Are you looking for an easy and fun homemade Christmas ornament that kids can make independently? We’ve got you covered! Made with basic, inexpensive craft supplies, this Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree is the perfect DIY ornament for classroom holiday parties, community Christmas programs, preschool, scouting, and more!
So grab your paint and glue, then follow along with our step-by-step directions and video tutorial to see how to make your own.
RELATED: Popsicle Stick Nutcracker Ornament
Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree Ornaments
Homemade Christmas ornaments are a lovely keepsake perfect for gifting to friends, family, neighbors, and teachers. This holiday season, invite your child to create their own craft stick Christmas tree ornament with popsicle sticks, paint, wooden beads, and glue.
Don’t forget to have them sign their name and the year on the back of the tree as a point of reference for the future!
RELATED: Scandinavian-Inspired Paper Star Ornament
Craft Supplies Needed for Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree Ornaments
Before you start this project with your kids, make sure you’ve got all the right supplies.
- Wide popsicle sticks
- Square jumbo popsicle sticks, cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces (I purchased at JOANN crafts)
- Acrylic paint
- Painted wooden beads, or paint your own
- Paintbrush
- Ornament string
- Tacky craft glue, wood glue, or hot glue
Watch the Video Tutorial
Watch the video below to be walked through every step of this craft.
Directions for Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree Craft
This easy holiday craft is perfect for crafters of all ages. Follow the instructions below to learn how to make it.
STEP 1: Paint your craft sticks. Begin by painting 3 wide popsicle sticks with acrylic paint. It’s fun to offer kids a variety of colors so they can creatively personalize their ornament. The colors we chose from Delta Ceramcoat are called:
- Jubilee Green
- Fuchsia
- Ocean Reef Blue
STEP 2: Glue the popsicle sticks. When the paint is dry, glue the wide popsicle sticks together into the shape of a triangle.
STEP 3: Attach the tree trunk. Next, glue the 2 1/2 inch square popsicle stick to the bottom of the triangle to make a Christmas tree trunk.
STEP 4: Add the large bead. Glue a large wooden bead to the top of the Christmas tree. We chose a large yellow bead to represent a star.
STEP 5: Decorate the tree. Decorate the tree ornament with small and medium wooden beads in a variety of fun colors and shapes! If you don’t want to use beads, you could use fingerprints, pom-poms, or paper circles.
STEP 6: Secure your ornament string. Secure a 10-inch loop of ornament string to the back of the Christmas tree ornament with hot glue.
STEP 7: Hang your ornament. Your Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree is complete! Kids will feel proud to hang their new ornament on the Christmas tree.
What is the Best Glue to Use on Popsicle Sticks?
In my experience, the best glue to use on popsicle sticks is wood glue. Tacky craft glue also works well, especially for a school setting.
Craft Tips for Classrooms
I prepared this ornament craft for my son’s classroom holiday party this year and it went so well! Because of Covid, I prepped individual craft kits that contained a paintbrush, a mini bottle of tacky craft glue, an assembled Christmas tree (to save the teacher time, I glued the trees together so the kids would just have to paint and decorate), a star, and ornament string.
I provided a rainbow of paint colors, a huge bag of pom-poms (my son wanted his class to use glittering tinsel pom-poms instead of beads) paper plates for work time, and paper bags for the kids to take their ornament home in. When you craft with kids in large groups:
- Plan enough time for paint and glue to dry. This may mean breaking a craft up into multiple parts over the course of several days.
- If time is a factor, assemble a little bit of the craft in advance (like gluing together popsicle sticks) so the kids can focus on painting and decorating.
- Provide a paper lunch bag for kids to transport their craft home in so it doesn’t break inside their backpack.
- Always supervise small children—my youngest son placed pom-poms up his nose when he was 4! 🙀
More Christmas Tree Crafts for Kids
Looking for more Christmas tree crafts? You may enjoy:
- Preschool Christmas Tree Craft
- Paper Cup Christmas Tree Craft
- Pine Cone Christmas Tree Craft
- Christmas Tree Glitter Jar
- Fabric Tree Ornaments
- Scrap Ribbon Christmas Tree Ornament
Save This Craft
Save this easy craft on Pinterest using the image below and make sure you are following along for the best ideas, crafts, and activities for Easter!
Linda says
Great crafts!