Our top Christmas activities for preschoolers

It’s Christmas all year round here at Santa Academy, so why wait to start planning your festive activities?

1. Visiting reindeers

Number one on our list of Christmas activities for preschoolers is visiting the reindeers. This is such a magical experience that kids, and adults will both enjoy. Children can have their photos taken with Santa’s reindeers or feed them.

2. Building snowmen

Little ones love spending time in the snow. They love putting their wellies on and jumping in the snow. A fun and essential activity to do in the snow is build snowmen. You can have fun together dressing the snowman in a hat and scarf. You could build a family of snowmen.

A top tip from Beverley Berries:

Turn it into a competition – See who can build the biggest snowman. The winner receives a prize…not to mention extra Beverley points.

3. Coloring-in

Not all Christmas activities for preschoolers have to be outside. You can have festive fun inside. Why not buy a coloring book or print out some pictures.   Get the crayons out and let your children have fun coloring-in pictures of Santa, elves and reindeers. Hang up the pictures on the fridge or send them to relatives.

4. Christmas book countdown

This is a great way to help your little one practice reading. Wrap up 25 books for each day of December. Each day, choose a new book to unwrap and read. Make it more festive by choosing Christmas books.

5. Fancy dress

Children enjoy raiding the dressing-up box and trying costumes on. Get the kids in the festive mood by dressing them up as a cute elf or a reindeer. These will make for great photos you could use on your family’s Christmas card.

6. Make Christmas cards

A fun and creative Christmas activity for preschoolers is making Christmas cards. For this you’ll need:

• Cards
• Glitter
• Pens
• Paint

Let your little ones have fun making their own Christmas cards they can send to friends and family. For some Christmas card making ideas check out this blog.

7. Watch Christmas films

It goes without saying that you have to watch Christmas films in December. There’s no better feeling than being snuggled on the sofa in your pajamas, watching Christmas films. Grab your duvet and some snacks and make the most of a lazy day. Some good Christmas films for toddlers include The Snowman and Trolls Holiday.

8. Visit some Christmas lights

This is a great outdoor Christmas activity for preschoolers. We all love seeing the twinkly lights over Christmas time. Your children will be fascinated seeing the night sky lit up with sparkling lights. You could walk around your neigborhood and see how your neighbors have decorated their homes. You could also visit some Christmas illuminations. Aside from the lights there will also be rides, food and entertainment. This could make for a great family event.

9. Watch a pantomime

Pantomimes are fun events for all of the family. For most toddlers, this will be the first time they’ve visited a theater so it will be an exciting experience. They will be amazed by the characters, costumes and lighting, not to mention the ice cream during the interval. Some performances young children will enjoy are:

• The Gruffalo
• Peter Pan
• Aladdin
• Cinderella

10. Christmas party

Children love a party where they can play fun games and eat lots of yummy food. Most kindergartens and playgroups will host this Christmas activity for preschoolers. Children will be invited to get dressed up to attend a Christmas party. They will be able to enjoy games, dancing, music, food and receive a present. The Christmas party is a great chance to get a good snapshot of your little one. You can add to the collection each year and see how they change over time.

11. Handprint ornament

Make a memorable ornament with your toddler by printing their palm into salt dough. This is a great craft project for little ones. They can help with mixing the dough, pushing their hands in the dough and painting it.

12. Craft stick Christmas trees

 This is a fun craft activity you can enjoy with toddlers. If you’re unable to find colored craft sticks you can use regular popsicle sticks and paint them. The idea of the activity is to glue the sticks together in the shape of a Christmas tree. You can decorate the tree with pipecleaners, pompoms and jingle bells to make the perfect Christmas tree.

13. Christmas toilet paper rolls

Instead of throwing away your toilet paper rolls, keep them and make them festive. Your toilet paper rolls can be transformed into Christmas characters. Dig out the paints, pens, glitter and other crafty materials. Transform those toilet rolls into Santa, elves and snowmen. Get messy and have fun!

A top tip from Beverley Berries:

Ask your relatives to vote for their favorite. The winner receives a prize and extra Beverley points.

14. Visit Santa’s Grotto

We’ve saved the best Christmas activities for preschoolers until last. Every kid loves a visit to Santa’s Grotto to tell him everything they want for Christmas (all at your expense). It’s a magical experience when the elves invite the children into the grotto. Your child’s face will light up the moment they step inside the grotto and see the man himself. Usually, a trip to Santa will result in receiving a present from him. Imagine your child’s face when Santa hands them a present. Priceless!

Still need more Christmas ideas?

We trust you enjoyed reading our guide to Christmas activities for preschoolers. We hope we have given you plenty of suggestions to try.

If you love all things Christmas-related why not take a look at our activity packs. There are plenty of things to keep you busy such as coloring-in, crafts and quizzes. You could even read some of our Christmas stories on Lacus Herald.

Stay up to date with all things Santa Academy.

Find more fun, festive tips and ideas, such as:

• Easy Christmas crafts for kids
• Christmas printables
• Things to do near you for Christmas
• Christmas activity book ideas
• Christmas art ideas
• Christmas party ideas for kids
• Tips for helping kids to read
• Christmas baking for kids
• Christmas countdown ideas for your family
• Christmas writing ideas
• And many more!