When our co-op had a Christmas party last year, I wanted the crafts to be something fun and memorable that the kids could take home afterwards and enjoy for years to come!
A DIY snow globe was the perfect Christmas party craft!
With the wide age range of kids there (from 2 to 14), the older kids were able to do the entire craft from start to finish while the little ones chose accessories, jar sizes and shapes, and the amount of snow they’d use for their snow globe.
It’s such a simple and budget-friendly craft – especially if you have a ton of mason jars at home anyway. It also looks like something you’d buy at a Christmas market but its made by the kids.
We went with waterless snow globes to avoid hiccups at the Christmas party.
I can also happily say that we’ve put them up for display around our home again this year so they held up well in storage too!
Today I’ll share exactly how we prepped this craft for the party and how we assembled it there.
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What You Need to Make a Waterless Snow Globe
I tried to stick to things you can grab from Amazon and the dollar store because craft stores are expensive!
Here’s what we used:
- Mason jars with lids and rings – I had glass mason jars from 250ml to 850ml but you could also use plastic jars like these if you’ll be working with mostly younger kids. I also recommend choosing jars that are not frosted with minimal text as it can get in the way of your snow globe.
- Small figurines – we got these little snowmen and the kids loved them! Each child got to choose one of each
- Bottle brush trees – we got this set with a wide variety of sizes so the kids could match different jar sizes to the heights of their trees. It made it fun so everyone ended up with slightly different looking snow globes.
- Little wood slices – we needed to add these because the snowmen weren’t tall enough to be seen in the jars without them. I found that three slices stacked and glued under each snowman was enough to make them visible in the snow globes. You can see how it looked before below.
- Fake snow – we got snow similar to this and found that it looked super cute. We were left with a ton of it afterwards too. Two bags was more than enough for all 15 kids and we ended up with leftover snow that we plan on crafting with this year.
- A hot glue gun – I got this one because I didn’t want any hiccups at the party, haha, a couple of other moms brought glue guns too to make sure things were moving along
- Glue sticks – We used these higher quality sticks as well as your standard glue sticks but I honestly noticed that the better ones did hold up more than the less expensive ones. The one jar we used cheaper ones for did end up having the snowmen pop off when we brought it up this year.
- Trays – the fake snow can get messy so these trays really helped us contain the mess, especially for the little kids, haha. They’re great for other messy crafts too.
- Glitter spray paint – honestly, I found this stuff way too expensive in Canada but it looked beautiful once it was done. You can get it in the States for way cheaper – I really like this brand and wish I could have found it here when we did this project. We used silver but you could choose any glittery colors you love for your lids which will end up being your stands.
Craft Supplies Shopping List
Here’s the full list of supplies if you want to pick it all up in one shop:
- Mason jar set
- Bottle brush trees
- Small snowmen figures
- Mini wood slices
- Fake snow
- Glitter spray paint
- A quality glue gun
- Quality glue gun sticks
We didn’t use water or glycerin for this craft because it was being assembled by small kids mostly between 5 and 7 years old.
If you plan on doing it yourself though, aim for a mixture of 1 cup of distilled water to about 3 teaspoons of glycerin.
How to Make a DIY Snow Globe
Here’s how we did it.
How to Prep for Craft Day
If you’ll be doing this craft as part of a kids Christmas party, be sure to do all of the following a few days in advance.
1. Prep Your Jars
Make sure your jars and dry and clean. Peel off any sticky residue if your repurposing old pasta sauce or baby food jars! I’d also recommend choosing jars that are easy to see through as some of the more frosted looking ones can make things look a little blurry or funny.
Residue and moisture could also wreck your craft and cause things to peel so be sure to dry everything well before you start – I had the jars washed and prepped a couple of days before the party just in case.
2. Prep Your Figures
The little snowmen we purchased were a bit too short for our Mason jar necks – you couldn’t see them without a bit of a lift.
The solution I came up with was these little craft wood slices. I glued three to the bottom of each snowman to give it the lift it needed to be seen.
I did all of the snowmen in about an hour so they’d be ready to go for the Christmas party day.
3. Spray Paint the Outside of Your Lids and Rings
If you plan on painting your mason jar lids and rings, spray paint them a couple of days in advance to make sure they dry.
I recommend doing this in a large cardboard box outside if possible because the smell of this stuff is very strong and the glitter gets everywhere.
As for drying time, I did ours two days in advance and found that some of them were still wet the morning of so that was no fun!
Doing a light coat at a time and then waiting for a bit works waiting better than a heavy coat up front – ask me how I know, lol.
It definitely dries faster if you do small bits at a time – I used too much to start and the long drying time showed.
You don’t have to paint them at all if you don’t want to but I think a little sparkle at Christmas time is really nice.
What to Do on Craft Day
Here’s how everything went the day of the party!
1. Choose Your Jar
We had a whole variety of jar sizes and styles. From old pasta jars, baby food containers, 250ml jam jars, 500ml, and even 850ml to accommodate the larger bottle brush trees.
Some kids wanted the tiny ones and some wanted the biggest one they could get their hands on.
2. Choose Your Figures
I got enough snowmen so the kids could choose one of each if they wanted or just one of their favorite snowmen.
3. Choose Your Bottle Brush Trees
The nice thing about this variety pack is that the trees are all different sizes so it was fun for the kids to choose different sizes based on their jars.
4. Set Your Scene
After the kids have selectee their figures and trees, make sure they all fit on the inside of the mason jar lid.
We used regular mouth jars for our crafts but wide mouth would have been better for accommodating larger scenes.
You need to make sure everything fits before you glue it on to ensure that the kids can actually close it up and use their snow globes afterwards.
For our group, each child chose two characters and two different sized trees.
They ended up being really cute!
5. Glue Your Scene
Once you’ve confirmed everything will fit inside the jar, its time to glue things down.
Kids who are comfortable with a glue gun can do their own while younger kids may need supervision or assistance with this entire part.
Let it dry for two to five minutes.
6. Choose How Much Snow You Want
Use a tablespoon to scoop out some artificial snow from the bags and have the kids pour them directly onto the mason jar lids inside their rings.
That’ll be enough to cover the bottom of the scene.
If you’d like, you can also scoop some more directly into the mason jar for snowy tree tops and a nice effect to the sides of your jars.
Careful not to use too much though or your scene will be buried in an avalanche.
7. Attach the Lid
Gently flip your lid with the mason jar ring upside down and screw it onto the jar.
Flip your jar over and you’ve got your scene.
8. Shake It!
This is the best part.
Turn it over and enjoy your scene!
My kids are still so proud to show these things to their grandparents and friends!
More fun ideas for your homeschool and co-op:
- Best Low Prep Alphabet Activities for Pre-K to Kindergarten
- How to Learn Guitar at Any Age (Why I Failed in My Teen Years and Thrived in My 30’s)
- 50+ Amazing Homeschool Field Trip Ideas for Your School Year
- Free Printable Kids Christmas Word Search Puzzles (for ages 4 to 10)
Fun Snow Globe Variations
Here are some other ideas for setting your scene.
Holiday Snow Globes
- Nativity scene – I plan on making these with the kids this year and will post a link here once we do
- Santa
- Mini trees
- Tiny presents
- Gold glitter (makes everything feel vintage)
Woodland Snow Globes
This one fits our homeschool aesthetic perfectly – give me all the watercolor woodland vibes!
- Deer, rabbits, foxes, raccoons
- Pinecones
- White + silver glitter
Character Snow Globes
Here are a few other fun ideas your kids might love:
- LEGO minifigures
- Dinosaurs
- Fairies
- Superheroes
These are a hit because kids love seeing their favorite characters “come to life.”
Displaying or Gifting Your Snow Globe
These look adorable:
- On a bookshelf
- In the music room (we have one of them in our acoustic guitar area)
- Next to your Christmas books
- On a coffee table
- On a windowsill
- As a DIY holiday gift
Add a little ribbon around the lid and a gift tag if you want to fancy it up!
Final Thoughts on Making DIY Waterless Snow Globes with Kids
Every time we make these snow globes, I’m reminded that kids don’t need complicated projects to feel the joy of Christmas time.
A jar, some fake snow, fun little characters, and a little scene they’ve created, and suddenly they’re shaking it over and over, watching their tiny world come to life.
I hope you and your family have just as much fun with these easy DIY snow globe crafts as we did.
If you make one, I’d love to see it too so, tag me on Instagram.
Happy crafting and Merry Christmas, friend!
– Nikki
