Foil Bells – a Toddler Trick for the festive season

When my twin sister and I were two we made these foil bells to decorate our Christmas tree – two decades on my mother still proudly hangs them on the tree and they look as good as ever.

It is hard to imagine that your toddler could create a family heirloom with an egg carton and foil – but I am confident that these will be just as popular in your house as they are in ours.  Watching them hang their own Christmas decorations for the first time is one of those priceless family moments – so make sure you have a camera ready.

This toddler trick is perfect for all ages but with supervision as scissors are involved.  If you have older siblings this is an activity they might enjoy helping with too.

What you need:

·         An empty egg carton

·         Aluminium foil wrap

·         Wool or string

·         Scissors

How to make:

1. Cut the egg carton down the middle and then separate off each egg ‘cup’ and trim so they are all roughly the same size.  This should give you 12 individual pieces.

2. Pull a sheet of foil off your roll, approximately twice as long as your egg carton – cut into 12 squares.  You don’t need to have perfect squares – just so long as they are all roughly the same size.

3. Get your toddler to put an egg ‘cup’ upside down in the middle of the foil and then help them to pull up the sides and tuck it into the middle of the cup.  Putting your finger in the middle of the cup to hold it in place while the foil is being arranged is a good idea.  If you have too much foil then simply cut the squares smaller for the next one.

4. To finish your bell.  Use the top of the scissors to push a loop of wool through the top and tie a double knot about 2 cm up from the end of the loop – do the same on the outside of the bell and then tie the ends with enough length to form the loop.

5. Then have your toddler hang on the tree!  It’s instant success; no waiting for glue to dry!  If your tree isn’t up and ready as yet – or if, like us, space is at a premium – get your toddler to thread them on a length of string or wool and display that; the important thing is to have their handy work where everyone can admire it.

This can be a fun activity for older children to participate in…it is also a great one for your toddler to make with grand-parents or other caregivers as presents for their trees – so make sure you share the idea (and the joy).