If you’re looking for Christmas activities for kids, you probably want ideas that actually keep your kids engaged—not just busy for five minutes.
The holidays can be full of excitement, but they can also feel long (and a little chaotic) when kids don’t have meaningful ways to play and connect. The good news is you don’t need elaborate setups or perfectly planned crafts to create memorable moments.
In this post, you’ll find simple, engaging Christmas activities for kids of all ages—from toddlers to older kids.
These ideas focus on open-ended play, creativity, and connection, so your kids stay engaged longer (and you don’t have to do all the work).
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Christmas Activities for Toddlers
If you’re looking for ideas specifically for younger kids, I’ve already put together a full post:
Toddlers thrive with sensory play, repetition, and simple materials. Keep it easy and let them explore at their own pace.
Christmas Activities for Kids
Here are some of my favorite christmas activities to make the season feel even more festive!
1. Read Christmas Books
Best for: all ages
Gather a few favorite Christmas books and create a cozy reading spot with blankets and pillows. You can read together or let kids look through books on their own.
You might read the same books each year, pick out a few new ones, or head to the library together and let kids choose. The familiarity (and repetition) is part of the magic—kids love revisiting favorite stories and often start to “read” along. It’s a simple, calm way to slow down and connect during a busy season.
- Check out all my favorite Christmas books for kids!
2. Neighborhood Decoration Walk
Best for: all ages
Take a walk or drive to look at Christmas lights and decorations. You can explore your own neighborhood or plan a trip to areas known for more elaborate displays.
Let kids take the lead—pointing out favorites, comparing decorations, or even deciding which house “wins.” It’s a simple way to get outside, slow down, and enjoy the season together.
3. Christmas Book Advent Calendar
Best for: all ages
Wrap 24 Christmas books and place them in a basket. Each day, let your child pick one to unwrap and read together.
A fun way to make it a tradition is to always start and end with the same books each year. You can label those as day 1 and day 24 (ending with ’Twas the Night Before Christmas), and keep the rest unnumbered so it still feels like a surprise.
You can use the same books every year, add a few new ones, or mix in library books.
4. Family Sleepover by the Christmas Tree
Best for: all ages
Set up a cozy sleepover space right by the Christmas tree with blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. Dim the lights and let the glow of the tree create the atmosphere.
This can be as simple or special as you want—read holiday books, watch a movie, tell stories, or just relax together. Kids love the novelty of sleeping somewhere different, and it often becomes one of those traditions they look forward to every year.
5. Build a Snowman, Fort, or Snow Cave
Best for: all ages
If you live somewhere with snow, head outside and let kids build whatever they imagine—a snowman, a fort, or even a snow cave.
What starts as simple play often turns into a bigger project as kids figure out how to stack, shape, and build. It’s active, creative, and one of those classic winter activities that never really gets old.
6. Christmas Music Dance Party
Best for: all ages
Put on some Christmas music and turn it into a simple dance party. To make it feel more like an event, have everyone change into Christmas pajamas and clear a little space to move.
Kids can dance, sing along, and even take turns picking songs. It’s an easy way to shift the energy, get everyone moving, and make listening to music feel like a fun, shared activity instead of just background noise.
7. Decorate a Christmas Tree
Best for: all ages
Decorating the Christmas tree is a classic tradition that’s fun for the whole family. Let kids help hang ornaments, decide where things go, and be part of the process—it doesn’t have to be perfect to feel special.
You can also set up a small “kid tree” using a real or pretend tree and unbreakable ornaments. Kids love having their own space to decorate and rearrange as much as they want. It’s a fun way to give them ownership and keep the activity going beyond just one day.
8. Christmas Small World Play
- Best for ages: 3-5
Christmas small-world play is one of those activities that look simple but lead to incredibly rich, sustained play.
Start by creating a small, inviting winter scene. You might use a tray, a shelf, or even just a cleared space on the floor. Add a few simple elements like small figures or animals, blocks for buildings, and something to represent snow—cotton balls, felt, or even a white blanket.
That’s all you need.
From there, kids take over. They create stories, assign roles, and build their own version of the holiday season. One day it might be Santa delivering presents, and the next it might be animals hosting a Christmas party. The same setup often gets used in completely different ways depending on the child’s ideas.
9. Play Fun Holiday Games
Best for ages: 3+
Holiday games are among the easiest ways to bring everyone together with minimal prep. You can start with simple ideas like charades, Pictionary, or relay-style challenges, and let the energy build from there.
- Check out: 33 Christmas Party Games for Kids
It’s a great mix of movement, laughter, and connection, and works for a wide range of ages.
10. Santa’s Workshop Dramatic Play
Best for ages: 3-8
Set up a simple “workshop” by putting out boxes, wrapping paper scraps, tape, ribbons, and markers in an easy-to-access space. That’s all you need to get started. You can add any Santa and elf hats or headbands if you have them.
Kids might begin by wrapping gifts, but the play quickly expands. They take on roles like elves or delivery drivers, create systems for sorting and delivering presents, and often start writing labels or making lists because it supports their play. This kind of play naturally brings in problem-solving, social negotiation, and even early literacy.
If you leave the materials out, this can turn into days of engagement as the play becomes more detailed and complex over time.
11. Holiday Bakery Playdough Invitation
Best for ages: 3-6
Set up a simple “holiday bakery” by placing out playdough along with cookie cutters, rolling pins, and a few loose parts like beads, buttons, or pom poms for decorating. You can add things like muffin tins or small trays to make it feel more like a real baking space.
Kids naturally jump into the role of baker: rolling, cutting, decorating, and serving their creations. What starts as making cookies often turns into running a full bakery, taking orders, or creating elaborate treats.
Because it feels connected to real holiday experiences, kids stay engaged longer and put more intention into their work. It’s a simple setup that invites creativity, pretend play, and lots of hands-on exploration.
12. Holiday Baking and Cookie Decorating
Best for ages: 3+
Pick a simple recipe, then gather the ingredients and supplies. Kids can be involved in baking the cookies or just decorating, whatever works best for you.
Following a recipe together can be part of the fun, giving kids a chance to mix, pour, and help along the way. Decorating is where they really take over, adding frosting and toppings however they’d like. It’s simple, hands-on, and feels meaningful to them.
13. Deliver Cookies to Neighbors and Friends
Best for ages: 3+
After baking and decorating, take the cookies a step further by delivering them to neighbors or friends. Let kids help package them up, decide who to give them to, and come along for the delivery.
This gives the baking a meaningful purpose. Kids aren’t just making cookies, they’re sharing something they created. It often turns into a fun outing and helps build connection, generosity, and a sense of community.
14. Write Letters and Holiday Cards
Best for ages: 3+
Set up a simple writing space with paper, envelopes, markers, and stickers. Invite kids to write letters to Santa, create holiday cards, or make gift tags for presents.
This is perfect for all ages. Younger kids might draw or scribble, while older kids can write full messages or stories. Because the writing has a real purpose, kids are much more motivated to participate—it feels meaningful, not like practice.
15. Go Ice Skating
Best for Ages: 3+
Head to an ice rink for a classic holiday activity. Kids can take it at their own pace—whether they’re holding the wall or skating on their own.
It’s simple, active, and great for everyone in the family.
16. Watch Christmas Movies
Best for ages: 3+
Pick a favorite Christmas movie and turn it into a cozy event, rather than just playing it in the background. Grab blankets, dim the lights, and create a comfortable space where everyone can settle in together.
You can make it feel extra special with simple touches like popcorn, hot chocolate, or wearing Christmas pajamas. Kids love the tradition, especially if you let them help choose the movie.
It’s an easy way to slow down during a busy season and spend time together in a relaxed, low-effort way.
- Check out all my favorite Christmas movies for kids!
17. Make a Christmas Countdown Paper Chain
Best for ages: 3+
Cut strips of paper and let kids decorate them with markers, stickers, or whatever you have on hand. Then help them loop and staple the strips together to create a paper chain.
Each day, tear off one link to count down to Christmas. Kids love the daily ritual, and it makes the passing time more tangible.
It’s a simple Christmas activity for kids that combines creating and tradition and gives kids something to look forward to every day.
18. DIY Salt Dough Ornaments
Best for ages: 3+
Making salt dough ornaments is a simple, hands-on Christmas activity that turns into a keepsake you can use year after year.
To make the dough, mix:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup water
Knead until smooth, then roll it out and use cookie cutters to create shapes or kids can simply sculpt their own shapes. Don’t forget to poke a small hole at the top for hanging.
Bake at a low temperature (around 200°F) for a few hours until fully dry, or let them air dry over a couple of days. Once cooled, kids can paint and decorate however they’d like.
If you want to simplify, you can skip the baking and use air-dry clay instead. Either way, it’s a fun process from start to finish.
19. Decorate Christmas Gift Bags
Best for ages: 3+
Grab a pack of plain paper gift bags (white, red, or green) and set out markers, crayons, stickers, and glitter glue.
There’s no craft to follow here, which kids love. They can decorate however they want, making each bag their own.
It’s simple, low-prep, and even better because kids can use the bags to give the gifts they’ve made, adding a personal touch to what they’re sharing.
20. Christmas Activity Books
Best for ages: 3+
Christmas activity books are an easy, low-prep option, much simpler than searching for printables and printing everything yourself.
Choose a book that fits your child’s age and interests. They’re usually filled with things like coloring pages, mazes, search-and-find, and simple puzzles.
They’re perfect for quiet moments throughout the month and can still be child-led by letting kids decide when and how to use the book.
21. Decorate Gingerbread Houses
Best for ages: 3+
Set up a simple decorating station with preassembled gingerbread houses, frosting, and a variety of candies. Using houses that are already built saves a lot of time (and frustration) trying to get them to stick together.
Kids can take the lead decorating however they’d like—there’s no right way to do it, which makes it fun for all ages.
This can be a great family activity, or something you turn into a small gathering by inviting friends over. It’s festive, a little messy, and always memorable.
22. Frozen Holiday Toy Rescue
Best for ages: 3-5
Freeze small holiday toys or trinkets in a container of water and let kids figure out how to free them. You can add baking soda to the water before freezing, then offer vinegar along with tools like droppers or warm water.
Kids will experiment with melting and fizzing to “rescue” the toys. It’s hands-on and keeps them engaged as they problem-solve their way through.
23. Create a Christmas Book
Best for Ages: 3-8
You can staple or tie pages together to make a simple book, or fold a single piece of paper into a book using an incredibly simple folding method. Kids love that with just a few folds, they suddenly have their own book.
Set out markers, crayons, or pencils, and invite them to create their own Christmas story. They might draw, write, or do a mix of both, depending on their age.
24. Christmas Drawing Jar Prompts
Best for ages: 4+
Create a simple drawing prompt jar by writing Christmas-themed ideas on slips of paper and placing them in a jar. Kids can pick one whenever they want a new idea.
Prompts can be as simple or as detailed as you’d like—anything from “draw a reindeer” or “draw a Santa hat” to “draw a North Pole scene with 3+ characters.”
It’s an easy, low-prep Christmas activity for kids that keeps them coming back, especially if you leave drawing supplies out.
25. Make and Exchange Handmade Coupon Gifts
Best for ages: 4+
Have kids create simple “coupon” gifts for family members using paper, markers, or small cards. These coupons are things the child will do for someone else, making them a thoughtful and meaningful gift.
Kids can decorate the coupons and come up with ideas for ways they can help or do something kind. Then exchange them as gifts to be used later.
Some ideas kids can include on their coupons:
- Help clean a room or pick up toys
- Set the table or help with dishes
- Make a snack or help prepare a meal
- Read a book to a younger sibling
- Help with a small project around the house
- Do an extra chore
- Help organize something (toys, books, etc.)
- Help carry groceries
- Help take care of a pet (feeding, walking, etc.)
- Clean up after a family activity
You can also make it fun by creating coupons for kids, too!
Some ideas adults can include on their coupons
- Stay up a little later
- Kid can pick the movie for movie night
- Choose dinner for the night
- One-on-one time with a parent
- Extra bedtime story
- Breakfast of their choice
- A special outing (park, ice cream, etc.)
- Game night of their choice
- Build something together
- Books and snuggles
- Help with a project they’re excited about
It’s a simple Christmas activity that shifts the focus toward giving and connection, and kids love both making and receiving these kinds of thoughtful gifts.
26. Tell Christmas Jokes
Best for ages: 4+
Telling Christmas jokes is a simple, low-prep way to add a lot of fun to the day. You can read jokes together, take turns telling them, or let kids come up with their own.
Check out all the best jokes:
27. Paper Snowflake Making
Best for ages: 5+
Fold a piece of paper a few times and cut out small shapes along the edges to create your own paper snowflakes. It’s a simple activity, but it works best for kids who have some basic cutting skills.
- Check out this simple snowflake tutorial.
Every snowflake turns out a little different, and kids love opening them up to see what they created. It often turns into making “just one more” over and over again.
It’s the kind of activity that can keep kids engaged for days, especially if you leave materials out. When they’re done, let them tape their snowflakes to windows for an easy, kid-made decoration.
28. Tell a Christmas Story Together
Best for ages: 5+
Use a simple seven-sentence story format to create a Christmas story together. You can take turns filling in each part:
- Once upon a time, there was a ________.
- And every day __________.
- Until one day __________.
- And because of this __________.
- And because of that __________.
- Until finally __________.
- And ever since that day __________.
This gives just enough structure to get kids started while still leaving plenty of room for creativity. It often turns into silly, unexpected stories, and kids love hearing how the story changes depending on everyone’s ideas.
29. Build a Christmas Village
Best for ages: 5-8
Set out open-ended materials like blocks, LEGO, or recycled boxes, and invite kids to build their own Christmas village.
They might start with a few houses, but over time it often grows into something much bigger—adding roads, characters, and stories. If you leave it out, kids will keep coming back to it and expanding their world.
30. Christmas Kindness Advent Jar
Best for ages: 5+
Create a simple kindness advent jar by writing small acts of kindness on slips of paper and placing them in a jar or container. You can come up with all the ideas ahead of time, or have kids help brainstorm ideas, too.
Each morning, let kids pick one to complete that day. Depending on their age, you can help them think through when and how they’ll do it, at home, at school, or out in the community.
Some simple acts of kindness to include:
- Say something kind to a sibling or friend
- Help a classmate with something at school
- Invite someone to play
- Make a card for a neighbor, teacher, or friend
- Say thank you to a bus driver, teacher, or cashier
- Hold the door open for someone
- Smile and say hello to people you see
- Pick up litter in your neighborhood or at a park
- Donate a toy or book you no longer use
- Help carry groceries for someone
- Leave a kind note for a family member
- Help clean up a shared space (classroom, playroom, etc.)
- Give a compliment to someone
- Shovel snow or help clear a path (if applicable)
- Help take care of a pet
- Share a snack or treat
- Check in on someone and ask how they’re doing
- Help a younger child with something
- Water plants for a neighbor or family member
- Help set up or clean up after a group activity
It’s a simple way to build kindness into your daily routine and helps kids look beyond themselves—toward their friends, family, and community.
31. Play Christmas Trivia
Best for ages: 5+
Look up a list of Christmas trivia questions and start asking them wherever you are: around the dinner table, in the car, or during downtime at home.
You can keep it simple by taking turns asking and answering, or turn it into a full game with teams, points, and a little friendly competition. It’s an easy way to spark conversation, laughter, and a bit of learning about holiday traditions.
32. Gift-Making Station
Best for ages: 6+
Set up a simple gift-making station by first sitting down with your kids and brainstorming what they might like to make for friends and family. Once they have a few ideas, gather the supplies together and create a space where they can work over time.
Kids might choose to make things like:
- Ornaments
- Keychains
- Friendship bracelets
- Simple embroidery projects
- Painted rocks
- Handmade cards
- Clay creations
- Beaded crafts
- Decorated gift bags
- Drawings or small books
The specific project matters less than the ownership. They’re creating something with a person in mind.
33. Christmas Photo Booth
Best for ages: 6+
Set up a simple Christmas photo booth using a sheet or blanket as a backdrop and a phone or camera on a tripod. Then put out cardstock, craft sticks, tape, and markers, and let kids create their own props!
Some fun prop ideas:
- Santa hats and beards
- Reindeer antlers
- Elf hats
- Candy canes
- Presents
- Speech bubbles (“Ho Ho Ho,” “Merry Christmas,” etc.)
- Glasses, mustaches, or silly faces
Once everything is ready, kids can take turns posing and even being the photographer. Making the props works best for kids around age 6+, but the photo booth itself is fun for all ages.
Kids love having photos of themselves, and the props make it extra festive.
34. Wrapping Paper Fashion Show
Best for ages: 6+
Gather scraps of wrapping paper or a few inexpensive rolls, along with masking tape, and invite kids to create their own outfits.
They can design looks for themselves or style their stuffed animals. Dressing themselves works best in pairs since it’s tricky to hold, tape, and build at the same time.
Once everyone is ready, put on a fashion show. Play music, take turns walking the “runway,” and let kids show off their creations. It’s creative, a little chaotic, and always a hit.
35. Make Ugly Christmas Sweaters
Best for ages: 8+
Start with a plain sweatshirt and let kids go to town decorating. Set out supplies like puffy paint, paint pens, felt, sequins, tinsel, and hot glue guns.
Kids can design however they want. There’s no right way to make an “ugly” sweater, which is part of the fun. If you’re using a hot glue gun to attach materials, just be sure to supervise to keep everyone safe.
Kids love getting to wear their finished creations!
36. Make a Christmas Movie
Best for ages: 9-12
Invite kids to create their own Christmas movie. This can be as simple or as elaborate as they want—anything from a stop-motion movie using toys and a simple app to a full live-action film with costumes and acting.
Kids can come up with a script, assign roles, and film and edit their scenes. Because they’re in charge of the process, it often turns into hours (or even days) of creative play and collaboration.
37. Run a Holiday Shop
Best for ages: 10+
Invite your child to create and run their own holiday shop. Start by brainstorming what they might want to make and sell, then spend time creating those items together.
If you have one nearby, look into local kid markets or holiday fairs where they can set up a real booth. Beyond just making something to sell, kids take ownership of the entire process—setting up their space, pricing items, organizing displays, interacting with customers, and handling money.
It’s a fun, hands-on way to build confidence, creativity, and real-world skills all at once.
Final Thoughts on Christmas Activities for Kids
The best Christmas activities for kids aren’t the most elaborate—they’re the ones that give kids room to think, create, and stay engaged.
Set up the space, offer the materials, and step back.
You might find that your kids play longer, solve more problems on their own, and enjoy the season in a much deeper way.
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