Fit for a feast

Children love sitting down to a Christmas dinner table set with their own handmade place mats and napkin rings - and so will their friends and family.They can produce place settings for the whole table, or they can pick and choose - make just the place mats, just the napkin rings, or create a matching place mat and a napkin ring for a special (and highly honoured) guest!

Templates

You will need a star template for both the place mat and the napkin ring and a holly leaf template for the place mat. Many art and craft shops sell a variety of Christmas templates, although you can create your own using scrap card.

You will need: cereal box; ruler; sharp pencil; scissors

What to do: For a star template, use a pencil and ruler to draw a triangle measuring 3cm along each side. Cut out the triangle, place it on the scrap card and draw round it. Superimpose the triangle upside down on the first triangle and draw round it to create a symmetrical star. Cut out the star to use as a template. The holly leaf can be drawn freehand. If you make sure the leaf is about 4.5cm long and no more than 2.5cm at its widest point, it will end up the right size for the following projects.

Place mats

If you personalise each place mat with the name of the dinner guest, your mats will double up as name cards.

You will need: sheets of lightweight A4 card in white or cream; ruler; pencil; scissors; gold marker pen; dark green, red and gold card; star and holly leaf templates; PVA glue; hole puncher; access to a laminator

What to do: Use the pencil and ruler to draw a box in the centre of the A4 card, measuring approximately 20cm wide by 12cm high. Ask the child to write in the name of the dinner guest with the gold marker pen. The aim is for the name to fill the box - help younger children with the size and spacing of their letters by first writing the name in pencil, as a guide. Using the Christmas templates, cut out several gold stars and green holly leaves.

Punch out lots of red card holly berries with the hole puncher. Stick groups of two or three holly leaves around the name, adding red berries to the centre of the leaves. Fill in the gaps with stars. Laminate the finished place mats so they can stand up to lots of Christmas cheer!

Tips: If they prefer, older children can draw and cut out their own stars and holly leaves. Little ones will probably need help with the cutting out.

If you don't have access to a laminator, try your local stationer or print shop.

Napkin rings

Make napkin rings to match the place mats by adding names and decorating each ring with a cut-out gold star.

You will need: cardboard kitchen rolls; large scissors; silver kitchen foil; gold gift ribbon; blunt knife; star template; gold card; silver glitter; PVA glue; luggage labels with strings (approximately 6cm by 3cm, available from stationers); gold marker pen

What to do: Cut a ring from the cardboard roll, approximately 4cm high. Cut out a square of silver foil, approximately 10cm by 10cm. Spread a thin layer of glue over the outside and inside surfaces of the ring. Roll the silver foil around the ring and glue down the loose edge. Tuck the ends inside the ring so that both inside and outside are completely covered with silver foil.

Create an attractive textured surface by gently pressing over the surface of the foil with the fingers.

Cut two lengths of gift ribbon, measuring approximately 35cm. Knot the two ribbons around the centre of the silver ring so you have four loose ends, securing the ribbons with a few dabs of glue. Write the name of the dinner guest in gold pen on the luggage label and tie the string of the label around the knots in the gift ribbon. Trim off any loose ends of string.

Make the ends of the ribbon curly by pulling them firmly between your thumb and the edge of a blunt knife or scissor edge.

Using the template, cut out a star from gold card and decorate with silver glitter. Stick the glittery gold star on top of the knots in the gift ribbon. Use plenty of glue to firmly fix the star, and hold it in place until the glue starts to dry. Make sure that the napkin ring is completely dry before using it.