Jingle Bell Tree Hanger

We recently made these jingle bell trees in the barn and they were such a big hit with the kids I thought I'd write up a blog post to share with you how we made them. They are so super jingly and sparkly they look great hanging on the wall, just be warned they induce multiple renditions of Jingle Bells if mixed with very excited children.

The best part is they start life as one of these:

So to transform this plain old hanger into a totally splendid and sparkly tree you will need some bling.

Supplies:

Wire clothes hanger

Straws

Beads

Baubles

Bells

Thin wire

A star

Step 1

Bend the wire clothes hanger into a tall triangle shape. Make sure the hook remains at the top of the triangle. Kids may need help with this part. 

Step 2

Take a length of the thinner wire (about 3 feet should be enough). Tie one end around the top of the hanger.

Now begin threading, mix up bells and baubles, cut up straws or beads.

If kids find it easier you can thread in one long strand and then wrap around the tree. We tied the wire around the hanger each time we crossed the tree. This helps to keep each line in place as you 'string' the tree.

As you thread the kids are getting a great fine motor skill work out. You can also use this as an opportunity to work on patterns and sequencing - who said math had to be boring.

Try and encourage the kids to space the bells and larger ornaments out that way when the tree hangs they will sit better.

Step 3

Once you've zig zagged your way to the bottom of the tree you can wrap the remaining wire around the bottom of the hanger to secure it in place.

If you have too much left you can cut it, just be sure to tuck in any sharp edges.

Step 4

The final step is to add a star to the top of the tree, we found lots of different star wreath accessories on sale in our local craft store to use. These can be hot glued onto the top if you have a hot glue gun, or you can use the same thin wire to attach them to the top.

Voila!!

Such pretty addition to the Christmas decorations and if you'd like to hear its Jingle...