6 Reindeer Crafts for the Family

Colorful decorations, sweet treats and twinkling lights add a festive flair to holiday gatherings. Plus, it’s so easy for the whole family to join in creating a fun winter wonderland. Making holiday crafts as a family is a sweet way to create memories and treasures to keep for years. Reindeer craft ideas fit beautifully with the Christmas theme, along with Santa decorations, peppermint treats and twinkling string lights. Plan a crafting afternoon with the family, and use these exciting ideas from us at Pottery Barn to get started.

Rudolph Cookie Jars

Rudolph cookie jars are a fun way to combine crafting and gifting. Fill mason jars with chocolate candies or the dry ingredients for a cookie mix. Then, use craft glue to attach brown felt antlers to the lid. Glue a red pompom nose and smiling red paper mouth on the jar. Use peel-off googly eyes to finish the reindeer face. Display the jars on a serving tray, or make eight and set them up in front of a decoration of Santa’s sleigh. Pass the jars out as presents at the end of a gathering. Be sure to include a note card that details the baking directions if you use cookie mix!

Candy Cane Reindeer

Candy cane reindeer are easy to make and tasty to snack on. Decorate candy canes with sparkly pipe cleaners bent to look like antlers. Attach googly eyes and a cinnamon drop or red pompom for the nose. Wrap brown pipe cleaner antlers around the curve of the candy cane. Glue eyes and red nose on the tip of the candy cane. Tie a colorful ribbon around the candy cane as the reindeer’s collar. Display the candy cane crafts in a mug.

Reindeer Handprint Ornaments

Reindeer handprint ornaments are great crafts to make with young children. Trace around your child’s hand on a piece of card stock. Make sure their fingers are spread out fairly wide. Cut out about 2 inches away, all the way around the handprint, and then put a loop of ribbon or wire through the space where the wrist is. Let each child decorate his or her own handprint, making the thumb the reindeer’s head and the four fingers the legs. Spray a light layer of craft glue over the whole surface, then sprinkle iridescent glitter onto the glue. Hang the ornaments on the tree or on a wreath to complement your holiday decor.

Faux Fur Pillow Appliques

Choose a piece of faux fur that matches your favorite throw blanket. Put a piece of faux fur face-down on a table. Trace around each family member’s foot or hand with a fabric marking pen. Carefully cut out around the drawn line. Apply a layer of craft glue to the back of each applique cut out, then stick the applique on a plain throw pillow. Let the glue dry completely, then stick pom-pom eyes and a nose to the reindeer face, using the toes or fingers as the antlers.

Outdoorsy Pine Cone Reindeer

Pine cone reindeer let you add some holiday flair to your house plants. Choose fairly large pine cones to use as the reindeer faces. Bend pipe cleaners into the shape of antlers and glue them to the pine cones, sticking the ends down between the layers of the pine cones. Spray the tips of the antlers with craft glue and sprinkle gold glitter in the glue. Glue googly eyes and red candy noses to the pine cones, then attach the craft sticks to the bottom. Let the glue dry completely before sticking the craft stick base into the soil around your house plants.

Reindeer Hats

Stocking cap antlers are a fun way to wear some holiday spirit. They make a playful addition to your family’s holiday greeting card photo. Cut out chunky dark brown card stock antlers. Glue metallic gold or silver pipe cleaners to the shapes to steady them and add some sparkle. Glue a section of brown felt at the base of each antler. When the glue dries completely, hand sew or glue the felt base to a brown stocking cap. Have everyone put on the reindeer hats and pose by the fireplace or in front of your window draperies for a fun holiday photoshoot.