The sights and the smells of Christmas are near and make for a festive preschool theme! These Christmas activities for preschool are perfect for the start of a new season and are certain to have little ones full of joy and excitement.
Our free Christmas lesson plans for preschoolers are filled with all of our best Christmas activities for preschool. There are tons of arts and crafts, literacy, and math activities, plus fun playful learning opportunities that engage and excite. Find all this and more bundled up in a free preschool lesson plans download at the end of this post!
Festive Christmas Lesson Plans for Preschoolers
Many will agree, there is simply no other time of year quite like the Christmas season. We wait all year for the excitement, the season changing, and the hustle and bustle of baking, shopping, and decorating.
We have put together some amazing lesson plan ideas for you! We’ll show you how to use tried and true items like jingle bells, ornaments, candy canes, and Christmas trees to bring some holiday cheer to your home or classroom.
FAQ About Teaching a Christmas Theme
Christmas is a special time of year for us to recognize the wonderful people in our lives and share gifts from the heart. Invite children to make memorable sparkly Christmas process art for the people they love or these lovely handmade ornaments. You can show the holiday spirit of giving by writing notes to show appreciation or making handmade treats or crafts.
The holiday season is full of fun traditions and festive symbols that bring joy and warmth to our hearts. Incorporate sensory bins with holiday items or “bake” gingerbread man cookies in your dramatic play area using play dough. Use scents and textures to celebrate the season with ginger, peppermint, and pine. Invite children to share any traditions that are important in their household and why they feel special to their family.
The winter season is the perfect time of year to teach about snow and ice, the season of winter, and mittens and warm clothing. Arctic animals are a super interesting theme for little ones and allows you to include hibernation and animal tracks as part of your animal study.
All of these themes allow for hands-on fun with water, ice, or snow. You can even add in some fun snowball games!
Engaging Activities for your Christmas Theme
Christmas Themed Preschool Activities
These hands-on preschool Christmas-themed activities will have your kids feeling ‘pine’! From crafts to math, stories to STEM, these preschool activities are sure to keep your little ones merry and bright!
Literacy Activities for a Christmas Preschool Theme
Beginning Sound Christmas Trees – This Christmas tree puzzle activity is perfect for learning letter sounds while celebrating the fun of the holidays. Print and cut out the letters that you want to focus on with your preschooler. You might want to just focus on the letters that your preschooler hasn’t learned yet, the letter in his/her name, or a select few.
Writing Christmas Cards – Decorating Christmas cards is such fun and so festive, and there is no right or wrong way to do it! Grab some paper, fold, and get creative. Using dot stickers, stamps, or printed photos, encourage your preschooler to write to their friends and family members.
Just Right Holiday Theme Books for Preschoolers
Picture books are a MUST in every preschool lesson plan, and Christmas books are a great way to get into the holiday spirit! They’re perfect for at home, during circle time, or in a classroom reading corner or literacy center.
Math and Science Activities for a Christmas Preschool Theme
Jingle Bell Drop & Color Sort – This fun and low-prep activity is great for color sorting, counting, and fine motor practice. Grab the tongs and let your preschooler sort the colored bells by color while working fine motor skills to build up hand strength. If you have a magnetic wand available, invite the preschoolers to pick up the jingle bells with the magnet wand. How many did it pick up at once?!
Christmas Ten-Frame Counting Cards – These Christmas-themed counting cards are helpful when teaching young children to organize quantities as they count to ten. Feel free to use themed counters like erasers, stickers, or colored pom-poms.
Christmas STEM Play – Using holiday materials, (buttons, ornaments, bells, etc.) invite your preschooler to explore, count, and play while using their senses. This fun and creative invitation to play is all about allowing your preschooler to create and think outside of the box. This activity really invites creative thinking and communication!
Playful Learning Activities for a Christmas Preschool Theme
Jingle Bell Toss – Set out ten red plastic cups and invite your preschooler to try to drop or toss jingle bells into them. Make it a fun challenge by racing against the clock or to a Christmas song. Feel free to hide the jingle bells around the house and create a fun hide and seek game.
Around the House Music – Using spoons, tongs, chopsticks, or anything else you can find, walk around the house looking for opportunities to make music. Talk about the different sounds and variety of pitches as you find new items to make “music”. Can you keep to the beat of your favorite Christmas songs?
Snowman Freeze Dance – Pretend you are a snowman and dance around! But freeze when the music stops! Follow the steps to make an invisible snowman and sing along to the song and beat.
Social-Emotional Activities for a Christmas Preschool Theme
The Spirit of Giving – This activity is the perfect way to teach preschoolers that giving does not always have to be material things. Everyone loves homemade or recycled gifts that come from the heart! This I Can Give Chart will help your preschooler come up with ideas to give for Christmas, while also building their writing and reading skills. It is sure to help your preschooler feel proud of their gifts!
Making Smart Choices – Listen to the book, It’s Christmas, David! by David Shannon. This book full of the antics of little David is sure to garner a giggle or two. When the laughter subsides, reread the book and think of how David could make smarter or safer choices throughout the book.
Just Plain Fun Activities for a Christmas Preschool Theme
Homemade Feather Bauble Ornaments – Use fillable ornaments and colorful feathers to make the perfect craft and process art project for young children. They make wonderful homemade Christmas gifts, too!
Christmas Process Art Paintings – With construction paper, liquid glue, and glitter (yes, it will likely get messy), this painting is sure to be unique and child-led.
Christmas Scissor Practice – Using this fun printable, invite your preschooler to cut out the square images and glue them onto paper in the shape of a tree.
Edible Gingerbread Playdough – Make playdough and cookies with this versatile recipe. After playing, shape and bake!
Get Online Activities for a Christmas Preschool Theme
Online Story – Listen to the book Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner. After reading this story, invite your preschooler to think of other things that the Snowmen might do to celebrate Christmas. Encourage them to draw a picture (or two or three) adding to the story with their festive Snowmen at night.
Jingle Bells Sing-a-Long – Learn the lyrics with this fun video. The lyrics repeat to give your preschooler a chance to sing the lyrics after the original verse.
Reindeer Hokey Pokey Song – Do the hokey-pokey with some fun reindeer friends!
Grab Your Free Christmas Lesson Plans Here
Want to relieve some stress from all the holiday planning this year? Then grab your free Christmas lesson plans for preschoolers right here!
Then keep reading for even more Christmas activities!
Amp up your Christmas lesson plans for preschoolers with these festive materials!
Consider adding some Christmas-themed manipulatives or puppets to enhance the learning this time of year. Themed materials add so much interest and excitement to all sorts of activities!
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I am an educator, book enthusiast, and a stay at home momma to two precious and long-awaited littles. My degree is in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction and I have spent the last 15 years working with young children. I feel very fortunate to have this time to watch my babies grow and I can’t wait to share my passion for learning and reading with you!
