14 Simple Christmas Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Dec 6

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! If you're looking for festive activities to do with your little ones or ideas to pass on to your teachers to do in the classroom, look no further.

Before we get started on Christmas activities for your toddlers and preschoolers, If you're new here, My name is Dena, and I have been a center director for 21 years and love what I do, but it is WORK! My goal is to help other providers with their child care programs and help relieve the stress that the daycare world brings.

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Now, here are 12 simple Christmas activities that your toddlers and preschoolers will love.

Decorate A Class Tree
Felt Christmas trees to hang on the wall are super popular now. Most of them come with their own adorable felt decorations designed specifically for kids.
A traditional Christmas tree is always fun. Have the children take turns hanging the ornaments or have them make their own ornaments with construction paper and yarn.
Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Go on a holiday scavenger hunt around the class or playground! Hide candy canes or wrapping bows and see how many the kiddos can find.
The dollar store is great for picking up bows and candy canes. You can even make candy canes out of paper. Click here for a candy cane template to print and cut out your own candy canes.

3. Make Snowflakes

Cut out snowflakes from white construction paper and string them up around the class. Write the children's names in the corner of the snowflakes and let the kiddos take them home before the holiday break. You can watch How to Make SNOWFLAKES for Kids - Easy 4 Beginners with Cutting Ideas to learn how to make simple snowflakes.

4. Paint Pine Cones

Collect pine cones from outside and paint them with white or metallic paint. Once they're dry, place them around the class or in a plastic vase as decoration.

5. Make Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses.

Graham crackers are a favorite toddler snack. Use icing or cream cheese to construct a "gingerbread house" with your class! Decorate with toddler-friendly foods such as blueberries, strawberries, goldfish, or any of their favorite snacks.

6. Cookie Decorating

Let the children decorate pre-made sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles to enjoy during snack time. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even have the kiddos help you make the cookies right there in the class and then send the cookies to the kitchen for baking. There are tons of recipes online for easy cookies that even toddlers can help make.

7. Make Homemade Christmas Cards

Make homemade cards to give to relatives and friends. Use construction paper, glue, glitter, and any other craft supplies you have on hand to create one-of-a-kind cards.

8. Secret Santa Book Exchange

Ask each parent to bring in an age-appropriate wrapped book (you can specify new or used). Have the children exchange and open the wrapped books during a class party. The children will be thrilled to open a gift and love taking home a new book to enjoy.

9. Snowman Playdough

Let the kiddos make a snowman out of playdough. For a winning playdough recipe, mix the following together, heat gently, and stir until you have a lump of the stuff – super simple.

flour – 2 cups

salt – 1 cup

cream of tartar – 4 tsp

vegetable oil – 1 TBL

food coloring – a few drops

Want to go the easy route? Just use already done-for-you play-doh :)

10. Christmas Coloring Sheets

Don’t estimate simple coloring sheets. Every child loves to color. Have holiday coloring sheets on standby for easy fun and enjoyment. Click here to download a few Christmas coloring sheets you can use.

11. Make Play Snow

Your children will love making snow! Here's how to do it!

3 cups of baby powder

1/2 cup of warm water

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Step 1: Add the baby powder to a stand mixer, and mix it on the lowest setting with the paddle attachment. If your mixer has a shield like the one pictured below, make sure to use it because the baby powder will create a cloud. If not, cover the mixer and bowl with a towel.

Step 2: While the mixer is running on low, slowly add the warm water, then the oil. Keep mixing until it is all combined and it forms a crumbly mixture.

Step 3: Turn the mixer to medium and let it run for about 5 minutes. This will add air to the snow and fluff it up. Add it to a tray or a bin, and get ready to have some fun!

Note: If you don't have a stand mixer, you can mix this by hand (but the end product may not be as fluffy).

Add some sensory items for extra fun. Suggestions are:

Small twigs from a tree

pine cones

Christmas ornaments with different sizes, shapes, and textures

cookie cutters

sifters

things to scoop the snow with, like cups and spoons

12. Ornament Sorting

Ornament sorting is a great toddler activity. Bring in various colors and sizes for your toddlers to sort and play with. Make sure to use shatterproof balls ;)

13. Have A Marshmallow Fight

Ok, so this idea may cause your eye to twitch, but hear me out. Announce to your class, with great excitement, that there will be a HUGE marshmallow fight at the end of the week and that they will be allowed to hurl marshmallows across the room at lightning speed.

Let the kiddos know that you will be giving out marshmallows throughout the week for good choices (or whatever reason you choose) and that they will need to earn the marshmallows to participate. The number of marshmallows they collect during the week will be what they get to throw! Of course, they will be able to pick up the already-thrown marshmallows and continue the fight, but they probably won't realize that until the actual battle ;)

Tips:

You can track the marshmallows awarded by simply making marks on the board, but I prefer allowing them to actually see the marshmallows they are collecting. To do this, you will need a way to store each child's awarded marshmallows. Assign each child a gallon Ziploc bag labeled with their name to be kept in their cubbies, a cabinet, or a shelf.
This idea should be kept for preschoolers since marshmallows can be a choking risk for toddlers.
Use the large marshmallows, not mini, for an epic marshmallow fight!
Have rules- use walking feet only, hands are allowed on marshmallows only, and before the fight, make known the signal for when the war is over so that you can regain control of the class.

14 . Have A Dance Party

Have a dance party to all of your favorite holiday songs! You can even throw in some freeze dancing or musical chairs. You can’t get easier than this!

Conclusion:

By doing just a few (or all!) of these activities, you're sure to get your little ones into the holiday spirit and have tons of fun! Merry Christmas!

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