25+ Christmas Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

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If you’re looking for fun Christmas activities to do with toddlers and preschoolers this holiday season, I’ve got you covered!

This list of 25+ Christmas crafts, sensory play ideas, and festive toddler activities is perfect to sprinkle throughout December. These activities are low-prep, budget-friendly, and designed to keep little ones entertained while creating magical holiday memories.

But I also know the holidays can feel overwhelming when you’re balancing family traditions, endless to-dos, and all the gift shopping. To make things easier, I’ve put together curated gift guides for everyone on your list so you can spend less time stressing and more time soaking up the season. Some of the most popular ones include:

• Gift Guide for Toddlers – fun, educational, and developmentally appropriate ideas
• Toddler Gifts on a Budget – affordable picks that don’t sacrifice quality
• Gift Guide for Boys – toys, games, and creative play favorites
• Gift Guide for Girls – cozy, crafty, and imaginative options
• Gift Guide for Him – with variations for the outdoor adventurer, grill master, and sports fan
• Gift Guide for Mother-in-Law / Sister-in-Law – thoughtful, cozy, and low-tox favorites
• and more!

Each guide is filled with thoughtful, practical, and low-tox ideas to take the guesswork out of holiday shopping. Once gifts are checked off, you can dive right into all the fun with your little ones.

Why you’ll love these Christmas activities for toddlers:

• Simple supplies you probably already have at home
• Great for both toddlers and preschoolers (with easy adjustments)
• Mix of crafts, learning activities, sensory play, and keepsakes
• Perfect for rainy days, snowy afternoons, or cozy indoor play

Don’t miss the free printable Christmas activity calendar at the bottom of this post so you can follow along each day in December.

If you love this list, be sure to also check out my indoor toddler activities, 2-year-old activities, and 4-year-old preschool activities for even more seasonal fun!

25+ Christmas Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Day 1: Christmas Countdown Paper Chain

A classic and fun way for toddlers to count down the days until Christmas while practicing scissor skills.

Supplies: construction paper, scissors, glue or stapler, markers

Instructions:

1. Cut out 27 or so strips of paper about 2 inches by the smaller length of your paper (8-9 inches). If your kids are old enough, this would make some great practice with scissors! We love this pair for my 3 year old.
2. Write the numbers 1-25 as well as CHRISTMAS! on the strips (this way your kids aren’t wanting to count the chain everyday). We also write “Santa’s Comes Tonight” on the Christmas Eve link.
3. Create a chain of the strips. Start with Christmas and end with 25 (or how many days you are away from Christmas creating this).
4. Decorate the final chain with whatever theme your kiddo choses. Santa, snowman, reindeer, wreath, etc.
5. Every day cut one off as a countdown to Christmas!

Try this reusable wooden magnetic countdown for toddlers who love traditions.

Bonus Treat: Make Christmas tree cinnamon rolls with Annie’s Cinnamon Rolls and Supernatural Sprinkles.

Day 2: Christmas Cards

5 fun and easy Christmas cards your toddlers can make! Perfect to entertain your kids and make good use of their artwork for the holidays. I like to spread these out over the entire week so we have several cards made and ready to send.

Day 3: Easy Toddler Christmas Wreath Craft

A fun tissue-paper crumpling activity that works on fine motor skills.

Supplies: cardboard circle or paper plate, tissue paper, glue, markers

Instructions:

1. Cut out your cardboard wreath or the center out of a paper plate.
2. Draw a bow and circles for ornaments on your wreath
3. Cut your tissue paper into 2 inch squares and have your toddler crumple them into balls. We did lots of green for the main part of the wreath and then red, and white for the bow and ornaments.
4. Drop some dots of glue, or trust your toddler with the glue themselves and let them decorate their wreath. I often put a pile on a paint palette fro them to dip into.
   The bow and ornaments are there if they want to decorate them, or else just let them have fun and decorate it the way they want!
5. Let the glue dry and then you can hang it on their door!Cut the center out of a paper plate or cardboard circle.

Day 4: DIY Christmas Wrapping Paper

Toddlers will love creating custom wrapping paper for family gifts.

Supplies: butcher paper (brown or white), Christmas stamps, paint or ink pads, sharpie, glitter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Lay butcher paper across the table or floor.
2. Decide if you want themes for your paper or just a free for all. Both options are great.
3. Let your toddler stamp and paint holiday designs.
4. Once dry, add words like “Merry Christmas” “Ho Ho Ho” and “Let it Snow” with a marker.
5. Use to wrap gifts for grandparents or friends.

Such a fun and special holiday tradition.

Tip: For younger toddlers, ink pads are easier than paint for stamping.

Day 5: Giant Ornament Decorating

Oversized ornaments make a great Christmas craft for toddlers to hang as decorations.

Supplies: cardboard or template printout, markers, pom poms, sequins, glue

Instructions:

1. Cut large ornament shapes out of cardboard.
2. Draw designs or color sections.
3. Let toddlers decorate with markers, pom poms, tissue paper, and sequins.
4. Hang ornaments around the house.

Day 6: Cotton Ball Santa and Frosty Craft

A sensory-friendly Christmas craft using fluffy cotton balls.

Supplies: Santa and Frosty outlines, cotton balls, glue, red paint (optional)

Instructions:

1. Print or draw outlines of Santa and Frosty.
2. Glue cotton balls to Santa’s beard and Frosty’s body.
3. Optional: Paint Santa’s hat red or cute it out from construction paper!

Day 7: Tie-Dye Christmas Ornaments

A magical craft that looks like watercolor but uses foil and markers.

Supplies: cardstock, foil, markers, spray bottle

Instructions:

1. Cut ornament shapes from cardstock.
2. Color foil sheets with markers.
3. Lightly spray with water.
4. Press ornament onto foil and reveal a tie-dye effect!

**We are creating several ornaments to place on our DIY tree, but you can hang them for decoration anywhere!

Day 8: Christmas Light Color Matching Game

A simple way to combine holiday fun with color recognition.

Supplies: butcher paper, markers, construction paper, tape

Instructions:

1. Draw Christmas light outlines on butcher paper. We used our easel for this! If you don’t have one it’s a big hit around here.
2. Cut matching colored light shapes from construction paper.
3. Have your toddler match and glue/tape them to the outlines.

Tip for Younger Toddlers: You could use label stickers in the matching colors instead of cutting the paper!

Day 9: Christmas Hide and Seek Game

A toddler-approved game they’ll want to repeat again and again.

Supplies: butcher paper, markers, construction paper, tape

Instructions:

1. Draw 6–8 Christmas items (tree, stocking, candy cane) on butcher paper.
2. Cut out matching shapes on construction paper.
3. Hide them around the house for your toddler to find (I just use painters tape and hang them on the walls)
4. Match them back onto the butcher paper.

Day 10: Mistletoes Keepsake (Footprint Craft)

The sweetest Christmas keepsake to have for decoration or to gift grandparents.

Full Mistletoes Keepsake Tutorial Here.

Day 11: Ornament Water Play

A holiday twist on water play, perfect for sensory fun.

Supplies: unbreakable ornaments, sequins, pom poms, pipettes, large container

Instructions:

1. Fill container with water, sequins, and pom poms.
2. Remove ornament caps.
3. Let your toddler scoop and fill ornaments.

This one is so simple but occupies my toddlers every time. Be sure to save the ornament caps to use later this month!

Day 12: DIY Felt Christmas Tree

A toddler favorite they can decorate all month long.

Supplies: green felt or paper, scissors, velcro dots, tape

Instructions:

1. Cut out a large felt Christmas tree. If your felt isn’t big enough, cut out sections and velcro or hot glue them together.
2. Tape or hang on the wall.
3. Add velcro dots for ornaments.
4. Let your toddler decorate again and again!

Day 13: Christmas Bubble Bath Sensory Play

Turn bath time into a festive holiday activity! If you don’t already have a Canopy Bath Filter, winter is the perfect season to grab one. It filters out chlorine and other contaminants, helping keep skin soft and hydrated during the dry months. I even shared a full blog post on how it cleared up my son’s eczema, it’s been so great for our family.

Supplies: body wash (we love Tubby Todd – 10% off here), Christmas bath toys, Glo Pals in red and green, mixer

Instructions:

1. Mix water and body wash with a mixer to create thick foam.
2. Add red/green Glo Pals to light up the bath.
3. Give kids the foam to play with as “snow.”

Day 14: Picture Frame Ornaments

A keepsake ornament toddlers can help make.

Supplies: cardstock, markers, family photos, contact paper

Instructions:

1. Draw or print ornament outlines.
2. Let your toddler color them.
3. Add a photo cutout in the center. We use our Kodak portable printer for this!
4. Seal with contact paper or laminate and cut out!

We love our Scotch laminator for this. I feel like it makes them just a little more sturdy so they’ll last for many years to come.

Day 15: Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree Beading

Great for fine motor skills!

Supplies: pipe cleaners, beads, clay/play-dough

Instructions:

1. Fold one pipe cleaner in half for the trunk.
2. Wrap smaller green pipe cleaners as branches.
3. Stick trunk in clay.
4. Decorate with beads.

Day 16: DIY Toddler Window Clings

A colorful craft that doubles as holiday décor.

Supplies: contact paper, tissue paper, construction paper

Instructions:

1. Cut outline shapes (tree, ornament).
2. Stick to contact paper.
3. Fill with tissue paper squares.
4. Seal with another sheet of contact paper.
5. Stick to windows.

Full how to here!

Day 17: Clay Santa Hands and Snowman Feet Keepsake

A treasured handprint/footprint craft for Christmas.

Supplies: air-dry clay, rolling pin, paint, wax/parchment paper. mod podge seal

Instructions:

1. Roll clay into ¼-inch slab.
2. Press hand or foot into clay.
3. Cut out and smooth edges. If you are going to hang as an ornament, be sure to poke a hole at this step.
4. Let dry, then paint as Santa, snowman, or a tree.
5. Seal with mod podge so they last!

These are some of the most precious memories to have as our kids grow older. I never regret making these keepsakes.

Day 18: Toddler Christmas Puzzle

DIY fine motor puzzle with a festive twist.

Supplies: cardboard box, butcher paper, markers, q-tips, paint

Instructions:

1. Cover box with butcher paper and draw a Christmas tree. The Kwik Stix Tempera Paint sticks are perfect for drawing on cardboard.
2. Cut the qtips in half and color the qtip ends to match your design. I find the easiest way to do this is by watering down paint and dipping the qtips in.
3. Poke holes with screwdriver.
4. Let your toddler “solve” the puzzle by inserting colored q-tips.

Full how to here!

Day 19: Matching Christmas Trees Game

A simple but fun matching activity.

Supplies: cardstock, markers, scissors

Instructions:

1. Draw several Christmas trees with unique patterns.
2. Cut them in half.
3. Mix pieces and let your toddler match tops to bottoms.

Bonus Tip: Laminate the trees to have the game last all season long!

Day 20: Pasta Christmas Trees and Ornaments

A toddler-friendly craft with lots of texture.

Supplies: cardboard, pasta shapes, glue, paint, sequins

Instructions:

1. Cut tree or ornament shapes from cardboard.
2. Glue pasta all over.
3. Let dry, then have your toddler paint.
4. Decorate with sequins and pom poms.

You can make this a two part activity by having your toddlers glue the pasta first, or you can glue it the night before and just let your toddler paint/decorate.

Day 21: Christmas Shape Sorting Game

Perfect for toddlers learning shapes and colors.

Supplies: butcher paper, construction paper, markers, tape

Instructions:

1. Draw large holiday shapes on butcher paper (tree, stocking, candy cane).
2. Cut matching shapes from construction paper.
3. Hide them and let toddlers find and sort by shape, color, or size.

Day 22: Beaded Pipe Cleaner Ornaments

Quick and easy fine motor craft.

Supplies: pipe cleaners, beads

Instructions:

1. Bend one end of pipe cleaner so the beads don’t fall off.
2. Have your toddler thread beads on until full.
3. Twist ends into a circle and hang.

For an educational twist, have your toddler follow a color pattern.

Day 23: Coffee Filter Snowflakes

Colorful twist on the classic snowflake.

Supplies: coffee filters, watercolors, scissors

Instructions:

1. Fold filters in half several times.
2. Paint with watercolors.
3. Let dry.
4. Cut out shapes for snowflakes.

If you don’t want to take out the paints, have your toddler color with washable markers and then spray with water to create the watercolor look.

Day 24: Magic Crayon Resist Beanie Craft

A surprise-reveal art activity toddlers love.

Supplies: cardstock, white crayon, watercolors, marker

Instructions:

1. Draw beanie outline on cardstock.
2. Add hidden designs with white crayon.
3. Let toddler paint with watercolors.
4. Designs magically appear!

Day 25: Snowman Bowling Game

Turn your living room into a mini bowling alley.

Supplies: paper cups, markers, ball, painter’s tape

Instructions:

1. Draw snowman faces on cups.
2. Stack or arrange like bowling pins.
3. Mark toddler’s “lane” with tape.
4. Roll the ball and knock them over!

Day 26: Toilet Paper Roll Christmas Trees

Upcycle cardboard rolls into glowing Christmas trees.

Supplies: toilet paper rolls, paint, scissors, sequins, LED tea lights

Instructions:

1. Paint and decorate toilet paper rolls.
2. Cut into tree shapes.
3. Add sequins and pom poms.
4. Place LED tea lights inside.

Day 27: Pom Pom Christmas Tree Craft

A colorful fine motor activity.

Supplies: cardstock, markers, pom poms, glue

Instructions:

1. Draw a tree outline.
2. Draw ornaments in matching colors.
3. Have toddler glue pom poms in the correct spots.

If they don’t want to do the color match, that’s okay. Gluing the pom poms down is great practice.

Bonus tip: For younger toddlers, give them a little pool of glue to dip their pom poms in.

Day 28: Mess-Free Christmas Painting

Perfect for toddlers who don’t like getting messy.

Full Mess-Free Christmas Painting Tutorial Here.

Bonus: Free Christmas Coloring Sheets

Grab my printable Christmas coloring pages (trees, ornaments, Santa, and more) to keep on hand for quick activities. Download them here.

Final Thoughts

I hope these Christmas crafts and activities for toddlers bring lots of joy to your home this holiday season! Whether you’re making keepsakes, playing holiday games, or enjoying sensory play, the goal is to slow down and make magical memories with your little ones.

Don’t forget to grab the free printable Christmas activity calendar at the bottom of the post so you can plan out your December fun. And if you’re looking for even more inspiration, check out my lists of indoor toddler activities, activities 2 and 4 year old can do together, and activities to do with scrap cardboard.

Merry Christmas and happy crafting!

xx,
Ciara