How to Paint Wood Slice Ornaments: Easy Ideas for Kids and Adults

Create handmade holiday memories with this simple, fun craft for all ages!

There’s something special about making your own holiday ornaments. Whether you’re painting with children, gathering around the table with family, or enjoying a little creative time for yourself, painting wood slice ornaments is a wonderful way to celebrate the season.

And the best part? You don’t need to know how to draw or paint to make something beautiful!

How My Christmas Ornament Painting Kit Began

Many years ago, a storm brought down some beautiful trees, and my husband suggested cutting a few small slices of wood.

“What could you make with these?” he asked.

My first thought was that they’d make lovely gift tags. Better yet, ornaments. Oh my goodness, wonderful Christmas ornaments!

So we started cutting wood slices, and before long, I was turning them into little painting projects. When I introduced them to adults and children, they were a hit! Everyone wanted to paint their own ornament. During COVID, a company even contacted me, and I shipped 29 kits to employees in different locations so they could paint together at a Zoom gathering.

“The team bonded and engaged their competitive spirits at the same time… everybody had a blast! These kits are high quality and more than enough paint to do a design on both sides of the wood.” — Mindy

I encouraged the kids to have fun and paint whatever they wanted. After all, creativity should be about exploring and enjoying the process. But during one workshop, I learned something interesting. Some children wanted their Santa Claus, snowman, or penguin to look exactly like the examples I had painted.

And that was perfectly fine, too! That’s when I started showing them a simple trick that makes painting wood slice ornaments easy, even if you’ve never drawn a picture before.

What You’ll Need to Paint Wood Slice Ornaments

You don’t need many supplies to get started:

• Natural wood slices, preferably with a small hole for hanging
• Acrylic craft paints in your favorite colors
• Small paintbrushes
• Pencil
• Tracing paper or ordinary paper
• Simple holiday drawings or coloring book images
• Ribbon, twine, or string for hanging
• Water and paper towels for cleaning brushes

Teaching Artist Tip: If you’re painting with a group, have extra paintbrushes available so everyone can create together without waiting for supplies.

If you don’t have wood slices or would prefer everything gathered for you, my Christmas Ornament Painting Kit includes six wood slices, acrylic paints, two brushes, yarn for hanging, and an idea sheet.

How to Paint Wood Slice Ornaments: Step by Step

Step 1: Choose Your Design

Start by deciding what you’d like to paint. Some of my favorite easy Christmas ornament designs include:

• A cheerful snowman with a carrot nose
• Santa Claus with his red hat
• A playful penguin
• A simple Christmas tree
• Snowflakes and stars
• Colorful dots, stripes, and patterns

You can paint freehand, use a reference picture, or trace your design directly onto the wood. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to decorate your ornament!

Step 2: Transfer a Design Without Knowing How to Draw

Here’s one of my favorite tricks for beginners. Let’s say your child wants to paint a snowman that looks just like the one on the ornament kit packaging. You can easily transfer the design onto the wood with a pencil and paper.

Here’s how:

1. Find a simple drawing of a snowman, Santa, penguin, or another holiday character.
2. Trace or copy the design onto a piece of paper.
3. Turn the paper over and use a soft graphite pencil to scribble over the back of the drawing, covering the areas where the lines appear.
4. Place the paper on your wood slice with the scribbled side facing the wood.
5. Carefully trace over the lines of your drawing with a pencil.
6. Lift the paper, and you’ll see a light outline transferred onto the wood.

Now you’re ready to paint! It’s almost like painting by numbers, except you get to choose all your own colors. This technique also works with simple drawings from coloring books.

Teaching Artist Tip: Choose designs with large, simple shapes. They’re easier for little hands to paint and look wonderful on small wood slices.

Step 3: Paint Your Ornament

Once you’ve transferred your design, it’s time for the fun part! Use acrylic craft paint to fill in the different areas of your drawing. For a snowman, start with the white body, let it dry, then add the carrot nose, eyes, scarf, and buttons. For Santa, start with the larger red and white shapes, then add the smaller facial details.

Let each layer dry before painting over it to keep your colors from mixing. Thin coats of acrylic usually dry in well under an hour; thicker layers take longer. And don’t worry about making everything perfect. Handmade ornaments have a special charm because each one is unique.

Step 4: Try Finger Painting with Younger Children

Not every child wants to paint a detailed snowman or Santa Claus. Some want to explore the colors! For younger children, finger painting on wood slices can be a wonderful alternative. Let them create colorful dots, swirls, and patterns. They might even discover that a few fingerprints can become berries, snowflakes, or decorations on a Christmas tree. The finished ornaments are often wonderfully expressive.

For very young children, tape the bottom of the ornament to a sheet of paper or cardboard. Please it in a Ziplock bag with a few dabs of paint. And let your child have some fun and no worry of a mess for you. If not using a bag and allowing them to finger paint make sure to use child-safe, washable paints (not the acrylic paints from the kit), and supervise the activity.

Step 5: Add a Ribbon and Hang Your Ornament

Once your ornament is completely dry, thread a ribbon or piece of twine through the hole at the top. Your handmade ornament is ready for the Christmas tree! You can also use painted wood slices as gift tags, package decorations, or small handmade gifts.

Start a Family Tradition with Handmade Ornaments

Here’s an idea I especially love. Have your children or grandchildren paint a new wood slice ornament every year. On the back, write their name and the year they made it.

Imagine a grandmother receiving a handmade ornament from her grandchild each Christmas. By the time that child turns 18, she’ll have a beautiful collection that shows how her grandchild has grown. And there’s no reason to stop at 18. Handmade gifts become even more meaningful with time. What a wonderful family tradition!

More Easy Nature-Inspired Ornament Ideas

While we’re talking about handmade ornaments, I want to share two more creative ideas using natural materials.

Colorful Painted Pinecone Ornaments

Pinecones make wonderful holiday decorations, especially when children get to choose their own colors. Collect a few clean, dry pinecones and let the children paint the tips in red, green, white, gold, or whatever colors they like. You can also add a little craft glue and glitter for some holiday sparkle. Attach a ribbon or twine, and you have another handmade ornament for your tree.

A quick note from my Vermont studio: Some of the pinecones I’ve collected this year have been especially full of sticky sap! I’ve tried several ways to clean them, but some are too sticky to use. I recommend choosing naturally dry pinecones rather than trying to heat heavily resinous ones.

Pinecone Bird Feeders: Ornaments for the Birds!

This is another favorite activity I’ve enjoyed with my family over the years. Instead of making an ornament for your indoor Christmas tree, why not make one for the birds outside?

You’ll need a clean, dry pinecone, peanut butter, birdseed, and natural twine.

1. Tie the twine securely around the top of the pinecone.
2. Spread a nice, even layer of peanut butter all over the pinecone.
3. Roll the pinecone in birdseed until it’s covered.
4. Hang it outside where you can enjoy watching the birds visit.

Use plain, unsalted peanut butter without xylitol or other sweeteners, and hang the feeder where pets can’t reach it. The different colors and textures of the seeds give these ornaments a lovely natural appearance.

If you have a small evergreen tree outside, imagine it decorated with these pinecone feeders and a few twinkling lights nearby. Then sit back and enjoy watching the birds!

A Fun Holiday Craft for Thanksgiving Gatherings, Too

One thing I love about painting wood slice ornaments is how easily they bring people together. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to set up a little ornament-painting station. When family members of different ages gather around the table, finding an activity everyone can enjoy isn’t always easy.

But painting ornaments lets everyone take part. Grandparents, parents, teenagers, and young children can all create something at their own pace. Some might carefully paint a detailed Santa Claus, while others enjoy experimenting with colorful patterns. And that’s what creativity is all about!

You don’t need to be an artist. You just need a little imagination and a willingness to have fun.

Ready to Paint Your Own Wood Slice Ornaments?

If you’d like to try this project but don’t have wood slices or supplies on hand, take a look at my Christmas Ornament Painting Kit. It’s designed to make creativity easy and enjoyable for both children and adults, and it’s a fun activity for holiday gatherings, family craft nights, and handmade gift-giving.

Painting with a group? You can add extra paintbrushes so everyone can join in. And if you’re planning a larger gathering or a team event, contact me about group kits.

Prefer to create together in my studio? Join my Needle Felted Holiday Ornaments workshop on December 3. Seats are limited.

Shop the Christmas Ornament Painting Kit

I hope this inspires you to gather around the table, pick up a paintbrush, and make something special. Sometimes the simplest creative projects become the most treasured holiday memories.

Happy creating!