Create a wool-wrapped Christmas tree (for younger children)

The trees look great on their own as Christmas decorations – you can attach a small piece of ribbon and hang them from your actual Christmas tree. Or glue them to the front of cards to make unique, hand-crafted gifts for friends and family.

What you will need:

• A piece of green card, or thick craft paper, cut into a tall isosceles triangle shape (two sides of equal length).
• Craft scissors.
• A long piece of wool. (Choosing a colour that contrasts with the green not only looks more festive but helps a child with vision impairment see the pattern they make.)

How to make wool-wrapped Christmas trees:

Step 1

Use the scissors to make small cuts around the ‘tall’ sides of the card. (Some children will need to be supervised when using scissors.) These should be no more than 1cm deep and spaced about 2cm apart. (Don’t worry too much about keeping the cuts symmetrical - an irregular pattern works just as well.)

Step 2

Push one end of the wool through the bottom cut. The card should hold this in place, but you may want to tie a small knot to secure it.

Step 3

Find a matching cut on the opposite side of the card and carefully feed the wool through.

Step 3

Continue to wrap the wool around both sides of the card, sliding it through the cuts to keep it in place. (Top tip: don’t pull the wool too tightly, or it will make the card bend.)

Step 4

When you reach the top of the tree, push the final piece of wool through and, if necessary, secure using a small knot. Now you have a festive tree that’s soft to the touch and can be used around the house as a decoration, or in even more creative ways (a bookmark in your favourite story).

Some children with vision impairment may start to learn braille from a young age and will need to develop a range of specific skills in readiness for this. An activity like wrapping wool is good for coordination and dexterity, as well as learning textures.