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Ornament Kits I Paint With My Kids Every Christmas and Date on the Back
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items Every year we'd buy generic ornaments and they'd end up looking the same as everyone else's tree. I wanted something my kids actually made, something we could pull out years later and laugh at how tiny their handprints were or how they spelled ‘reind...
Sections
6
Blank Ornaments Worth Painting On
Paints That Don't Flake Off by December 26th
Brushes and Tools Sized for Small Hands
Sealant So Their Art Survives the Tree
Writing the Date and Hanging Them Up
Extras That Make Craft Night Actually Fun
Blank Ornaments Worth Painting On
We went through three different types before finding ones that actually hold paint without it sliding right off. Cheap plastic ones were a disaster. These are the ones we come back to every single year.
Grab these if your kids press hard with brushes. Ceramic holds up to toddler force and the paint sticks without a primer coat. We started with these four years ago and the first batch still hangs on our tree.
Baker Ross EF925 Festive Ceramic Ornaments
Perfect for the kid who wants to do it ALL, paint, glue, glitter, stickers. My daughter spent two hours on one ornament and talked about it for a week. Get this before they sell out in November, I've been burned twice.
DIY Holiday Decor Set, Easy Arts and Crafts for Kids Adults
Use these if you want that rustic Christmassy look. My son painted a snowman on one when he was four and it honestly looks like something you'd find at a craft fair. Wood takes acrylic beautifully.
Darice Unfinished Wooden Circles, 6 Piece
Toss these to the older kids who think crafts are ‘boring.’ The pre-shaped designs give them just enough structure that they don't stare at a blank circle for twenty minutes. My 11-year-old actually asked to do more.
S&S Worldwide Color Me Holiday Ornaments
Bring this out for the under-five crowd. Chunky shapes, easy to grip, and they come with markers if your little one isn't ready for paint yet. We wrote the date on the back in Sharpie and it's still readable three years later.
Crayola Craft Kits in Crayola Toys & Activities
Paints That Don't Flake Off by December 26th
The first year we used dollar store watercolors and everything was gone before we took the tree down. Acrylic is the move, but not all acrylics are created equal when a six-year-old is the artist.
Keep a set of these in your craft bin permanently. They dry fast, clean up with water, and my kids have spilled them on the carpet twice with zero permanent damage. The holiday colors are spot on.
Customer reviews for Apple Barrel Acrylic Craft Paint Set
Use this if your youngest is in the ‘paint goes everywhere’ phase. Washes out of clothes, off skin, off the dog. The colors are bright enough that ornaments still look great once they dry.
Crayola Washable Project Paint, 10 Count
Switch to these when your kids are old enough to not eat the paint. Richer pigment than the washable stuff, and one coat actually covers. My wife and I use the same set for our own ornaments.
Crafters Acrylics Value Pack 6/Pkg-Brights
Snag the metallic set for the kid who wants everything to sparkle. Gold and silver on a wooden ornament looks surprisingly legit. My daughter's metallic reindeer from 2021 still gets compliments from guests.
Arteza Metallic Acrylic Paint, Jewel Tones, Set of 8, 120 mL
Try the puffy paint for raised details. My son outlines everything with this stuff and it gives the ornaments a 3D look that flat paint can't match. Let it dry overnight though, seriously, overnight.
Tulip Brush-On Fabric Paint Set
Brushes and Tools Sized for Small Hands
Handing a three-year-old an adult paintbrush is like giving them a sword. We figured out the right sizes after ruining a tablecloth and two ornaments in one afternoon.
Grab these for anyone under six. The thick handles actually stay in small fists and the bristles are soft enough that they don't scratch ceramic. We've had the same pack for three Christmases running.
Crayola Big Paint Brushes (4 Count Round), Great For Kids
Perfect for the 7-to-10 range. Thin enough for details but not so tiny they get frustrated trying to fill in large areas. My son finally stopped asking me to ‘do the hard parts’ once he got these.
Royal & Langnickel Big Kid's Choice Value Brush Set 12/Pkg
Keep these around for group settings. We had six cousins over last year and everyone got their own brush without fighting. They rinse clean in seconds which matters when you have ten kids rotating colors.
Creativity Street Colossal Brushes, Assorted - 10 Per Pack
Use the flat brushes for backgrounds and the rounds for faces and details. This set has both and they're labeled by size, so even my seven-year-old picks the right one without asking. Solid starter kit.
U.S. Art Supply, Children's Paint Brush Set
Toss these to the toddlers and let them go wild. Practically indestructible. My youngest chewed on one, dropped it in paint water, and it still works fine two seasons later. That's the review right there.
Melissa & Doug Large Paint Brush Set With 4 Kids
Sealant So Their Art Survives the Tree
Year one we skipped this step. By January the ornaments looked like they'd been through a car wash. Now we seal everything and those little paintings last for years.
Brush a coat over every finished ornament. It dries clear, adds a slight shine, and keeps little fingerprints from smudging the paint off. I do this step after bedtime so nobody touches wet sealant.
Mod Podge Sealer, Glue, and Finish, Gloss Finish, 8 fl oz
Spray this outside after the paint dries and you're done. Faster than brush-on sealant and it doesn't leave streaks. Wear a mask though, and keep the kids inside while you do it. Learned that one fast.
Krylon COVERMAXX Acrylic Crystal Clear Spray Paint
Switch to this if you hate the glossy look. Matte finish makes wooden ornaments look like they came from a craft market. Two coats and the paint underneath is basically bulletproof.
DecoArt Americana DuraClear Ultra Matte Varnish, 8oz
Keep a can of this in the garage for quick sealing sessions. One pass on each side, dry for an hour, done. We sealed 14 ornaments in twenty minutes last year while the kids were at school.
Aleene's Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer, Matte 6 oz
Use this for the ornaments with glitter or dimensional paint. It locks everything down so you're not finding glitter in your couch cushions until March. Ask me how I know.
Plaid, Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer, 6 oz, Matte, Non-yellowing
Writing the Date and Hanging Them Up
We write each kid's name and the year on the back of every ornament. Pulling them out each December and reading the dates is honestly the whole point of this tradition.
Use the ultra fine tip on the back of each ornament. Regular Sharpie bleeds on ceramic but this one writes clean. We do name, age, and year. Seeing ‘Emma, age 3, 2019’ every December wrecks me in the best way.
Sharpie Permanent Markers, Fine Point
Swap to these if you want archival ink that won't fade. I switched after a Sharpie faded on one of our 2020 ornaments and I couldn't read the date anymore. These pens are what scrapbookers use for a reason.
Customer reviews for Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens
Grab a big pack so you're never scrambling for hooks on decorating night. We go through about 30 a year between new ornaments and replacing ones that bent. A hundred for a few bucks, just do it.
Phenofice Plastic S-Shaped Ornament Hooks Christmas
Use these for the heavier ceramic pieces. Regular thin hooks bend under the weight and you'll find your kid's masterpiece on the floor behind the tree. These hold firm and the gold color looks nice too.
Brass Metal Ornament Hooks, Set of 20
Pair these with ribbon if you want to hang some on the wall or a door frame. We ran out of tree space three years in and now the kitchen door has a little gallery of painted ornaments going back to 2018.
Command Wire Toggle Hooks, Clear, Medium, 6 Wall Hooks
Extras That Make Craft Night Actually Fun
Paint and blank ornaments are the basics, but a few extras turn it from ‘sit down and do this’ into something the kids beg for every year. Snacks help too, but that's your department.
Toss this on the table and watch the creativity explode. My son glued pom pom noses on every single ornament one year and honestly they were adorable. Pipe cleaners make great antlers too.
800Pcs DIY Art Craft Kit,Creative Pompoms Pipe Cleaners
Bring out the glitter AFTER the paint dries or you'll have a sparkly mess that never fully dries. My daughter dumps it on everything and the ornaments look like disco balls. She's thrilled. I'm vacuuming.
Horizon Group USA Assorted Glitter Packs Party Eh!
Keep these within reach for sticking on pom poms, googly eyes, and fabric scraps. Liquid glue is a nightmare with small kids. Sticks give them control and nothing drips on the table. Get the big pack.
Elmer's, Disappearing Purple School Glue Sticks
Stick googly eyes on a painted Santa face and watch a five-year-old lose their mind laughing. We have ornaments with six eyes on them because my son thought it was hilarious. He was right.
Creativity Street Wiggle Eyes Classroom Pack
Perfect for the kid who doesn't want to paint at all. Peel and stick foam trees, stars, and stockings onto a blank ornament and they've got something on the tree in five minutes. No mess, no tears, no drama.
Baker Ross EK2352 Self Adhesive Foam Shapes