Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees

How to Decorate Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees in the Classroom

The holiday season is a perfect time to get creative with your kindergarten students, and decorating ice cream cone Christmas trees is a fun activity they’ll love. This edible Christmas craft combines simple ingredients and hands-on creativity to make little tree cakes that will be a huge hit at holiday parties or as a festive classroom treat.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

To begin, you’ll need the following materials to create your ice cream cone Christmas trees:

• Sugar cones (or waffle cones)
• Green frosting (or white frosting with drops of green food coloring)
• Small candies like mini M&Ms, chocolate chips, and red hots for tree decorations or a small amount of your favorite candies (consider portioning the candy decorations in one mini cup per child if you desire)
• Butter knives or plastic knives
• Bulletin Board paper or a paper plate
• Plastic cups (here is what I got this year)
• Optional: piping bag or decorating bag with leaf tips for advanced designs

If you want an easier option, use store-bought frosting brought to room temperature for smoother application.

Step 2: Prep Your Materials

Before starting the activity, set up each student’s workstation. Provide each child with a sugar cone, a dollop of green frosting, and a selection of candies for decorations. For a fun craft, use mini cups or bowls to hold candies and other materials.

To prepare the frosting, you can either mix white frosting with green food coloring or offer both white frosting and green frosting for creative options. Place the frosting into pastry bags or a piping bag for students to try their hand at creating pipe pull-out stars or vertical rows on the cone for the more advanced students if you desire. We used just frosting and plastic knives for Kindergarten students. 

To set this activity up as a Christmas Party station, I premade each upside cup for each student. I dipped the bottom of the cone into frosting and placed on the underside of the lid to dry and harden. Then, I put each cup on top of the cone 

Step 3: Decorate Your Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees

Show students how to spread frosting evenly over the outside of the cone, transforming it into a little tree. Encourage creativity with their tree decorations, whether they use candies, coconut flakes, or sprinkles.

For younger kids, focus on fine motor skills by letting them spread frosting with a butter knife. Older kids can experiment with making patterns like garlands or creating stars on top of the cone using a piping bag. Adding chocolate chips or white chocolate accents can give the cones a festive makeover.

Don’t forget to place the decorated cones on a flat surface to prevent them from tipping while drying.

Step 4: Display and Enjoy

After finishing their sugar cone Christmas trees, allow the frosting to set for a few minutes before enjoying the fun Christmas dessert. Alternatively, save the trees for holiday treats by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature.

You can also turn the classroom into a winter wonderland by displaying the little trees next to other creations like gingerbread houses or candy cookie cones.

Tips for Success

• Use sugar ice cream cones or waffle cones: They’re the perfect base for creating Christmas tree cones.
• Top of the cone matters: Encourage students to decorate the pointy side as the treetop.
• Make it an event: Pair the activity with a holiday story or recipe cards for additional fun.
• Extra napkins: Keep plenty on hand—decorating is messy but so much fun!

A Fun Way to Celebrate

Ice cream cone Christmas tree decorating is a great activity for classrooms, holiday parties, or family gatherings. This easy edible craft brings creativity and joy to the holiday season while teaching fine motor skills. With a few simple ingredients and a small bowl of candies, you can create cool cones that everyone will remember.

If you enjoyed this recipe, check out more delicious recipes from the Coupon Clipping Cook at the bottom of this post. Don’t forget to share your students’ creations on social media—their little tree cakes are sure to be a hit!

Check out more holiday inspiration at the with how we built individual gingerbread house here.