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Looking for some fun toddler Christmas activities for your little’s first years? I’m a toddler mama myself and here are some of our favorite festive memory-makers to add to your list!
Ok toddler mama, I know that Christmas can feel crazy but there are actually a ton of super cute and simple things you can do with your little ones to boost your Christmas spirit and have a lot of fun!
To make it even easier for you, I’ve put together this huge Christmas bucket list for toddlers, including a fun free printable bucket list that you can print out and check off as you go! Let’s check it out!
1. Visit Santa at the Mall
There’s something magic about Santa! Watch your toddler’s eyes light up as they share their Christmas wishes with Santa. Make sure to snap a picture for the memory book!
2. Make a Gingerbread House
Ready for a work of art you can eat along the way? Grab some candy, icing, and gingerbread pieces, and let your toddler help create a delicious masterpiece. It might be messy, but it’s so much fun! If you display your gingerbread house for a few days or weeks over the holidays, your toddler will feel proud showing it off to friends and family who stop by your place for the festivities!
3. Decorate the Christmas Tree
Let your little one hang their favorite ornaments on the lower branches. They’ll love seeing the tree light up with all their hard work! Our family has some specific bags of decorations made of plastic that the little kids can’t break, they can hold the whole bag themselves and put up some decorations worry-free.
4. Watch a Christmas Movie
Cozy up with a blanket and some hot cocoa and introduce your toddler to classic holiday movies like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman. Watching a Christmas movie can be part of your yearly traditions, when you only watch it once a year, it never gets old!
5. Visit a Christmas Light Display
Bundle up and take a stroll through a local Christmas light display. Your toddler will be in awe of the twinkling lights and festive decorations. Check around your city, sometimes there’s a special street or location you can walk through for free. There are often other great paid options to drive or walk through depending on the weather in your city.
6. Bake Christmas Cookies
Roll out dough and let your toddler use cookie cutters to make festive shapes. Decorating them with sprinkles and icing is the best part!
7. Listen to Christmas Music
Turn on some holiday tunes and have a dance party in your living room. Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman are sure to be a hit! You can even find some fun toddler-friendly dance party videos on YouTube to dance along with if you need some inspiration on how to move and groove together.
8. Write a Letter to Santa
Help your toddler write or draw a letter to Santa. It’s a great way to practice those fine motor skills while getting into the Christmas spirit. Your little one can try practicing their letters and tracing, or just gripping markers and making shapes.
9. Have a Hot Chocolate Party
Set up a hot chocolate bar with marshmallows, whipped cream, and candy canes. Let your toddler customize their own special drink.
10. Make Salt Dough Ornaments
Mix up some salt dough and let your toddler help you cut out festive shapes to bake and paint. These make great keepsakes or gifts for family. It’s a sensory experience they’ll love, pressing the cutters into the dough and feeling the texture with their tiny hands.
11. Visit a Christmas Market
Take a trip to a local Christmas market and explore the stalls filled with holiday goodies. Maybe pick up a special ornament or treat for your toddler.
12. Read Christmas Books
Snuggle up with a stack of Christmas-themed books. The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are perfect for this time of year. You don’t have to pick just one! Grab a bunch from the library or purchase some of your faves so you can read them every year together. Reading a book every day leading up to Christmas is an easy way to build excitement and create a special holiday tradition.
13. Do a Christmas Craft
Break out the glue, glitter, and construction paper to create a holiday masterpiece. Try making a simple paper plate wreath or a handprint Christmas tree.
14. Make Reindeer Food
Mix oats with some glitter and sprinkle it outside on Christmas Eve to guide Santa’s reindeer to your house. Your toddler will love the idea of helping Santa! If you’re looking for a simple gift to give your toddler’s other little friends, this is a great option they can help you make. They’ll love being involved in the process.
15. Sing Christmas Carols
Have a mini sing-along with your toddler to classic Christmas carols like Jingle Bells and Silent Night. They’ll love learning the songs and joining in! A great way to encourage your toddler to sing along it to repeat the same song multiple times and then sing it like a call and response, leave a pause for them to fill in the blank.
16. Go Sledding
If you have snow, find a gentle hill and let your toddler experience the thrill of sledding. Just remember to bundle up and keep it safe!
17. Have a Snowball Fight
If you’re lucky enough to have snow, show your toddler how to make snowballs and have a playful snowball fight in the yard. Instead of throwing at eachother, you can even set up a target to knock over with snow or throw them at a snowman.
18. Make a Snowman
Roll up some snow and build a snowman together. Don’t forget the carrot nose and scarf! Bonus points if you can put the snowman in your backyard where you can see it from inside the house and enjoy it during the cold weather.
19. Attend a Holiday Parade
Find a local Christmas parade and enjoy the festive floats, marching bands, and maybe even a visit from Santa!
20. Create a Christmas Sensory Bin
Fill a bin with cotton balls, mini ornaments, and small holiday-themed toys. Your toddler will love exploring the textures and colors. Scooping, pinching and grabbing is great for fine motor skill development and a great way to have some fun.
21. Go on a Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of holiday items to find around the house or neighborhood, like candy canes, reindeer, or snowflakes, and go on a hunt with your toddler.
22. Have a Christmas Pajama Day
Spend a cozy day at home in your Christmas pajamas. Watch movies, read books, and just enjoy some downtime together. You can even host a pajama themed playdate to get some friends in on the fun if you want.
23. Make Christmas Cards
Let your toddler help create simple Christmas cards with stickers, markers, and stamps. Send them to grandparents or other loved ones.
24. Wrap Presents Together
Involve your toddler in wrapping gifts. Let them help with the tape or sticking on bows – it’s a fun way to practice fine motor skills. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to talk about giving and sharing, reinforcing the joy of giving to others during the holiday season. Wrapping gifts together makes them feel like they’re part of the traditions.
25. Create a Christmas Countdown
Make a simple advent calendar or a countdown chain, and let your toddler remove a link each day as Christmas gets closer. Physical countdowns are a great way to help young kids visualize the passing of time.
26. Visit a Nativity Scene
If your family celebrates the religious aspect of Christmas, visit a live nativity scene and talk to your toddler about the Christmas story. You can also set up a nativity scene in your house or get a nativity scene that your kids can play with as they learn the story of Christ.
27. Make a Snow Angel
Show your toddler how to lie in the snow and wave their arms and legs to make a snow angel. It’s a magical experience for little ones!
28. Have a Christmas Picnic
Lay out a blanket in your living room, play some Christmas music, and enjoy a festive indoor picnic with holiday treats. Try some toddler-friendly favorites like gingerbread cookies, fruit slices, or a cup of warm cocoa with marshmallows.
29. Make a DIY Christmas Gift
Help your toddler make simple gifts for family members, like painted picture frames or handprint art. It’s a personal touch that everyone will love. Knowing that your toddler spent time making something just for them makes the gift even more meaningful.
30. Go Ice Skating
If there’s a toddler-friendly rink nearby, take your little one ice skating. Many rinks have supports to help toddlers balance, or you can go boot skating without blades and shuffle around on the ice!
31. Make a Handprint Christmas Keepsake
Create a special keepsake by making a handprint ornament with your toddler. Use salt dough or a simple clay kit, and press their tiny hand into the material. Once it’s baked and painted, you’ll have a precious memory to hang on your tree every year.
32. Create a Christmas Memory Book
Start a tradition by creating a Christmas memory book with photos, drawings, and notes from each year’s holiday season. Over the years, you’ll love flipping through the pages and seeing how your little one has grown and how your family’s celebrations have evolved. It’s a keepsake that will become more precious with each passing Christmas.
33. Make Homemade Hot Apple Cider
Brew some warm apple cider on the stove and let your toddler help add cinnamon sticks or cloves. The smell alone is worth it!
34. Build a Christmas Village
Set up a small Christmas village with your toddler. Let them help arrange the tiny houses, trees, and figures. Toddlers love imaginative play so this is the perfect activity to play pretend with.
35. Visit a Reindeer
If there’s one nearby, visit a reindeer farm to meet Santa’s helpers up close. Your toddler will be thrilled to see real reindeer! Often, your local zoo may have a reindeer to see, or other special Christmasy animals that your toddler will love!
36. Do Christmas Finger Painting
Let your toddler use their fingers to create festive artwork. Try making Christmas trees, stars, or even a snowy scene. All you need to do is print off some line-art like a simple tree shape and then get painting. You can even use a washable stamp-pad instead of paint if you want to make your arts and crafts time less messy!
37. Host a Toddler Christmas Party
Invite a few friends over for a simple Christmas party. Have some toddler-friendly snacks, a craft station, and maybe even a holiday sing-along.
38. Make a Christmas Eve Box
Fill a box with Christmas pajamas, a holiday book, and a small treat, and let your toddler open it on Christmas Eve for a special surprise.
39. Drive Around to See Christmas Lights
Load up the car with snacks and warm blankets, and drive around to see the best Christmas light displays in your area.
40. Visit a Christmas Tree Farm
If you cut your own real tree, take your toddler to a Christmas tree farm and let them help pick the perfect one. It’ll make decorating your tree even more special when they feel involved in picking it out!
41. Make Reindeer Antlers
Making a headband or crown-style craft is easy! Use construction paper and some pipe cleaners to make reindeer antlers for your toddler. They’ll love pretending to be one of Santa’s helpers.
42. Go to a Christmas Concert
Are you a music-person? Christmas music will definitely put you in a festive mood. Find a kid-friendly Christmas concert or musical performance. Your toddler will enjoy the music and lively atmosphere.
43. Make a Christmas Snack Mix
Mix up some pretzels, red and green candies, and mini marshmallows for a fun and sweet snack. Let your toddler help with the mixing and pouring.
44. Play in Fake Snow
If you don’t have snow, make some fake snow using a simple recipe with baking soda and water. Your toddler can have fun building mini snowmen indoors!
45. Take a Family Christmas Photo
Dress up in your holiday best (or Christmas pyjamas) and take a family photo to capture the memory of this special time with your toddler.
Wrapping Up
Whether you try a few or tackle the whole list, the most important thing is enjoying this special time together. I hope I’ve inspired you to add a few to your Christmas bucket list for toddlers and gotten you excited to make memories with your little one this year. Merry Christmas!
