Simple craft ideas for children during Advent

Christmas in Salzburg can come!

Advent is simply a magical time - especially with children. Reading Christmas books, baking cookies, singing in front of the Advent wreath in the evening, a visit from St. Nicholas, snacking and strolling around the Advent and Christmas markets in Puch and throughout the province of Salzburg and, of course, doing handicrafts together.

As crafting with younger children can very quickly end in pure chaos, which is not very conducive to the Christmas spirit, you should choose simple projects for which you don't need too much material.

Crafting with children: 3 tips for homemade Christmas presents

Children like to give homemade gifts to parents, friends and relatives at Christmas - especially the "Gedn-Leit", i.e. the godparents, are made happy with homemade Christmas gifts. You need something that is quick to make, that the children will enjoy making and that the recipient can also use.

Try out one of my 3 crafting tips and enjoy crafting with your children in the run-up to Christmas:

1. decorate the cones

Put on your warm hiking or winter boots (win a voucher!!!) and go in search of larch or pine cones.  Maybe you'll even find other craft materials that the children can use on your walk through the autumn or winter forest. There are no limits to the imagination. Children are usually particularly creative when crafting with natural materials and collecting and searching together in the forest is an experience in itself! A short walk around the pond in St. Jakob or into the woods and you're well equipped.

INSTRUCTIONS: Then simply dab the cones with paint of your choice or opaque white as shown here and sprinkle with glitter. Younger children also like to dab colorful glitter dots on the cones - this works really well with glitter glue.

DECORATION TIP: These beautiful Christmas cones look great on an Advent wreath or in a decorative bowl. You can also attach a thin thread (e.g. ribbon from a string set) to them and then hang them on the Christmas tree or window.

2. napkin technique for skilled schoolchildren

You don't need much for this craft either.

• Old glass, jam jar or an old bottle
• Craft glue that dries transparent
• Paintbrush
• Christmas napkins
• Wipeable surface

INSTRUCTIONS: First choose a motif on the napkin and cut it out over a large area. The result is also particularly beautiful if you simply tear the motif roughly out of the napkin. The "frayed" ends allow the image to blend in with the glass.

Now apply craft glue to the areas of the glass that you want to cover and carefully remove the top layer of the napkin from the cut-out motif. Then place this very delicate piece of napkin on the glass and fix the whole thing in place with a good layer of craft glue:

This is a quick and easy way to create wonderful decorative elements such as a lantern or a Christmas bottle in which you can place a mini string of lights.

3. bird feeder made easy

Children love animals and nature. When they hear or read that wild animals find it difficult to find food in winter, they naturally want to help! Nothing could be easier! With just a few ingredients, you can make a small bird feeding station and then watch the birds snacking over the next few days and weeks. What you need:

• Empty toilet paper rolls
• Peanut butter (you may have some left over)
• Bird food

INSTRUCTIONS: Simply spread peanut butter on empty toilet paper rolls (even the youngest children can do this and are usually very proud when they are finally allowed to smear something with a small children's knife). Then sprinkle birdseed on a large plate and let the children roll the peanut butter rolls in birdseed. Of course, you can and may help a little and press the birdseed firmly into the peanut butter layer with your hands. Sticks like a bomb!

Then simply poke or punch a hole in the roll and attach it somewhere in the garden with a piece of wool or thin rope. (Please hang high enough - otherwise the poor birds will be a welcome victim for the neighbor's cat!) The homemade "tit dumpling" is ready.

Event tip: Handicrafts from the St. Jakob am Thurn Advent market

If you would like to make something from children's hands, but don't have the time or inclination: On 09.12.2023, the children of the St. Jakob am Thurn elementary school will be selling handcrafted items at the Adventmarkt in St. Jakob. There will also be horse-drawn carriage rides on this day from 14:00 and at 16:00 there will be a small Christmas performance by the school children!

Crafts by the children of St. Jakob elementary school re available at the parents' association stand at the St. Jakob Advent market (until 23.12 on Saturdays and Sundays in Advent and on 8.12) and on Sunday, 17.12.2023 the "Advent magic" with creative workshop by the Paracelsus school will take place again in the Jakobisaal. Children can bake cookies, do handicrafts and make candles.

Take part & win in the PUCHER ADVENT CALENDAR

Tomorrow we will open the 9th door in the Pucher Advent calendar, where with a little luck you can win a voucher worth 50.00 euros from our Orthopädieschuhtechnik Haslauer. Here you will find perfect footwear from Lowa & Co. for you and your children, but also backpacks and much more for carefree family time outdoors - even in winter! Take part, comment on Instagram at @visitpuch and in the PUCH MAGAZINE at advent.puch-salzburg.com and win great prizes from Puch, as well as 100 PUCH VOUCHERS.

If you spend a lot of time outdoors with children in the cold season, it is advisable to pack them in really high-quality socks. It's no fun at all with wet socks and you don't want your little ones to freeze - cold viruses give us enough trouble at this time of year.

We parents also need to take good care of ourselves on these little adventures and with the right equipment, family time outdoors is fun for us too. A good waterproof shoe with a firm tread is simply a must as a parent and can actually be used all year round. So it really is worth the investment.

And when you come home from the cold and make yourself comfortable with a cup of tea or hot chocolate, it's even more fun to make something together for the Advent season.

So have fun trying out my craft tips and maybe we'll see you at the Advent market in St. Jakob am Thurn.

Click here to go to St. Jakob am Thurn