7 Christmas Activities for Toddlers

The festive season plays such a big role in every child’s upbringing, there’s nothing quite like it. Keeping your little bundles of energy entertained and engaged during Christmas can be a challenge for some. The good news? It doesn’t have to be!

1. Make your own DIY Advent calendar.

Advent calendars are a beloved Christmas tradition but can sometimes lead to disappointment if they don’t quite meet your toddler’s expectations. Instead, why not start a new tradition by crafting your own?

It’s a wonderful way to give small gifts to your little one everyday leading up to Christmas. You can always fill in each day with affordable toys on offer that will light up your toddler with joy.

With some creativity and a lot of fun, you can fill each day with treasures you know your child will adore, it’s not just about counting down the days; it’s about cherishing these small moments that build up a lifetime of memories.

2. Make seasonal sensory boxes to explore

Sensory play is an all-year festivity for children, so why not combine play and sensory toys with the joy of Christmas?

This season, create amazing Christmas-themed sensory boxes to captivate your toddler’s imagination. From different textures to a variety of sounds; here are some fantastic sensory boxes ideas you can craft at home:

Sparkling Snow Sensory Bin

Fill a shallow container with a white sensory base material such as rice or salt. Then add some toys such as arctic animals, or small ornaments. This way your child can scoop, pour, and play with the “snow” as they learn about the animals.

Jingle Bell Sensory Bin

Fill a bin (small, medium, or large) with dried pasta as the base and add an assortment of jingle bells in different sizes and colours. Encourage your little one to shake, rattle, roll and engage their sense of hearing. This is a great time to introduce concepts such as “loud” and “soft” as you play together. Keep an eye on your child if they tend to stick objects in their mouth.

Christmas Lights Sensory Bin

Fill a container with Kinetic Sand or coloured rice and add battery-operated LED tea lights or small string lights. Combing visual play with tactile stimulation, your child will enjoy the magic of twinkling lights as they glow through the sensory material.

These boxes are not only entertaining, but easy to set up at home. Whether your toddler wants to explore the sensation of cotton ball snow or the aroma of cinnamon-infused rice, these sensory activities open hours of play for your little one.

3. Find local festive events and take the toddlers.

This is the perfect time to get out and about with your little ones. There are an abundance of exciting festive events to explore, from Christmas markets to magical pantomimes to meeting Santa and the elves in your local shopping centre!

So gather the family and enjoy going on a little adventure together, not only are you making incredible memories for your little ones but you can also get involved in your communities festive spirit.

Don’t forget to pack those travel cots, we all know toddlers have a knack for wearing themselves out with all the excitement.

4. Get kitchen savvy and bake.

There is something truly magical about the aroma of freshly baked cookies wafting through your home during the festive season. Baking at Christmas is a loved tradition you can introduce to your toddler. Bake all the cookies and cupcakes and let your little creator take over and decorate. This gives your child the unique opportunity to get involved in the preparations.

Unleash their creativity with colourful icing and see what designs they come up with. This hands on experience teaches them how much effort goes into preparations and is a great time to learn about different ingredients and kitchen safety. You can also practice this with roleplay toys, meaning your toddler won’t need to be supervised.

Baking together is a wonderful bonding experience that your toddler can be engaged in whilst learning from the experience. Also, baking yourself can save many costs. Have a read through our article ‘How to Have A Low Budget Christmas’ for all our tips on making Christmas special within a budget.

5. Make Christmas shopping a full day out.

Christmas shopping can be a day filled with joy and laughter with your little one by your side. Show your toddler what goes on during the grand Christmas shop, from presents to food to decorations. Your child will feel more involved in all the Christmas preparations. They will become excited and learn all the things that go into the big day.

Be sure to plan the day out for rest times, a meal, some treats and all the places you need to visit.

6. Get messy with arts and crafts.

Arts and crafts awaken creativity, imagination, and productivity. Bring out all the paint sets, pens and pencils, and crayons as your child unleashes their inner Picasso through many different decorative projects.

Wondering which Christmas crafts projects are suitable for toddlers? Here are our top three picks:

• Fill the Christmas Tree: This activity is simple yet hands on for little fingers. Use Duct tape to map out a tree on the ground. (Be sure to test a little Duct tape first to ensure your flooring is not ruined.) After you’ve finished the design, have your toddler use building blocks such us LEGO Duplo sets or Mega Bloks to fill in the tree.
• Fizzy Candy Cane: The perfect science experiment for little scientists. All you need is some candy canes, baking soda, vinegar, food colouring, and a tray for your experiment. First spread baking soda on a baking sheet in the tray and place the candy canes on top. Mix vinegar in a cup with food colouring, then have your toddler pour the vinegar mix on top of the baking soda and look at all the colours!
• Christmas Book Countdown: Toddlers love opening gifts, so why not wrap a new book to read each day? If you do not want to purchase a bunch of Christmas books, you can always rent them from your local library, wrap them up and put them under the tree. Everyday, your little one can go ahead and unwrap one book to read together. Reading is fundamental for our children’s development, read more on ‘The Importance of Reading To Your Child’.

7. Create a treasure hunt with stars to follow.

Treasure hunts are a great way to entertain your little one while encouraging them to be active. You can always start with a crafty project to create little stars with your little explorer.

Cut out different sized stars and let your toddler design each one uniquely. Some may have glitter, others may be painted, some may have funny drawings…

After your stars are ready, plot them around the house in little secret locations. To make the treasure hunt even more fun, scatter little letters around the house that will lead to clues on where the star can be located. This is a great way for your toddler to think for themselves, use their imagination and learn important social skills.

In summary, there are several activities to do with your toddler and family during the festive season. Create cherished memories by getting messy, creative, and having unconditional fun together. From baking to reading to arts and crafts to strolling through Christmas markets, the possibilities are endless. Need more guidance? Get prepared for the festive season with our Christmas toys for babies and toddlers.

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