Christmas activities and crafts for babies, toddlers and children
Try some Christmas crafts and activities with your child to introduce new play and stimulate their senses. See what they enjoy, and try different activities to suit their age.
Always supervise babies and young children during craft activities. Watch out for small parts that could be choking hazards, sharp items, and anything they shouldn’t put in their mouths.
Homemade cards and decorations
Try making some Christmas decorations, cards and gifts with your child. Use your creations to make your home feel more festive, or give them to friends.
Make a circle of salt dough and press your child’s hand or foot into the dough.
On the back, write their name and the year.
Poke a hole in the top to thread some ribbon through, and hang it on your tree.
BBC Good Food has a recipe for salt dough.
Get your child to help you make a Christmas card for friends and family. Watch the video or follow the steps below.
You will need:
- 2 sheets of card – any colour will do for the card, but you could use red card for Father Christmas’s hat
- white washable paint
- cotton wool (or white card or paper)
- black felt-tip pen
- sticky googly eyes (optional)
- pink or red tissue paper (optional)
Instructions
- Fold an A4 piece of coloured card in half.
- Paint your child’s palm with white paint. Turn your card upside down and then gently place your child’s painted hand on the front. The handprint will become Father Christmas’s white beard. Make sure you’ve left enough space for Father Christmas’s hat and face.
- Turn your card the right way up again and add Father Christmas’s face above the top of your palm. Draw it on with the black pen. Or stick on googly eyes and cut circles out of card or pink or red tissue paper for his nose and rosy cheeks.
- Cut a triangle and glue it above his face as his hat. Stick cotton wool as the bobble and rim of the hat.
- Leave the glue to dry for a few hours. Then you can write your messages inside and post it to your loved ones.
Make homemade Christmas baubles for your tree or around the home. Watch the video or follow the steps below.
You will need:
- a paper plate
- pieces of tissue paper or wrapping paper in different colours
- some card
- a ribbon (about 3 inches or 8cm long)
- glue
- scissors
Instructions
- Cut or tear different shapes out of your tissue paper or wrapping paper.
- Glue them onto your plate to decorate it.
- Cut a small square out of the card. This is where you’ll stick the ribbon later. Glue the square to the top of the plate.
- Make a loop with the ribbon and glue both ends to the back of the square. Leave the middle bit sticking out to let it hang from your tree.
- Leave the glue to dry for five hours before hanging it on your tree or a door handle.
Try making a Christmas wreath out of card or paper to decorate your child’s bedroom door. Watch the video or follow the steps below.
You will need:
- lots of card or paper -use green and red card for a tradition festive look, or go for something more colourful
- glue
- scissors
- ribbon
- pencil
Instructions
- On the green card or paper, use your pencil to draw around your hand.
- Repeat this another 20 times. Fold over the card under your hand if you want o cut several sheets at a time.
- You should have 20 paper hands now. Slightly overlap them and stick them to each other in the shape of a circle.
- Cut out small circles from the red card and stick them onto your wreath. These will be the berries.
- Make a loop with the ribbon at the top of your wreath and tie in a bow.
- Leave the glue to dry for five hours or so before hanging it up on a bedroom door.
These Christmas angels can decorate a tree, a shelf or table. Watch the video or follow the steps below.
You will need:
- paper plate (or draw a circle on a piece of paper and cut it out).
- card
- glue
- felt tip pens, colouring pencils or crayons
- pencil
- scissors
- glitter (biodegradable if you can get it)
Instructions
- Decorate both sides of the plate or circle with your own design.
- Fold plate in two sides towards the middle so they overlap slightly. This makes the circle into a triangle shape. Dab some glue onto the overlapping sections to keep them in place, but don’t stick them to the bottom of the plate. This will be the body of your angel.
- Take a piece of card and a pencil. Place your hand on the card, and draw around your fingers. Do the same again so you have two hand shapes, and then cut them out. These will become the wings of your angel.
- Once you have the two wings, dab some glue at the bottom. Stick them on the back of your angel’s body.
- Draw a circle on another piece of card and cut it out. This is your angel’s face – so draw on the eyes, nose and mouth. Put some glue on the back and stick it to the top of the folded paper plate.
- For extra of Christmas sparkle, put some glue on your angel and shake glitter over it.
- Leave it to dry for five or more hours and then stick it at the top of your Christmas tree.
Play activity ideas
Try these Christmas themed play ideas or use your imagination and set up festive games and roleplay with your child.
Drape a blanket over some furniture or use a pop-up tent. Hang fairy lights inside. Sit or lie in it with your child. Sing Christmas nursery rhymes or read Christmas-themed books.
A sensory tray includes items to stimulate your child’s senses. Use objects you already have or can pick up to make it festive. Try pine cones, wrapping bows, tinsel, baubles or bells.
Think about anything that could give your child interesting textures, smells or sounds to explore. Make sure that there aren’t any small items on there.
Make your own playdough for your child from everyday ingredients. See our tips on how to make playdough at home.
Use a few drops of food colouring to give the playdough colours. Add glitter. Or include a range of smells with spices like peppermint, vanilla or ground cinnamon. Give the playdough to your child. Watch them explore the different textures and smells.
Festive food and drinks
If your child likes cooking or creating things, try making some Christmas food together. It’s an opportunity to spend some time together, and get them involved in homemade gifts or decorations.
Find a biscuit recipe online, or buy plain biscuits in advance. Then decorate with sweets and icing pens – you should be able to buy these in your local supermarket.
Try these BBC Good Food recipes for:
Use chocolate to make a thoughtful gift for a friend, family member or teacher. Put your creations in a box or decorate a sandwich bag using felt-tip pens or a chalk pen.
Try these BBC Good Food recipes for:
Think up some different toppings you could add to pastry and make into the shape of stars. Buy ready-made pastry to save time. Try this BBC Good Food recipe for cheese stars.
Plan and make a Christmas meal with your child. Depending on their age, you might support them to do it or let them take the lead. They could:
- choose a recipe and write down the ingredients
- shop for the ingredients
- prepare the meal
- make a menu for the family to look at
Plan and hold a mocktail with your child. Depending on their age, you might support them to do it or let them take the lead. They could:
- design party invitations
- make party decorations
- get dressed up
- make some drinks, like these kids party drinks
- listen to some Christmas music, and play silly games together
Page last reviewed: November 2025
Next review due: November 2028
This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers, provided by the charity Action for Children. For more advice, message our parenting coaches with our online chat.
