With Christmas just around the corner, you will be aiming for a nice Christmas atmosphere about the place for the children.
This does not have to mean stress or expense on your part. These few ideas have kept stress and financial issues to a minimum for me over the years and have enhanced the excitement and magic of the season for the kids.
Mini, table-top Christmas tree with decorations
All you need for this set-up is a mini table-top Christmas tree and some decorations. Probably no need to buy any… a parent or colleagues can donate a handful.
Let the children decorate and undo as they wish each day in the run up to Christmas. This is a great opportunity to enhance skills like fine motor and imagination. The children will undoubtedly feel a sense of pride as they choose how the tree will look on any given day.
The second picture shows how the children used our building blocks to represent gifts beneath the tree 🙂
Snowman Factory
This invitation to play is made up of Playdough (shop-bought or made-by-you), buttons, match sticks/cocktail sticks and the obligatory chocolate tub that we have too many of at this time of year (maybe that’s just my house?!!)
Children can use these props, and any others that you have laying around like little hats, googly eyes or pebbles for example, to decorate the balls of playdough that make up these cute little snowmen.
Easy peasy paper snowflakes
I know it looks like there are a lot of instructions to follow but these really are easy peasy to make! It is a great activity for various levels of dexterity and concentration.
Whether lots or very few cuts are made into the paper, the result is always a pretty cool snowflake!
All you need is :
- Circles of paper of any size (the ones in the picture are about the size of large cupcake cases)
- Kid-friendly scissors
- Wool or string and sticky-tape/glue to display the snowflakes
What to do next:
- Fold the paper circle in half to make a semi circle, then in half again (and again if you wish but make sure the piece you’re left with is not too difficult for the children to cut through)
- Cut into the paper from the outer edge towards the centre (pointy bit)
- Cut as many or as few times as you wish
- Open up to discover your very own uniquely designed snowflake
- This is a relatively quick craft activity, so in a short time you will have enough snowflakes to attach to string and make a garland or simply hang at the window.
The snowflakes in the picture are set against a backdrop of black card decorated with white paint blobs using cotton buds. We also made snowflake garlands for our Christmas tree.
Such little effort for a beautiful and fun decoration!
*** For more activity ideas for your preschool, check out our Curriculum Packs HERE
A Cosy Fireplace
A fireplace during the winter, even the thought of one, can bring warmth and a feeling of calm. Whether it’s a painting on the wall, a 2D one made of paper or a 3D fireplace cleverly made up of cardboard boxes and painted. I wish I could take credit for that piece of art in the photo. I got it from a ‘free to a good home’ page on facebook! A faux fireplace in the classroom can add to that Christmas feel. It’s also a great opportunity to reinforce some fire safety lessons with your preschoolers.
Small World Scenes
Small world scenes can be made up of so many items. Give them a Winter/Christmas feel by adding things like sparkly pebbles (for an icy pond) and some ideally sized tree decorations. In our picture, Santa Claus is making his way across the icy pond towards the living room with the bunk beds and fireplace 🙂
The children will have fun enhancing their imaginative play skills and communication as they explore different scenarios with these little props.
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Would you like to see more Winter activities?
Would you like all your activities planned and already conveniently linked to the Aistear Learning Goals? (Ireland)
Check out our Curriculum Packs HERE and save yourself hours of prep and paperwork!!
Happy Playing !!