Simple Christmas Activities for Toddlers

Sometimes the simplest activities can be a huge hit with little kids. A box can be just as exciting as a toy and wrapping paper can be more fun than what was hidden within it. With all our toys scattered on the floor, it is a simple activity that will capture my kids’ attention for longer than anything else. Here are some of my favorite simple Christmas activities for toddlers.

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Most of my activities are thought of on the spot. To be honest, I have a huge pile of various items like egg cartons, coffee cans, and plastic tubs of all sizes. When I need a new activity, I sort through the madness that is my craft corner and grab a few things to use. Our activities range from the super simple to the slightly more complex (like making a recycled robot) but having supplies on hand is really helpful.

Recycled Items I Keep for Simple Activities

plastic yogurt cups
coffee tins
shakers from spices
toilet paper rolls
plastic fruit containers (like from blueberries and strawberries)
egg cartons
cloth and paper bags
catalogs
plastic containers
milk jugs
etc.

These items are useful at any time of the year for simple activities for toddlers. During summer, we would grab milk jugs to paint outside. Spice shakers can be used in sensory bins and plastic containers have endless possibilities.

Additional Supplies

For Christmas, I have a few more supplies that I got from our local dollar store. You can also find most of these items at any craft store or online.

red, green, and white pom poms
bells – I have red and green, but blue, silver and gold work too!

felt Christmas tree (I got a precut one from our dollar to glue together but you can also get felt and cut out your own pieces. Or get a felt tree playset as the ultimate simple Christmas activity for kids.)
bows
tiny pinecones – the ones I found actually smell like cinnamon!
paint
Christmas stickers

You can also get this cool sticker activity where you make your own snowman, elf, etc.

I also found this really cool Christmas kit on Amazon that has a lot of fun embellishments that can be used in so many different ways.

Using these supplies, we have created a few simple Christmas activities that were great to do with my toddler.

When I broke out an egg carton and put bells and pinecones in it, my 2-year-old played with it for over an hour. He practiced his fine motor skills while picking up one at a time and transferring them around the egg carton. It was so much fun to see his look of concentration. When he was done with this, I gave him two plastic container and he spent another 20-30 minutes pouring the bells from one to the other.

Here are some more ideas for simple Christmas activities to do with toddlers.

cut pictures out of a toy catalog and paste to make a letter to Santa.
create a Christmas scene using stickers.
paint and decorate toilet paper rolls to hang on the tree or make a garland.
Christmas sensory bin. Choose a base (like rice) and add Christmas themed items (think pom poms, tinsel, etc). Give kids recycled spice shakers after they start to tire of the bin to re-spark their interest.
make ornaments using bottle caps or other random lids and decorating using Christmas supplies.
make a felt Christmas tree. You can either glue the pieces on or use the type of felt that sticks to itself and tape the tree up on a wall so kids can move the ornaments and play with them when they want.

The ultimate simple Christmas activity would be to get an easy, premade felt Christmas tree kits that hangs on the wall.

Did you like these simple Christmas activities and want more inspiration throughout the year? Follow us on Instagram and check out this fun Christmas craft for Preschoolers to practice fine motor skills.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and remember to have fun through it all! After all, it is Christmas for moms too! You deserve to enjoy it.

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