Ever wonder which Christmas activities you can do with your kids? I know I have. Holiday toys and Santa Claus may have taken the lead, but I am ready to make a DIY holiday ornament the whole family can enjoy and set up Christmas activities for independent play. (Because these presents aren’t going to wrap themselves.) Here are my favorite 20 Christmas activities for kids.
Easy Christmas Activities for Kids
Since Christmas is filled with many fun things, here are a few quick links that may interest you before we dive into activities. Would you rather questions for kids (Christmas edition) list is a fun activity for Christmas Eve or on your road trip to spread a bit of funny holiday cheer.
- Christmas Movies
- Christmas Tree Crafts
- Doable Family Christmas Traditions
- DIY Christmas Gifts
- Festive and Fun Christmas Games
- Would You Rather Christmas Questions for Kids
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Box Christmas Tree
Make a box tree out of your recycled Amazon boxes!
Supplies:
- Art supplies
- Boxes
- Cardstock
- Green paint
Train Track Tree Farm
Can’t take a train ride? No problem! Make your own Christmas Tree Farm with wooden tracks to play with at home.
Supplies:
- Builder’s paper
- Construction paper
- Trains
- Wooden train tracks
Easy DIY Paper Ornament
Put on Christmas songs and make your tree a winter wonderland with these colorful paper ornaments.
Supplies:
Jingle Bell Drop
Get creative with this holiday STEM activity. Kids of all ages enjoy testing the path of the jingle bells.
Supplies:
- Jingle bells
- Recycled boxes
- Painter’s tape
Christmas Lights Play
Set up the magic of the holiday season on paper by including our beloved counting bears in a drawn Christmas scene.
Supplies:
Tissue Paper Ornament Art
This tissue paper ornament poster is a hit! The three painted together, worked alone, and dabbled in and out throughout the afternoon.
Supplies:
Fingerprint Lights Painting
Fingerprint lights make a terrific grandparent gift for kids. It is the perfect way to say I love you. The entire family can make prints!
Supplies:
- Canvas
- Paints
- Permanent marker
Color Matching Christmas Tree
Christmas games don’t have to take hours to set up. Invite your toddler to color sort on the drawn Christmas tree.
Supplies:
Christmas Lights with Dot Stickers
Great ideas can take less than five minutes to set up! Invite your preschooler to follow the pattern of the holiday lights.
Supplies:
Gingerbread Sticker Match
Skipping the gingerbread house this year? Try this fun idea instead!
Supplies:
- Candy stickers
- Brown paper bag Builder’s Paper
- Markers
Christmas Sticker Cups
Make sticker cups if you have multiple children doing fun Christmas activities together! This is also a fun idea for Christmas morning.
Supplies:
- Christmas stickers
- Plastic cups
Reindeer Play Dough Recipe
Get in the holiday spirit by making this homemade playdough to make reindeer with.
Supplies
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1.5 cups of flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
Play Dough Tree
Heat some hot cocoa and get out your green play dough. This is a fun sensory invitation to play.
Supplies
- Buttons
- Green play dough
- Natural materials
Easy Christmas Beading
Listen to your favorite Christmas music as your child practices beading to strengthen fine motor muscles. I adore homemade Christmas decorations!
Supplies
Christmas Stars
Make these stars on Christmas day after gift giving, or put them on the tree or add them to gifts ahead of time.
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Paint sticks
- Printable star template (on the website)
- Scissors
- String
- Tape
Candy Cane Craft
The best holiday crafts are the simple ones! Use pipe cleaners and pony beads to make candy cane ornaments.
Supplies
Christmas Sensory Bin
Add the magic of Christmas into a sensory bin! Use green and red dyed rice to make the simple idea come alive.
Supplies
- Baking paper
- Food Coloring – red and green
- Items from home to fill
- Rice
- White vinegar
- Ziplock bags x 2
Magnetic Tiles Jingle
Dig out your jingle bells! The best part is that they stick to magnetic tiles. Isn’t that so fun?!
Supplies
Scoop the Ornaments
Keep the holidays simple this year by reading Christmas books and scooping ornaments from a water sensory bin.
Supplies
- Jingle bells (Optional)
- Ladle
- Ornaments
- Storage bin
Jingle Bell Painting
Did you know that you can paint with jingle bells? This is an excellent way for children to explore process art and make a creative Christmas card.
Supplies
What are good Christmas activities for kids?
Keep in mind that Christmas activities for kids are the ones you have time for. These ideas may include reindeer games, an outdoor event to watch a tree lighting, or finding a Polar Express train ride.
Parents of toddlers and preschoolers, hear me out!
You do not need to fill every day with Christmas activities for kids to make the Christmas holiday magical. Family members do not have to exhaust themselves for holiday joy.
Instead, scan this additional list if you need more.
Think about what you enjoy doing with your kids at home. Whether it is play dough, DIY ornaments, or independent play with Christmas indoor activities, you’ve come to the correct part of the web.
More Christmas Activities for Kids
Christmas Playdough and Oobleck Ideas
Nothing screams Christmas sensory play like playdough and Oobleck. Here are some of my favorite links for exploring texture.
- Chocolate Reindeer Playdough Play (Fantastic Fun and Learning) – Sticks and beads in playdough to make reindeer? Yes, please!
- Christmas Playdough (Non-toy Gifts) – Make playdough and give it as a Holiday gift!
- Christmas Tree Playdough (The Ladybirds’ Adventure) – Create playdough using Christmas tree shape cutters!
- Christmas Tree Playdough Kit (Mama Papa Bubba) – My kids love this easy playdough Christmas art activity.
- Gingerbread Oobleck (My Bored Toddler) – You and your kids will definitely enjoy this easy Christmas activity.
- Gingerbread Playdough (Natural Beach Living) – Nothing says happy holidays better than gingerbread! Enjoy this Christmas activity with your kids.
- No-Cook Gingerbread Playdough (Danya Banya) – This is definitely an easy fun activity you can do with your kids
- Playdough Christmas Tree Crafts (The Educator Spin on It) – Use playdough as the base for your Christmas crafts.
- Simple Winter Playdough Tray (Living Montessori Now) – Add some winter-inspired objects to your kids’ playdough.
DIY Ornaments for Kids:
- Beaded Christmas Ornament (Toddler Approved) – Your kids will definitely love making this. Help them create these easy ornament masterpieces.
- Christmas Stars (Picklebums) – Make these sweet stars out of paper and hang them on your Christmas tree!
- DIY Snowman Ornament (Rhythms of Play) – I love making these ornaments with my kids. The perfect Christmas bonding activity.
- Easy Wood Bead Ornament (Muddy Boots and Diamond) – Let the kids make these awesome ornaments. Perfect for our Christmas tree.
- Frozen Sun Catcher Ornament (Take them Outside) – Make an ornament out of ice and watch it melt as a fun science experiment!
- Handprint Dove Plates (Pink Stripey Socks) – This art activity is great for making your next Christmas ornaments.
- Handprint Grinch Card (Non-toy Gifts)- The perfect greeting card made from your kid’s handprints.
- Homemade Crystal Ornaments (Team Cartwright) – Use kid-friendly crystals to make Christmas tree decorations.
- Ice Ornaments (Red Ted Art) – You’ll love these beautiful ornaments perfect for the Christmas tree. It’s extra special because you and your kids made it.
- Name Candy Cane Ornament (Fun a Day) – Making these bead ornaments is super easy! It’s a fun and great bonding activity for you and your kids.
- Paper Plates Christmas Trees (Pink Stripey Socks) – Let your kids express their creativity with these Christmas tree crafts.
RELATED: Looking for books for Christmas? You’ll love this list!
Indoor Christmas Activities
Many of us spend countless days inside during the winter. Let’s heat things up with indoor Christmas activities for kids!
- Bear Stays Up Late for Christmas Movement Game (Rainy Day Mum) – A fun gross motor activity for your kids to play.
- Cardboard Box Christmas Tree (Days with Grey) – My kids totally loved this!
- Christmas Bears (Days with Grey) – Decorate a paper Christmas tree using colorful bears.
- Christmas Cutting Box (Teaching Mama) – Make a box full of kid-friendly materials to snip.
- Christmas Lights Fine Motor Play (Days with Grey) – Create Christmas lights using dot-stickers.
- Christmas Sensory Bin (Fun with Mama) – Sparkly, Shiny, and all the simple Christmas materials your kids will enjoy in one bin!
- Christmas Tree Dot Stickers (Busy Toddler) – This fun Christmas activity keeps your kid in focus. My kids love these sticker activities.
- Cranberry Scoop (Days with Grey) – Add cranberries to water and let your little ones scoop away.
- Dissolving Gingerbread Cookies (Little Bins for Little Hands) – An awesome way to play with gingerbread cookies.
- Dot the Lights (Days with Grey) – Give your kids some stickers to create Christmas lights.
- Fingerprint Christmas Painting (Days with Grey) – Use fingerprints to make fairy lights.
- Fluffy Snow Slime (Natural Beach Living) – Enjoy this simple experiment perfect for your Christmas sensory activities.
- Gingerbread Sticker Match (Days with Grey) – Pair up the stickers on this giant gingerbread man!
- Graphing Gift Bows (And Next Comes L) – Color sort gift bows.
- Grow Snow on a Tree (Home Cleaning Family) – Show your kids this amazing science project that’ll surely be one for the books.
- Holiday Sticker Cups (Days with Grey) – My kids love this activity! It’s super easy.
- How to Make Fake Snow (Little Bins for Little Hands) – Amaze your kids with this super easy science experiment.
- Jingle Bell Painting (Happily Ever Mom) – Use jingle bells and paint to print patterns!
- Jingle Bell STEM Challenge (Days with Grey) – See if your kids can connect tubes and roll down jingle bells inside!
- Little Blue Trucks Christmas Count Up (Days with Grey) – A great book to teach kids about counting.
- Magna Tiles and Jingle Bells (And Next Comes L) – Make a Christmas tree out of tile shapes and jingle bells.
- Melting Snowman (Little Bins for Little Hands) – Create snowmen and watch how they melt.
- Painter’s Tape Christmas Tree (How Wee Learn) – A fun indoor Christmas activity that’s super easy to set up.
- Painting on Snow (Mama Papa Bubba) – This Christmas activity is super easy to do.
- Paper Roll Gingerbread Man (Mama Papa Bubba) – These gingerbread men made from toilet paper rolls make great creative décor.
- Paper Strip Tree Craft (Non-toy Gifts) – Make Christmas trees on paper plates.
- Peppermint Water Play (Fantastic Fun and Learning) – Try this sensory play for your next Christmas activity.
- Polar Bear Walk (Growing Book by Book) – Create a winter-themed interactive walk.
- Pom Pom Christmas Tree Craft (Fantastic Fun and Learning) – Attach pom poms to your paper Christmas tree using pegs!
- Pom Pom Painted Snowman (Fantastic Fun and Learning) – Show your creativity with this Christmas art Activity
- Scoop the Ornaments (Toddler Approved) – Both the kids and the parents will surely enjoy this fun game.
- Snowflake Art (Teaching Two and Three-Year-Olds) – Let the kids make these beautiful creative ornaments for Christmas.
- Snowman Marshmallow Dispenser (Meaningful Mama) – This easy art should definitely be on your kid’s Christmas Activities list.
- Snowman Sensory Bottles (Little Bins for Little Hands) – Make these awesome snowmen sensory bottles for your kids to enjoy this Christmas season.
- Snowpups (Busy Toddler) – Create a serene winter sensory activity using snow pup toys.
- Sticker Trees Counting (Busy Toddler) – See if your child can put the right number of stickers on the Christmas tree!
- Train Tracks at the Tree Farm (Days with Grey) – Make a scenic Christmas background using paper and set up some train tracks!
- Tissue Paper Ornament Poster (Days with Grey) – This is one of the kids’ easiest and best Christmas activities. My kids love this activity!
Wait! What about New Year’s Eve?
New Year’s Eve comes pretty quickly this time of year. I have you covered with these 20 New Year’s activities for kids. This list includes games you can set out ahead of time. These activities are so much fun!
Frequently Asked Questions
Christmas is a fun time for families to be together, unplug, and enjoy some much-needed downtime. Here, we like to make a cardboard Christmas tree, paint a fingerprint light canvas for grandparents, and make Christmas cookies.
You don’t have to have siblings to enjoy Christmas! The holidays are a time to spend time doing things you may not be able to do during the year. Go see a holiday light show, drive to visit friends, volunteer, and spend time with neighbors. Think of a favorite family tradition for your child to be excited about year after year.
Make a family tradition. Cut down your own Christmas tree. Read a favorite book every Christmas Eve. Shake bells on the door wondering if that means Santa is on his way. Volunteer at a holiday event to give back.
