Why not get ready to try a few or all of these Christmas play ideas for toddlers to preschoolers! We have so many fun December activities from Christmas sensory bins and more. We love coming up with new Christmas activities for little ones!

25 CHRISTMAS PLAY IDEAS FOR KIDSChristmas sensory play activities and science sensory play ideas for 25 days of Christmas countdown. Perfect Christmas activities for toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary. Play and learn this Christmas!

ADVENT ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS

It just dawned on me what a perfect advent calendar idea this would be for kids! Easy play ideas and holiday activities everyday until Christmas. We also have a great list of tips and hints for busy families to create a simple countdown calendar.

Grab some note cards and envelopes, write out a list of Christmas activities, make sure to gather supplies. Leave a card on his or her plate each morning for breakfast or decorate a small tree {clip cards on with mini clothespins}!  Check out more examples here..

Not into an Advent Calendar? Why not pick and choose a few of the following Christmas play ideas to do this month! All of these December activities use easy supplies you can get at the grocery store. I bet you have most of them already!

christmas-sensory-play-activities

25 FUN-FILLED CHRISTMAS PLAY IDEAS FOR TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS

What kinds of Christmas activities are there? You and your kids can enjoy our favorite Christmas slime recipe and make gingerbread slime, turn candy canes into peppermint salt dough, put together Christmas sensory bins, make I SPY bottles, and so much more!

Our Christmas play ideas are filled with wonderful tactile experiences and many of them are also simple science experiments.  There is even a very fun ice melting idea you have to check out.

NEW! CHRISTMAS PLAYDOUGH TRAY AND MATH PRINTABLE

NEW! CHRISTMAS GLITTER JARS

GINGERBREAD SLIME

Are we baking cookies or making slime?  Whether you love baking gingerbread man cookies, are planning a gingerbread theme lesson, or just love anything scented, our gingerbread slime recipe with liquid starch is the answer.

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GINGERBREAD PLAY DOUGH

Playdough is on my must-do list for December activities for toddlers.  What’s better than a scented dough, and a tray of inspiration to bake their own cookies!

We paired this Christmas activity with one of our favorite Christmas books called the Gingerbread Mouse! A very simple book about a little mouse, a new gingerbread house, and a little girl who befriends her and gives the mouse a gingerbread cookie.

EDIBLE GINGERBREAD SLIME

Taste-safe and perfect for kids of all ages to enjoy!

CHRISTMAS CLOUD DOUGH

Awesome Christmas cloud dough you can make yourself! We first played with homemade cloud dough just over a year ago!  It has an amazing texture, crumbly, and moldable at the same time. Our Christmas cloud dough recipe feels amazing on the hands and smells like cookies.

Christmas Cookie Cloud Dough Sensory Play

PEPPERMINT SALT DOUGH

Easy no-cook salt dough recipe for Christmas play! We livened it up with a wonderful peppermint scent and natural coloring too! I love no-cook dough for how easy it is to make.

Salt Dough Recipe Peppermint Scented Sensory Dough

CHRSITMAS I SPY BOTTLES

Christmas in a bottle with simple to make Christmas sensory bottles that double as I Spy games for kids! Make a few different bottles and take them on a go or use them as a quiet time activity during the holidays.

Sensory bottles are awesome for visual sensory play and are often called calm down bottles for relaxing and reducing anxiety.

christmas-sensory-search-bottle

CINNAMON SENSORY RICE {WITH BOOK IDEA}

Cinnamon sensory bin is a wonderful treat for tactile sensory play for the body! Rice sensory bins are one of the simplest forms of sensory play and so easy to put together quickly.

Cinnamon sensory rice play

HOLIDAY SLIME

No holiday would be complete without a freshly made batch of homemade slime. Cookies too I suppose! I just happen to be much better at whipping up homemade slime then I am whipping up homemade cookies. Check out these holiday slime recipes for the best Christmas activities.

Christmas Slime Holiday Slimes Winter New Years Snowflake Activities

PEPPERMINT WATER SENSORY BIN

Who doesn’t want to play with candy especially when you can learn a little science while you are at it. Check out how we use a classic holiday candy to do some simple peppermint water science.

Peppermint Water Science Close Up of Mints

ERUPTING ORNAMENTS

Last year’s Christmas baking soda science cookie cutters activity was also great fun, but this is definitely a must-try activity! Make a great December activity with erupting holiday ornaments!

Baking soda and vinegar science activities are perfect for young kids and provide a hands-on learning experience too. We love anything that fizzes, bangs, and pops!

christmas-baking-soda-science-ornaments-2

MAGNETIC SENSORY BIN

Have your kids ever explored magnets and Christmas science? Do they love sensory bins? Here’s the perfect opportunity to create a Christmas magnet activity and sensory play experiment in one.

christmas-magnet-science-bin

SANTA’S ICY WINTER HANDS

What do you get when you fill a plastic glove with water and freeze? Santa’s frozen hands will amaze your kids and keep them busy for maybe even a whole hour!

Christmas Ice Melt Science Santa's frozen hands activity

PEPPERMINT OOBLECK

Christmas is an excellent time of the year to put a little twist on classic science experiments! That’s how we decided to try peppermint oobleck!

peppermint oobleck sensory science

CHRISTMAS SAND FOAM

This simple Christmas sand foam only uses two ingredients, shaving cream and sand. Our first play recipe was sandbox sand foam, but this time I used red craft sand for a Christmas theme!

Christmas Sand Foam Sensory Play 2 Ingredient Sensory Play

CHRISTMAS SENSORY BIN WITH ORNAMENTS

Our Christmas ornament sensory bin is super simple to set up and store as well. Grab a container with a well fitting lid for Christmas play all month long!

Christmas Ornament Sensory Play Activity

CHRISTMAS SENSORY BIN WITH WATER

Setting up a simple Christmas activity can be so easy if you go with something like our Christmas sensory table! Add plastic ornaments for active hands to dump, pour, and fill along with a baster for awesome fine motor skills. Simple sensory play for a Christmas win!

Christmas Sensory play water sensory bin

CANDY CANE RICE SENSORY BIN

Candy Cane Sensory Bin Rice Sensory Play

CHRISTMAS SAND SENSORY BIN

Make a simple sensory bin with green colored play sand.  See here for how to easily color sand for sensory play.

Sand Ornament sensory play Christmas Sensory Bin

These Christmas play ideas are truly quick and easy with a simple set up! I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want our Christmas activities to be fast, frugal, and fun to share with my son any day of the year.

Make a list, check it twice, and gather your supplies!

WHICH CHRISTMAS PLAY IDEAS WILL YOU TRY THIS SEASON?

Click on the image below or on the link for fun and easy Christmas science experiments.

Fun and simple BEST Christmas Science Activities for kids to do this holiday season including Christmas chemistry and Christmas physics!

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