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It's that time of year again. Time to watch Holiday movies all day and spend time with the family. One of our favorite Christmas movies is 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer' so this year, we decided to create our own reindeer out of paper cups. This adorable Christmas craft using small paper cups is the perfect way to keep little hands busy and creative this holiday season.
With simple materials like pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and pom poms, your kids can create their very own reindeer friends to display as festive decorations or use for imaginative play. Whether you’re making Rudolph or the whole reindeer team, this craft is guaranteed to bring holiday cheer!
Materials Needed
To get started, you're going to need to gather a few materials:
Step by Step Tutorial on How to make Santa's Reindeer
Step 1: Paint the Paper Cups
Begin by painting the small paper cups brown to create the reindeer’s body. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on to the next steps. Alternatively, if you don't have any paint, you can use markers to color the cups brown.
Step 2: Make the Antlers
To create the antlers, take a brown pipe cleaner and cut it down to size. Adjust the size to fit proportionally with the paper cup. For us, one pipe cleaner was able to make two pairs of antlers, so we cut our pipe cleaners into fours.
Once you have all your pipe cleaners cut into pieces, start bending them into antler shapes. We kept it simple and just made a candy cane shape; however, feel free to be more creative and add more personality to your reindeer antlers by twisting them into fun shapes.
Once ready, poke small holes into the bottom of the paper cup, which will be the top of your reindeer, and insert the antlers. If your cups are sturdy, you can also glue the pipe cleaners in place. Be careful when letting your kids poke holes into the paper cup, especially if the cup is flimsy, you may have to do this for them.
Step 3: Add the Face
Glue two googly eyes onto the front of the paper cup, just below the rim. Then, attach a red pom pom as the nose to create Rudolph’s signature look. To make Santa's other reindeer, use black or brown pom poms for their noses.
Step 4: Personalize Your Reindeer
Encourage your kids to decorate their reindeer with extra touches like glitter, small bows, or even a mini bell around its neck.
Add Extra Holiday Flair to your Reindeer
Encourage your kids to further customize their reindeer to make them even more festive for the Christmas season.
Festive Reindeer Colors: Instead of brown, use colorful paint or glittery accents to give each reindeer a unique personality.
Name Tags: Write the names of Santa’s reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, etc.) on small tags and attach them to each reindeer.
Holiday Display: Arrange the reindeer in a sleigh scene with a paper or cardboard sled for Santa.
Let's Make Santa's Reindeer
This reindeer craft is simple enough for younger kids and still fun for older ones to get creative with. It allows kids to practice their fine motor skills while adding a festive touch to your holiday décor. Plus, it’s a wonderful way to talk about the story of Santa’s reindeer and spark imaginative play.
Crafting Santa’s reindeer from small paper cups is a delightful winter activity that combines creativity and holiday cheer. Your kids will love designing their own reindeer team, and the finished creations make charming decorations or playtime companions.
So, gather your crafting supplies, put on some festive tunes, and let the reindeer games begin!
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