Are you looking for ways to make this Christmas special for your kids while staying at home? We have got you covered! From engaging activities for toddlers to exciting games for all ages, we have curated a list of fun-filled Christmas activities that will keep your kids entertained and engaged. Whether it's baking cookies, crafting ornaments, or writing a letter to Santa, these activities are not only entertaining but also educational. We also understand the importance of making this festive season more meaningful. That's why we have included charity work and DIY decorations in our list. So grab some hot cocoa, gather your family around, and let's make this Christmas at home unforgettable!
Engaging Activities for Toddlers
Toddlers are at a stage of exploration, curiosity, and sensory play. Engaging them in activities that stimulate their fine motor skills, sensory development, and creativity can be a great way to celebrate the holiday season at home.
The Joy of Creating DIY Christmas Cards
DIY Christmas cards are a great way for kids of all ages to express their creativity and spread holiday cheer. For toddlers, crafting Christmas cards can be a fun sensory activity, perfect for exploring different shapes, colors, and textures. Meanwhile, preschoolers can practice letter recognition as they create personalized holiday greetings for family and friends. The best part? Making DIY Christmas cards at home is a perfect way for children of all ages to spread holiday cheer and show their loved ones how much they care.
Christmas Storytime - A Magic Hour
Story-time at home is a time-honored tradition that can capture the holiday spirit for toddlers and preschoolers alike. The cozy atmosphere, coupled with engaging storytelling, creates a magical experience for children of all ages. For toddlers, story-time at home provides sensory play as they listen to the rhythmic cadence of holiday tales. Older kids can relax and unwind during the holiday season, all while immersing themselves in the wonder of Christmas through captivating stories. So, grab your favorite holiday books, cuddle up, and let the magic of Christmas come alive during story-time at home.
Fun-filled Activities for Pre-schoolers
Pre-schoolers are at an age where they are eager to explore, learn, and engage in hands-on activities. From baking and decorating Christmas cookies to crafting homemade ornaments, there are plenty of fun-filled activities for pre-schoolers at home.
Baking and Decorating Christmas Cookies
Baking and decorating Christmas cookies at home is a perfect way for pre-schoolers to experience holiday spirit, sensory play, and family time all at once. The sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies, coupled with the fun of decorating, creates a sensory-rich activity for little ones. Pre-schoolers can explore different shapes, colors, and decorations, all while developing fine motor skills and sensory recognition. So, roll up your sleeves, get out the cookie cutters, and let the little ones dive into the yum and fun of baking and decorating Christmas cookies at home.
Crafting Homemade Ornaments - A Beautiful Mess
Crafting homemade ornaments at home is another great activity for pre-schoolers (can be for younger kids under supervision as well) to explore different shapes, colors, and textures. It's a perfect way for little ones to develop fine motor skills, as they glue, cut, and decorate ornaments of their own creation. The best part? Crafting ornaments at home provides sensory play for pre-schoolers of all ages, stimulating their senses and fostering creativity. From paper towel rolls turned into snowmen to construction paper cutouts transformed into holiday shapes, let the little ones unleash their creativity and create a beautiful mess of homemade ornaments. You can include more components such as popcorn to make popcorn garlands, pom-poms to attach to colored toilet rolls or even glitters to sparkle more magic into those special moments.
Check out this guide onto how to make and easy:
There is also an option to buy wooden ornaments and let the kids color them.
Your house will be filled with children made decorations to enjoy even more festive feeling!
*Remember all those activities can be altered for toddlers, creating a wide range of fun Christmas activities for toddlers at home.
Creative Christmas Cooking Activities at Home
Cooking activities at home during the holiday season can be a fun way for kids of all ages, including pre-schoolers to engage in sensory play, develop fine motor skills, and experience the joy of holiday cooking.
Building a Gingerbread House - Sweet Structures
Building a gingerbread house at home is a fun way for kids of all ages, to engage in a traditional holiday activity. It offers sensory play, perfect for little ones to play with food coloring, different shapes of candies, and gingerbread dough. The construction of gingerbread houses at home is great for gross motor skills, as children reach, stretch, and carefully balance pieces together. Engaging in gingerbread house construction at home is a perfect way for kids to get in the holiday spirit, all while creating sweet structures that are sure to impress family and friends.
You can take inspiration on how to make the easiest gingerbread house with your toddlers from this recipe. For more experienced bakers, have a look at this video from Sally.
Trying a Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Toss
The hot chocolate marshmallow toss is a perfect activity for gross motor skills, sensory play, and family fun. Pre-schoolers can practice their throwing skills, aiming for cups of hot chocolate, all while enhancing fine motor skills as they grab marshmallows for the perfect toss. The activity provides children with excellent sensory play, perfect for pre-schoolers, as they feel the squishy texture of marshmallows and the warm, comforting scent of hot chocolate. So, gather your favorite hot chocolate mugs, a bag of marshmallows, and get ready for some holiday fun with the hot chocolate marshmallow toss at home. (Don't forget to put some protective layer around the mugs, it can get messy :)
Christmas Crafts to Make at Home
Crafts provide an excellent avenue for pre-schoolers to showcase their creativity, enhance their motor skills, and actively participate in sensory play. Whether it's making paper snowflakes or designing DIY felt Christmas tree sets, there is a wide range of Christmas craft activities that kids can enjoy doing at home.
Crafting Paper Snowflakes - A Winter Wonderland
Creating paper snowflakes is a fun way for pre-schoolers & older kids to craft unique winter decorations and engage in sensory play. It's a perfect activity for little ones to explore different shapes, patterns, and fine motor skills. They can cut, fold, and unfold paper, all while creating their winter wonderland of paper snowflakes. Hang them on the windows, string them together for garland, or create a winter-inspired mobile, all while fostering creativity and sensory recognition.
For a little guidance, you can help them fold the paper and then draw a lines with pencil where they should cut.
You can take inspiration and create snow flakes with this video.
DIY Felt Christmas Tree Set - A Family Project
Building a DIY felt Christmas tree at home is a family project that kids will love. It's a great way for little ones to partake in holiday decorations, fine motor skills, sensory play, and family fun all at once. Pre-schoolers can cut, glue, and decorate pieces of felt to create their own tree, ornaments, and decorations. It provides sensory play, perfect for little hands to explore different colors, textures, shapes, and fine motor skills. Younger kids will need some help with that but can have as much fun as older kids! Hang ornaments, rearrange pieces, and let little ones unleash their creativity with this fun family project of DIY felt Christmas tree sets at home.
What you will need is set of felt sheets, decor including pom poms, glue, and perhaps sawing kit for mums who want to get involved. I've included simple links to the underlined items.
Christmas Learning Activities at Home
The holiday season is not only about fun activities, but also an excellent time for kids to engage in holiday learning activities at home. From writing or drawing letters to Santa to enjoying Christmas word scrambles, pre-schoolers can partake in educational activities that foster gratitude, language skills, and cognitive development.
Writing / Drawing a Letter to Santa - A Lesson in Gratitude
The tradition of writing (or drawing for younger kids) letters to Santa is not only fun for kids, but it's also an excellent way to teach gratitude and encourage kindness. They can think about what they are grateful for, express their holiday wishes, and include little acts of kindness in their letter to Santa. It's a perfect way for little ones to learn the importance of expressing gratitude, all while fine-tuning fine motor skills, letter recognition, and creativity. So, provide everyone with craft supplies, holiday-themed paper, and guidance, and let them write their letter to Santa, spreading holiday cheer, and learning the lesson of gratitude.
Christmas Word Scramble - Fun with Language
Word scrambles are fun activities for pre-schoolers, perfect for improving spelling, vocabulary, and cognitive skills. Create Christmas-themed word scrambles for little ones, with holiday words like "sleigh" and "reindeer."
Pre-schoolers can work together, compete against each other, or play at their own pace, all while having fun with language. Word scrambles also provide an excellent opportunity for pre-schoolers to practice letter recognition, fine motor skills, and cognitive development.
So, print out holiday-themed word scrambles, grab a pencil, and let pre-schoolers have fun with language during Christmas word scramble activities at home.
If you need a little guidance onto how to start, watch this video.
How can we make Christmas at home more exciting and memorable?
The holiday season is all about creating memories that last a lifetime. And what better way to do that than by making Christmas at home more exciting and memorable ? Involve little ones in holiday decorating activities, such as hanging lights, putting up ornaments, or even organizing a scavenger hunt for Christmas gifts. Plan a family movie night, complete with hot cocoa and popcorn, for a cozy holiday activity at home.
Create new traditions, such as writing letters to Santa or making homemade ornaments, to add personal touches and make Christmas at home truly special for pre-schoolers. The possibilities are endless, so let your imagination run wild and create holiday magic for pre-schoolers at home.
Entertaining Activities for Older Kids
Older kids, too, can partake in exciting activities at home during the holiday season. From baking challenges to cozy movie marathon nights, older kids can enjoy fun activities that foster creativity, family time, and holiday spirit.
Exciting Christmas Baking Challenges
Baking challenges are a great way for older kids to develop gross motor skills, sensory play, and family fun all at once. From cookie decorating competitions to gingerbread house construction, older kids can engage in holiday baking activities at home that spark their creativity, fine motor skills, and sensory recognition. So, challenge older kids with exciting holiday baking activities, gather the family, and let the holiday spirit of cooking at home come alive.
A Cozy Movie Marathon Night at Home
After all the holiday excitement, older kids can relax and unwind with a cozy movie marathon night at home. It's a perfect way for older kids to experience holiday spirit, family time, and sensory play all at once. Gather favorite holiday movies, prepare hot cocoa, popcorn, and snuggle up for a fun-filled evening of holiday movies at home. It's a great way for older kids to engage in holiday activities, all while enjoying family time and creating lasting holiday memories.
Involving Teenagers in Christmas Festivities
Even teenagers can partake in the holiday spirit at home, all while engaging in activities that foster kindness, creativity, and family fun.
Making Christmas More Meaningful with Charity Work
The holiday season is all about giving back, and involving teenagers in charity work at home can make Christmas more meaningful for the whole family. Encourage teenagers to donate toys or food to local charities, creating a heartwarming activity that fosters gratitude, empathy, and kindness. They can also make holiday cards for nursing home residents, bringing joy and holiday cheer to those in need of connection and love. Volunteering for a local cause, organizing family charity drives, or creating care packages for the less fortunate are all excellent activities for teenagers, showing them the true spirit of Christmas and the joy of helping others.
Enhancing Creativity with DIY Christmas Decorations
Teenagers can enhance their creativity at home by engaging in DIY Christmas decorations. From ornaments made of salt dough to paper snowflakes, there are endless possibilities for teenagers to express their creativity (in a cooler way than younger kids :)
Here are few ideas:
Paper Snowflake Curtain:
Materials: White paper, scissors, string
Instructions: Cut various sizes and designs of snowflakes from white paper. Attach them to a string at varying lengths to create a curtain of falling snowflakes. Hang the string in doorways or windows for a wintery effect.
Holiday-Themed Wall Art:
Materials: Canvas, acrylic paints, paintbrushes, stencils (optional)
Instructions: Let teenagers express their creativity by painting holiday-themed art on canvases. They can paint festive scenes, quotes, or abstract designs. Stencils can be used for intricate details.
Upcycled Mason Jar Snow Globes:
Materials: Mason jars, miniature figurines, faux snow, water-resistant glue, glitter
Instructions: Glue miniature figurines to the inside of the jar lid. Add faux snow and a sprinkle of glitter. Fill the jar with water, screw on the lid, and turn it upside down to create a charming snow globe.
Personalized Stockings:
Materials: Plain stockings, fabric markers, iron-on patches or fabric scraps
Instructions: Allow teenagers to personalize their own stockings using fabric markers. They can add their names, draw festive designs, or even attach iron-on patches or fabric scraps to create unique and custom stockings.
Pine Cone Wreath:
Materials: Pine cones, a wire wreath frame, ribbon, hot glue gun
Instructions: Attach pine cones to a wire wreath frame using a hot glue gun. Once covered, add a festive ribbon for hanging. This natural and rustic wreath brings a touch of the outdoors indoors.
Christmas Games for All Ages at Home
Games are a perfect way for kids of all ages, including teenagers, to engage in family fun, holiday spirit, and sensory play at home.
Indoor Christmas Stacking Cups Game
Indoor Christmas Stacking Cups Game is a fun and festive activity for kids of all ages, perfect for gross motor skills, sensory play, and family fun at home. Players must stack cups in a pyramid shape and then dismantle them before time runs out, all while improving hand-eye coordination, concentration, and teamwork. The game can be customized with Christmas-themed cups or decorations for added fun, all while engaging kids of all ages in holiday activities at home.
Christmas Charades
Christmas Charades is a fun game that can be played by kids of all ages at home. It involves acting out Christmas-related words and phrases for others to guess, perfect for family gatherings, virtual holiday celebrations, or cozy nights at home. The game can be customized to fit different age groups, skill levels, and holiday themes, all while providing entertainment, laughter, and family fun during the holiday season.
Santa's Workshop Gift Exchange (Idea for a Play Date)
Santa's Workshop Gift Exchange is a fun game for kids of all ages at home. Each child brings a wrapped gift to the party, creating a central location for all the gifts. Players take turns picking a gift from the pile, unwrapping it, and deciding whether to keep it or swap with another player. This game encourages socialization, fine motor skills, and family fun, all while providing a fun way to exchange gifts and create holiday memories at home.
Christmas Activities for Kids at Home
To make this Christmas season extra special for your kids, try out these exciting activities that can be enjoyed right at home. From engaging crafts to creative cooking and entertaining games, there's something for every age group. For toddlers, let their creativity shine by making DIY Christmas cards or enjoying a magical storytime. Pre-schoolers will love baking and decorating cookies or crafting homemade ornaments. Get in the kitchen with your older kids and build a gingerbread house or try a hot chocolate marshmallow toss. Teenagers can make Christmas more meaningful by participating in charity work or enhancing their creativity with DIY decorations.
And for all ages, don't forget to have fun with Christmas games like Christmas Charades.
Create lasting memories and make this Christmas at home truly exciting.
