Category: Activities

Materials
Pony beads 
Sparkly pipe cleaners – cut in half
Pencil or marker
Thread

Directions
Place pony beads in a small container.  Invite your child to thread pony beads onto a pipe cleaner.  They can be close together or spread apart.  Once the desired number of pony beads are on the pipe cleaner, have your child wrap the pipe cleaner around a pencil of marker to give it a spiral effect.  Tie a thread to the top of the pipe cleaner and hang on the Christmas tree.  Observe how the sparkly pipe cleaner twinkles as the lights shine upon it making it look like an icicle.  

Lesson Extension:

• Encourage 2-3 year olds to count the number of beads on the pipe cleaner.
• 4-6 year olds can be encouraged to make a pattern as the beads are placed onto the pipe cleaner.
• Children may also enjoy making wreaths, candy canes, or other creative shapes by bending the pipe cleaners.

Have fun decorating your tree and packages with these colorful ornaments.

Materials
Red construction paper
White construction paper cut into wide strips
Glue sticks
Scissors
Candy cane shape pattern

Directions
Trace around the candy cane pattern onto red construction paper.  Cut strips of white construction paper to fit proportionally onto the candy cane shape.  The strips do not need to be the exact length to fit the width of the candy cane. Invite your child to glue the white strips onto the candy cane shape. Once the glue has dried, cut out the candy cane shape. Preschool age children can be encouraged to cut on the lines of the candy cane.

Ingredients
7 cups of flour
1/2 cup of green or red powdered tempera paint
1 cup vegetable oil
Peppermint extract

Directions
Combine the powdered tempera paint and flour.  Add a few drops of peppermint extract.  Pour in the oil and mix well.  Mixing will take a few minutes.  When done you will have an amazing substance known as cloud dough! Cloud dough feels very silky and is moldable. It’s a wonderful sensory experience!

For fun creative play, add Christmas cookie cutters and sequins.

Storage: Cloud dough lasts indefinitely.  Once play time is over you can store the dough in a covered bin for future play.  Cloud dough is messy but vacuums up easily. 

Materials
12×18 White Construction Paper
Green Tempera Paint
Paper Plate
Sharpie Marker
Scissors
Small Sponge Paint Roller
Colorful Foam Sticker Shapes
Elmer’s Glue
Gold Glitter

Directions
Using a Sharpie marker, draw a simple Christmas tree shape on the white construction. Pour a small amount of green tempera paint onto the paper plate.  Invite your child to use a sponge paint roller to paint the Christmas tree green. Allow the paint to dry and then cut out the tree. Add colorful foam shapes to the Christmas tree. Use gold glitter and Elmer’s glue to add sparkly garland. Display.

Ingredients
Eggs (1 per person)
Milk
Pam Cooking Spray
Green Food Coloring
Whisk

Directions
Spray a frying pan or griddle with Pam Cooking Spray. Invite your child to help crack eggs into a bowl. Add a small amount of milk to the eggs. Using a whisk, allow your child to mix the eggs. Add a few drops of green food coloring. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constitantly to avoid sticking to the pan. When cooked through, pour onto plate and enjoy!

Materials
Tempera Paint in brown, tan, red, yellow
Gingerbread cookie cutters
Large piece of construction
Paper plates

Directions
Pour paint onto paper plates. Invite your child to dip the cookie cutters in to the desired paint colors and then press them onto the paper. Your child will enjoy making a beautiful printing of gingerbread men! Optional: Sprinkle glitter onto the wet paint to give it a sparkly effect.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 Tablesppons cinnamon
1 cup water
1/16 teaspoon of brown icing food coloing (Wilton’s Cake Icing)
Buttons
Googley eyes
Beads
Ribbon
Acrylic Sealer
Gingerbread man cookie cutter

Directions
Measure dry ingredients in bowl. In a separate bowl, add icing coloring and water. Stir. Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix well. Knead until well blended. Shape dough into a ball.  Invite your child to either roll out the dough using a rolling pin or press flat with his hands. Additional flour on the work surface will help keep the dough from sticking. Using the cookie cutter, cut out a gingerbread man. Place it on a paper plate and invite your child to decorate it using the buttons, googley eyes, beads, etc. Poke a hole in the top of the head with a pencil or straw. Allow to airdry for a few days. Flip ornament to dry backside. One completely dry, spray with an acrylic sealer to preserve and give a special shine. Tie a ribbon through the top and hang on the Christmas tree.

Ingredients
1 cup of salt
Brown washable tempera paint (about 2 to 4 tablespoons)
Spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
Large zip-lock bag
Cookie sheet

Directions
Put the salt and paint into the zip-lock bag and work the paint through with your fingers. You can add more paint if you want a darker brown color. Spread the salt and paint mixture onto a foil covered cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 10 minutes. You can leave it in a bit longer if it still seems damp.  Warning: Your house will smell like baking paint. Do not be alarmed. Let the salt cool. It will be crispy so put it back in the zip-lock bag and work it through with your hands again to crumble it. Add the spices to your liking (just a tiny amount on the cloves). Place the mixture on a tray and invite your child to draw and move his fingers through the salt. This is a great activity for practicing letter and numeral formationl 

Materials
Sheet of sandpaper
Gingerbread Cookie Cutter
Scissors
Cinnamon sticks
Whole cloves
Whole nutmeg
Ric Rac
Googley eyes
Buttons
Glue
Scissors
Hole punch
String or yarn

Directions
Give your child a piece of sandpaper and talk about how it feels.Introduce new vocabulary words like bumpy, smooth, rough, etc. Place the cookie cutter on the sandpaper and trace around it. Invite your child to rub a cinnamon stick onto the sandpaper. Encourage her to try rubbing whole nutmeg and/or cloves. The sandpaper will smell so good! Cut out the gingerbread man shape and punch a hole at the top. Place a piece of string through the hole and tie the ends. Invite your child to decorate the gingerbread man using ric rac, buttons, yarn, googley eyes, etc. On the glue has dried, hang the sandpaper gingerbread man on your Christmas tree.

Materials
Large piece of white paper
Gingerbread Playdough
Sharpie pen

Directions
On the large piece of construction paper, draw the first letter in your child’s name using “bubble” lettering. Laminate, if possible. Invite your child to roll plaudough into snakes and place them inside the bubble letter until he has formed the whole letter shape using playdough.