This 12 Days of Christmas Craft is inspired by the ’12 Days of Christmas’ carol to celebrate the holiday season and make lasting memories!

For most of us, Jingle Bells is our favorite Christmas carol, since it’s super popular and everyone knows the words. However, for me, the one carol that always intrigued me was the one about ’12 Days of Christmas’. I have often wondered what the lines in it meant!

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What are The 12 Days of Christmas gifts?

‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ isn’t just an interesting carol – it is also the longest one! It talks about a long list of gifts the song’s singer gets from his/her true love. Here’s what the gifts look like for each day:

Day 1: A partridge in a pear tree
Day 2: Two turtle doves
Day 3: Three French hens
Day 4: Four calling birds
Day 5: Five golden rings
Day 6: Six geese a-laying
Day 7: Seven swans a-swimming
Day 8: Eight maids a-milking
Day 9: Nine ladies dancing
Day 10: 10 lords a-leaping
Day 11: 11 pipers piping
Day 12: 12 drummers drumming

What are the origins of The 12 Days of Christmas carol?

Many people aren’t aware of when the 12 days of Christmas actually are; they begin on Christmas (25th December) and end on Epiphany (January 6). This period was considered to be a time of resting and being with loved ones, as an extension of the Christmas holiday.

Coming to the song, it was first found in a 1780 book, Mirth Without Mischief. It is assumed that it was probably meant as a game for kids, which tested both their counting and memory. Some believe that the ‘true love’ here is actually a reference to God, who’s blessing us with gifts.

While there are many interpretations of the song, we’re going in another direction – a crafty one! We’ve got a fun 12 Days of Christmas Craft for kids today, which is really easy to make with basic craft supplies you have at home.

12 Days of Christmas Craft – Fun Craft for Kids

This 12 Days of Christmas Craft is inspired by the '12 Days of Christmas' carol to celebrate the holiday season and make lasting memories!

Supplies required:

White card stock or thick craft paper
Craft paper in assorted colors
Craft sticks
Scissors
Glue

How to make the 12 Days of Christmas Craft:

Download and print the template for the 12 Days of Christmas Craft. Click the image below to get the template from our shop. The template contains the parts need for all 12 crafts. Cut out 12 oval shapes from the white card stock.

1. A Partridge in a Pear Tree Craft

Let’s start with the craft for the first day of Christmas, which is the partridge on a pear tree. Glue the wing on the bird and stick the leaves on the branch. Stick the tree branch on the oval base. Glue the pear on the branches and then glue the bird near the pear. Use a sharpie to add details on the bird.

2. Turtle Doves Craft

Remember the scene in Home Alone when Kevin takes a turtle dove from the Christmas tree, and he is told to take two because they always come in pairs? Well, that’s what we’re thinking of as we make this part of the 12 Days of Christmas Craft! Stick the wings on the turtle doves and then attach them to the oval base. Use a colored marker to add some details.

3. French Hen Craft

This is a fun craft that also works well for farm-theme projects! Assemble the hen by sticking the wing on the bird’s body, the feet at the bottom, and the crown on the head. Stick the hen on the oval base and add in some facial features with a marker.

4. Calling Birds Craft

There’s an interesting bit of trivia behind this section of the 12 Days of Christmas Craft – The original lyrics of the song were ‘4 colly birds’, which was another term used to refer to blackbirds in old England. Well for the purposes of this craft though, we’ll go with a yellow tweety bird! Simply stick the wing and legs on the bird, add it to the base and add some musical notes with a marker!

5. Golden Rings Craft

No, we haven’t suddenly moved from birds to metals, but the five gold rings here refer to the golden necks of pheasants! However, this is probably the easiest among all the parts of this 12 Days of Christmas Craft, featuring a single gold ring!

6. Geese a-laying Craft

As we move through the Christmas carol, we notice that our birds are beginning to become more active, and here we have geese laying eggs! Stick the wing and beak on the goose first, then follow it up by sticking 3 eggs to the bottom. Stick the bird and eggs on the oval base and add in those details with a marker.

7. Swans-a-swimming Craft

If the geese were laying eggs, our swans have decided to go swimming! This particular section of the 12 Days of Christmas Craft includes a background within a background – there is a yellow-blue background for the white swan, which is then stuck on the oval base.

8. Maids-a-milking Milk Pail Craft

And from birds, we move on to humans, or more specifically, female humans! A milkmaid’s most prized possession has got to be her milk pail, which is what we’re making in this craft. Cut out a little piece of white paper to look like milk in the pail and stick it on the pail. Stick the pail on the base and add some details to the pail to make it more realistic.

9. Dancing Lady Craft

If you love dancing, you’ll love this ballerina craft too! Simply stick the ballerina’s dress on her body and color her hair. You can also add some details to her dress and then stick her to the oval base.

10. Lords Leaping Craft

There are many explanations for why these lords are leaping, of all things, and one of them is that the 10 lords represent the ten commandments. Well, we’ll still have to do some digging here, but while we’re doing it, we can continue with our 12 Days of Christmas Craft! Stick the pants under the jacket, and add the head on top. Stick the hat on top of the head and you’re ready to stick the lord to the oval base.

11. Pipers Craft

Eleven pipers piping? That’s going to be quite the din! Before you put in those earplugs, stick an oval piece of orange paper in the horn of the pipe and then add some details with a marker! This will also work for a Pied Piper project.

12. Drum Craft

As if the sound of the pipers wasn’t enough, we now have 12 drummers adding to the noise! Quite a ‘musicians of Bremen’ situation here, although these guys are probably better trained. Anyway, we can have some noiseless fun with our 12 Days of Christmas Craft. Stick yellow strips on the top and bottom of the drum, and glue the drumsticks. Don’t forget to decorate the drum before sticking it on the oval base.

We hope this 12 Days of Christmas Craft has been as entertaining for you to read and do as it was for us to make! Let this be an encouragement for kids to investigate more about the origins of the song. Or you can have a game of your own where the kids can bring up their own interpretations – that should be interesting!