Fun holiday crafts for kids

Holidays around the world are a time for celebration, reflection, and connection. Microsoft Surface devices offer a great platform for your kids to create memorable holiday crafts. Your Surface device can inspire and assist your kids with designing, decorating, and sharing festive creations, from greeting cards and decorations to stories and games.

These activities also promote creativity, problem-solving, and a love for technology. Using a Surface laptop, more is possible: your kids have the best creative tools right at their fingertips.

Read this article to learn a few creative craft ideas for you and your family to capture special holiday memories.

Crafting holiday magic together

Imagine the joy of creating unique digital holiday crafts together. To make the most of this creative endeavor, set up a comfortable workspace where your kids can explore their ideas without distractions. Encourage experimentation by letting them try different apps and techniques without fear of making mistakes. Provide guidance and support when needed but allow your kids to take ownership of their projects. Finally, celebrate their achievements no matter the outcome, nurturing a sense of pride and inspiring further exploration.

Digital greeting cards

Digital greeting cards bring joy to loved ones. With tools available on your Surface device from Microsoft 365 (such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Sway) your child can choose festive templates, add symbols and colors associated with the holidays your family celebrates, and even incorporate interactive elements for a truly magical touch.

1. Choose a template: Have your child start by selecting a festive template from Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.
2. Customize: Let your child personalize the card with their own drawings, photos, and messages. They can use the Surface Pen for precise strokes and the touchscreen for intuitive interactions.
3. Add a touch of magic: Encourage your child to incorporate interactive elements using Microsoft Sway to create animated greetings or sound effects.
4. Share the joy: Once the card is complete, your child can print it or send it digitally to loved ones.

Festive digital decorations

Picture your home filled with festive decorations that sparkle and shine, created by your child on your Surface device. All it takes is your child’s imagination and a few taps on your Surface device to design Christmas ornaments, Diwali diyas, apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, Kwanzaa kinaras, Lunar New Year lanterns, and more.

1. Design and decorate: Recommend your child use Paint to design unique decorations. Have them experiment with different colors, textures, and shapes. The AI-powered features available in Windows 11 help your child design images like a pro and create art like a visionary.
2. 3D printing (optional): If you have a 3D printer, your child can transform their digital designs and fill your home with decorations using Microsoft 3D Builder.
3. Digital display: Even without 3D printing, your child can print their decorations on a regular printer, display their virtual decorations on a Surface device, or share online.

An interactive presentation is also a fun way for your child to showcase their decorations. Here's how:

1. Open PowerPoint.
2. Create decorations: Encourage your child to use shapes, lines, and drawing tools to design digital decorations like ornaments, candles, stars, and lanterns.
3. Animate the decorations: Suggest adding animations to make the decorations move and sparkle.
4. Present their creation: Inspire your child to create a slideshow of the decorations and present the slideshow to family and friends.

Interactive holiday stories

It's truly special to gather as a family and watch your child share an interactive holiday story they created using the power of your Surface device. Their imagination soars as they bring their characters, settings, and plots to life, inspired by meaningful experiences associated with a holiday of their choice.

1. Create a story: Microsoft PowerPoint can be used to visualize the narrative with illustrations.
2. Add interactivity: Elements like clickable buttons, animations, and sound effects can be added.
3. Share the story: Your child can share their interactive story with the family gathered together. And they can share with friends and family afar through a link or by exporting it as a PDF.

Digital holiday scrapbooks

Watch your child's creativity flourish as they design a digital scrapbook filled with holiday meaning and memories. Your Surface device provides the tools they need to make it a fun and personalized project. Help them combine these tools to create a beautiful keepsake you all will cherish forever.

Windows Photos app and Clipchamp video editor:

1. Import photos and videos: Connect your camera or phone and transfer files.
2. Create a project: Start a new album or project.
3. Add content: Drag and drop photos into the project.
4. Customize: Add text, stickers, filters, and effects.
5. Create and edit videos: Use Clipchamp, the AI-powered video editor available with Windows 11, to easily create and edit high-quality videos and import them into the project.
6. Share: Save as a video or image or share online.

Microsoft PowerPoint:

1. Create a presentation: Start a new presentation.
2. Add slides: Create slides for each page of your scrapbook.
3. Insert content: Add photos, videos, and text boxes.
4. Design: Use themes, layouts, and formatting options to customize your slides.
5. Save and share: Save as a presentation or export as a video or image.

Microsoft Word:

1. Create a document: Start a new document.
2. Add content: Insert photos, videos, and text.
3. Format: Use styles, formatting options, and page layout to design your scrapbook.
4. Save and share: Save as a document or export as a PDF.

Code holiday games

Want to spark your child's interest in coding? Microsoft MakeCode offers a fun and engaging way to introduce them to coding concepts. Guide your child in creating a simple game with a festive theme. Not only will they learn valuable coding skills, but they'll also have a blast sharing their game with friends and family.

1. Learn to code: Introduce your child to coding concepts using Microsoft MakeCode.
2. Create a holiday game: Guide your child in creating a simple game with a holiday theme, such as a matching game or a puzzle.
3. Play and share: Test the game and share it with others to showcase your kids' coding skills.

Let the fun of holiday crafting begin

With a little imagination and the power of a Surface device, your child can create unique and memorable holiday crafts. These activities not only promote creativity and problem-solving skills but also nurture a love for technology and learning. So, grab a Surface and let the fun of holiday crafting begin!