Paper ornaments are one of the easiest Christmas crafts you can make at home. Print a page, grab some markers, and in an hour your tree has a dozen new decorations your kids made themselves.
This set has 12 ornaments to color: a striped ball, a star, a bell, a snowflake ball, a gingerbread house, a mitten, a stocking, a candy cane circle, a Christmas tree, a reindeer, a snowman and a gift box. There are four on each page, and every one has a small circle at the top that shows you where to punch the hole.
The free PDF is three pages and prints on regular US letter paper. Download it below, then follow the steps to turn the pages into ornaments that last for years.
Free printables in this post:
What You Need
- The free ornament PDF (3 pages, US letter size)
- White cardstock. 65 lb cardstock works in most home printers. Plain printer paper works too, but it curls on the tree.
- Crayons, markers or colored pencils
- Scissors (kid scissors for little hands)
- A single hole punch
- Ribbon, yarn or baker's twine, about 8 inches for each ornament
- Optional: glue stick, glitter glue, and a second printed copy if you want two-sided ornaments
How to Make the Paper Ornaments
- Print on cardstock. In the print window, choose Actual size or 100% so each ornament comes out about 3.5 to 4 inches tall. That is a good size for a tree.
- Color before you cut. A full sheet lies flat, so coloring is easier. If you use markers, give the ink a few minutes to dry so it does not smear on your fingers.
- Cut out each ornament. Cut along the outside line. Some ornaments have a second outline around them. Cut on the outer one to keep a thin white border. It looks neat and is much easier for kids to follow.
- Punch the hole. Each ornament has a small circle near the top. Line your hole punch up with it and press. If your punch will not reach, a grownup can poke a hole with a sharp pencil while the paper rests on a ball of play dough.
- Add the ribbon. Thread about 8 inches of ribbon through the hole and tie the ends in a knot. Hang it on the tree, a doorknob or a branch in a vase.
Download the 12 ornaments (PDF)
Tips for Sturdy Two-Sided Ornaments
Paper ornaments last longer with one of these easy upgrades:
- Make them two-sided. Print two copies of a page. Color both, cut both, and glue them back to back with a glue stick. Tuck the ribbon loop between the layers before you press them together, and you can skip the hole punch.
- Back them with cardboard. Glue a colored ornament onto the plain side of a cereal box, then cut around it again. It will not bend.
- Cover them. Clear packing tape or a laminating sheet over the front protects the coloring from little hands and damp air.
- Write the year on the back. Add your child's name and age. In a few years these become the ornaments everyone looks for first.
1. Classic Striped Ball Ornament
Coloring idea: Color each band a different color, like red, green and gold, and leave the dots white so they look like little lights.
2. Christmas Star Ornament
Coloring idea: Make the star gold or yellow, then color the swirls and dots red and green so it looks like a frosted cookie.
3. Jingle Bell With a Bow Ornament
Coloring idea: Try a gold bell with a red bow and dark green holly leaves, then add red dots for the berries.
4. Snowflake Ball Ornament
Coloring idea: Color the ball deep blue or purple and leave the snowflake white so it pops, or trace it with silver glitter glue.
5. Gingerbread House Ornament
Coloring idea: Use light brown for the walls, white or pink for the icing, and every color in the box for the candies.
6. Cozy Mitten Ornament
Coloring idea: Pick a warm color like red or teal for the mitten and color the cuff in stripes so it looks like knit yarn.
7. Christmas Stocking Ornament
Coloring idea: Color the stripes red and white, leave the cuff fluffy white, and make the little stars yellow.
8. Candy Cane Circle Ornament
Coloring idea: Give the candy canes red stripes and a green bow, then fill the circle with soft blue so the red stands out.
9. Christmas Tree Ornament
Coloring idea: Make the tree green and the garland gold, give every bauble its own color, and finish with a yellow star.
10. Reindeer in a Circle Ornament
Coloring idea: Color the face light brown, the antlers dark brown and the nose red, with a snowy blue ring around it.
11. Snowman Ornament
Coloring idea: Leave the snowman white, then color the hat black, the scarf in bright stripes and the nose carrot orange.
12. Gift Box Ornament
Coloring idea: Pick one color for the wrapping paper and a bold second color for the ribbon, bow and polka dots.
More Ways to Use These Ornaments
- Gift tags. Color one, write To and From on the back, and tie it to a present with the ribbon.
- Garland. String all 12 on a long piece of twine and hang it across a mantel or a doorway.
- Window decorations. Tape them in a window facing out so people walking by can see them.
- Place cards. Write each guest's name on an ornament and set one at every plate for Christmas dinner.
- Class party craft. Print one page for each child. Four ornaments is about right for a 30 minute party station.
Save this page so you can print a fresh set next year. Kids love to see how their coloring changes from one Christmas to the next, so write the year on the back of each ornament before you hang it.