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Sparkly Preschool Christmas Ornaments

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These bright and sparkly preschool Christmas ornaments turn plain wooden shapes, tissue paper, and rhinestones into kid-made holiday magic. Kids get to play with water, color, and gemstones while you end up with keepsakes you’ll want to hang on the tree forever.

Close-up of a hand holding a round wooden ornament colored in rainbow streaks with many faceted rhinestones glued across the surface, while a child in green and white striped pajamas works at a red-covered table with a green tray of tissue paper pieces in the background, highlighting one of the finished preschool Christmas ornaments.

Let’s make the prettiest preschool Christmas ornaments

For this project, kids layer bits of tissue paper on flat wooden ornament shapes, brush on water, and then peel the tissue away to reveal surprise colors underneath.

It’s quick to set up, super satisfying to watch, and feels like a tiny science experiment and art project rolled into one.

This might honestly be one of the most delightfully easy ornaments for kids you’ll ever put on your holiday art table.

🎄 Check out our ultimate list of Christmas sensory activities for kids!

Child wearing green and white striped pajamas with a red bow in their hair sits at a red table in front of a decorated Christmas tree, smiling at the camera while holding a partially painted round wooden ornament and a paintbrush, with crafting supplies visible on the table.

Color-mixing magic with preschool Christmas ornaments

These ornaments are a built-in invitation to explore how colors mix and blend with bleeding tissue paper (one of my most favorite things on planet Earth).

Kids can group warm colors, cool colors, or go full rainbow and then watch the dyes bleed together as the water soaks into the wood.

They’ll notice new colors sneaking in where tissue pieces overlap and discover gradients and ombré stripes.

It’s a “tree-mendously” fun way to introduce ideas like contrast, color families, and “pops” of brightness.

There’s more Christmas fun where this came from:

verhead view of two children in green and white striped pajamas with red cuffs using paintbrushes to apply water to plain round wooden shapes on a bright red table, with a white dish of rhinestones and a green tray filled with small colorful tissue paper squares set nearby as part of a preschool Christmas ornaments activity.

Materials

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Four children in matching green and white striped pajamas stand and sit around a red table covered with supplies for preschool Christmas ornaments, including a green tray with tissue paper pieces and a jar of water in the center, small white dishes of rhinestones, bottles of glue, and several colorful ornaments in progress, with Santa and Christmas tree decorations in the background.

How to make sparkly preschool Christmas ornaments

  1. Invite kids to paint a thin layer of water on their ornament and cover with tissue paper.
  2. If the tissues aren’t wet enough, model how to gently brush water over the tissue until it’s fully (but not soaking) wet.
  3. Let the ornaments sit for a few minutes while the colors bleed and soak into the surface.
  4. Carefully peel off the tissue paper.
  5. Invite kids to glue on rhinestones anywhere they want sparkle
  6. Add ribbon or string to the top holes and hang your glittering ornament.
Three-panel collage showing on the left two children in matching striped pajamas hugging in front of a decorated Christmas tree, in the center a close-up of a child’s hand dipping a paintbrush into a jar of water over a green tray filled with colorful tissue paper squares, and on the right a hand holding a yellow-orange round ornament decorated with rhinestones arranged in a smile shape, with the person’s fingers stained with paint.

Gratitude messages on the back of your rhinestone preschool ornaments

Years ago, I wrote one thing my preschoolers were asking Santa to bring on the back of their ornaments and it was a HIT with their families.

Let’s keep that magic going and write something special on the backs of these beauties.

Kids can dictate or write one thing they’re thankful for, one favorite memory from the year, or one person they’re making “extra special” this Christmas.

You can give simple prompts like:

  • “This year I loved it when…”
  • “I’m thankful for…”
  • “I want this ornament to remind me of…”
  • “I hope Santa brings me…”

Over time, flipping the ornaments over becomes a yearly tradition and a built-in gratitude practice.

Side-by-side image showing on the left a round wooden ornament covered in overlapping wet squares of brightly colored tissue paper on a red background, and on the right three finished preschool Christmas ornaments with blended rainbow colors and rhinestones glued in different patterns on the same red surface.

Quick tips for a smooth art setup

Cut tissue ahead of time so kids can dive right into arranging colors.

Place everything in shallow trays so the water, tissue, and ornaments stay somewhat contained.

Have a designated drying area ready so finished pieces have a safe place to rest.

Keep a small “test ornament” or scrap of wood handy so curious artists can experiment before committing to their real piece.

wo children in green and white striped pajamas work at a red table in front of a decorated Christmas tree, one pressing tissue paper onto a round wooden ornament near a green tray of tissue squares and jar of water, and the other holding an ornament while a square white dish of rhinestones sits nearby.

Conversation starters when making preschool Christmas ornaments

Use this time at the table to chat and connect while everyone is busy creating.

Try asking, “What do you think will happen if these two colors touch when we add water?” and then test the prediction together.

Ask, “If your ornament could talk, what would it say when we hang it on the tree?”

You can also ask, “Who would you love to make an ornament for this year?” as kids think about friends, teachers, and family members.

Hand holding a circular ornament that has a tie-dye style rainbow background and multiple jewel-shaped rhinestones, with a child in green and white striped pajamas and blurred Christmas tree lights in the background, showing a completed preschool Christmas ornaments project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of tissue paper works best?

Look for “bleeding” art tissue paper, which is made to release its color when it gets wet. Standard gift tissue usually won’t transfer color onto the wood.

Do I need to seal the ornaments?

Sealing isn’t required, but a clear spray or brush-on varnish can help protect the color and rhinestones, especially if you’ll store the ornaments and use them year after year. Make sure everything is completely dry before sealing.

What’s the best way to add names and years?

Permanent markers or paint pens work best because they are permanent.

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