These toddler Christmas activities remind your little one about how Jesus is the reason for this season! When all around you - shopping malls, mail drops, advertising – it’s about buying gifts, Santa Claus and other materialistic values, these activities for Christmas will foster a different spirit.

Manger area

(Guidelines 2-1-2)

Set up a manger area for your toddler to play in. I know many homes have little nativity scenes that they use, but my children have loved their manger area.

You will need:

Old cardboard boxes, cut open and flattened.
Paints in basic colors
Cotton wool
A large shoe box
Straw, hay or dry grass
A baby doll
A white towel or clothe nappy

On the flattened cardboard boxes draw a large outline of a sheep, cow and donkey. Cut them out. Paint the donkey grey. Paint the cow brown and white, Paint the sheep white and while the paint is still wet stick the cotton wool onto it.

Swaddle your baby doll and place it in the shoebox on a bed of straw.

Set up your manger area in a place where you can stick the animal template to a wall with Prestik. Allow your little one to play with Baby Jesus while you tell them the Christmas story.

Cake for Jesus

(Guidelines 2-2-2)

On Christmas Eve bake a birthday cake for Jesus. Use your favourite recipe or you can use this basic hot milk sponge recipe.

Ice the cake and add some candles. Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas morning.

Christmas cards

(Guidelines 1-2-2)

Make your own homemade Christmas cards to send out to family and friends.

You will need:

Colored card
Paint
Glitter
Glue

Cut each A4 sheet of card in half. Fold each half in half. Allow your toddler to decorate the front with a hand print of paint, or with glue and glitter. (Watch that glitter doesn’t get into their eyes as it’s extremely painful.)

When they are dry you can add your greeting to the inside. Take your toddler to the post office with you when you go to post the cards.

Giving

(Guidelines 1-1-1)

Learning about giving rather than receiving is a valuable part of Christmas, after all Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many.

Each year we clean out our cupboards – clothes, books, toys – and we donate them to a mission’s organization or a children’s hospital.

We also buy some new gifts which we take to a local hospital on Christmas morning for any children who may be in hospital during Christmas.

Maybe these traditions can become your own and something that your toddlers and preschoolers can be part of.

Be sure to check out my Toddler Christmas Craft pages for more ideas! Take a look at my Christmas coloring pages

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