DIY Elf Kids Craft

Need a quick kid's craft that your kids will love putting together? Try these paper DIY elves! I found this cute idea from Art with Ms. Chiddo that she did with her first grade class. So get out that construction paper, glue, and let's make some elves!

*This would also be a fun surprise for your elf to show up with if you do Elf on the Shelf at your house!

First, print out a photo of your child and cut out the face and a little above the hairline. You could make your child have pointy ears if you really want them to look "elfish".

My daughter is still learning to use scissors, so she didn't help much with cutting shapes. She mostly chose what colors everything had to be, and what we needed to add. Cut out a hat shape, a small yellow circle (for a bell), and a brim. My daughter embellished the hat with a pen, but you could easily add on glitter, pom poms, sequins, or use markers to really decorate!

For the body, start with a rectangle. My daughter wanted her elf to wear a dress, so I added some scallops at the bottom for ruffles. She was in charge of the glue stick, so I would cut out the pieces in the colors she asked for, and then I'd hand them to her to attach to the elf.

Use your imagination with the embellishments - you can add pockets, a belt, buttons, collar, etc. Make it yours! Keep things simple, and you'll have more fun with it. No need to get overwhelmed.

My daughter asked that her elf have a kitten, so we added one in the pocket, and threw in a candy cane since elves can't get enough sugar!

For the arms and legs, cut a wide strip the length of the paper. Fold the strip accordion-style, then cut the strip in half to get two long, folded strips. Cut two more strips for the legs. Glue one end on each side of the body, and the other two under the body.

Cut two mittens or hands, and glue them on the ends of the arms. I cut out some elf shoes, and glued them to the bottom of the feet, then cut two small brims (like the hat) and glue them to the top of the shoes. Add two small yellow circles for shoe bells.

Tape the elf to the wall and enjoy your little one in elf form! Would be fun to even make an elf for each member of the family!!