Perfect for handing out as gifts or for decorating the Christmas tree, homemade ornaments also are a great way to keep your kids busy once school lets out for the holidays.

These adorable ornaments are sure to get you and your little ones in the holiday spirit. They are simple and easy to create, and can teach kids about reusing materials found around the house. Guaranteed to fend off winter-break boredom.

Jingle bells

What better way to say happy holidays than with the jingle-jangle of a Christmas bell ornament. Warning to parents: Earplugs not included.

What you will need:

Mini clay pots

Green craft paint

Red craft paint

Foam paintbrush

Loose green glitter

Loose red glitter

Ribbon

Scissors

Medium-size jingle bells

Newspaper

1. Begin by painting the body of one of your mini clay pots. Make sure to avoid painting the rim of the pot. For younger crafters, you can tape off the area with masking tape, to avoid a mistake.

2. Once you have painted the entire body, sprinkle matching glitter onto the wet paint to give the bell a shimmery effect. When you have achieved the look you want, place the bell on newspaper to dry.

3. After the bell has completely dried, repeat the process on the rim of the pot using the other color of paint and loose glitter, so that you have contrasting colors. Allow to dry completely.

4. Cut a piece of ribbon and create the loop that you will hang the ornament from. Thread both ends of the ribbon through the hole at the bottom of the pot. Thread a jingle bell through one end of the ribbon. Finish the loop by tying the ribbon ends together. Tug on the loop to make sure that it is securely tied, and then hang the ornament.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

Santa has his trusty reindeer and now your child can have his own, too, by making one of these adorable clay-pot reindeer ornaments. Modeled after a similar ornament on the Dollar Store Crafts website, these easy and cheap-to-assemble reindeer won't cost you much time or money.

What you will need:

Ribbon

Mini clay pots

Medium-size jingle bells

Googly eyes

Adhesive

Red or black craft pom-poms

Black marker

Scissors

Brown pipe

cleaners

1. Begin by cutting a piece of ribbon long enough to create the loop from which you will hang the ornament. Flipping the mini clay pot over, thread both ends of the ribbon through the hole at the bottom of the pot. Thread a jingle bell through one end of the ribbon. Finish the loop by tying the ends together. Tug on your loop to make sure that it is secure.

2. To assemble the reindeer's face, use googly eyes and a black or red pom-pom for the nose. After this is done, create the reindeer's mouth with black marker. If you like, you can add eyelashes or eyebrows.

3. To create the reindeer's antlers, take brown pipe cleaners, cutting off two 3-inch pieces and four

1 1/2-inch pieces. Twist two of the shorter pieces onto the larger piece. Repeat for the second antler. Tuck them into the hole at the top of the ornament, on either side of the ribbon. Hang and enjoy!

Starry might

Have fun while also being eco-friendly by creating ornaments out of your Christmas cards from holidays past. Borrowed from the Good Housekeeping website, these easy-to-assemble decorations are as cute as they are environmentally sound.

What you will need:

Scissors

Assortment of Christmas cards

Adhesive

Ribbon

Hole punch

1. To begin, cut three or four same-size stars, circles or other shapes out of the Christmas cards you have. Fold the shapes in half and then, applying adhesive to each piece, glue them back-to-back-to-back.

2. Attach loops of ribbon, either by punching a hole or gluing it inside the ornament. Enjoy!

O Christmas tree

Deck the halls with your child's very own miniature Christmas tree ornament. Assembled from Popsicle sticks and other craft embellishments, these fake pines are as unique as their creators.

What you will need:

Assorted sizes of Popsicle sticks

Green acrylic paint

Foam paintbrush

Newspaper

Adhesive

Assorted beads, embellishments or sequins (preferably in holiday shapes)

Cord or string

1. Begin by picking out the Popsicle sticks you will be using to make your tree, arranging them beforehand. Use the biggest stick as the trunk, with four to five smaller sticks as branches. Starting toward the top of the trunk, these sticks will descend from smallest to largest and should lay across the trunk evenly.

2. Paint each stick green. Lay them on newspaper to dry. Flip the sticks and paint the other sides, too.

3. Once the sticks are dry, glue the "branches" to the trunk, so it resembles a tree, leaving space at the top and bottom.

4. Once this is dry, glue the "ornaments," beads or sequins, to the branches of your Christmas tree, spacing them accordingly. Use string or ribbon to create a loop to hang the ornament by.

Let it snow,

let it snow

While your little one eagerly awaits the first snowfall of winter, you can help guarantee a white Christmas by making one of these beautiful pipe cleaner snowflake ornaments, modeled after a similar ornament from MarthaStewart.com.

What you will need:

Scissors

White pipe cleaners

Needle-nose pliers

(optional)

Scissors

Newspaper

Glitter spray

Loose silver glitter

Cord or string

1. Begin by cutting the pipe cleaners into lengths. You will need three 6-inch pieces of pipe cleaner, plus six 2 1/2-inch pieces and six 2-inch pieces.

2. Once you have cut the pieces you need, take the three 6-inch pieces and twist them at midpoint until you have created a six-spoked asterisk. You can tighten the twists by clamping down on them with needle-nose pliers.

3. Continue the process by centering one 2 1/2-inch piece at the midpoint of a spoke and twisting it onto the spoke, again tightening the twist with needle-nose pliers. Repeat this step on the remaining spokes. Once again, in a similar fashion, center one 2-inch piece about half an inch from one of the previously attached 2 1/2-inch pieces and twist it onto the spoke. As before, tighten twist with needle-nose pliers if needed. Repeat this step on the remaining spokes.

4. When you have finished constructing your snowflake, place it on newspaper in a well-ventilated area and spray it with glitter spray. Immediately, take loose glitter and sprinkle it over the snowflake. Finish the ornament by tying a loop of cord or string around one of the spokes, creating a hanger.

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