Easy Candy Cane Craft Using Jingle Bells {Printable Included}

Inside: This candy cane craft is pure fun! All you need is the candy cane printable, a small box, paint….and jingle bells! While the final result is cute, it’s actually the process that makes this activity so popular. Even our toddlers had fun with it!

We love jingle bells during the Christmas season.

In fact, we have one week devoted to jingle bells.

We’ve tossed them in our sensory bin. We’ve added them to our science table. We’ve used them during music and movement.

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But how about using jingle bells for process art?

That’s exactly what we did this week.

And it was a huge hit in our classroom!

Easy Candy Cane Craft Using Jingle Bells {Printable Included}

We love process art because it’s open ended. Your materials list is small, it can even be altered a bit depending on your preference, and it involves actions that are fun for the children. And, when finished, no two look alike.

I appreciate activities such as this even more during the holidays, when the focus seems to be more on teacher-led crafts.

What we used for this easy preschool Christmas craft:

Jingle bells
Gold glitter paint
Red glitter paint
A small box (we actually used a plastic shoe box)
Candy cane printable page (scroll down to grab your free download!)

Setting up this activity:

Make copies of the candy cane page and cut it so that it fits in the box you are using.
Squirt red paint in one small container and gold paint in the other.
Add a few bells to each container of paint and gently move the container to coat the bells with paint.

Invite the children to place the paint-covered bells on top of the candy cane paper. Then show them how to hold onto each side of the box and gently tip it back and forth. If the children are having a hard time maneuvering the box, I will stand behind them and move the box with them until they get the feeling for it.

Once they get the motion down, they will love watching the paint travel across the paper, leaving red and gold marks.

When finished, have them remove the bells and place them back in the container of paint.

If you have children who don’t want to touch the painted bells, they can use bug tongs or even a spoon.

If not, carry on! But you might want to have some baby wipes handy for a quick clean up before heading to the sink.

Once finished, remove the paper from the box and let dry.

You could easily leave it like that, or cut the candy canes out and glue onto another piece of colored paper. I love how the red pops more with a green background.