Painting with a fork? Yes, it’s as fun and easy as it sounds! This fork-painted Christmas tree craft is a simple yet creative activity that kids absolutely love. The unique texture created by the fork makes the tree look like it’s covered in festive branches, and adding glitter and ornaments takes it to the next level. I tried this with my kids last year, and it was an instant hit. The best part? It’s quick to set up and only requires a few basic supplies.
You’ll love this craft because it’s low-mess, super fun, and gives kids a chance to experiment with a new painting technique. Plus, the results are adorable no matter the skill level. Whether your kids are seasoned crafters or just starting out, this project is easy enough for toddlers and engaging enough for older kids. You’ll have a festive decoration to display or even use as a handmade holiday card!
Why You’ll Love This Fork-Painted Christmas Tree Craft
This activity combines creativity, fine motor skill development, and holiday fun all in one. It’s a great way to introduce kids to unconventional tools for painting, and the process itself is just plain entertaining. The addition of glitter and little “ornaments” lets kids add their own personal touch, making every tree unique. It’s a craft that’s fun to make and beautiful to display.
Materials You’ll Need
- White cardstock
- Plastic fork
- Washable paint (green, red, yellow, etc.)
- Glitter (gold and green)
- Paper plate (for the paint)
- Q-tip
- Bottle of glue
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare Your Supplies
Lay out your materials and cover your table with newspaper or a protective mat. Pour a generous amount of green washable paint onto the paper plate.
2. Start Painting the Tree
Use a pencil to trace the outline of a triangle shape on the white cardstock as a guide for where to paint. Dip the back of the plastic fork into the green paint. Press the fork onto the white cardstock to create the texture of the tree with the teeth of the fork pointing down. You can turn you page upside down (with the top of the tree at the bottom) and press the fork with the teeth facing up. Start with a large triangle shape, making strokes wider at the bottom and tapering as you go up to form the tree shape. Add as many layers as you’d like to fill out your tree. Let the paint dry for a few minutes.
3. Decorate the Tree
While the paint is still wet, sprinkle green glitter over the tree for a sparkling effect. Shake off any excess glitter onto a piece of newspaper to avoid mess.
Once the tree is dry, it’s time to decorate! Dip a Q-tip into different colors of paint and dot it onto the tree to make ornaments. You can use red, yellow, blue, or any colors you like.
4. Add a star
Add a yellow star from sparkly gold paper. Create twinkling star but adding lines coming out of the star using glue and gold glitter.
5. Let It Dry
Allow your masterpiece to dry completely before displaying it. This usually takes about 30-60 minutes depending on the thickness of the paint.
The result is a charming and festive Christmas tree craft that looks much more elaborate than it is to make. Kids will be so proud of their unique creations, and you’ll love having these as decorations or keepsakes. This simple yet stunning craft is sure to become a holiday favorite!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
