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Holiday Stocking Crafts

Brief Description
Students create holiday stockings from construction paper and pieces of wrapping paper cut into squares.

Objectives

Students create holiday stockings using common materials. Students describe the terms patchwork and patchwork quilt.

Keywords

holiday, Christmas, stocking, patchwork, December, quilt, craft

Materials Needed

• teacher-selected resources on holiday stockings (a few Web sites are listed in the Lesson section below)
• a few teacher-made stocking patterns created from cardboard or tagboard, at least 12 inches long and 6 to 8 inches wide
• large sheets of construction paper (different colors; 12 inches by 15 inches or 12 inches by 18 inches)
• pencils
• scissors
• glue or a stapler
• wrapping paper cut into 1- to 2-inch squares around
• small candies or other treats to put in the stockings (optional)

Lesson Plan

• Before the lesson, bring in holiday wrapping paper scraps, or ask students to bring in leftover wrapping paper.
• Discuss how Christmas stockings became a holiday tradition from teacher-selected resources or from The Christmas Stocking or Christmas Stockings.
• Distribute two pieces of construction paper per student, scissors, and glue or a stapler. Have small groups of students take turns tracing around the outline of the stocking patterns. Then ask students to cut out the stockings.
• Tell students to carefully glue or staple the edges of the sides and "foot" of the stocking only! Emphasize leaving the top of the stocking open for "filling."
  Note: If students use glue, let the stockings dry for a day; if students use staplers, proceed to the next step.
• Briefly discuss the meaning of the words patchwork and patchwork quilt. Distribute wrapping paper, and have students cut it into small squares. Tell students that they are going to use the small squares of wrapping paper to decorate their stockings like a patchwork quilt.
• Let students decorate their stockings. After the stockings have dried, you may want to let students fill their stockings with small pieces of candy or other small, inexpensive items.

Variation: For younger students, trace the stocking pattern onto sheets of construction paper. You may also want to cut out the stockings and cut the wrapping paper into small squares.

Assessment

Observe students' participation in the activity. Evaluate students' finished stockings.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Lois Lewis

National Standards

Math:
NM.5-8.13

Language Arts:
NL-ENG.K-12.3

Visual Arts:
NA-VA.K-4.1
NA-VA.5-8.1