Christmas Popsicle Stick Ornaments

Decorating for Christmas is one of the best parts of the holiday season, and when you can combine trimming the tree and craft that your kids will also love? Well, that’s just about as cute as it gets. Popsicle stick ornament crafts are an affordable way to let kids be creative and make their own Christmas decorations for giving or for decking your own halls, and we’ve got tons of options to make your holidays bright.

This nostalgic and keepsake craft is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. Make an English muffin snowman for a treat and get ready to trim the tree with these ornaments that you’ll be excited to hang on the tree every year! We have 10 ideas below to help kickstart the creativity!

Why you’ll love popsicle stick ornaments:

They are easy: While you can add as much detail as you like to your individual ornament, the basic shape of each one is pretty simple to make so you can spend your creative energy choosing colors and finishing touches.

They are inexpensive: A big bag of popsicle sticks, some acrylic paint, and some colored paper and string will go a long way in creating endless ornament possibilities!

A fun craft for all ages: This is a great craft idea for toddlers up through elementary school age kids. Adults can assemble the glued wooden base first for the smallest kids and let them do some painting and help glue on the accents.

Supplies for popsicle stick ornaments:

pack of craft popsicle sticks
acrylic paint
colored paper or glitter paper
google eyes
pipe cleaners or string to hang the ornament
low temp-glue gun (preferred) or school glue
bits of ribbon, sequins, pom poms (or cotton balls), or anything else you have in your craft stash- be creative!

Do I need to use a glue gun for this craft?

You don’t have to use a glue gun for these crafts, but a low-temp glue gun will give you a sturdier ornament overall and dry almost instantly so you can get to the painting decorating part faster (make sure an adult is using the glue gun).

If you use a glue stick or school glue, just make sure that it’s set before moving onto the decorating part so your ornament doesn’t move as you paint/decorate it.

You can also have an adult glue the popsicle shape with a glue gun, and then little hands can use school glue or a glue stick to add the decorations. Let the ornament sit to fully dry when done.

How to make a Santa popsicle stick ornament:

Set 4 popsicle sticks side by side and break off smaller pieces to glue on the back to keep them sturdy and together.
Flip to the front and paint the bottom half red and the top half your Santa skin tone of choice.

Make a hat out of a red triangle and some pom poms (or cotton balls) and a white beard out of felt/paper/cotton balls (your choice!). Add google eyes and a red round nose and a simple black rectangle belt with a sequin or paper belt buckle.
Attach your hat, belt, and face to your Santa and draw or paint on a smile. Finish with a loop to hang.

How to make a Christmas Tree popsicle stick ornament:

Cut or break off 1/3 of a popsicle stick to be the bottom edge of your tree. Attach that to a “V” of two whole sticks to create your tree triangle. Add the short part you snapped off as the trunk.
Paint your tree part green and your trunk section brown.

Glue a green pipe cleaner or ribbon under the bottom of the ornament and wind your way up the tree.
Add ornaments and a star with glue, and glue a hanger of pipe cleaner or string to complete.

How to make a Snowman popsicle stick ornament:

Set 6 popsicle sticks side by side and glue another stick horizontally a little more than halfway up to keep them together and to be your hat brim.
Paint your hat brim and above black and the lower half white to be the face.
Add some paper or ribbon scrap to be a hat band, google eyes, a triangle nose, and some rosy cheeks and a smile to complete your face.
Add a loop to complete your ornament!

How to make a Reindeer popsicle stick ornament:

Make a “V” shape with 2 glued popsicle sticks and glue another one across the opening to make the shape above.
Paint your sticks brown. When dry, flip over and cut and glue a piece of brown paper to fit the triangle opening to fill in the face of your reindeer.

Flip back to front and add some google eyes, a red pom pom (or paper circle) nose, and twist and bend some pipe cleaners around your antler nubs to make taller antlers.
Add a loop for hanging to complete!

How to make a Truck popsicle stick ornament:

To make a truck shape, start with 2 horizontal popsicle sticks for the truck body, and use 3 half sticks to be the shape of the truck cab and window.
Glue the vertical window pieces onto the back of the body sticks with the front windshield stick at an angle. Glue the top half over the top of the window sticks to make the shape shown in the second photo above.
Make a backwards “7” shape to be the truck bed fence and glue that to the back of the truck body as well at the end of your truck bed.

Once you have your truck shape, paint your truck body red.
Cut out circle paper wheels and a shape to glue on the backside to make your window look black (or you can leave that open if you prefer or even put a small photo of your kid “driving” the truck!). Create a little tree out of paper/pipe cleaners etc. to put into your truck bed.
Add a hanging loop to complete your Christmas tree hauling truck!

How to make a Sled popsicle stick ornament:

Cut or snap off 1″ on 2 popsicle sticks. Cut or snap off 1.5″ on 2 more sticks. Arrange them with the taller ones in the middle and the shorter ones on the outside. Use short popsicle stick pieces to glue across them to keep the stable like you see in the photo.
You’ll also want to put out 2 whole popsicle sticks for the sled runners and a 1/3 of a stick to be the front of the sled.
Glue your full length runner sticks onto the bottom side of your sled with about 1″ sticking out the front side of the sled.

Flip your sled over and glue on the short front edge of your sled.
Then paint your sled body one color and the runners another color.
Add a decoration like a holly leaf or a mini Christmas tree on the sled if you like!
Complete with a hanging loop.

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How to make a Present popsicle stick ornament:

Make a square out of 4 popsicle sticks, glued together in the corners. Glue a “+” sign with 2 more sticks.
Add the “+” shape to the square with glue and paint your shape your desired color.

Use a complementary color wrapping paper and cut out a square just big enough to be glued onto the back of your present to show through on the front.
Add a paper or ribbon bow to the front. Glue on a loop for hanging and you’re done!

How to make a Hot Chocolate popsicle stick ornament:

Put 8 popsicle sticks side by side and use two partial sticks glued across the back to keep it stable as shown.
Flip over your mug body and paint it your desired color. Use a similar color paper to cut out a “C” shape for a mug handle. Glue your handle in place.

Finish decorating your mug with a holiday theme like a tree or Santa face, and glue on white pom poms (or cotton balls) to be your whipped cream topping.
Add a loop for hanging to complete.

How to make a Snowflake popsicle stick ornament:

We made a whole post and tutorial around making popsicle stick snowflake ornaments if you’re looking for more ideas for this simple craft be sure to check it out!

popsicle sticks being made into snowflakes

Make a “+” shape with 2 popsicle sticks.
Add 2 more sticks on top in an “x” shape to make a snowflake.

Paint your snowflake an icy color and decorate with glitter or pom poms.
Add a hanging loop to complete.

How to make a Gingerbread House popsicle stick ornament:

To make your house shape, you can EITHER glue 7 whole popsicle sticks together (with some cross pieces to keep them together like shown above) and then have an adult use scissors to cut the point into the house shape at the top, OR, you can break each stick at different heights to create the height in the middle (your roof sticks will cover the different heights on the front side anyways).
Cut or break two sticks to be long enough to cover your roofline and be your roof shape. Attach on the front with glue.
Paint your house brown and let the paint dry.

Add painted details in white like windows, bows, or scalloped designs. Decorate with a door and pom poms or paper bushes. Use paper or ribbon for trim details.
Add a loop for hanging to complete.

Tips for popsicle stick ornaments:

Use the craft supplies you have on hand! No pom poms? Use cotton balls. No ribbon? Use strips of fabric or patterned paper. Get creative with what you have and make it your own.
Add the year on the back of each ornament so you remember how little they were when they made it!
Try this craft during the long holiday school break! Projects like this can help occupy little hands and minds.
Having an adult use a low temp glue gun to assemble your popsicle base is the fastest way to get to decorating. Letting school glue and glue sticks takes longer.