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Symmetrical Christmas tree art project for kids

Symmetrical Christmas Tree

Create a Christmas tree that reinforces my favorite art concept: symmetry. Folding a piece of paper and snipping away to create an incredible shape is always a HUGE hit with the kids.

And it’s also a great opportunity to help children develop critical thinking skills. Cutting on the correct side of the paper (the fold) isn’t as intuitive as you might think.

This holiday project combines symmetry on two levels: the tree and the ornaments.

For younger students, making round ornaments with a circle tracer might be a great adaptation. Older kids will love crafting their own ornament shapes from folded paper.

Watch this process video to see how it’s done:

Click the box below to DOWNLOAD a Holiday Ornaments drawing guide to use for your Christmas tree.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • 12″ x 9″ colored paper
  • 4″ x 6″ scraps of colored or glitter paper for ornaments
  • 3″ x 3″ black paper for tree pot
  • Colored oil pastel or crayon for drawing (I’d recommend pencils only for kids 10+ because younger children tend to draw too small with them)
  • Black or colored markers
  • Construction paper crayons for details
  • Scissors and glue

STEP 1

make a symmetrical christmas tree outline tree drawing

Fold colored paper in half. Place crayon on the top of folded paper right on the fold line.

Draw a tree shape down the side of the paper considering that an evergreen tree is smaller at the top and wider at the base (triangle).

Add a small rectangle for there tree trunk.

STEP 2

how to make a symmetrical christmas tree put pieces together

Fold the black paper in half and draw a trapezoid shape for the tree stand/pot.

Glue tree and pot to back of an additional sheet of white paper or just the pot to the tree (without a background paper)

STEP 3

make a symmetrical christmas tree add garland with marker

With a criss-cross motion, draw lines with either a colored, black or even metallic marker or oil pastel over the tree.

Fill lines with short strokes for the “tinsel”.

Use construction paper crayons to add “lights” to swags.

STEP 4

make a christmas symmetrical tree add and cut ornaments glue together

Offer children a selection of colored papers. Refer to the drawing handout for some ornament shapes. Fold papers in half and cut out desired ornament shape.

Glue onto tree.

Optional: if you are a fan of glitter (me!) then this is a wonderful opportunity to add some sparkle to this colorful tree.

How to add glitter without making too much of a mess:

Kids can use white school glue to any area of the tree (the line of tinsel is a great start).

Then, have them walk back to a special “glitter” table where an adult or anointed “Glitter Queen” will sprinkle a section of one or two glitter colors over the glue.

Resist the urge to offer more than 2 colors or children will be stymied with a very difficult decision.

Comment below how this project worked for you!

symmetrical christmas tree pin how to make projects for kids art

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  • Debi London

    Fab!

  • Susan Smith

    love this tree .

  • elsa clark

    I have been meaning to comment. It has been a while since you have actually put out real art projects. Very disappointed.

    • Trisha

      I can’t believe you left that comment! Many of these lessons (whether you like them or not) are on here for FREE, such as this one was. You can choose to use them or not. It’s definitely not kind or helpful to leave such a comment.

    • Patty

      Hi Elsa,
      Thanks for your suggestion. What do you consider real? Let me know because I can help point you in the direction of art projects that maybe more aligned to your philosophy.
      The art projects on Deep Space Sparkle are a refection of my art philosophy (we go deeper into art history in our membership program for art teachers) but we may not be right for you.

  • Nika

    Great work!

  • Jeanie

    Love, Love, all your real art projects. So nice to have all the resources available to inspire my own creations, building lesson plans to meet with the curriculum of five different school districts, enriching the Meet and Masters K-8 school program, a STEAM school and individualize requests from teachers for seasonal art projects or specialized in history, science and math. Love it that you provide a format for creating my own art world making it possible for me to outreach to so many children. Thank you for your incredible work ethic and keeping your focus on the good in the world. Such a joy to be on this adventure with you.

  • Rachel Artiano

    Great project!

  • Jessica Sue

    My school doesn’t have a time dedicated for an “art class” (as in one with an art teacher), but I try to insert it into my schedule each week. Thank you, Patty, for your lessons, and I’ve loved ones I’ve used (the nutcracker is one of my favorites). Although I haven’t taught it, this Christmas tree one looks soo much fun!

  • Kerry K Deckert

    Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am a COVID homeschooler and I’m learning so much about teaching my kids. One of the things I’ve really been remiss about is art. This project is perfect for my 2nd and 5th grader, plus it reinforces symmetry which we have been covering in our math lessons. It’s fun, festive and I have all of the materials on hand. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this. You’ve made my homeschool life easier.

  • Sabrina Grimes

    I love this! It is coming out so cute…but my 4th graders are still struggling with cutting and drawing. (Those fine motor skills needs some work.) We are doing this over a few days. Only problem I have is I can’t find the drawing handout. Is there someplace special I need to look? Thanks for sharing this great idea!

    • Bethany

      Hi Sabrina this is Bethany from Team Sparkle. It doesn’t look like this lesson comes with a template for the tree. There is a template you can receive for the ornaments which can be added to the tree. If you are interested more complete lessons you might be interested in joining The Sparklers’ Club! Teachers can customize their own art program by picking and choosing the lessons they want to use to complement their curriculum. Or they can follow one of the three curriculum that we provide. Teachers in our program have several pathways to find success in their classroom. Also worth noting, all lessons are aligned with the NCAS standards and we have all the matching done for you! The corresponding NCAS standards (and Common Core connections) are listed in each lesson plan for the appropriate grade level. To get on the Sparklers’ Club waitlist click here: https://deepspacesparkle.lpages.co/the-sparklers-club-waitlist/

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