This Symmetry Christmas Tree Painting is a fun way teach kids about symmetry with a fun Christmas craft for kids!
Christmas is just around the corner and it’s the perfect time to do a fun Christmas tree craft for kids!
This Christmas symmetry art for kids is a fun craft that is a spin off from other symmetry crafts from my teaching days.
The kids in my preschool and kindergarten classrooms always really enjoyed symmetry projects because they loved the surprise at the end, when the symmetry print is revealed!
It was fun watching their eyes light up with excitement!
To make this craft super simple, I’ve created a free printable Christmas tree for you to use.
I created 3 different Christmas tree templates. There are Christmas Tree shapes both with and without the line of symmetry drawn on them.
I hope you find the perfect printable for your symmetry Christmas tree project!
What is symmetry?
According to Super Simple, symmetry is when two halves of a whole are perfectly identical. When something is symmetrical, you can draw a line down it and each side looks the same.
You might say, they are mirror images of each other.
The line down the middle is called the Line of Symmetry. An example of symmetry is a butterfly, because it has two identical sides.
This Christmas tree symmetry activity is a great way to introduce symmetry to little ones.
Kids will enjoy creating their own cool Christmas trees by painting the Christmas tree on one side and then folding on the line of symmetry to print a symmetrical pattern on the other side of the piece of paper.
Alright, let’s get started making our Christmas Tree symmetry art!
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Supplies for Christmas Tree Symmetry Painting
For this Christmas Tree Painting Symmetry project, you will need the following craft supplies:
- Free Christmas Tree Symmetry Printable – Found in this article
- Kids Washable Paint – We love this washable paint by Crayola
- Paper Plates
- Q-Tips (or paint brushes)
How to make Symmetry Christmas Tree Art
First, print out the symmetry Christmas tree craft template.
We are going to fold our paper in advance to make it easier to fold over later. So, help your child fold the paper at the line of symmetry, then flatten the page back to normal.
Pour several different colors of paint onto the paper plate for your child. We used green for the tree, yellow for the star, and a few other colors for ornaments.
We like to do symmetry painting with Q-Tips, but paint brushes will work as well. We find that Q-Tips help the kids paint a little thicker, which is important when you are making symmetry prints.
Show your child the line of symmetry. Remind them to only paint the left side of the Christmas Tree and to not cross that line with their paint.
(We are only painting half of the Christmas Tree so that we can print the symmetrical tree image on the other side of the page.)
To make a print on the other side, the paint needs to be thick enough and wet enough. So, encourage your child to paint a thick layer and to paint quickly. If your child takes too long, the paint will dry before they get to make their symmetry print.
Once they have painted the left side of the tree, help them fold the right side over the left side. Press the paper together, then assist them in opening the Christmas Tree printable.
Kids will light up in excitement! They will be amazed to see that their painting has been replicated onto the right side of the Christmas tree!
And… that’s it! You’ve made a Symmetry Christmas tree!
My little ones loved this so much, they immediately wanted to make more! Look at that smile!
Get the Christmas Symmetry Printable
To get the free symmetry Christmas Tree craft template set, just click on the black download button below!
There’s a Christmas tree symmetry worksheet both with the symmetry line printed and a plain Christmas tree template without the line.
Choose the Christmas tree symmetry printable you think will work best for your children.
Each Christmas tree is centered on the page to make folding for the line of symmetry super easy.
My youngest child preferred using the papers with the line of symmetry drawn on them for this Christmas tree project. She liked knowing exactly where to stop painting.
More Symmetry Crafts
You can find more symmetry crafts here on my blog.
There’s a fun Symmetry Butterfly here and a Flower Symmetry Craft here.
What fun activity ideas for both older kids and younger ones alike!
You can also find a printable Easter egg symmetry art project here.
Symmetry crafts are the perfect way to help kids understand symmetry, build good hand-eye coordination, and develop fine motor skills.
More Christmas Crafts for Kids
Looking for more ideas for your Christmas lesson plans? You can find more Christmas crafts and activities for kids on my blog.
There’s a fun Santa Claus Sand Art craft here. Little ones will enjoy outlining the Santa face in glue and adding colored sand or glitter to it!
If you are looking for Christmas ornament ideas and Christmas decorations for kids to make, there’s tons of easy Christmas crafts for preschoolers here. You are sure to find a great addition to your holiday ideas for kids.
Don’t miss these fun Christmas Puppy Coloring pages. There’s puppies with Santa, in a stocking and more!
Plus you can find some fun Christmas Ornament Coloring Sheets here. These free printables are perfect for holiday fun in the classroom or at home.
There’s a cool Decorate a Christmas Tree craft here. It’s always fun to see the creativity in the children’s Christmas tree designs.
These Free Christmas Dot to Dot printables are perfect for the holiday season. Preschoolers can connect the dots to create a gingerbread man, Santa, a Christmas stocking and a Christmas tree.
Save this idea for later by pinning the image below to your Preschool Activities board on Pinterest!
