What are some easy toddler Christmas activities?
Toddlers have short attention spans and you don’t have tons of time either, so I’ve put together a list of my absolute favorite easy to set up Christmas activities for you!
My three key rules of easy toddler Christmas activities are:
- They must use simple supplies that you probably already have around the house (or are cheap/easy to find)
- They need to require little to no set up time (since who has time for that?)
- They need to be ones we can do more than once (or last for a bit).
What types of Christmas activities should I do with my toddler?
In addition to doing easy activities, it’s great to do a variety of Christmas activities with your kids. You don’t just want to do ten Christmas tree themed activities in a row… unless of course they love Christmas trees?
Start by picking an activity based on what your toddler seems most interested in.
Is she excited about ornaments? or candy canes? Start there.
RELATED: Our Toddler Christmas Activities ebook is a great resource if you need more ideas! It includes printable plans and a Christmas advent calendar.
This list of activity ideas focuses on some awesome Christmas themes to get you thinking, including Christmas trees, Gingerbread men/women, Wreathes, Stars, Ornaments, Santa, Candy Canes, Jingle Bells, Bows, etc.
This one stop shop Christmas activity list also breaks down the Christmas activities into categories so you can scan quickly for what you want to try!
In addition to trying a variety of themes for your activities, you can also vary up the type of activities you share with your kids. Try some Christmas science or Christmas movement activities to get kids exploring different materials and getting their bodies moving.
Not every Christmas activity has to be crafty or involve paint!
This post includes so many different types of activities. You will love them!
Here are 60+ awesome and easy Christmas activities to try with your kids this year!
These activities are broken down into 7 types of activities so you can find what you want to use quickly.
- Christmas Science
- Christmas Fine Motor activities
- Christmas Sensory Play
- Christmas Arts & Crafts
- Christmas Games
- Christmas Movement activities
- Christmas Snacktivities
Let’s dive in!
Easy Christmas Science Activity Ideas
What science activities are great kids? Our favorites are anything with baking soda & vinegar or water! You don’t have to get super complex when it comes to science experiments. Science activities can help kids develop their observation skills, their understanding of cause and effect, and even help them learn how gravity works!
RELATED: If you love science activities, here are some simple science projects you can do all year long.
Christmas Cookie Cutter Science– Toddler Approved
Christmas Magic Milk– Fun Learning for Kids
Christmas Sink or Float Science– Toddler Approved
Fizzing Candy Canes by Fun with Mama
Christmas Fizzy Drips Science– Toddler Approved
Dancing Jingle Bells– Modern Preschool
Christmas Ice Star Experiment– Toddler Approved
Melting Snowman activity– There’s Just One Mommy
Christmas Fine Motor Activities
Why are fine motor activities good for kids? Fine motor activities help kids build strong finger muscles. Finger muscles help kids with simple tasks like zipping up a coat, holding a pencil, drawing with crayons, opening or pulling knobs, etc. We love to integrate fine motor skill building into every activity that we do!
RELATED: Fine motor sensory bins are another way to work on these skills. Here are 10 simple fine motor sensory bins you can use anytime!
Christmas Connect the Stickers- Toddler Approved
Light the Strand Christmas Fine Motor– Days with Grey
Christmas Tree Sticker Wall– Toddler Approved
Holiday Pom Pom Push– Busy Toddler
Sticky Christmas Tree Craft– Toddler Approved
Gingerbread Man Holiday Sticker Match– Days with Grey
Christmas Bead Ornament– Toddler Approved
Sticker Gingerbread House- Toddler Approved
Cookie Cutter Puzzles– Toddler Approved
Christmas Paper Ripping Bin– Busy Toddler
Foam Window Tree– Happily Ever Mom
Holiday Sticker Cups by Days with Grey
Christmas Cutting Tray– Mama Papa Bubba
Pine Cone Christmas Tree Activity– Toddler Approved
Christmas Sensory Play Activities
Sensory play allow kids to use different senses and explore a variety of materials in a fun way while being able to build vocabulary and learn new skills. Christmas is filled with so many new sights and sounds! These activities help you explore more of them with your kids. Do you have any other favorite sensory play ideas? Share them!
Scoop the ornaments– Toddler Approved
Frozen Pom Poms– Happy Toddler Playtime
Elf Wrapping Station- Toddler Approved
Magentic Sensory Bottles– No Time for Flashcards
Christmas Sensory Board– Toddler Approved
Christmas Present Sound Match– Toddler Approved
Jingle Bell Sensory Bin– Busy Toddler
Christmas Cloud Dough– Toddler Approved
Cranberry Sensory Bin– Days with Grey
Christmas Tree Playdough– Homegrown Friends
Christmas Tree Sticky Easel– No Time for Flashcards
Christmas Arts & Crafts
Christmas activities when I was growing up traditionally included arts and crafts activities! Here are a few favorites that I loved and some ideas that we’ve added to our family’s holiday traditions! One of our favorite ways to be crafty at Christmas is by making our own Christmas ornaments!
Creating homemade toddler Christmas ornaments can really make your tree feel extra special! You can see some of our 15+ favorite Christmas Ornaments here.
Mess Free Christmas Painting– Toddler Approved
Paper Plate Christmas Tree– Toddler Approved
Christmas Lid Ornaments– Toddler Approved
Sparkly Snowflake Craft– Toddler Approved
Giant Gingerbread People– Toddler Approved
Candy Cane Collage Craft– Toddler Approved
Gingerbread Man Collage Craft– Toddler Approved
Painting with Ornaments– Toddler Approved
Christmas Cookie Cutter Wrapping Paper– Toddler Approved
Button Christmas Tree Craft– No Time for Flashcards
Christmas Games for Kids
Games are a great way to teach kids skills like taking turns, counting, and sharing. You can also embed all sorts of simple learning skills into games- like learning your alphabet letters or new vocabulary words.
Roll a Christmas Tree game– Toddler Approved
Christmas Toss Game– Toddler Approved
Build a Gingerbread Man Game– Toddler Approved
Gingerbread Boy BINGO Game– Toddler Approved
Ornament Toss– Teach Preschool
Snowman Toss– Toddler Approved
Ornament Number Matching Game– Toddler Approved
Christmas Movement Activities
Let’s get kids moving! So many of our holiday activities are indoors and sitting down, which is why I love these easy ways to get kids up and moving! These movement activities don’t need very many materials and are quick to set up! Getting kids moving and hunting and working the muscles in their bodies helps with their attention spans and also their ability to regulate themselves. These are also great for helping your kids work on following directions.
Christmas Hunt- Toddler Approved
Christmas Music Workout– Toddler Approved
Christmas Tree Balance Activity- The Inspired Treehouse
Jingle Bell Toss– Toddler Approved
Christmas Yoga– Pink Oatmeal
Gingerbread Man Number Hop– Toddler Approved
Candy Cane Hunt & Match– Toddler Approved
Christmas Snacktivities
Last, but not least. These are my favorite activities. They are SNACKTIVITIES! Snacktivities are a combo between a snack (or treat) and an activity! They get little fingers moving and creating and then also let you do some tasting too! If you haven’t tried any of these yet, add at least one or two of them to your holiday list.
Christmas Tree Treat– Toddler Approved
Christmas Brownie Houses– Toddler Approved
Build a Snowman Cookies– Toddler Approved
Christmas Tree Waffles– The Kids Activities Blog
Candy Cane Cookies– Toddler Approved (these take longer, but are worth it!)
Christmas Reindeer Treat– Fun a Day
Christmas Rice Crispy Treats– Toddler Approved
Easy Christmas Treat– Toddler Approved
Strawberry Banana Candy Cane Snack– NurtureStore
Christmas Apple Wreath– 5 Minutes for Mom
Do you have any other favorite Christmas activities on repeat at your house each year? Tell me about them! We’re always looking for new ideas!
