Safety first: Always supervise little ones, and skip small parts for kids who still put things in their mouths. Please read our play safety notes before you start.
Key takeaways
- Pick by time: 5-minute games for busy evenings, 30-minute paint projects for slow mornings.
- Toddlers repeat what they love. One good setup can be played every day in December.
- Use jumbo pom-poms and big jingle bells only, with an adult close by, or skip them for kids who still mouth things.
- Choose paint labeled non-toxic and washable, and check the label's age range.
In this post33 sections
- How to Use These Easy Christmas Activities for Toddlers
- Toddler Safety: Bells, Pom-Poms and Small Parts
- 5-Minute Christmas Activities for Toddlers (Almost No Setup)
- 1. Wrap-and-unwrap box
- 2. Stacking cup Christmas tree
- 3. Santa down the chimney pom-pom drop
- 4. Christmas card photo album
- 5. Candy cane tape balance walk
- 6. Reindeer moves game
- 10- to 15-Minute Simple Christmas Activities (Fine Motor Fun)
- 7. Paint-in-a-bag window tree
- 8. Gift bow sticking box
- 9. Mail to Santa posting box
- 10. Felt Christmas tree on the wall
- 11. Jumbo pom-pom tree sort
- 12. Jingle bell parade
- 13. Christmas tree toast shapes
- 30-Minute Christmas Art for Toddlers (Paint and Crafts)
- 14. Cookie cutter paint stamping
- 15. Bubble wrap Christmas tree print
- 16. Toy car track wrapping paper
- 17. Painted pinecones
- 18. Paper bag reindeer puppet
- 19. Frost a plain cookie
- Whole-Morning Christmas Activities at Home (and Outdoors)
- 20. Cardboard box Christmas fireplace
- 21. Snow spray painting
- 22. Elf workshop pretend play
- 23. Pinecone and pine hunt outside
- 24. Christmas playdate stations
- 25. A toddler Christmas pajama day
- A Whole Christmas Day at Home With a Toddler
- FAQ
How to Use These Easy Christmas Activities for Toddlers
Toddler attention spans are short, and your December is busy. So instead of sorting by age, this list is sorted by how much time you have right now.
Most ideas work for ages 1 to 3, and each one notes when it's better for older toddlers. If you want more everyday ideas, our toddler activities at home by age list has 50 more, and our Christmas sensory bin ideas for toddlers cover bins in detail.
Toddler Safety: Bells, Pom-Poms and Small Parts
Pom-poms and jingle bells show up in almost every toddler Christmas activity online. They're fun, but small ones are a choking risk. Use jumbo pom-poms and big jingle bells only, stay close the whole time, and skip them for toddlers who still put things in their mouths.
For painting, choose paint labeled non-toxic and washable, and check the label's age range. For food activities, the AAP lists hard candy, whole grapes and popcorn as choking risks for young children, so keep those off the table.
5-Minute Christmas Activities for Toddlers (Almost No Setup)
These are for the witching hour, the wait for dinner or the moment you need two free minutes. Set up in five minutes, play for ten or more.
1Wrap-and-unwrap box
Wrap a favorite toy loosely in tissue paper, then wrap it again and again. Toddlers tear, find, and ask you to do it again. It's great practice before Christmas morning.
Ages: 1 to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: tissue paper or newspaper, a small box, a toy.
- Safety: skip tape and ribbon for young toddlers, and pick up paper scraps so they don't get chewed.
2Stacking cup Christmas tree
Stack green cups upside down into a pyramid and add a paper star on top. Your toddler knocks it down, and you build it again, or they try to build it themselves.
Ages: 1 to 3.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: plastic cups or stacking cups, yellow paper.
- Safety: use sturdy plastic cups, not thin ones that crack into sharp pieces.
3Santa down the chimney pom-pom drop
Tape a paper towel tube to the wall and draw red bricks on it. Toddlers push jumbo pom-poms in the top and watch them fall out into a pan.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: paper towel tube, tape, marker, jumbo pom-poms, a baking pan.
- Safety: jumbo pom-poms only, with an adult right there. Skip it for toddlers who mouth things.
4Christmas card photo album
Slide the photo cards you get in the mail into a cheap photo album. Toddlers flip pages and name the cousins, friends and dogs. It's language practice that feels like a game.
Ages: 1 to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: Christmas cards, a small photo album.
- Safety: pick an album with soft plastic sleeves, and toss any card with glitter that flakes off.
5Candy cane tape balance walk
Stick red-and-white striped tape on the floor in a long wavy line, and add a candy cane shape at the end. Toddlers walk it, tiptoe it and jump along it.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 3 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: red or striped painter's tape.
- Safety: do it in socks with grippers or bare feet on a clear floor.
6Reindeer moves game
Call out reindeer moves: gallop, prance, jump over the "rooftop" (a pillow), and freeze when Santa "lands." No supplies, lots of giggles and a great energy burn before bed.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: none.
Mess: none.
Supplies: a pillow, music if you like.
- Safety: move the coffee table back and play on a rug.
10- to 15-Minute Simple Christmas Activities (Fine Motor Fun)
These take a little more setup but keep little hands busy longer. Many can stay out all week.
7Paint-in-a-bag window tree
Squeeze green and red washable paint into a zip bag, seal it, tape the top closed and tape the bag flat to a window. Toddlers squish the paint and "draw" trees with a finger, with zero mess.
Ages: 1 to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: zip-top bag, washable paint, painter's tape.
- Safety: double-bag it and tape every edge, and check for leaks before you walk away.
8Gift bow sticking box
Wrap a box in brown paper and hand over a bowl of peel-and-stick gift bows. Toddlers press them on, pull them off and do it all over again.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a box, kraft paper, peel-and-stick bows.
- Safety: pick up the bow backings, which are small and slippery.
9Mail to Santa posting box
Cut a wide slot in a shoebox lid and paint or wrap it red. Toddlers "mail" old Christmas cards, scribble drawings and envelopes to Santa.
Ages: 1 to 3.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: shoebox, red paper or paint, old cards, scissors (adult).
- Safety: tape over the cut edges of the slot so they aren't sharp.
10Felt Christmas tree on the wall
Cut a big tree from green felt and stick it to the wall at toddler height. Cut big felt circles as ornaments and they stick right on, no glue needed. It's the toddler-proof Christmas tree.
Ages: 1 to 3.
Prep: 15 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: green felt, colored felt, scissors (adult), wall-safe tape.
- Safety: cut ornaments bigger than the toilet paper tube check, and skip buttons or sequins.
11Jumbo pom-pom tree sort
Draw a tree on green paper with circles for ornaments. Toddlers place jumbo pom-poms in the circles with their fingers or big toddler tongs. Older toddlers can match colors.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: green paper, marker, jumbo pom-poms, toddler tongs (optional).
- Safety: jumbo pom-poms only, an adult stays at the table, and count them back into the bowl.
12Jingle bell parade
March around the house to Christmas music while ringing a store-bought sleigh bell stick or big bells sewn tightly to a ribbon. Toddlers love being the band leader.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: a sleigh bell instrument or big jingle bells, ribbon, music.
- Safety: big bells only, tug-test every bell before playing, and skip it for toddlers who chew toys.
13Christmas tree toast shapes
Press a tree cookie cutter into toast and let your toddler spread a thin layer of cream cheese with a butter knife. Snack time becomes a little Christmas food activity.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: bread, a tree cookie cutter, cream cheese, a child's spreader.
- Safety: toddlers eat seated, and spread nut butters thinly, never in thick chunks.
30-Minute Christmas Art for Toddlers (Paint and Crafts)
Messier and more memorable. Put down a plastic tablecloth, strip the toddler to a diaper or old shirt, and keep wipes close.
14Cookie cutter paint stamping
Dip metal cookie cutters in washable paint and stamp trees, stars and gingerbread shapes on big paper. Save the best sheet for wrapping a grandparent's gift.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: cookie cutters, washable paint, paper plates, large paper.
- Safety: use cutters with rolled edges, not sharp ones.
15Bubble wrap Christmas tree print
Cut bubble wrap into a triangle, paint it green and help your toddler press paper on top. Peel it back to find a bumpy, textured tree.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: bubble wrap, washable paint, foam brush, paper.
- Safety: plastic wrap is a suffocation risk, so put it away as soon as you're done.
16Toy car track wrapping paper
Roll out brown paper, set out plates of red and green paint and let toddlers drive toy cars through the paint and across the paper. The tire tracks make real wrapping paper.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: high.
Supplies: kraft paper, washable paint, chunky toy cars.
- Safety: wash the cars right after, before they go back in the toy bin.
17Painted pinecones
Collect big pinecones on a walk, then paint them white, red or green. They look like little snowy trees on a windowsill.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: 10 minutes, plus a walk.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: large pinecones, washable paint, chunky brush.
- Safety: pick big pinecones and brush off loose bits; small scales can come off in little mouths.
18Paper bag reindeer puppet
Toddlers glue brown paper shapes on a paper lunch bag, then you add a red circle nose. Trace their hands on brown paper for antlers. Put on a puppet show with Christmas songs.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: paper bag, brown and red paper, glue stick, scissors (adult).
- Safety: skip googly eyes for kids under 3; draw eyes with a marker instead.
19Frost a plain cookie
Give your toddler a store-bought plain sugar cookie, a spoon of frosting and a pinch of sprinkles. It's messy, it's quick and it feels like big Christmas baking.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: high.
Supplies: plain cookies, frosting, sprinkles, a plate.
- Safety: no hard candy decorations, which the AAP lists as a choking risk for young kids.
Whole-Morning Christmas Activities at Home (and Outdoors)
For snow days, sick days and the long week between Christmas and New Year. These fill a morning and leave you with something to keep playing with.
20Cardboard box Christmas fireplace
Turn a big box on its side, draw bricks on it and stuff orange tissue paper inside as a fire. Tape on small stockings. Toddlers hang paper ornaments, "read" by the fire and wait for Santa.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 30 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: large box, markers, tissue paper, tape.
- Safety: keep it far from real heaters, candles and string lights.
21Snow spray painting
Fill spray bottles with water and a few drops of food coloring and head out to the snow. Toddlers spray colors, lines and trees. No snow? Draw chalk trees on the sidewalk instead.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: small spray bottles, water, food coloring, warm clothes.
- Safety: come inside when mittens get wet, and keep outdoor time short on very cold days.
22Elf workshop pretend play
Set out empty boxes, scrap paper, painter's tape and a few toys to "wrap." Your toddler is the elf, and you are the customer. Wrapping, taping and delivering keeps them busy for ages.
Ages: 2 to 3.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: empty boxes, paper, painter's tape, toys.
- Safety: painter's tape only, no scissors at toddler height, and no ribbon left lying around.
23Pinecone and pine hunt outside
Bundle up and go on a hunt for pinecones, sticks and evergreen sprigs. Bring a basket and talk about what smells like Christmas. Use the finds for painted pinecones later.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a basket, warm clothes.
- Safety: no berries in the basket, as many are poisonous; only collect cones and sticks.
24Christmas playdate stations
For a playdate or daycare group, set up three easy stations: cookie cutter stamping, the felt tree and a box of wrapping paper to tear. Kids rotate on their own.
Ages: 18 months to 3.
Prep: 20 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: supplies from items 10, 14 and 1.
- Safety: one adult per station, and keep pom-poms and bells out when you can't watch closely.
25A toddler Christmas pajama day
String four or five ideas from this list into one slow day at home in pajamas. See the sample plan below. It's a cheap, cozy family tradition toddlers can join.
Ages: 1 to 3 (and siblings).
Prep: 15 minutes the night before.
Mess: varies.
Supplies: whatever your chosen activities need.
- Tip: put a nap or quiet time in the middle. Even fun days need a break.
A Whole Christmas Day at Home With a Toddler
| Time | Activity | Idea number |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Christmas tree toast shapes | 13 |
| Mid-morning | Wrap-and-unwrap box, then reindeer moves | 1 and 6 |
| Late morning | Cookie cutter paint stamping | 14 |
| After lunch | Nap or quiet time with the Christmas card album | 4 |
| Afternoon | Pinecone hunt outside, then painted pinecones | 23 and 17 |
| Before dinner | Stacking cup tree or felt tree | 2 or 10 |
| Evening | Jingle bell parade, then bath and bed | 12 |
Before any toddler Christmas activity
Want a keepsake from the season? Our handprint Christmas crafts include tips for wiggly toddlers. For a whole month of ideas, try our Christmas countdown ideas for kids, and for bigger siblings, these kids Christmas crafts by age.
If you have a preschooler or big kid too, the Christmas Activity Pack below has printable coloring pages, bingo and a 24-day countdown for ages 3 to 8. Toddlers can join in on the coloring with chunky crayons.
Frequently asked questions
What are easy Christmas activities for toddlers at home?
Try a stacking cup Christmas tree, a wrap-and-unwrap box, a paint-in-a-bag window tree, a felt tree on the wall or cookie cutter paint stamping. Each takes 15 minutes or less to set up.
What Christmas activities can a 1 year old do?
One-year-olds enjoy unwrapping tissue paper, knocking down a stacking cup tree, squishing a sealed paint bag, flipping through a Christmas card photo album and sticking felt circles on a felt tree.
Are jingle bells and pom-poms safe for toddlers?
Only big ones, with close adult supervision. Small bells and pom-poms are a choking risk. Use jumbo pom-poms and big jingle bells, count them out and back in, or skip them for kids who still mouth things.
What paint is safe for toddler Christmas crafts?
Choose paint labeled non-toxic and washable, and check the label's age range. Stay with your toddler while they paint, and wash hands right after.
How do I keep a toddler busy on Christmas Day?
Plan a few short activities with a nap or quiet time in between: unwrapping practice, a movement game, one paint project and an outdoor walk. Toddlers do better with short bursts than one long craft.
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