Maker Monday: Kids can make beautiful homemade holiday cards

Crafting this week’s Maker Monday project offers nearly as much joy as receiving one. These stand-up holiday cards can be decorated in any style. They’re fun to make and look really cool standing alone on a shelf or as part of a forest full of trees. The size can be big or small, depending on the size of your paper. Smaller versions would make great place cards for a holiday dinner.

As with all Maker Monday projects, kids can make this with items you may have around the house or can pick up at a dollar store. Just follow the step-by-step instructions below.

A note to kid makers: Please work with a parent or caregiver on this Maker Monday project. And always be careful when using tools of any kind, including scissors.

Maker Monday materials:

• sheet of paper (you can experiment with different kinds and colors)
• scissors
• a round plate or a pie pan
• markers
• optional decorations: stickers, glitter, beads

Maker Monday instructions:

Step 1: Place the plate (or pie pan) top down on your sheet of paper. Trace the plate with a marker. Then remove the plate and cut out the circle.

Step 2: Fold the circle in half and cut along the crease so you have two pieces.

Step 3: Fold the half circle in thirds with the curved side down.

Step 4: Fold back the center two edges. This creates the card opening. Your message will go inside on the center pie wedge.

Step 5: Fold the paper back again. Cut out “V” shapes along the edge, leaving space in between the cuts to hold the card together. (Younger kids will be helped by marking the “V” shapes first in pencil as a cutting guide.)

Now you have your stand-Up tree-shaped holiday card! You can decorate it any way you like to celebrate Christmas or the winter season.

To decorate, start by writing your message inside. Then, draw on lights, stars, candy canes or anything else you dream up. Your can be fancied up with a shimmer of glitter, beads or stickers, as you wish.

Want more at-home fun creating cool stuff and making beautiful things? Check out more Maker Monday projects right here. Do you have an idea for a Maker Monday craft project? If so, please share it with Kidsburgh! Send your maker activity ideas to info@kidsburgh.org.