For children, Christmas starts the evening their own room begins to glow. Here are 8 ways to decorate a kids' room for Christmas, from snowflakes drifting across the ceiling to their name in lights on the shelf, picked so the children can join in: choosing the pictures, clipping up their drawings, opening a door every morning. Each idea comes with the size and the power it needs, and the safety points to check before you start are at the end.
1. Snowflakes across the ceiling
Point a Christmas projector at the ceiling and the whole room fills with slowly turning snowflakes, Santas, snowmen and reindeer. It's the easiest bedtime treat there is: on for the story, off when they fall asleep. Set it on a shelf or a dresser, out of reach of little hands; the further it stands from the wall or ceiling, the bigger the picture.
Shown: Christmas light projector, 16 patterns, throws from about 1.5 to 5 m (5–16 ft).
2. A little train round the tree
A light-up Christmas tree with a train that runs round and round its base is the kind of thing children can watch for ages. Coloured bulbs and a glowing star light it up, and it runs on batteries, so it can go on a dresser or a bookshelf with no cable to trip over.
Shown: light-up Christmas tree with rotating train, about 19 cm tall.
3. Their name in lights
Spell their name in marquee letters on a shelf or the top of a dresser: MIA, LEO or the whole family. The letters are sold one at a time, so you only buy the ones you need, and each 22 cm letter has its own on/off switch. After Christmas they can stay up as part of the room.
Shown: light-up marquee letters, 22 cm tall, A to Z plus a red heart and an “&”.
4. A gallery of their drawings
Every child comes home in December with drawings of Santa, snowmen and Christmas trees. Run a string of photo clip lights across the wall above the desk or the bed and clip them up as they arrive, along with the Christmas cards from grandparents. The battery box means there's no cable running down to a socket.
Shown: photo clip string lights, 2 m with 20 LEDs, 5 m with 50 or 10 m with 100.
5. A Ferris wheel on the windowsill
A little Christmas Ferris wheel turns slowly on the windowsill, its glowing star at the top and its riders going round and round, like a fairground just for them. It runs on three AAA batteries, so it can stand anywhere, and it's small enough for a shelf.
Shown: light-up Christmas Ferris wheel, about 15.5 cm tall and 11.5 cm wide.
6. A picture they draw in the window
Smart curtain lights hang in the window and show moving designs that you pick in the app: Santa, a snowman, falling snow or a Christmas message. In DIY mode children can draw their own pixel picture or write a message, and it lights up in the window for the whole street to see. The timer switches it on and off by itself.
Shown: smart animated Christmas lights, 2 × 2 m or 3 × 3 m, 400 LEDs.
7. Count down with 24 squishy friends
An Advent calendar makes every December morning exciting. Behind each of the 24 doors of this one is a little squishy dumpling figure, from Santa hats to reindeer antlers, and by Christmas Eve the whole collection is lined up on the shelf. It contains small parts, so it's not for children under 3.
Shown: dumpling squishy Advent calendar, one calendar or a twin pack for siblings.
8. A soft glow for bedtime stories
A white birch tree with warm fairy lights on every branch gives the room a soft glow for the bedtime story. It stands on its own on a dresser or a bookshelf, and it runs on USB or batteries. Switch it off when they're asleep.
Shown: lighted birch tree, about 60 cm with 24 LEDs or 63.5 cm with 144 LEDs.
Before you start: safety, power and delivery
- Babies and toddlers: keep cables, string lights, battery boxes and batteries out of their reach, and nothing near a cot or crib. Put the decorations up high, on shelves, walls and windowsills.
- Let an adult hang the lights and change the batteries, and switch everything off at night.
- Small parts: the Advent calendar's squishy figures are not for children under 3.
- Power: the photo clip lights take 3 × AA, each marquee letter 2 × AA and the Ferris wheel 3 × AAA batteries; these are not included. The train tree runs on batteries. The projector, the smart curtain lights and the birch run on USB (adapter not included; the birch also takes batteries); the projector needs a 5V/2A adapter, not a fast charger.
- Delivery: free tracked shipping, dispatched in 1 to 3 business days and delivered in 7 to 12. Order by 1 December for Christmas, and the Advent calendar by mid-November so it arrives before 1 December.
- Returns: unused items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days of delivery.
More ideas
- Decorating your own room too? See 8 Christmas bedroom decor ideas. More ways to count down: 8 Advent decoration ideas.
- Buying for a teenager? Here are 8 Christmas gift ideas for teens.
- Browse all our Christmas decorations or our 12 Christmas gift ideas under $30.
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