These Christmas activities for toddlers aren’t just fun, they will help little bodies grow and develop too.
The holiday season can be a magical time of year, filled with joy, family gatherings and cherished traditions. If you have a toddler, you know how eager they are to get involved and how challenging it can be to keep them occupied.
Christmas doesn’t need to be extra stressful if you have little ones. We have the perfect activities to keep them busy and have a wonderful time.
10 Christmas activities for toddlers
Enjoy the holiday season with these delightful, creative Christmas activities for toddlers—perfect for little hands and active minds.
1. Decorate the Christmas tree together
The Christmas tree is the centrepiece of many homes during the festive season and toddlers love decorating it. While fragile ornaments may need to stay out of reach, there are many ways toddlers can help decorate safely.
Kids desperately want to be included in the family’s activities and with some adjustment, they can be. Provide your toddler with non-breakable ornaments, like soft fabric or felt decorations. Show them how to hang these ornaments on the tree’s lower branches.
Learning point: This activity strengthens hand-eye coordination and gives toddlers a sense of accomplishment as they see their efforts contribute to the holiday decor.
2. Christmas crafts with popsicle sticks
Toddlers love creating things and Christmas crafts using simple materials like popsicle sticks are perfect for little hands.
Use popsicle sticks to create a mini Christmas tree. Toddlers can paint the sticks green, glue them together in a tree shape and decorate with sequins, pom poms or buttons.
Learning point: Gluing and decorating are excellent for developing fine motor skills, allowing toddlers to practise precision with small objects like pom poms.
3. Make salt dough ornaments
Salt dough ornaments are a timeless and fun activity for the Christmas season. Making the dough is easy, and toddlers love getting their hands messy as they create.
Make simple salt dough by mixing 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of water. Roll out the dough and let toddlers shape their ornaments using cookie cutters (Christmas trees, stars, candy canes, etc.).
Learning point: After the ornaments are baked, toddlers can paint them with festive colours and sprinkle glitter for a sparkly finish. Your toddler develops fine motor skills while spending quality time with you.
4. Make Christmas cards
Making Christmas cards is a fantastic Christmas activity for toddlers. They’re a great way to involve toddlers in the holiday spirit and teach them about giving to others. Handmade Christmas cards can be a fun way for toddlers to express their creativity while making something meaningful for friends and family.
Provide your toddler with colourful construction paper, markers, stickers and glue. Help them fold the paper into cards and decorate it with their designs. They can add pom poms, contact paper cutouts, or drawings of a Christmas tree or jingle bells.
Learning point: Letting toddlers stick stickers or draw lines is a great fine motor activity and a fun way to encourage their creative side. It also helps with expression and early use of letters, colours and shapes.
5. Sensory play with Christmas-themed items
Toddlers love exploring different textures and sensory play is an engaging way to help them discover new things.
Create a Christmas sensory bin by filling a large container with soft materials like cotton balls or pom poms, small Christmas decorations like mini candy canes and toys like jingle bells. You can hide the items in magnetic sand, rice, jelly or dried pasta—anything to make it a bit of a scavenger hunt.
Learning point: Sensory bins are great for helping kids become more attuned to their senses. They have textures, smells and colours to look for, making it a fun learning experience.
6. Paper plate Christmas crafts
Paper plates are an excellent resource for easy toddler Christmas activities. With just a little guidance, toddlers can turn a plain paper plate into a festive piece of art.
Help your toddler paint a green paper plate and cut out the middle to create a Christmas wreath. They can glue pom poms, sequins or even small paper cutouts on as decorations. Another option can be to make a paper plate snowman.
Learning point: As toddlers glue decorations onto their paper plate wreath, they practise precision and coordination. These simple activities are perfect for their developmental stage and make them feel part of the holiday preparation.
7. Bake and decorate Christmas biscuits
One of the most beloved traditions of the festive season is baking Christmas biscuits. While your toddler may be too young to handle the oven, they can still have lots of fun helping.
Pick a simple, healthy biscuit recipe and get your toddler involved in helping to pour, mix and shape the biscuits. Remember, they don’t need to look perfect. The joyful memory will far outweigh any unsymmetrical appearance. Then you can decorate them together.
Learning point: Baking provides many learning opportunities, including new words, the concept of time, and weights and measures.
8. DIY bell shakers
Music is an integral part of the Christmas season and toddlers love creating sound. You can easily make a jingle bell shaker to add some musical fun to your holiday activities.
Thread jingle bells onto a pipe cleaner and twist the ends together to form a loop. Your toddler can shake it to classic Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells”. Remember to supervise them at all times so that no resources can be choking hazards.
Learning point: Threading bells onto a pipe cleaner can be quite a challenge for little hands, but it can help them form problem-solving skills. Also, learning how to make a rhythmic sound with the shaker can foster their sense of timing and auditory processing.
9. Gift boxes for those in need
Allowing your toddler to be involved in doing something nice for someone in need doesn’t mean they will necessarily understand it, but it will help them become aware that others are just as valued as they are and not all the toys and treats are for them.
Encourage your toddler to help you pack a hamper for someone in need, a soup kitchen or a nursing home resident. As you work together, you can explain concepts of caring for others and sharing joy.
Learning point: This activity will help your toddler develop a sense of community and value for others. Over the years, as your child grows, this may become one of their favourite activities, getting to see the joy on the faces of those who didn’t expect anything.
10. Read Christmas books together
Amidst all the activities, taking time to snuggle up and read Christmas books with your toddler is a wonderful way to calm down and share the magic of the season.
Sharing stories of the nativity or reading other classics like The Night Before Christmas or How the Grinch Stole Christmas introduces young children to beautiful and festive tales, helping them build an appreciation for the meaning behind Christmas.
Learning point: Reading together also provides a chance to wind down and reflect on the day’s fun activities. It gives a sense of mindfulness, helps with self-regulation and teaches kids that you want to be close to them and enjoy their company.
Christmas activity time
Gather your materials—popsicle sticks, pom poms, cookie cutters and more—and enjoy the holiday season with your toddler as you build traditions and celebrate this festive time of year.
Read next: Christmas craft ideas for the whole family to enjoy
