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Looking for an easy homemade Christmas ornament to make with kids? Pour painting Christmas balls is easy enough for children of any age, even toddlers!

Pour Painting Christmas Balls — Easy & Fun for All Ages!

Kids are mesmerized by pour painting ornaments! They love squirting the paint and watching the colors swirl and mix inside of the ornament. And the end result is beautiful ornaments to decorate the Christmas tree or give as a homemade Christmas gift.

A photo of two hanging pour painting Christmas balls, homemade Christmas ornaments easy enough for kids. One DIY ornament features colorful glitter and white paint inside a clear plastic ball ornament. The other features re, pink, and blue paint swirled inside a clear plastic fillable ornament.

So, check out our homemade ornaments below. Then, learn how to pour paint Christmas balls with your kids today!

Supplies for Pour Painting Christmas Balls with Kids

When you’re crafting with kids, less is often more! So, I love how these DIY ornaments don’t require many supplies. Only two, in fact: clear ball ornaments and acrylic craft paint!

If you’re making these Christmas tree ornaments with little ones, like toddlers or preschoolers, use a clear plastic ball ornament instead of clear glass balls for safety. But, if you’re crafting baubles with older kids, consider switching out the plastic ornaments for glass ornaments instead.

As for the paint, acrylic paint is the way to go for these painted Christmas ornaments. You will want at least two paint colors per ornament so you get the pretty swirling designs. Consider colors beyond your typical holiday colors. In fact, pour painting Christmas balls would be a great way for kids to learn a little color theory and experiment with color mixing.

Additional Supplies for Awesome Pour Painted Christmas Ornaments

Technically, those two basic supplies are all you need to pour paint ornaments. But, you will definitely want to cover your work surface with some newspaper, cardboard, or a large tray to catch any paint drips. And, disposable paper cups are perfect for holding pour painted ornaments while the excess paint drains and the painted ornaments dry.

I’ve also seen some more professional crafters use a bit of rubbing alcohol to clean the inside of their clear glass balls before painting. They just add a tablespoon or so into the ball, swish around, then drain it and let it dry completely before beginning the pour painting process.

Finally, you can jazz your paint pour ornament up a bit with some glitter! Have kids add some glitter to their ornament before squirting paint inside for best results. Now, let’s get on to the instructions for pour painting Christmas balls.

How to Pour Paint Christmas Balls

First, prepare your work surface by covering it. Gather your paper or plastic cups (if using them). And, remove all ornament caps and set aside.

Next, invite your child to choose two or three colors of paint. With toddlers and preschoolers, use this time as an opportunity to practice identifying colors and even reading color words. With older kids, consider having them reference a color wheel and review basic color theory (primary colors, secondary colors, complementary colors, etc.). If you’re using glitter, have your child choose their glitter colors as well.

A young toddler child holds a bottle of white paint upside down, squirting paint inside a clear plastic ball ornament to make a homemade pour painted Christmas ornament.

Now, have your child squirt a little of each color of paint into a clear ornament. (If making a glitter ornament, help your child sprinkle some glitter into the ornament before the paint.)

A young child holds a bottle of red paint upside down, squirting paint inside a clear plastic ball ornament to make a homemade pour painted Christmas ornament.

Show your child how to slowly move the ornament around to get the paint mixing and coating the entire inside. Have them add more paint, if needed.

Child's hands hold clear plastic ball ornament upside down to allow blue and white paint that is inside the ornament to drip out onto paper towel.

Once their painted ornament has the swirling, marble effect they desire, have them pour the excess paint out and set it aside to dry. Or, ideally, prop the ornament upside down on a paper cup to have the excess paint drain into the cup and leave to dry overnight.

Three DIY pour painting Christmas balls, homemade Christmas ornaments easy enough for kids. One features colorful glitter and white paint inside a clear plastic fillable ornament. Another features light blue and white paint swirled inside a clear plastic ball ornament. The last one features red, pink, and blue paint swirled inside a clear plastic ball ornament.

Once the pour painted ornaments are dry, add each cap back on. That’s it, you now have beautiful homemade Christmas ornaments to add to your Christmas tree or use as a Christmas decoration!

More Ways to Jazz Up Your Pour Painted Christmas Ornaments

Decorate with Stickers
Invite your child to decorate the outside of their painted ornament with holiday-themed stickers.

Add Some Bling
Provide rhinestone stickers for your child to decorate the outside of their pour painted christmas ornaments.

Monogram It
Use your cricut or silhouette cutting machine to cut a monogram (or other design) out of vinyl to add to the outside of the ornament. Or, purchase vinyl letter stickers to use instead.

String It Up
Help your child add a pretty Christmas ribbon or twine for hanging their homemade Christmas ornament.

Full Pour Painted Christmas Ornaments Tutorial

Now, it’s time for you to get started on your own DIY Christmas ornaments with your kids! Here is the full tutorial with all supplies and detailed steps to make it easy peasy…