Hello Friends,
This Christmas is our son Daniel’s second time celebrating with us. Last year was a lot of fun, but he was still a baby. This year, he’s a toddler and I absolutely LOVE watching him experience Christmas all over again. He’s fascinated by our Christmas tree and all the lights and he has a very special snowman ornament that he loves to look at each day. Opening gifts with him on Christmas Day is going to be especially fun! I’m also looking forward to doing some fun activities with him throughout this month.
Last week on Instagram, I asked my followers for ideas and suggestions for little ones during the Christmas season. Most of them were activities you can do with littles ones, as well as some very helpful and practical suggestions for us mamas. I’ve compiled everything here in this post along with some links and resources.
If you submitted an idea or suggestion – THANK YOU! While the list below is written in my own words, your suggestions inspired it all!
Disclaimer: This post might contain some affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog in this way!
Christmas Activities for Little Ones
1. Have a Christmas Book Countdown
(This was the most popular idea submitted!)
Wrap 12 (or 25!) Christmas books individually. Each day, your child can choose one book to unwrap and read together. We are going to be doing 12 books for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, but you could also go ahead and do 25 books for the days leading up to Christmas in the month of December.
Here are some places to get children’s Christmas books:
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- The Library – This is the best option for free books! Just don’t forget to return them on time.
- Second-hand shops or books sales – check your local thrift shops or any used book sales at your library (this is where I found some of ours!).
- Thriftbooks – a great place to look for specific used children’s books.
- Christianbook.com – they have some really nice Christmas books for great prices – especially if you’re looking for new books.
2. Let Them Have A Tree of Their Own
Purchase an inexpensive tree that you can place in your child’s bedroom. Include child- friendly ornaments that they can play with and use to decorate their tree. This is a great idea especially if you have a “no touch” rule in your home regarding your main Christmas tree (like we do!).
Here is a mini pre-lit Christmas tree from Walmart for only $10
3. Make Christmas Play Dough Together
Someone submitted this idea on my Instagram account and I loved it! If you have lots of cookie baking to do, you could set your toddler up with their own play dough “cookie dough”. Give them a rolling pin and some cookie cutters and let them go to town!
Here are a few festive play dough recipes to check out:
4. Play with Sensory Bins or Bags
What are sensory bins? This is how Active Littles blog describes them:
“Sensory bins are just as its name states: a bin used to stimulate the senses. It is a tangible experience in a contained area such as a storage bin, bottle, tub, or bag.” – The Beginners Guide to Sensory Bins by Active Littles Blog
Here is a list of 25 Easy Christmas Sensory Bins!
5. Do Some Christmas Coloring
There are so many fun (and FREE) Christmas coloring pages online. Be sure to join your child with some festive coloring pages of your own. Decorate their pages with glitter, Christmas-y stickers, or cottontails (for snow!).
Here are some FREE Christmas coloring pages you can download and print:
- Christmas coloring pages and BINGO cards from Crayola
- 130 Free Christmas Coloring pages for Kids and Adults
6. Attend a Christmas Light Show
Many towns (and amusement parks) have their own unique light show… you can easily do some checking around to see if any towns near you have a light show that you can attend with your kids. We will be attending the one in our town for the first time this year and we are all looking forward to it!
If you’re looking to save a little bit of money and want to forgo an official light show – you can just pack up the kids in the car, turn on some Christmas music and drive around town to look at the lights in your neighborhood. No tickets required!
7. Listen to Christmas Audio Stories
We grew up listening to Adventures in Odyssey and Christmas audios from Patch the Pirate. Even now as an adult, I LOVE listening to audio stories. There are so many different Christmas audio stories you can listen to with your child! Here are some you can check out:
You can also borrow free audiobooks through Hoopla that your child can listen to as well.
Lastly, here is a blog post that my friend Sarah, from @altogetherlovely.co put together last year. It’s full of links to Christmas audio dramas (some are even free!).
8. Bake Cookies Together
This may seem obvious, but sometimes we are a little hesitant to include our children in the messy work of baking (at least, I know I am!). However, children LOVE getting their hands busy helping mama. You can have your child assist you in measuring ingredients, stirring, a rolling out cookie dough. It may be messy, and the cookies may not turn out “perfect” but your child will have a blast and you’ll be making special memories in the process!
Here are a few of my favorite Christmas cookies recipes that I make almost every year!
9. Make Christmas Ornaments
I have fond memories of making Christmas ornaments as a kid! My mom still has many of the ornaments my siblings and I made years ago. Again, making ornaments with children does not mean they will turn out “perfect” but you and your child will have fun, making memories, and end up with a keepsake for years to come! Growing up, one of my aunts taught us how to make ornaments out of empty egg shells! Those may be a bit difficult (and fragile) for really little ones, but here are some easy Christmas ornament ideas you can do with your child:
10. Teach Them the True Christmas Story
In the midst of all the fun, don’t forget to talk about the true Christmas story with your child. Remind them that we celebrate this season because Jesus came to Earth for us! Tell them the Christmas story, read about the birth of Christ from the Bible, and sing the traditional Christmas songs!
Here are some helpful resources for teaching the true reason for the season:
- Abeka First Christmas Flash-a-Card Set
- 5 FREE printable Christmas lessons with coloring pages – from the birth of John to the three wise men (not KJV so you will want to use your own Bible for Scripture)
A Few Things to Remember for the Little Ones
Christmastime brings with it new routines, new activities, extra busyness… and sometimes, colds and other sicknesses! Remember to be patient with your child. Do your best to maintain a consistent daily routine (when possible), prioritize sleep, and plenty of healthy food. Sugary treats are great – as a treat – but too many won’t be good for you or your child!
A Few Things to Remember for Mama
My husband and I always throw around the cliche’ “expectations ruin relations.” Well, fellow mama, if we’re not careful, “expectations ruin Christmas!” Keep your expectations in check and realistic. Focus on having fun and creating memories that will last a lifetime for your child! Just having a loving mama who is present at Christmas will mean the world to your little one. The house doesn’t need to be perfect, the Christmas cookies can be a little misshapen, the gifts don’t need to be wrapped “just so”. (And no, your child doesn’t need to latest and greatest toys for Christmas!) Decide right now to give your little one the gift of a joyful mama for Christmas!
Final Thoughts
I hope this post gave you some fun ideas to do with your little one (or if you have young siblings… or do a lot of babysitting!).
Which idea do you want to try first? Do you have any ideas to add? Please leave a comment below and tell me! I love hearing from you!
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Until Next Time,
