Sock Snowmen

A simple idea to help young children get into the recycling spirit and make an adorable Christmas gift or decoration. They’ll love having the chance to say “I made your present myself!”

How to make it:

Cut the sock in two, cutting across it between the toe and the heel. Take the heel/ankle part and turn it inside out. Tie one end tightly closed with the cotton thread, cutting away any extra thread, and turn the tube back the right way out. Ask your child to fill it with rice (you can encourage the development of fine motor control and hand-eye coordination by asking them to do this in different ways: using a table spoon, using a tea spoon, or picking the rice up in handfuls or just a pinch at a time). When the sock is nearly full, form it into a rough snowman shape (a large ball at the bottom and a smaller one on top) and tie the top closed with the thread. Again, cut away any excess thread. Using your hands, give the snowman shape a bit more definition then tie a couple of loops of thread around the ‘neck’ to help the snowman keep its shape. It’s now ready to be decorated.

Use the ribbon as a scarf, and the “toe” end of the sock as a hat (turn up the cut edge a couple of times to shorten it). Attach a couple of buttons to the body using the glue gun or, if you can manage, a couple of stiches. For the eyes and nose, use smaller buttons or ball-headed pins. Your snowman is finished!

Christmas Bauble

Here’s a way to get me up on your Christmas tree! A fun, easy little craft project that recycles an old plastic bottle and allows adults and children to work together.

How to make it:

Cut across the bottle in two places to remove the middle section. Make a support for the toy figure by gluing a little brick of polystyrene inside the base of the bottle, then glue the figure on top. Once the glue has set, fit the top and bottom parts of the bottle back together to make a ball. Unscrew the cap and fill the ball with the fake snow just up past the feet of the figurine. Screw the cap back on tightly. Decorate the bottle cap with the ribbon, tying a nice bow.

Cut off another piece of ribbon, make a loop and stick it to the bottle cap. Now you can hang your bauble on the Christmas tree!