Christmas Tree Suncatcher Art Activity for Preschoolers

This Christmas tree suncatcher STEAM activity is an engaging way for kids to explore crayon resist painting while develop fine motor skills and learning about absorption.

Christmas tree suncatcher art activity for STEAM learning. An fun Christmas craft.

My kids LOVE painting with watercolors and pipettes, so a suncatcher craft like this is perfect for them! I have to admit, I really enjoy it too.

We really enjoyed making these suncatcher stars for 4th of July, so we had to do a Christmas version. This one turned out just as beautiful. They look so pretty hanging on the window with sun coming through them!

It’s also a fantastic way for kids to experiment with absorption and saturation. Plus, it’s always cool to explore crayon resist. It is jam-packed with learning opportunities.

From science to art to fine motor development, this Christmas STEAM activity is sure to excite young learners.

Check out this post for even more Christmas science experiments!

Fun Christmas art activity for preschoolers!

Setting Up the Christmas Tree Art Activity

Supplies Needed:

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  1. Freehand or trace a Christmas tree onto the color diffusing paper or coffee filter with a pencil. Then stack a bunch together and cut out around the tree and through all of the filters.
  2. Place green watercolor paint in small cups (you can add some water to it to make it go farther) and put a pipette in each cup.
  3. Have crayons out for kids to draw ornaments and designs on the trees.

Christmas Tree Suncatcher

To begin, invite the kids to draw ornaments on the trees with crayons. It works best if they color in the ornaments and any other designs. They may want to add a star near the top, or garland or something else. All would look great!

Christmas tree crayon resist art activity for kids.

My son spent a long time drawing circles and oval shapes. He explained that some were ornaments and some were Christmas lights. I was quite surprised by his focus and determination to cover the whole tree in LOTS of small ornaments.

My toddler just drew a few circles and a few scribbles and wanted to move on to the painting portion of this activity.

Christmas tree craft suncatchers.

I demonstrated how to gently squeeze the watercolor filled pipette onto the tree and watch the paint spread around. They already know how to use pipettes because we use them very often, but if your kids are new to them, you may need to show them how to suck up the paint and squirt it out first.

Christmas tree suncatcher craft for preschoolers.

My kids are very enthusiastic about squeezing the paint out of the pipettes so their trees got a bit over saturated. This is fine though, we just place them on a tray or a piece of cardstock and let them dry out.

After it is dry, your Christmas tree suncatcher is ready to hang up on the window. I can’t help but feel cheery when I look at a window full of these beauties!

Check out these other awesome Christmas activities for preschoolers!

Christmas Tree Letter Matching Activity with Free Printable

Christmas Wreath Alphabet Activity

Christmas Tree Counting Math Activity