I am a huge recycle junkie both in my personal and professional life. I love the idea of reusing everyday objects to save money, create less waste and teach kids about environmentally friendly values. With the holidays upon us we will be opening gifts and usually throwing out tons of tissue paper. I encourage you to consider reusing it and trying some of my DIY tissue paper holiday crafts and tips!

Storage: Since I use a lot of crafts in feeding and speech therapy, I have an entire closet dedicated to crafting projects and supplies. I use craft box sets with the snap latches, which stack beautifully and are easy to label with a label maker.

• I have one box labeled ‘Tissue Paper' to store all of my recycled paper from birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas gifts. This allows me to recycle without having clutter.
• I have another box labeled ‘Tissue Scraps’ where I place all the cut tissue paper leftover from crafting projects. Over time, this box has accumulated into a colorful display of crafting gold! These two boxes will help you create fun and exciting crafts with your kids this winter break.
• The ‘Wrapping Paper Scraps' box is for those times when you or your kids just LOVE the wrapping paper and want to save a little bit of it. This accumulates clutter if you don’t have a spot or reusable need for it. 
• I have the kids use the Play Mat for organizing their paper, glue, pom-poms and other supplies. I find that having a regimented space keeps the mess contained and the kids at the table longer. Yes!

Ornament Craft: Want to add a little DIY sparkle to your Christmas tree? Looking for a kid-friendly homemade gift? Look no further than this economical craft project! Just purchase some clear ‘Decorate your Own’ ornaments from your local craft shop, Michaels or dollar store. Generally, they are easy to find, inexpensive and perfect for little hands. Tip: Make sure to purchase the shatter resistant kind so your kids won’t hurt themselves when making this craft.

Ingredients

- 'Decorate your Own’ ornaments

- Different colored recycled tissue paper

- Scissors

- Small jingle bell

Directions

1. Gently take off the crown of the ornament ensuring that you don’t bend the clasps. 

2. Next, have your child choose their color theme from your tissue paper bin (they will need to cut up some pieces) or tissue scraps bin. 

3. Fill the ornament with the tissue paper until it is full (the tissue will settle a bit). Tip: Have your kiddo(s) cut the paper into different shapes to work on their fine motor skills, specifically their pincher or tripod grasp. 

4. If your child wants a little jingle to their ornament, have them add a small jingle bell.

5. Assist with putting the crown back on the ornament; it is a little tricky with the bendable clasps. 

6. Finally, have your child softly shake the ornament in order to blend the tissue paper and the bell. Jingle on!

Tissue & Construction Paper Craft: Do your kids want to adorn your refrigerator with a new holiday craft? Good news! This craft will keep them occupied for hours! Just throw out a couple of holiday ideas (reindeer, Santa, candy canes, ornaments and Christmas trees) to get their creative juices flowing.

Ingredients

- Different colored recycled tissue paper

- Scissors

- Glue

- Colored construction paper

- Googly eyes

- Pom-poms

- Felt stickers

Directions

1. Once your child decides on a theme, have them cut the construction paper into the shape they need. For example, our kids made a reindeer with a heart shape and a Christmas tree with a triangle shape (both pictured). 

2. Next, have them place tissue paper scraps, stickers, googly eyes and pom-poms on the construction paper to make their art project come to life.

I hope my DIY tissue paper holiday crafts fill your winter break with relaxing family time. Make sure to show off your kid’s artwork by tagging us with the hashtags #myezpzmat #playmat. Happy holidays!