as gifts or holiday decor as well.
 
Most of the supplies required in the below tutorials are comprised of items found around the house (toilet paper rolls, cardboard, jars, light bulbs, socks) or easily appropriated from a nearby craft or grocery store (ie cinnamon sticks, paint, sea shells, colorful ribbons). Crafts can require differing levels of finger dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination, but most are generally appropriate even for those with a bit of hand strength issues.

Crafts

Advent Calendars

• Count down the days to Christmas using these fun advent calendars comprised of cheap & easy-to-find materials such as take-out boxes, toilet or paper towel rolls, emptied candy boxes (perhaps leftover from Halloween), cardboard, or envelopes. These crafts require gluing, cutting, and painting and thus as suitable for those with basic hand or finger dexterity.
• Interior Design 4 Less | Morning Creativity | That Artist Woman | Country Living

Seashell Ornaments

• For those who want to bring in a bit of summer into Christmas, these tutorials use various forms of real seashells (from cockle to scallop to dried sea urchins) as their bases with the addition of a few decorative touches such as ribbons, feathers, or twine. The brunt of the craft work comes in the form of gluing or painting, so these crafts are suitable for anyone able to hold a drawing tool, glue gun, or bottle of paste.
• Crafts for All Seasons | All Free Crafts | Across the Blvd | The Space Between

Christmas Sock Plushies

• All of these seasonal or holiday appropriate plushies are made using common socks as their bases and can be completed without needing to sew or switch. Other basic materials include buttons, scrap cloth, ribbons, felt, twine, pipecleaners, rice, or fiberfill depending upon the exact style or character being created. Gluing, cutting fabric, and tying knots are the most frequent steps during these crafts, so basic hand or finger dexterity is required.
• Instructables | Easy Peasy Fun | Upon Tippy Toes | Handimania

Christmas String Art

• These various winter themed decorations & ornaments can be made with the simple use of common string or yarn as well as watered-down glue or fabric stiffener used in conjunction with a base for shape (such as balloons for round shapes or cones for the christmas tree). As they can be completed by anyone capable of holding the yarn, these crafts are suitable for even those with more severe forms of hand strength or dexterity issues.
• Simple Silver Linings | Craft Penguin | DI-Why Projects | Powerful Mothering

Popsicle Stick Ornaments

• These popsicle stick decorations run the holiday gamut from sleds & toy soldiers to nativity scenes and Rudolph with all the other reindeer. Basic styles can be accomplished with popsicle sticks and paint alone while further decorations such as felt, twine, jingle bells, and foam can be used for more intricate set-ups. Gluing and painting are the basic steps required, so these crafts remain suitable for anyone capable of holding any sort of glue tool or paint brush.
• Clean & Scentsible | Fireflies & Mudpies | What to Expect | Spoonful

Holiday Pine Cone Decorations

• These winter & holiday themed decorations use the pine cones from the evergreen trees that become popular around this time of year as their main bases. All other materials can range widely (from felt to mini terra cotta pots to pompoms & toothpicks to potpourri) depending upon what is available or the exact style of decoration you & your senior loved one would like to craft. Manual dexterity required will depend mostly upon the exact supplies being used with smaller pieces such as toothpicks, googly eyes, and sequins requiring a bit more nimbleness in handling or outside assistance.
• Lia Griffith | Amy's Delights | That Artist Woman | All Free Crafts

Lightbulb Ornaments

• These crafts use light bulbs of varying sizes as their bases as well as a wide variety of other supplies, from simple paint, glitter, and glue to more intricate decorations such as miniature trees, beads, and even old cut-up CDs. Since the primary element of these ornaments are breakable glass, these particular crafts should be aimed more towards those seniors who have enough hand strength to reliably grasp the bulbs without fear of dropping.
• P & G Every Day | No Biggie | Mod Podge Rocks | Creme de la Craft

Tea Light Ornaments

• The foundation of these particular holiday themed decorations are inexpensive battery powered tea lights and so they make particularly good embellishments for the more shadowed areas of a room. Gluing is the main skill needed in these tutorials which can be tweaked to whatever form may be easiest for a particular senior's hands (whether that be a glue gun, paste & brush, or hand sized glue bottle)
• One Little Project | Michaels | PBS.org | Factory Direct Craft

Stained Glass Ornaments

• These craft ornaments mimic the stained glass style while using inexpensive & easy to find materials such as string, pipe cleaners, glue, aluminum foil, and craft foam. Christmas shaped cookie cutters are also particularly helpful for some styles of stained glass replication. Cutting, painting, and gluing are the main tasks for most of these style of decorations with the baking crystal version particularly useful for those who may have hand dexterity issues.
• Holiday Crafts & Creations | The Educators Spin on It | Kinder Alphabet | Better Homes & Gardens

Holiday Toilet Paper Decorations

• Here are a variety of holiday decor from tree ornaments, to wreathes, to nativity scenes all using empty toilet or paper towel rolls as their bases. As the various styles of crafts call for cutting, gluing, painting, or even merely paper folding they are suitable for people with a wide variety of hand dexterity levels.
• Pam's Party & Practical Tips | Handimania | Happy Hooligans | Meaningful Mama

Christmas Snowglobes

• Winter is a particularly appropriate time for snowglobes and the upcoming holidays provide a multitude of little craft items & ideas on how to use them. Whether you would like to memorialize the snowy landscape, a family gathering, or other Christmas scene, these crafts are easy-to-do using common jars (whether baby food, mason, or otherwise) as their bases. As these crafts use breakable glass and many smaller items, they are perhaps best left to those with a bit more manual hand dexterity or a bit more assistance.
• Tidy Mom | Our Best Bites | Craftaholics Anonymous | Classic Play

Christmas Cinnamon Stick Decorations

• Add a bit more spice to your decor and a bit more sweetness to your air with these decorative crafts that use dried cinnamon sticks as their bases. Gluing is the most common technique needed with a bit more finger dexterity required for painting on the smaller cinnamon sticks. A few styles of ornaments may require a bit of preparation in advance (such as cutting garland pieces) for those senior loved ones with hand strength issues.
• Christmas Tree [1, 2] | Reindeer | Santa Claus | Star