Some fun activities to get your toddler feeling the Christmas spirit…
This is the year, people! This is the first year that both of my toddlers are old enough to really get into the Christmas experience! I’m so thrilled to see them thrilled by the decorations. Sucked into holiday movies. Asking for gifts to be added to their lists… So I came up with some fun toddler Christmas activities to set the stage for a lifelong love of Yuletide!
Just the other night, while taking a neighborhood stroll with Nathan and the babies, we were expressing gratitude for this time in New Braunfels. Time to really set in appreciation for a more traditional Christmas season. The lights. The cooler temperatures. Intentional Christmas activities with Orson and Nova.
We know that when it’s time to move onto the boat, many of our traditions won’t make it with us. It’s so nice to have this time to make these memories while we have the chance. And it’s so nice to have our future aspirations serve as a reminder to be grateful for the season we’re currently in.
So, here’s an important reminder for all of us (from someone addicted to productivity): Try not to get so swept up in the busyness and stress of the holiday season that you forget to enjoy it! And even better if you take the time with these Christmas activities to share the magic with your toddler.
Christmas Activities to Enjoy with a Toddler (or two)
Christmas Lights
I love the magic of Christmas lights. The gaudiness of bright, festive incandescence can make me feel jubilant and youthful, like a little kid. What’s even better is having the opportunity to see it through the eyes of your own little kid.
With our San Antonio Zoo memberships, we recently had the opportunity to see the display this year for Zoo Lights. I’ll be honest. As excited as I was at the prospect of taking the babies to see some Christmas lights this year, I was worried about the possibility of overtired and overstimulated meltdowns… But we took a chance.
They LOVED it! It’s definitely worth a visit, especially if you have a membership. Creative Christmas light displays, Santa’s Workshop and petting zoos, so many fun activities to enjoy with a toddler or two. Orson and Nova had so much fun and were miraculously well-behaved the entire night and went down for late bedtime so easily.
The magic was there. It mesmerized the babies. I really appreciate, too, how the zoo was intentional with its displays. Respectfully dimmer near animal enclosures. It may have made for a less intense Christmas display overall, but mindfully reducing overstimulation to the animals is so respectable.
Even just in our neighborhood, some people have had their lights and decorations out since before Thanksgiving. A simple evening walk after sundown just before bed serves the dual purpose of entertaining the babies while exerting some pre-“Night Night” zoomies.
Here’s hoping we’ll have time this season to fit in some more Christmas light excursions! We are planning, at the very least, to see the Lightscape at San Antonio Botanical Garden before the season ends. Can’t wait!
Christmas Crafts
After a little brainstorming (and craft supply runs to Target and Walmart), I came up with a few fun, crafty toddler Christmas activities for your enjoyment.
Little caveat here: most of these were PERFECT for Orson (almost 3), while Nova (just under 2) needed a bit more assistance and would get frustrated at times. That being said, she still enjoyed all of the crafts, even if her attention wasn’t held as long.
Without further ado, toddler Christmas crafty activities comin’ atcha!
Decorate a Snowman!
I’m starting with the craft that Orson reports was his favorite of the first three listed. Simple in concept, but serves as a useful tool to talk about emotions while strengthening fine motor skills!
Supplies Needed:
Construction Paper
Scissors
Glue Stick
Brown Paper Sack (optional)
Time to Construct:
<10 minutes
This takes hardly any time to throw together! I started by cutting a half-circle and a circle from white construction paper, and I glued them to a light blue piece of paper. I didn’t have brown, so I just cut the arms from a brown paper sack and affixed those with glue as well.
Next, I cut out about 10 small black circles a piece for Orson and Nova (to resemble coal), a black hat, a pink bow, and an orange triangle (to resemble a carrot).
This was a big hit! They got to make silly snowman (or woman) faces again and again! Nova’s didn’t quite survive craft time, but when Orson was satisfied, we glued his snowman’s face and hat on and displayed it on the fridge. Every time Orson and Nova walk into the kitchen now, they exuberantly point and exclaim “Snowman craft!”
Give it a try!
O Christmas Tree Puzzle!
I love the versatile nature of this craft. Your toddler can put this Christmas activity together multiple times as a puzzle. It can then be glued together to make some fun Christmas art.
What’s more: you can add decorations to the tree by getting creative with construction paper ornaments, mini gift bows, or glitter glue!
Supplies Needed:
Construction Paper
Scissors
Marker/Pen
Tape (Optional)
Glue Stick (Optional)
Time to Construct:
Making two identical puzzles for Orson and Nova took maybe 15 to 20 minutes, tops. Easily <10 minutes for a single puzzle.
I drew a simple, 5-piece Christmas tree puzzle on green paper. Then, I cut the tree out, taped the paper back together to use the shape as a template (to streamline making multiple puzzles). Next, I traced the green star tree topper onto yellow construction paper. I didn’t have a brown piece of paper, so I opted for cutting the square out of a brown paper sack.
After that, I divided the green of the tree into 3 separate shapes. I traced those onto green construction paper. Then, I traced the Christmas tree template onto a wintry, light-blue piece of paper to outline the puzzle. Voila! (If that was clear as mud, these pictures should give you a better idea of how it comes together.)
Festive Rain Stick!
This simple project is awesome! If you have a “too young to help” little one, they’ll still get a lot of enjoyment playing with the finished product. I had Orson and Nova help make theirs. Yes, it was messy, but the clean up’s easy-breezy. It’s a sound-maker, a shaker, and a gravity lesson, all-in-one!
On top of all that, this can also be used to educate your child about capacity, measuring, and being careful.
Supplies Needed:
Empty plastic bottles (I used Sprite Cranberry soda bottles for the festive flair)
Duct tape
Uncooked Green Split Peas, Red Lentils, Red Kidney Beans
Red, White, and Green Pom-Poms (optional)
Funnels (With a wide enough opening that the beans don’t get stuck…)
Measuring Tablespoon
Time to Construct:
Making your own, this could come together in about 5 minutes. More of a crapshoot if involving your toddlers. Set aside 20-25 minutes to make this craft.
Set up an empty plastic bottle for your toddler with a funnel in the top. Have a bowl of uncooked peas, lentils, and beans in festive colors set beside it with a spoon. Show your toddler how to take a spoon of the lentil mix, dump it into the funnel, and fill the bottom of the plastic bottle.
Orson wanted to do this a few times and would then dump the mixture back into his bowl to start again. Once satisfied with their amounts of festive mix, we added in some festive pom-poms (for funsies). I then took their bottles, lined up the spouts to two other (empty) plastic bottles, and taped them together with duct tape.
Multiple times this week, they’ve been entranced by their rain sticks, repeatedly flipping them over and over again. It buys a few minutes of happily distracted, mesmerized toddlers.
Handmade Ornaments!
To streamline this process, you can simply purchase an ornament making kit here. Either way, these serve a fantastic dual purpose. Not only is this a great memory-making opportunity, but these can be displayed on your own tree or given as gifts. Of the toddler Christmas activities we’ve done this year, this has definitely been Mamasaur’s favorite.
Supplies Needed:
Raw wood cutouts like these (I used this set from Target)
Washable, kid-safe paint (I LOVE this set!)
Power drill with drill bit attachment
Thin gift ribbon
Craft paper or a table protector like this (MUST HAVE with toddlers in the house!)
Time to Construct:
Set aside 30-45 minutes for this, maybe even an hour (depending on your toddler’s age and attention span). And have your camera ready!
Protect the workspace! Lay out the table protector or craft paper first. Set up your paints, a little bowl with water (harder to knock over than a cup), and your wooden shapes. I had intended to let them paint one per craft session, but they wanted to paint them all in one sitting! They had a blast!
Once the wooden cutouts are painted and dried, drill a hole through the top of each one. Thread some pretty gift ribbon through the hole, tie it into a secure knot, and personalize the back of your new ornaments with the artist’s name and current year.
Now, decorate your tree!
Red, White, and Green Sensory Box!
This was one of the most engaging-for-the-kids, hands-off-for-parents toddler Christmas activities. But it sucked Orson and Nova in HARD and occupied them for a solid chunk of time.
Supplies Needed:
Wide, shallow plastic box
Uncooked white rice, green split peas, and red kidney beans
Small toys (like Hotwheels cars or Wild Republic animal toys–they make great stocking stuffers)
A small scoop, shovel, or rake (I used our Green Toys gardening set rake)
Time to Construct:
5 minutes to set up. Orson and Nova were happy to dive in and play for an extended period of time. Tip: Save the lentil/rice mix in a large mason jar for quicker setup next time.
Place small toys in plastic bin. Cover with rice, peas, and beans. Provide your toddler with a scoop/shovel, and let them go to town! I used this activity table that has 2 plastic bins for this play session. They’d scoop out a little sea creature and put it in the empty bucket. And then would reset it themselves by hiding the animals back in the lentil mix.
Great exercise for fine motor movements and dexterity and awesome exploration for the senses.
Disguise the Grinch!
I love toddler Christmas crafts and activities that can be modified depending on your little one’s interest. This craft is a great example of that. Instead of the Grinch, you can apply the same concept with Santa for instance. Orson and Nova just happen to be currently obsessed with the 2018 Grinch movie (BEST version).
This craft is also easy to modify based on age. Instead of using a glue stick, it made more sense for my toddlers to stick their cotton balls to tape. Less mess!
Supplies Needed:
Construction Paper
Scissors
Marker/Pen
Cotton Balls
Packing Tape
Glue Stick
Time to Construct:
Since I was making this for 2 babies, it took me about 20 minutes to draw, cut, and glue the elements of this craft together. This is a fun, fast craft for little ones to knock out right before a meal.
Using construction paper, draw and cut out your Grinch (or Santa) faces, shirts, and hats. Glue the elements together on a black piece of construction paper, then wait for it to dry. Once dry, gently pinch the paper enough that you can make a cut with the scissors to cut out a portion where Grinchy’s beard and/or mustache will be. I also cut out a space for the Santa hat pom!
Flip the paper to see the back. Across the space that you cut out, carefully apply packing tape across the gap. Do this until the entire hole has an adhesive backing. Provide your toddlers with a little pile of cotton balls and let them get to work disguising the Grinch before his Christmas heist.
They loved throwing this together, and their Grinches look so cute displayed on my fridge now.
Christmas Baking
This tradition is a MUST-HAVE in your arsenal of toddler Christmas activities. What toddler can resist the magical, sugary splendor that is Christmas cookie baking and decorating?
It happened to work out this year that I needed to test out a new Gingerbread cookie recipe and new cookie cutters (Williams Sonoma Star Wars and 3-D Christmas trees) anyway with my toddlers’ birthdays on the holiday horizon.
I already know that Orson and Nova love to help me bake. They frequently pitch in when I’m throwing a batch of Pumpkin Bites or Bedtime Bars together.
But really diving in to the beautifully messy adventure that is cookie DECORATING…that’s relatively new to them. I kept them in diapers, anticipating the delightful disaster that it would be. They got to pick which special cookies they wanted to decorate. The icing colors that they wanted to decorate with. A little pile of sprinkles to adorn their sugary creations.
I know going forward that this will absolutely be a yearly tradition. The pictures were priceless, the sugar comas hit hard for a timely nap. Everyone greatly enjoyed themselves…and the cookies.
Christmas Decorating
Last, but not least, on my list of toddler Christmas activities? Get your little ones involved in decorating the house for Christmas! Here are some safe and fun ways to make that happen.
Window Clings
Orson and Nova revisit these on a daily basis. They’re really into the Nightmare Before Christmas, and Bluey is a forever favorite. I happened upon some Christmastime static cling window decals featuring these lovable characters at Walmart for a couple bucks a piece, and the babies went absolutely buck wild.
They love rearranging the scenes and characters on our dining room windows. Mr. Oogie Boogie, Jack Skellington, Bluey, and Bingo…quite the macabre cast. You can find some pretty cute Baby Grogu window clings at this link to adorn your own window and delight your little ones.
Side note: I also tried some of the slightly cheaper gel window clings. Orson is pretty careful and meticulous, but my little hurricane Nova… Needless to say, it may be a couple more years before the gel window clings join the list of Christmas activities for that toddler.
Shatterproof Ornaments
Not just shatterproof ornaments, either. Bring on the jingle bells!
My favorite thing has been watching Orson and Nova enjoy their “rung” of the Christmas tree. Yes, it’s required frequent reminding them to be gentle. To replace ornaments back ONTO the tree if they’ve removed one. But having little rattly, jingly treasures within reach, safe for their sweet little hands to play with… That’s really been a treasure to watch.
And they got to hang up their hand-painted ornaments (with a little assistance) this year.
Incorporate Their Crafts Into Wall-Art
They make the art. You get a suitable frame. They get to proudly look upon their Christmas crafts throughout the season. You get to proudly display them!
I love these kids’ art frames made specifically for just such a purpose.
Enough said!
Magnetic Advent Calendars
Such a fun and simple thing, I had to add it to my toddler Christmas activities list.
Having Christmas decorations that the babies can actively play with and enjoy throughout the holiday season is such a nice way to involve them. To really help them develop a joy and excitement for Christmastime!
And what’s more exciting than each day, starting December 1st, counting down until they wake up to presents under the tree?
There are some fantastic options. I have a fairly basic one, similar in concept to this style, but magnetic, that I got from Target. Orson greatly enjoyed using it last year. But seeing this one by Melissa and Doug, I may have to supplement the one we already have. It’s adorable, bright, festive, and engaging! Perfect for my toddlers!
Toddler-Proof Nativity Scenes
Finally, if you’re like us and display a nativity scene in your home for the holidays, it’s important to have one that won’t easily break. Ours is one that Nathan has had from his youth growing up in Mongolia, and luckily, it’s hand-carved from wood. So it holds up pretty well!
It’s nice to start having the opportunities to teach Orson and Nova the real reason for the season. Having our little nativity set up is lovely, and they really enjoy playing with the little pieces.
If you’d like to have a toddler-proof nativity scene for your home, this one is specifically meant for toddler enjoyment. Fisher-Price Little People offers a delightful little nativity set, so that you can share the story of Jesus with your little ones this year.
Let’s Wrap Up These Toddler Christmas Activities
This is the hap-hap-happiest season of all! I’m so thrilled that I get to enjoy it with my little ones. But what adds exponentially to my enjoyment is watching THEM enjoy the magic of Christmastime.
These toddler Christmas activities have really engaged Orson and Nova in Yuletide. The crafts, the lights, the holiday movies, and Christmas cookies… I hope that something on this list makes it into your home and increases your and your little one’s enjoyment this year. Warm wishes and good tidings to you and your family!
Did you try any of the crafts on this list? Did you go see a local light show? Reach out, and let me know! I’d love to hear about fun traditions you’ve involved your kids in! Leave a comment, follow me on my socials, even shoot me an email! Look forward to hearing from you.