We have the cutest list of handmade ornaments that are made with things found in nature! We are calling them natural Christmas ornaments. Natural ornament crafts are fun for kids of all ages to make and use as decorations on the Christmas tree or even outside. From pinecone ornaments to dried fruit, we have the best homemade ornament ideas from Mother Nature.
Natural Ornaments Kids Can Make for Christmas
Each year, we make some new handmade ornaments for our Christmas tree as a family. This year I did a little research to find the best natural ornaments and thought I would create a list of all the beautiful DIY nature ornaments I found.
Related: Best DIY Christmas ornaments & How to Keep Spiders Away with Natural Spider Repellant Spray
Whether your holiday decorating style is rustic or chic, you can find the perfect handmade ornament from nature to fit your Christmas style. The best part is you will probably have most of the materials you need right outside your front door!
Nature Ornaments
Pssst…start with our nature scavenger hunt to find your perfect nature craft supplies.
1. DIY Birdseed Ornaments
Who would have thought birdseed could create a beautiful ornament? This is a great craft for children to be part of and if you have silicone molds you can make ornaments of all different shapes and sizes. Plus, most of the materials you’ll probably already have!
2. Homemade Pinecone Reindeer
Pinecones have been a versatile piece of decoration for a long time. But now instead of sitting in potpourri or in a bowl you can turn it into an adorable reindeer ornament! All you need is pipe cleaners, googly eyes, scrap cloth, and a red pom pom!
3. Do-it-Yourself Glitter Acorn Ornaments
This is one of my favorite ornaments! These glitter acorn ornaments are simple, yet elegant. All you need is a little glue, acorns, twine, and of course glitter! I love the burnt orange color they used, but you could easily use your child’s favorite color or even focus on red and green. Get wild and mix colors too!
4. Easy Homemade Dried Orange Ornaments
Who would have thought oranges could be made into ornaments? Slice the oranges and cook on low heat until they’re dry. You would easily add mod podge and glitter afterwards to make them more festive. But these dried orange ornaments will also smell amazing!
5. Super Cute DIY Walnut Reindeer
This is one of the cutest natural ornaments. I don’t know about you, but walnuts are plentiful around my house during the holidays. You can turn them into reindeer ornaments by adding mini pom poms, felt, and ribbon. This is a great Christmas craft for little hands.
6. Rustic DIY Twig Arrow Ornaments
I think these rustic twig arrow ornaments would be a great craft for preschoolers and kindergarteners. Add beads, feather, strings, and burlap to make these beautiful natural ornaments. You don’t want twigs too big though, smaller twigs work better.
7. Easy To Make Natural Ornaments
Use tree bark to decorate your Christmas tree! This is another perfect craft for smaller kids. Once you have your bark, you can use glue, Holly springs, glitter, sand, sea salt, and more! Make it your own!
8. Homemade Nature Angel Ornaments
Some natural ornaments are far from simple looking. Don’t get me wrong, these natural angel ornaments are simple to make, but they look like something you would buy out of the store. Use juniper greens, feathers, and acorns to make these lovely homemade ornaments.
9. Simple To Make Acorn Ornament
This is so cute! I love it! Use acorns to make this acorn ball ornament. You will paint a Styrofoam ball brown, then use a hot glue gun to push the acorn caps onto the ball. Then just add glitter and a bow. It is rustic and lovely!
10. DIY Rustic Flocked Pinecone Christmas Ornament
Here is another pinecone ornament, but this one is absolutely adorable. Mix white and silver glitter to look like snow, add a big ole ribbon, and add bells. It sounds simple, and it is super easy to make, but the outcome is fabulous!
11. Uniquely Easy DIY Whole Orange Ornaments
Using whole oranges to make ornaments may seem unorthodox, but they’re actually super cool as you carve the peels. However, these are more tricky to make, you have to let them airdry, but it must me on a wire rack and in a dry area of your home. If any mold develops you’ll have to start over and throw the icky ones out.
12. Chic And Rustic Homemade Ornaments
Wood slices, nails, and twin actually come together to create an amazing rustic ornament. You use small nails to nail into the wood slices and create pictures with them before weaving twine or any other type of string (like yarn) around the nail heads.
13. Recycled Driftwood Ornaments
Live near the water? Take advantage of what washes up on the beach like driftwood. You can use it to make a wooden Christmas tree ornament. Add string, and a bead on the tippy top and you’re set! Simple and sweet.
14. The Sweetest Woodland Elf Christmas Ornament Craft
How adorable is this Woodland Elf Christmas ornament? Your kids will love making their own little elf out of acorns and pinecones. Make a felt fire and don’t forget to dress your little elf warmly!
15. DIY Kissing Ball Ornament
This kissing ball ornament is made with a grapevine sphere. You then add seeded eucalyptus and berries. You can also add some mini pinecones to it. This is a super easy ornament to make and looks elegant.
16. Natural And Rustic Twig Ornament
Your natural ornaments don’t get more natural than this! Plus, this is a super easy craft for little hands. Use twigs, glue, and twine to build these rustic twig ornaments! Make stars and snowflakes of all sizes! This will need a little prep work from mom and dad to cut the twigs to the correct sizes.
17. Easy And Cute Mini Pine Cone Ornament Craft
Oh look, a second kissing ball ornament! This time though it is made by many mini pine cones. You will use a Styrofoam ball, hot glue, twine, and mini pine cones to create a darling little ornament. I will probably paint the Styrofoam ball brown and probably add some glitter to the pinecones when I make this.
18. Homemade Almond Birds
I won’t lie, I’ve never seen an almond shell before now, but now that I have, I am excited to make this almond bird ornament. These little birds are absolutely adorable. They’re tiny, with little wire feet, and a big tall felt hat! This natural ornament will take a little longer to make, but is so worth it in the end.
19. Sweet Scented Dried Orange And Cranberry Garland Craft
Garland is a type of ornament as it is snaked around the Christmas tree. This garland is bright and cheery, and may I say, it smells divine! The sweet and citrus and cranberry smells will really bring a festive touch to your Christmas tree.
20. Cute Homemade Pine Cone Owl
Use pinecones AND acorn caps to make this super cute, wide eyed, owl! Add orange feet, a beak, and use leaves to make some little wings. Make sure your leaves still have a little color that way they’re able to bend a little more and won’t just crunch and break. Oh! Don’t forget the googly eyes. This is such a fun craft for toddlers, preschoolers, and even kindergarteners.
21. Little DIY Snowman Peanut Ornament Craft
Use shelled peanuts to great little snowman ornaments! Paint each one white and add a face! Charcoal eyes, charcoal mouth, and a carrot nose! Then paint each one a different colored had. You can use different colored yarn and strings as their scarves.
22. DIY Acorn Ornaments
Have marbles laying around? Have acorns outside? Remove the acorns and glue marbles into the acorn cap to make these DIY ornaments. Stringing these ornaments may take a little work, but the result is colorful, beautiful, and a great way to make natural ornaments out of nature and recycled toys. Nothing goes to waste!
23. Simple Pine Cone Penguins Craft
Use pinecones to make these penguin ornaments! They’re easy to make and so stinkin’ cute! I love their little flat feet and their round little bodies. Add their beaks, wooden bead heads, and lanky flippers!
24. Twiggy Christmas Tree Ornament Activity
Decorate your Christmas tree with mini Christmas trees! These twig trees are easy to make and you can leave them rustic and natural looking or you can paint them! Make the rainbow, festive, or add polka dots. The options are endless!
25. Wood Slice Homemade Snowman Ornaments
Yay! More snowman ornaments! These ones are so cute! Paint their wooden bodies white and you can easily make most of their faces with your fingers. Once you’re done with the painting don’t forget to dress them up! Make them some felt scarves and add pipe cleaner and pom pom earmuffs.
26. DIY Pine Cone Angel Ornaments
These are so lovely and are the cutest rustic ornaments. You need a few supplies, but these angels are easy to make and quick to make. Nearly everything that makes this natural ornament comes from nature minus its: string, halo, and pretty face!
27. Easy Nature Reindeer Craft
These reindeer ornaments will be easy for little hands to make. You just need glue, leaves, twigs, paper, and a couple other small items. This would make a great advent activity to do together as a family as you countdown how many days till Christmas.
28. Botanical Salt Dough Ornament Activity
Speaking of divine smells bring even more festive smells into your home with these salt dough ornaments. Salt dough ornaments may not seem like natural ornaments, but once you flowers and herbs these ornaments become full of natural and wonderful scents. Plus, they look amazing too!
29. Pinecone And Cranberry Garland Craft
Looking for garland ideas for your tree? You’ll love this bleached pinecone and cranberry garland. If you make this with your family, the adults need to be the ones to bleach the pine cones and then when dried it will be safe for the little ones to touch them and add them, along with the cranberries, to the string.
30. Easy Homemade Terrarium Ornaments
These ornaments don’t get more natural than this! Take clear ornaments, clear plastic ones if you’re making these as a family, and add all sorts of nature to them. Add soil, succulents, cacti, and other sturdy plants to the clear ornaments using tweezers. These terrarium ornaments are the coolest.
MORE HOMEMADE ORNAMENTS FROM KIDS ACTIVITIES BLOG
- Pipe cleaner Christmas crafts including the cutest ornaments!
- Make this cute handprint ornament!
- Clear ornament ideas — what to fill those plastic and glass balls!
- Kid-made easy painted clear ornaments art.
- Q-Tip Snowflake Ornaments
- Christmas ornament crafts for kids <–BIG LIST
- Make the coolest natural ornaments with outdoor found objects
- FREE Printable Kids Christmas Ornaments
- Salt dough handprint ornaments you can make – this one is a nativity scene.
- Make your own ugly sweater ornament perfect for your Christmas tree!
- We love these popsicle stick ornaments.
Related: The best Christmas crafts for kids! <–Over 250 to choose from.
Which DIY natural ornament is your favorite? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
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