Wooden Christmas Ornaments
Get ready to bring some festive cheer to your home or classroom with these adorable wooden Christmas ornaments! This fun and easy project is perfect for kids of all ages, allowing them to express their individual creativity while creating personalised decorations for their home or classroom.
It’s a great way to get everyone into the holiday spirit and create special ornaments that will last forever!
To create your Wooden Christmas Ornaments, you'll need:
A selection of Wood Offcuts (cubes work great, but any shape is fine as long as it’s thick enough to screw a hook into the top)
Pencil
Hand Drill and Drill Bit (choose one a little bit thinner than your hanging hook)
Pliers (optional)
String or wool for hanging
Craft supplies for decorating (paint, pens, buttons, cotton wool balls, pillow stuffing, fabric, felt, etc.)
Step 1: Plan your design
Before you start crafting, take a moment to plan your ornament’s design. Think about how you want to use it – will it be a special decoration for your Christmas tree, a fun addition to your home or classroom, or a gift for someone else?
Choose a piece of wood that fits your vision and won’t be too heavy for the intended use.
For example, if you’re going to hang it on your Christmas tree then the pieces of wood shouldn’t be too big or heavy for the branch to hold.
Step 2: Cut your wood
If your wood needs trimming, use your measuring tape to mark the cutting lines and draw them neatly with a pencil.
Secure the wood firmly to your work surface using a bench vice or bar clamp. Then, carefully saw the wood along the marked lines.
Top Tip: For safe and easy sawing, always clamp your wood firmly to your work bench to prevent it from slipping around.
Step 3: Sand the wood
Sand your piece of wood with the sandpaper so that the corners and edges are nice and smooth.
Top Tip: The higher the number on the back of your sandpaper the finer the grit (coarseness) is.
Eg. 180 grit sandpaper is finer than 60 grit sandpaper.
Use coarse sandpaper to start as it will do the bulk of the work. Then swap to finer sandpaper to get a really smooth finish.
Step 4: Paint your ornament
Paint or colour your blocks of wood and let them dry.
Top Tips: Painting the wood now before you add the hook makes the painting process easier!
Step 5: DRILL THE HOLE FOR THE HOOK
Once the paint is dry, clamp your ornament in the bench vice and using your hand drill, drill a hole in the top of your ornament. Try to get your hole in the middle so it hangs evenly.
Top Tips: Make sure you clamp your wood to the bench to keep it steady while you drill. Protect your wood and paint from the vice jaws with pieces of cardboard.
Choose a drill bit slightly smaller than the width of your hook for a snug fit. If your pilot hole is too big the hook will fall out.
Step 6: Attach the hook
Twist your hook into the hole you drilled.
Top Tips: Discover the magic of leverage! If your fingers are getting tired, use pliers or a screwdriver threaded through the hook eye to help you twist it in. Much easier than doing it with your fingers!
Step 7: Decorate your ornament
This is where your creativity really shines! Use paint, pens, screws, tinsel, buttons, felt etc. to transform your ornament into a unique work of art.
Top Tip: Get inspired by the pictures at the top and bottom of the page for some ideas!
If you want to make the snowman, cut two small pieces of wood for the hat, paint them black and glue them on.
For the reindeer we went hunting outside for some little sticks that looked antlers. We then drilled 2 small holes in the top and poked the antlers in. How adorable does he look!!
Step 9: Add the string
Once your decorations are finished, thread your string, wool, or ribbon through the eye hook and tie it in a loop.
Finished!
Now, your ornament is readyto shine! Hang it proudly on your Christmas tree, display it in a special spot, or gift it to a friend or loved one.
