Fun Christmas Activities For Kids

Christmas is my very favorite holiday of the year and I try to stretch it out as much possible.  There are so many fun traditions and Christmas activities for the kids that I like to pack in to our December! In order to fit everything in and keep things as stress free as possible, every November I plan out a month of activities to begin on December 1 {you can see last years activities here }.  Most of the plans are actually very low key but I find that they are often overlooked if they are not scheduled into our calendars!

 I made up this Christmas activity countdown calendar a few years ago and the kids always look forward to picking out their activity for the day.


Here are some of our favorite Christmas activities for kids…

Make a Christmas Craft.
There are so many fun and fabulous kids’ Christmas crafts out there, I don’t even know where to start!    There is a great list of kids’ Christmas craft ideas over at Growing a Jeweled Rose and you can find our candy cane reindeer here.  It really doesn’t matter what you do – just put on some Christmas music and enjoy some quiet{er} time together.  My boys don’t have the best attention span for crafting projects so I try to keep things quick and easy!


Have an Elf on the Shelf Welcome breakfast 
{or just a fun Christmas breakfast if the elf doesn’t visit your house!}
Our little elf, Paint, always makes his first appearance on December first and hangs around with us for the rest of the month.  Last year we did a special welcome breakfast for him and it was a fun way to start off the season!

Watch a Christmas Television Show
Watching our traditional Christmas shows is actually one of my favorite things about the Christmas season.  I loved watching these shows when I was young and I love watching them again now with my kiddos.  The Grinch, Rudolf, Charlie Brown’s Christmas – I love them all!!  You can find a full list of all of the television Christmas specials and movies here.   To make things even more fun, make up a themed treat that you can enjoy while watching your shows!  Try these snowmen cupcakes while watching Frosty the Snowman…


…or, if you are looking for something healthier, make up one of these cute Grinch snacks for the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.


Wrap Presents Together
Do some “creative” wrapping and have your kids help you to wrap up some gifts.  Use Kraft paper to wrap gifts and have your kids draw or stamp to decorate the paper.

Do some Christmas baking.
Grab the kiddos, an easy recipe or two and do some baking together!  While you are at it, you can make a few extra boxes up to deliver to your neighbours as well!  These Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake Balls were a favorite of ours last year.

Even if you don’t want to bake, you can still make a Christmas treat together!


Snowman Sundaes

Decorate a gingerbread house.
I have done a gingerbread house each year ever since Matthew was two.  The kids love to head down to the grocery store to pick out their candy for their house {and, of course, many of those never actually make it on to the house!}  To save on time, we usually end up getting the pre-built houses or just make mini Graham cracker houses.  Even cookies would do!

Write a letter to Santa.
Writing a letter is a good way to get your kids to practice their printing {or drawing if they are younger!}.  The kids always write their letters the day before we visit Santa at the mall.  I keep a copy of all of their letters and keep it on our Christmas mailbox that I bring out each year.  It’s kind of funny looking back at letters that they have written in the past!  If you live in Canada, letters can be mailed free of charge to The North Pole at the following address:

Santa Claus
North Pole H0H 0H0
Canada

Just make sure to include your own address, and your child will receive a letter back from the big man himself!  You can find some cute printable letters and envelopes at Picklebums.

Start a Christmas book advent. 
Have your child unwrap a Christmas book to read each day.  If you are just starting out your collection, head down to your local library to check out a few and just add a few books of your own to your pile each year.  You can find a printable list of some of our favorite books as well as printable number labels here.

 
Learn a new Christmas song.
Each year the kids and I practice a couple of Christmas songs throughout December and the kids do a mini performance for us all on Christmas Eve.  If you’re really good you could even head out caroling in your neighbourhood!

Watch a Christmas Movie
The Santa Clause series, The Polar Express and Elf are probably our favorites but then there are always the classics like Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, and It’s a Wonderful Life.   So grab some cozy blankets and some popcorn and cuddle up!  You can find a great Christmas movie printable list over at White House Black Shutters.

Go for a drive to look at Christmas lights.
Gather the kids in their pajamas, pack a few treats for the road, and enjoy a drive around town to find the best houses!  To make things even more fun, print out these polar express tickets from The Crafting Chicks and surprise the kids with your own polar express!

Decorate the Christmas tree.
Whether you have an artificial tree or head out to cut one down each year, decorating the tree is always a fun event.  Pop on the Christmas carols, dim the lights, and have fun placing all of your ornaments on the tree {and after the kids go to bed you can do a little re-arranging!}.  A lot of our ornaments are linked with memories of Christmas’ past and the kids love to hear the stories that are associated with them.

Make a handmade ornament.
I like to make a handmade keepsake ornament with the kids each year and always enjoy looking back on these year after year.  Make sure to include their name and date – it is amazing how quickly you can get things mixed up!  Here are a couple of our ornaments that we have done…

Memory Scroll Ornament {with free printable}


Christmas Wish List Ornament {free printable}

Give to others.
With all of the excitement and hustle and bustle of the holidays, it is sometimes hard to convey the true meaning of Christmas to our kids.  Take some time out to focus on giving to others.  It doesn’t have to be big – even just a handmade card, a treat for a neighbour, or a special toy for a child in need can get them in the giving spirit.  We started a tradition of doing a 12 days of giving tree a few years ago and place 12 “giving activities” on our little tree each year to do throughout the holidays.


Go to a Christmas parade.

Many communities have great Christmas parades so check around in your local papers.  This is a great way to kick off the season and connect with your own community.  Make sure to dress warmly and bring along some hot chocolate!

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In order to help keep everything organized, I have created this printable Christmas activity planner.  

{You can download one HERE}

I printed it out and then trimmed it down to 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches to fit in my small Martha Stewart binder.   Just make sure to leave a wider margin on the left hand side for the hole punches {and unclick “fit to page” when you are printing}.   I write down any supplies or other things needed in the notes section.   Look for the rest of the Christmas Planner printables Monday on the blog {you can find the Christmas Card Planner here} and I will show you my binder all put together! 🙂

So what about you?  What Christmas traditions do you like to do with your kids?  I always love to hear your ideas!

I shared this post with Stone Gable, 30 Handmade Days, Liz Marie Blog, Tidy Mom, Design Dining and Diapers, 52 Mantels, Live Laugh Rowe, Under the Table and Dreaming, Uncommon, I Should be Mopping the Floor and Lil Luna.