There are few things better than accomplishing two things at once, especially in my world. So when I'm able to create holiday cards and practice easy sewing skills with my kids, that's pretty hard to beat. Unless there's dark chocolate involved, than it might be a tie (wink). These cards reinforce shape recognition, and they're great for building fine motor skills too. To make things easier, I made a shape template for inspiration- and I'll attach it at the bottom so it's handy for you too.
To start with, you just need cardstock or pre-made cards. We love these cards so much that I've ordered them twice. Perfect for creating a card at a moment's notice, without having to search for an envelope that fits! (They're also super reasonable, and recycled too.)

Lay your template on top of your card and have older kids/adults trace with something sharp, like a sharpened pencil or an embroidery needle. Then take your needle and poke holes through your template until you've outlined your image. Thread your embroidery needle, knot the end, then "sew" your image. I used a backstitch while outlining this Christmas tree.
Or you can "fill" in your star, like Isia did, sewing across the image. At first she sewed across the back too, but we figured out- to conserve embroidery thread- she could turn it over, jump into an adjacent hole on the back, turn it over, then sew across the front again. I finished her star by outlining the edge for her, to help it stand out. While outlining, you can tie a knot behind each point, allowing you to use the same hole twice. (I went through the star's point, looped my thread around one of the threads on the back, brought my needle through to make a knot, then went back out the same hole.)Wouldn't outlining in a contrasting color be nice touch? 

We'll be sewing these for friends, and as special thank you's. It'll be a good, simple activity to add to our activity basket, to keep returning to as the days get colder. Great sewing practice for them, and me too!