10 Fun Christmas Activities for Toddlers and Kids

The best Christmas activities for toddlers are short, hands-on and forgiving of mess. Below are 10 ideas that work for toddlers and older kids – from tree decorating and salt dough ornaments to Santa visits and giving back – plus summer-friendly ideas for Australian families.

You don't need to do all ten. Pick two or three that suit your family and do those well.

Quick Navigation

1. Christmas Tree Decorations
2. Christmas Storytime
3. DIY Christmas Cards
4. Gingerbread House Decorating
5. Festive Baking
6. Visit Santa
7. Christmas Games
8. Christmas Crafts
9. Christmas Movie Night
10. Christmas Charity and Giving

Also in this post: Summer Christmas activities and Christmas activities by age.

1. Christmas Tree Decorations

Decorating the tree is the easiest way to give a toddler a real job in getting ready for Christmas. Put soft, unbreakable decorations on the lower branches for them and keep glass baubles and metal hooks higher up. Let them place the tree topper (with a lift) – it makes a great photo.

Homemade ornaments make the tree feel like theirs. A few that suit little hands:

• Paper Cup Christmas Trees: Cheap, low-mess and easy to set up for a group, so they work well for a play date.

• Salt Dough Ornaments: Mix 4 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of salt and 1½ cups of warm water. Roll out the dough and let your toddler create shapes with cookie cutters. Once baked and completely cool, they can paint them however they like. 
• Beaded Candy Canes: String red and white beads onto pipe cleaners and twist them into candy cane shapes. Simple and satisfying. Beads are a choking hazard, so save this one for preschoolers and older kids, with an adult close by.
• Christmas Decorations Paint Kit: Wooden ornaments and child-safe paints, so your toddler can make their own decorations for the tree.

Use non-toxic materials, cover the table and expect some mess. It's part of the fun.

2. Christmas Storytime

A Christmas book at bedtime is one of the easiest traditions to start, and it slows down a busy December. It also builds the reading habit early. Here are some ideas:

• Christmas Classics: "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss. For an Aussie Christmas, try "Wombat Divine" by Mem Fox or "The Aussie Night Before Christmas" by Yvonne Morrison.
  
• Book Advent Calendar: Wrap 24 holiday-themed books, one for each day leading up to Christmas. Unwrapping and reading a new story each day builds anticipation and keeps your toddler engaged throughout the season. Find personalised options on Etsy.
• Personalised Stories: A Christmas story with your toddler as the main character holds their attention and becomes a keepsake.
• Pyjama Party: Change into Christmas pyjamas and let favourite soft toys join in.
• Annual Book Gift: Give one special Christmas book each year. By school age, your child has their own Christmas library.

3. DIY Christmas Cards

Homemade cards give toddlers a reason to paint, stick and scribble – and grandparents tend to keep them for years.

Gather Supplies:

Collect blank cards or folded cardstock, washable markers, crayons, watercolours, Christmas stickers and stamps, a glue stick and child-safe scissors.

Choose a Design:

• Handprint and Footprint Art: Turn a footprint into a reindeer. Repeat it every year and you have a record of how much they've grown – a cute baby memory idea.

• Photo Cards: Print a recent family photo and let your toddler decorate the border.
• Online Templates: Pinterest, Etsy and Canva all have free and low-cost designs to start from.

Add Personal Touches

Let your toddler scribble their own message and decorate the envelope with stickers or drawings. Then let them post the cards themselves – reaching up to drop them in the postbox is part of the fun.

4. Gingerbread House Decorating

Gingerbread houses combine building, decorating and snacking, which covers most of what toddlers enjoy. You don't need to bake from scratch – ready-made kits are available at Woolworths and Big W.

How to Set Up

• Prepare the Icing: Mix the icing that acts as "glue". Add food colouring if you like.
• Create a Workstation: Cover the table with newspaper or a disposable cloth and put the lollies, sprinkles and tools within reach.
• Build the House First: If the panels aren't pre-assembled, put the house together yourself and let the icing set before little hands get involved.
• Hand Over Control: Candy cane fences, gummy bear gardens – let them decide. They'll be prouder of a lopsided house they decorated themselves.
• Take a Photo: The house won't last long, so get the photo early.

One thing worth knowing: many kit lollies are small and hard, so for under-4s, swap them for softer decorations like icing and sprinkles.

5. Festive Baking

Toddlers love having a real job in the kitchen, and Christmas baking gives them plenty of them.

• Simple Recipes: Choose straightforward recipes like classic sugar biscuits, gingerbread or brownies. Most of these involve rolling, cutting and decorating – activities toddlers love.
• Age-Appropriate Jobs: Your toddler will enjoy tipping in measured ingredients, stirring, pressing biscuit cutters, adding sprinkles and placing shapes on the tray.
• Decorating Station: Once everything has cooled, set out icing and sprinkles and step back.
• Christmas Tree Brownies: Brownie triangles with a candy cane trunk and green icing. Easy, and they look impressive on a Christmas table.
  

For more ideas, try BBC Good Food, Taste of Home, or Delish.

6. Visit Santa

A Santa visit is a highlight for some toddlers and overwhelming for others. A little planning makes the difference.

• Book Ahead: Many shopping centres now take online bookings for Santa photos, and popular times fill quickly. Booking saves a long queue with a tired toddler.
• Look for a Sensory Session: Many centres run quieter "sensitive" or "sensory" Santa sessions, often with dimmed lights, no music and fewer people. They suit any child who finds crowds a lot, not only children with additional needs.
• Prepare Your Child: Talk about Santa beforehand, read a book or watch a show featuring him, and help them think of something to tell him.
• Time It Right: Avoid nap times and meal times.
• Dress for Comfort: Choose a festive outfit they'll be happy to wear for the whole outing. Our Christmas collection has plenty of comfortable, photo-ready options. 
  
• Bring Entertainment: Pack a small toy, book or snack for the wait.
• Follow Their Lead: Some toddlers rush to Santa; others need to watch first. Standing beside Santa or sitting on a bench next to him works just as well as sitting on his lap.
• Don't Force the Photo: The experience matters more than the picture. If it doesn't work this year, try again next year.

7. Christmas Games

Christmas games burn energy and practise listening, matching and turn-taking at the same time.

• Candy Cane Hunt: Hide candy canes around the house or garden and set a timer. For under-4s, you can hide plastic candy cane decorations instead and swap them for a treat at the end.

• Pin the Nose on Rudolph: Draw a large Rudolph without his nose and make red noses with double-sided tape. Toddlers who don't like blindfolds can simply close their eyes.
• Christmas Bingo: Picture cards make it playable before your child can read, and it's good for matching skills and new words.
• Santa Says: A festive twist on "Simon Says." Give Christmas-themed commands like "Santa says, hop like a reindeer."
• Musical Christmas Statues: Play carols, dance, and freeze when the music stops. A reliable way to use up energy before bed.

8. Christmas Crafts

These crafts double as decorations or gifts for grandparents.

• Santa Advent Calendar: A chocolate-free countdown. Your toddler glues a cotton wool ball onto Santa's beard each day, which builds anticipation and practises counting.
  

• String of Lights Photo Frame: Coloured fingerprints become Christmas light bulbs around a family photo.

• Christmas Tree Fingerprint Art: Create adorable Christmas tree art using just paint, white card or paper, and your child's little fingers. The result is a unique, personal piece you can display proudly.

• Paper Plate Wreath: Cut out the centre of a paper plate and let your child decorate the ring with paint, stickers or scrunched tissue paper. Add a ribbon for hanging.
• Colour-In Christmas Pyjamas: Our Christmas Colouring Pyjamas come printed with Christmas outlines and a pack of fabric markers, so your child designs their own pair to wear on Christmas Eve. Slip a piece of cardboard between the layers while they colour, and let the ink dry completely before washing. Sizes 2–8 years.

• Letter to Santa: Use one of the free printable templates and let your toddler draw what they'd like. In Australia, Australia Post's Santa Mail returns from 11 November 2026 – children hand their letters in at their local post office. NZ Post and Royal Mail run their own Santa letter programs too.

9. Christmas Movie Night

A family movie night is the low-effort option for the busy week before Christmas.

• Choose Age-Appropriate Shows: Toddlers rarely sit through a full film, so short ones work best. The two Bluey Christmas episodes, "Verandah Santa" and "Christmas Swim", are each under 10 minutes long (on ABC iview in Australia and Disney+ elsewhere). "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" are under an hour. Save "The Polar Express", "Home Alone" or "Elf" for older kids.
• Set Up a Cosy Spot: Blankets and cushions on the floor, or a blanket fort.
• Festive Snacks: Reindeer-shaped biscuits, gingerbread or star-shaped sandwiches. Hot chocolate in winter, icy poles on a 35-degree December night.
• Set the Atmosphere: Turn down the lights and switch on the tree. If you use LED tealights, keep them out of reach – many run on button batteries, which are extremely dangerous if swallowed.
• Encourage interaction: Singing along or calling out when they spot Santa is all part of the fun.

10. Christmas Charity and Giving

Toddlers are old enough to understand simple giving, especially when they can see and touch what they're giving.

• Toy and Clothing Drive: Sort through outgrown toys and clothes together and let your toddler help choose what to pass on. 
• Wishing Tree or Food Drive: In Australia, the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal collects gifts for the Salvation Army each Christmas, usually from November. Let your child help choose a gift and place it under the tree. Local food banks also welcome non-perishables.
• Homemade Gifts: A painted card or a salt dough ornament for a grandparent teaches that giving can be something you make.
• Kindness Calendar: One small kind act each day of December – sharing a toy, helping set the table, drawing a picture for a neighbour.
• Volunteer Together: Some community events, such as Christmas lunches or charity collections, welcome families with young children.
• Gratitude Jar: Each day, write down one thing your child is thankful for (in their words). Read them together on Christmas Eve.

Bonus: Summer Christmas Activities for Australian Families

Most Christmas activity ideas assume snow. In Australia, December means long, hot days – so lean into it.

1. Frozen "Presents": Freeze large plastic toys or Christmas decorations in containers of water, then let your toddler free them with warm water and spoons. Use toys too big to be a choking risk.
2. Christmas Water Play: Add a few drops of red and green food colouring to the water table or paddling pool. Stay within arm's reach – toddlers can drown in very shallow water.
3. Christmas Lights Walk: Many suburbs have streets known for their light displays, and local councils or community groups often share maps. Go just after dark with a pram for when little legs run out.
4. Carols in the Park: Local carols nights run across Australia in December. Bring a picnic rug, dinner and an early exit plan.
5. Christmas Morning at the Beach or Backyard: A Christmas morning swim or backyard picnic is a tradition worth starting. Go early to avoid the heat, and pack hats and sunscreen.

Christmas Activities by Age

What works for a preschooler can frustrate a one-year-old. Use this as a quick guide to what suits each age.

Whichever activities you choose, the ones your toddler will remember are the ones you do together every year.

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