This time of the year can be super busy and distracting for younger kids and adults, too! So, letting preschoolers have fun while learning is a great way to go! Here’s our go-to list of easy Christmas activities for preschoolers. From ornament crafts to Christmas science experiments, Christmas STEM, and simple to set-up Christmas sensory activities. These Christmas activities are perfect for getting preschoolers excited about the Christmas season while keeping them engaged!
Tips For Easy Preschool Christmas Activities
Engaging preschoolers in Christmas-themed learning activities can be both fun and educational. Here are five tips to make these activities enjoyable and effective:
Tip 1: Incorporate Sensory Experiences
Christmas activities that engage multiple senses are great for young learners. For example, involve touch with sensory bins filled with holiday-themed items, use scented markers for coloring, or play Christmas music to enhance auditory experiences.
Tip 2: Integrate Math and Counting
Use holiday decorations or themed objects to incorporate counting and basic math concepts. For instance, have them count ornaments as they decorate a mini Christmas tree or sort jingle bells by size or color.
Tip 3: Promote Fine Motor Skills
Many Christmas crafts and activities naturally support the development of fine motor skills. Cutting, gluing, and decorating ornaments or creating Christmas cards provide opportunities for children to practice hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
Tip 4: Combine Literacy and Storytelling
Explore Christmas-themed books together and encourage children to retell the stories using props or puppets. Create a holiday-themed story wall where children can add pictures or drawings related to their favorite Christmas stories. See our list of favorite Christmas books below.
Tip 5: Explore Science with Holiday Experiments
Turn simple science experiments into holiday theme learning opportunities. For instance, create a “melting snowman” with baking soda and vinegar, or explore the concept of buoyancy by making mini floating “sleighs” with common household items.
Remember to keep the activities age-appropriate and simple, allowing children to explore and learn at their own pace. The goal is to make learning fun, festive, and aligned with the magic of the holiday season.
Tip 6: Learn About Holiday Traditions Worldwide
Learning about traditions other countries and cultures share around the holiday season is never too early! You’ll find this free Holidays Around the World mini pack and free Christmas Around the world Coloring Pages here.
Christmas Books For Preschoolers
Here are ten delightful Christmas books that are perfect for preschoolers. I am an Amazon affiliate.
“The Gruffalo’s Child” by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: This charming story follows the Gruffalo’s child as she embarks on a snowy adventure, encountering various forest creatures.
“Bear Stays Up for Christmas” by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman: Join Bear and his woodland friends as they try to keep Bear awake for Christmas in this heartwarming tale.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” by Dr. Seuss: Dr. Seuss’s classic story of the Grinch and his change of heart is a timeless Christmas favorite for young readers.
Check out our list of fun Grinch activities to pair with this book!
“Pete the Cat Saves Christmas” by James Dean and Eric Litwin: Pete the Cat grooves through this festive story as he steps in to save Christmas when Santa falls ill.
“The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg: A magical tale of a boy’s journey on the Polar Express train to the North Pole, where he learns the true spirit of Christmas.
“Llama Llama Holiday Drama” by Anna Dewdney: Little Llama deals with the excitement and impatience of the holiday season in this adorable and relatable story.
“The Littlest Elf” by Brandi Dougherty and Kirsten Richards: Follow the adventures of the littlest elf who proves that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference during the holiday season.
“Snowmen at Christmas” by Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner: Discover the imaginative world of snowmen at night as they celebrate Christmas in this whimsical and beautifully illustrated book.
“Olivia Helps with Christmas” by Ian Falconer: Join Olivia the pig as she helps her family prepare for Christmas, adding her own unique flair to the holiday festivities.
“Merry Christmas, Mouse!” by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond: Mouse decorates the Christmas tree with different items in this counting book, making it a festive and educational read.
These Christmas books for preschoolers combine engaging stories with delightful illustrations, making them perfect for creating holiday traditions and sparking the season’s magic.
Get started with these FREE Christmas ornament printables!
Just print, cut, and fold…
Christmas Activities For Preschoolers
Christmas Art & Crafts
Coffee Filter Christmas Trees
Easy to make, these coffee filter Christmas trees are such a fun craft to add to your preschool Christmas activities.
Popsicle Stick Stars
Kick off the holiday season with a fun handmade Christmas star ornament! This festive Popsicle stick star is easy to make with just a few simple materials.
Christmas Tree Ornament
All you need are colorful pop poms, popsicle sticks and yarn to make this easy ornament craft.
Paper Strip Christmas Craft
Check out this sparkly Christmas tree that doubles as a fun paper strip Christmas craft too.
Stamped Christmas Tree Craft
Make adorable Christmas trees using sponges to stamp vibrant colors, creating unique and artistic holiday trees.
Lacing Christmas Tree Craft
There is so much you can do with recycled cardboard and yarn. Plus, this lacing Christmas tree craft is great for developing fine motor skills!
Reindeer Ornament
Wrap Popsicle sticks in yarn to make your own cute Rudolph ornament. Here’s another reindeer ornament you can make from recyclable materials.
Popsicle Stick Snowflake Ornaments
Decorate popsicle sticks with beads, glitter, and sparkly gems, to make these unique snowflake ornaments.
Snowflake Tape Resist Art
Our tape resist snowflake painting is easy to set up and fun to do with preschoolers this season.
Snowflake Splatter Painting
Create a snowstorm at home or in the classroom with this fun and easy drip painting snowflake art.
Christmas Tree Craft
Get the kids to make this cute and colorful Christmas tree ornament ready to decorate the house with this season with cardboard and buttons!
Magnetic Ornaments
Explore magnetism with all sorts of fun materials and create a magnetic science ornament too. Are jingle bells magnetic?
Marbled Christmas Ornaments
Combine art and science to create these fun marbled Christmas ornaments! Use magnets to paint and make unique Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree this year.
Cinnamon Ornaments
Easy Christmas ornaments for kids with this beautifully scented cinnamon salt dough recipe.
Similar to our cinnamon ornaments above, salt dough ornaments are super easy to make. Then paint and seal them for a shiny finish!
Christmas Sensory Activities
Christmas Sensory Bins
We have plenty of Christmas sensory bin ideas and themes to explore, plus a handy list to help you start the journey!
Gingerbread Playdough
Playdough is on my must-do list for December activities for preschoolers. What’s better than a scented dough and a tray of inspiration to bake their own cookies!
Taste Safe Gingerbread Playdough
Sometimes, you need a taste-safe sensory play recipe, the perfect scented holiday recipe.
Christmas Playdough
Add this Christmas playdough recipe to your Christmas activities, and you are sure to have something fun to whip up this holiday! Plus, make sure to get your free printable Christmas Math playdough mats!
Christmas Cloud Dough
Awesome Christmas cloud dough for easy Christmas sensory play! Our Christmas cloud dough feels amazing on the hands and smells like cookies. Add some simple kitchen tools; cookie cutters, measuring cups and spoons.
Christmas Glitter Jars
These Christmas sensory bottles or glitter jars are easy to make and are a great calm down tool with their mesmerizing sparkle!
Peppermint Oobleck
Give the classic 2 ingredient oobleck, a Christmas twist by adding Christmas peppermints to the mix. Or add items from a winter nature walk with our Evergreen oobleck recipe.
Christmas Magnet Sensory Bin
Dive into this exciting Christmas sensory bin adventure filled with engaging activities. Your little ones will be thrilled to discover jingling bells, and Christmas-themed items using magnets.
Christmas Water Play
Here’s a novel Christmas sensory activity that will have your kids playing happily for hours. Add plastic ornaments to warm water for active hands to dump, pour, and fill along with a baster for awesome fine motor skills.
Cinnamon Rice Sensory Bin
Make an amazing scented rice with vanilla and cinnamon. We added gingerbread-themed buttons left over from another project and these scented cinnamon salt dough ornaments!
Candy Cane Rice Sensory Bin
Dye rice red and white to create candy cane stripes. Add small Christmas-themed toys, mini candy canes, and scoops. See here for how to dye rice.
Grinch Slime
And his heart grew three sizes that day… Make awesome Grinch slime to go along with the book or movie this season. Check out more Grinch Day activities here!
Christmas Tree Slime
Turn your slime into a moving Christmas tree! Kids will love all the glitter, mini baubles and other decorations that can be added to this fun green Christmas slime.
Scented Gingerbread Slime
Add in any of your Christmas cookie cutters, not just the gingerbread man ones! You can also add buttons, glitter, and whatever else the kids will enjoy. Plus, who doesn’t love the smell of gingerbread cookies?
For a taste safe gingerbread slime, check out our edible gingerbread slime recipe.
Fluffy Candy Cane Slime
The stretchiest, coolest, and fluffiest slime we love to make! Mix two batches of fluffy slime and twist them into an excellent candy cane.
Christmas Science & STEM
You can find our complete guide to Christmas STEM activities here.
Santa’s 5 Senses Lab
Sensory play can also include science fun! Kick off the season with a Christmas 5 senses lab filled with the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of the holiday season!
If exploring the 5 senses is on your list this year, check out our complete collection of preschool 5 senses activities here.
Reindeer Facts and Fun
Add a bit of biology to your Christmas theme with reindeer facts and fun activities!
Crystal Candy Canes
Grow your own crystal candy cane ornaments you can hang on the tree. There’s also some fun science behind this STEAM (science + art) activity.
Salt Crystal Gingerbread Man
Instead of borax crystals, make up a salt solution to grow these fun salt crystal gingerbread men.
Santa’s Frozen Hands
What do you get when you fill a plastic glove with water and freeze? Simple but super cool science for kids of all ages! Santa’s frozen hands will amaze your kids and keep them busy for maybe even a whole hour this holiday season.
Dissolving Candy Canes
Investigate what happens to candy canes when you them to different liquids like water, oil, vinegar. Find out why candy canes dissolve in some solutions but not others.
Jumping Tinsel
Demonstrate static electricity with a tinsel garland, a balloon, and scissors.
Gingerbread Man Cookie Chemistry
Fun cookie chemistry with an easy chemical reaction with common kitchen supplies and fun cookie cutters.
Dissolving Gingerbread Men Cookie Science
Set up a dissolving gingerbread men science activity using soft gingerbread cookies.
Free Gingerbread House Coloring Sheet
Melting Snowman
Make a snowman from baking soda and watch what happens with a cool chemical reaction. You can do Christmas science with a classroom group or at home for fun!
You can also try fizzing melting Christmas trees!
Mini Christmas Volcanos
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!
Hint: You can also use cookie cutters on a cookie tray! Fill them with baking soda and squirt with colored vinegar!
Erupting Christmas Ornaments
Another fun baking soda and vinegar experiment for Christmas using plastic ornaments!
Santa’s Chimney STEM Challenge
Build a chimney for Santa with Christmas theme supplies like candy canes, gumdrops, and marshmallows.
Christmas Tree Cup Game
Hand a pack of paper cups and challenge kids to build the tallest Christmas tree they can by stacking them up.
Christmas LEGO Challenges
Engage kids in easy printable LEGO building challenges inspired by Christmas themes, such as building Santa’s sleigh, a reindeer, or even a snowman.
Jingle Bell Shapes
This is such a fun and simple Christmas math activity to set up for the kids. Plus, it has lots of room for open-ended engineering play, too.
Find more fun preschool math activities for Christmas here.
Bonus Printable Christmas Activities
Christmas Card Coloring Pages
These pages offer a wonderful opportunity for your kids to personalize their holiday greetings. With themes like Christmas lights, candy canes, and even a cute gingerbread man, these coloring pages make festive projects easy and enjoyable for both you and your children.
Fun Christmas Tree Card Ideas
This hands-on activity encourages your child’s artistic expression as they decorate their very own Christmas tree cards with buttons, beads, and other ornaments.
Christmas Coloring Pages
This fun activity offers a wide range of engaging coloring sheets, from Santa Claus and reindeer to adorable gingerbread cookies.
Christmas Bingo
Add bingo games to your Christmas activities and excite kids about learning. Because they are picture-based, even preschoolers can join in the fun!
More Fun Christmas Activities For Kids
- Christmas Science Experiments
- Christmas Ornaments
- Christmas Games
- Christmas Math Activities
- Christmas Art Projects
- Christmas Jokes for Kids
Printable Preschool Pack
Get ready to explore this year with our growing Preschool STEM Bundle!
What’s Included:
There are 10+ preschool themes to get you started. This is an ” I can explore” series!
Each unit contains approximately 15 activities, with instructions and templates as needed. Hands-on activities are provided to keep it fun and exciting. This includes sensory bins, experiments, games, and more! Easy supplies keep it low cost and book suggestions add to the learning time.
