How To Create Santa Claus Hats With Preschoolers

Christmas Theme Holiday Art Activity

Nov 28, 2009 Erica Loop

Create cute Santa Claus or Christmas elf hats in the preschool classroom. This lesson plan for early childhood educators contains simple how to steps.

Encourage pretend play with this holiday themed costume art project. Preschoolers can make their own Santa Claus or Christmas elf hats, and then wear them for a day of imaginative creative play.

Santa Claus and Christmas Elf Hat Lesson Objectives

• Create wearable art
• Explore art materials and process
• Follow steps in a sequence
• Build color and shape recognition skills
• Increase fine motor abilities
• Engage in creative/dramatic play
• Understand new vocabulary (examples include words such as costume or elf)

Age/ Grade Level

This art activity can be used with children ages four and up.

Materials Needed To Create Santa Claus Hat

• Construction paper in red or green
• White cotton balls or large pom poms
• Clear drying, non-toxic glue Tape
• Red and/or green large pom poms
• Markers
• Scissors

Steps to Create Santa Claus and Christmas Elf Hats

Pre-activity

Prior to beginning this art activity, try reading a Christmas themed story to the class. Choose a picture book that features vivid illustrations of Santa and/ or elves. Ask the children to look at the hats, and describe what they see in terms of color and shape.

Give the children the option of choosing to make a Santa hat or an elf hat. Encourage unique, individual designs or patterns. Make sure that each child has selected the type of Christmas hat that he or she would like to make before starting.

Process Steps

1. Ask the children to decorate the construction paper using markers. Add patterns in Christmas colors. Large construction paper sheets work best. Two sheets of regular sized paper may be taped together to form one larger piece.
2. Fold the construction paper (either red or green) in the shape of a cone, and tape at the edges. Ask each child to fold his or her own cone, and then help the child to fit it properly.
3. Trim any excess paper off of the bottom.
4. Glue cotton balls or large pom poms to the top (pointy part) and bottom of the hat.
5. Set aside to dry.
6. Use for dramatic play!

Christmas Art Lesson Wrap Up

After the children have completed the hats, have a discussion about the art processes used. Talk about how each hat was decorated differently. Invite each child to show his or hat and say something about how it was created.

One way to facilitate a show and share style discussion is to hold a Christmas hat fashion show. Play a CD of holiday themed music, and ask each child to model his or her hat.

Christmas Theme Preschool Enrichment Activities

This holiday art activity lends itself to other Christmas themed projects or exercises. Examples include:

• Holiday Play: Put on a class Christmas play and use the hats as costume pieces.
• Christmas Party: Wear these fun hats to a class holiday party.
• Christmas Stories: If putting on an entire play is too difficult, invite the children to wear these unique hats as the class reads a Christmas themed story.

Celebrate the Christmas holiday by making a festive Santa Claus or elf hat in the preschool classroom. This art activity is fun to make and even more fun to wear! Encourage the children to create imaginative designs that can be worn during a class play or party.

The copyright of the article How To Create Santa Claus Hats With Preschoolers in Day Care is owned by Erica Loop. Permission to republish How To Create Santa Claus Hats With Preschoolers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Santa Claus Hat

Christmas Elf

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