The festive season is a magical time for toddlers, and engaging them in fun, educational Christmas activities can spark creativity, develop fine motor skills, and teach important early years concepts.
For EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) settings or parents working with toddlers, here’s a curated list of 15 Christmas activities that are both fun and developmentally appropriate.
1. Handprint Christmas Trees
Toddlers love getting messy, and handprint crafts are perfect for EYFS.
Use green paint for the tree and let toddlers stamp their hands on paper in a triangular shape.
Add stickers or glitter for ornaments. This activity develops fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
2. Christmas Sensory Bins
Fill a tray with rice, fake snow, or shredded paper and hide small Christmas-themed objects like mini Santas, bells, or pinecones.
Toddlers can explore textures and practice sorting, counting, and imaginative play while enhancing sensory development.
3. Decorating Christmas Cookies
Safe, edible activities are always a hit.
Provide pre-baked cookies and allow toddlers to decorate them with icing, sprinkles, or fruit pieces.
This encourages creativity, fine motor precision, and introduces basic concepts like colors and patterns.
4. Christmas Storytime
Reading festive books aloud helps toddlers develop language and listening skills.
Use interactive books with flaps or textures for an added sensory element.
Follow up with questions about the story to enhance comprehension.
5. Reindeer Antler Headbands
Provide paper headbands and attach antlers made from cardboard or felt.
Toddlers can decorate with stickers or cotton balls.
This craft boosts creativity and self-expression while promoting cutting and sticking skills.
6. Christmas Music and Movement
Play classic Christmas songs and encourage toddlers to dance, march, or shake bells along with the rhythm.
Music and movement activities help with gross motor skills, coordination, and rhythm recognition.
7. Santa Beard Craft
Use cotton wool and glue to create Santa’s fluffy beard on a paper face.
Toddlers practice fine motor skills while exploring textures.
This also introduces imaginative play as they pretend to be Santa or his helpers.
8. Snowman Sensory Bottles
Fill clear plastic bottles with water, glitter, and small snowman figurines.
Toddlers can shake and watch the snow swirl, supporting visual tracking and calming sensory exploration.
9. Christmas Counting Game
Use items like ornaments, candy canes, or toy gifts for counting exercises.
Ask toddlers to place a specific number of items on a tree or in stockings.
This activity introduces early math skills in a festive context.
10. Festive Finger Painting
Provide red, green, and white paints and let toddlers create abstract Christmas scenes using their fingers.
Finger painting encourages tactile learning, creativity, and color recognition.
11. Elf Hat Paper Craft
Toddlers can create elf hats using colored paper, stickers, and glue.
This activity promotes cutting, sticking, and hand-eye coordination while allowing children to explore festive imagination.
12. Christmas Puzzle Play
Provide simple puzzles featuring Christmas scenes, like Santa, reindeer, or snowmen.
This develops problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness.
13. Sensory Snow Play
If you don’t have real snow, make artificial snow using baking soda and water.
Toddlers can squish, pat, and shape the snow while enhancing sensory exploration and understanding textures.
14. Christmas Parade
Organize a small parade in the classroom or at home.
Toddlers can dress up as reindeer, elves, or Santa, and march with instruments.
This encourages social interaction, imaginative play, and gross motor skills.
15. Christmas Card Making
Provide toddlers with colored paper, stickers, glitter, and stamps to make cards for family or friends.
This activity develops creativity, fine motor skills, and an understanding of giving and kindness.
Tips for EYFS Christmas Activities
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Keep it simple: Toddlers have short attention spans, so aim for activities that take 10–20 minutes.
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Encourage exploration: Let children explore materials freely for sensory and cognitive development.
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Integrate learning: Use festive activities to teach counting, colors, shapes, and language.
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Safety first: Always supervise toddlers during craft activities and use non-toxic, age-appropriate materials.
Christmas is a magical time to combine fun, learning, and creativity.
These 15 EYFS activities provide toddlers with exciting ways to explore the festive season while supporting their early development./*
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