Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for the coming of Jesus. It is a time of excitement for children and a chance to countdown until Christmas. An Advent wreath is one of the ways that we countdown to Christmas, by lighting another candle on the wreath each week. With this craft, students can create their own wreath in case they do not have a wreath displayed in their homes. They can add a paper flame to the candles each week to make their wreath match the wreath that they see at Mass on Sundays.
Supplies Needed:
- White Cardstock
- Green paint
- Paintbrush
- 3 purple rectangles (about 1” x 3.5”)
- 1 pink rectangle (about 1” x 3.5”)
- 4 yellow squares (about 1”)
- Scissors
To Assemble:
Paint green paint onto the student’s hand. Have them push down onto the paper two times. You might need to repaint their hand in between each time they press on the paper. You can also have them do more than two handprints to make the wreath more full. Let the paint dry.
While the paint is drying, cut out the candles. Once the wreath part is completely dry, glue the candles on. If you want the candles to have more of a buried look, glue them to the paper first and then do the handprints on top so it looks like the candles are buried in the greenery of the wreath.
Use the yellow squares and the scissors to cut out the flames. Just cut out a football shape to make the flame. You can have students glue these on all at once to represent a completed wreath, or you can have them add a flame each week during Advent.
