December is exciting for young children, and sometimes a little too exciting. Simple, calm activities help them enjoy the season and keep learning along the way. Everything below works with things you probably already have at home or in the classroom.
Colouring and crafts
- Christmas colouring pages. Trees, stars, presents and snowmen. Colouring trains the hand and gives a quiet moment after a busy day.
- Paper chains. Cut strips of coloured paper and glue them into loops. Cutting along a line is great pre-writing practice.
- Handprint cards. A green handprint upside down becomes a Christmas tree. Add a star on top and write a name together.
- Decorate a paper tree. Draw a big tree outline and let children add “baubles” with stickers or finger paint.
Counting and games
- Count the baubles. How many on the tree? Take two off, how many are left? Early sums happen naturally.
- Sort the presents. Wrap a few boxes and order them from small to big, or sort them by colour.
- Hide the star. Hide a paper star and give clues: under, behind, next to. It builds the words for position.
- Christmas memory. Draw pairs of small cards: a star, a bell, a stocking, a tree.
Calm, stories and songs
- An advent chart. Draw 24 boxes and colour one each day, so “how many more sleeps?” becomes something you can see.
- Read together. Pick a picture book about winter or Christmas and talk about the pictures.
- Sing the same song each evening. A small ritual gives children something steady in a busy month.
- Plan quiet time. Many children get overexcited in December. A colouring page or a puzzle helps them settle.
Tips for parents and teachers
Keep activities short: ten to fifteen minutes is usually enough for a preschooler. With a group, set out two or three stations and let children choose.
Printing worksheets or colouring pages? Choose A4 and “Actual size”. More tips in Downloading and printing.