Christmas sensory activities bring holiday fun to life with hands-on, festive ideas kids will love! From melting Christmas tree science and poinsettia painting to DIY wrapping paper station and Christmas bubble foam, this list has something for everyone.
- Celebrate the season with Christmas sensory activities
- Why Christmas sensory activities rock for kids
- Candy Cane Fizz
- Chalk Christmas Light Art
- Jingle Bell Scoop and Transfer
- Melting Christmas Trees
- Sticky Contact Paper Christmas Tree
- Jingle Bell Engineering
- Christmas Bubble Foam
- Cranberry Christmas Sensory Bin
- Christmas Bauble Painting
- Christmas Wrapping Station
- Christmas Mint Science
- Christmas Slime
- Christmas Bow Painting
- Christmas Tree Sun Catcher
- Christmas Sensory Bin
- Decorate the Christmas Tree
- Christmas Moon Sand
- Decorate the Felt Christmas Tree
- Fork Painted Christmas Wreath
- Christmas Frosting Dough
- Hot Chocolate Sensory Bin
- Icy Ornaments
- Christmas Imaginative Play
- Loose Parts Stick Christmas Tree
- Sponge Paint Poinsettias
- Safety tips for Christmas sensory activities
- Why Christmas sensory activities help kids decompress during the holidays
- Frequently Asked Questions
Celebrate the season with Christmas sensory activities
Get ready to jingle your senses!
Christmas sensory activities are a magical way to mix holiday cheer with hands-on learning. They’re engaging, easy to prep, and stimulating for the body and mind.
I especially love sensory activities during the holidays as a way for kids (and adults) to decompress and relax in a playful invitation.
Gather your tiny elves and let the sensory play sleigh ride begin!
Why Christmas sensory activities rock for kids
These activities pack more than just fun—kids are secretly learning while they play.
- Fine motor skills: Scooping, pinching, and pouring build little hand muscles.
- Cognitive skills: Sorting items and following directions boost problem-solving.
- Language development: Describing textures and scents expands vocabulary.
- Social skills: Collaborating with siblings or friends encourages teamwork.
And even though the activities are loaded with learning, it’s also fun to do activities just for the sake of having fun.
The only hard part is deciding which activity you want to try first!
Candy Cane Fizz
Grab your baking soda, vinegar, and…candy canes?! That’s right! Not only is the vinegar + baking soda reaction always a showstopper, but adding in candy canes adds a bonus sensory layer and an introduction to the word dissolve.
Chalk Christmas Light Art
These look like they are actually shining! This might just look like an art project, but there’s a ton of sensory in this, too. Kids draw and rub the chalk to make their Christmas lights shine.
Jingle Bell Scoop and Transfer
Not enough words in the English language to describe how much I love this epically brilliant ideas. Water bins? 10/10. Jingle bells? 10/10. Water bins with jingle bells? 788743584573/10. The math doesn’t lie.
Melting Christmas Trees
More baking soda and vinegar Science…but this time with an awesome melting Christmas tree twist! Making shapes out of baking soda and vinegar is one of the greatest tools in the preschool teacher toolkit.
Sticky Contact Paper Christmas Tree
Did you know that Contact Paper comes in colors? I sure didn’t and I cannot wait to get my hands on some! I love how enormous this tree is (it’s the size of a kid!) and how interactive this is for any number of kids working together.
Jingle Bell Engineering
I am OUT OF MY MIND for this Christmas sensory activity. It’s absolutely perfect and the best way to connect tactile, visual, olfactory, and auditory senses all together. This sounds and feels amazing.
Christmas Bubble Foam
I cannot remember what life was like before bubble foam. Bubble foam is the COOLEST thing in the world and can be made in seconds. We made ours green, but you could make yours any color (or white for “snow”). This is a must-try.
Cranberry Christmas Sensory Bin
The next time you’re at the grocery store (or Costco), grab a bag of fresh cranberries for beautiful, festive, easy-to-clean cranberry fun. In between play sessions, we store the cranberries in the fridge so they stay firm and fresh.
Christmas Bauble Painting
It’s like marble painting…but with a Christmassy twist! And, if you do this on large enough paper, you can use this as homemade wrapping paper that everyone will ooh and aah over.
Christmas Wrapping Station
This one is a smash hit! This is a fun activity to do pre-Christmas for kids to wrap and play before the holiday, or to do after opening presents as a way of giving your gift wrap a little extra life.
Christmas Mint Science
Another perfect activity. Ugh, I love this so much! You only need peppermint candies and warm water for LOADS of science learning and exploration. (P.S. Those green mints are the best.)
Christmas Slime
Slime can be tricky to make, but Jamie’s recipe couldn’t be easier to follow! Kids will love, love, love playing with colorful red, green, and white slime and adults will love how simple it is to make.
Christmas Bow Painting
We have been doing this activity since the beginning of time and it’s always a wild hit. This is another one that is fun before Christmas to get into the holiday spirit, or afterwards with bows left over from gift-wrap.
Christmas Tree Sun Catcher
We have made and displayed these in the preschool classroom windows before and they were showstoppers. It’s always so fun when something is easy to make and is stunningly gorgeous in the end.
Christmas Sensory Bin
Nothing is quite like a rice sensory bin. It’s inexpensive to gather the supplies, easy to make, feels glorious in the hands, and you can save your rice for YEARS of future play. (No, seriously, yeeeears.)
Decorate the Christmas Tree
I love how this can be done as an individual project, or a collaborative project that several kids can work on together. Plus, it’s a fun way to use the cool collection of beads that you have but can never find enough uses for.
Christmas Moon Sand
I learned how to dye moon sand (moon sand = baby oil + flour) and it was genuinely one of my most favorite sensory discoveries of all time. I texted everyone in the moment and I can’t wait for you to experience the magic.
Decorate the Felt Christmas Tree
I have a collection of teeny pom-poms that I never know what to do with, and this couldn’t be more perfect. And if you don’t have pom-poms, you can easily sub in beads, jewels, buttons, beans, and more.
Fork Painted Christmas Wreath
“Painting without brushes” is a popular preschool art technique, and this activity is a fun holiday twist on this painting method.
Christmas Frosting Dough
Have you ever made frosting dough? It’s the best! You only need frosting and powdered sugar to make a taste-safe, silky smooth, glorious dough. The best part though might be the smell. It smells heavenly!
Hot Chocolate Sensory Bin
Kids will LOVE making “hot chocolate” with this sensory bin. And, like many other dried fillers, you can keep your dyed beans for years of future fun, play, and imagination.
Icy Ornaments
What a genius way to make “ornaments.” The possibilities of what you could add inside of the icy ornaments are endless. Love this sooo much.
Christmas Imaginative Play
Could these be cuter? Love the open-ended possibilities for this sensory bin. This is a fun use for some of your Christmas tree’s pine needles post-Christmas, too.
Loose Parts Stick Christmas Tree
Who doesn’t love a little holiday process art? This is another adorable example of “painting without brushes” and each final piece will be a thing of beauty.
Sponge Paint Poinsettias
Had to end with one of my most favorites of all. These poinsettias are made with only paint, paper, and sponges. They’re easy for kids of all ages and they’re gorgeous.
Safety tips for Christmas sensory activities
- Always supervise during sensory play, especially with small items.
- Use non-toxic materials for taste-safe activities.
- Keep choking hazards out of reach for younger kids.
- Test for allergies before introducing new scents or spices.
Why Christmas sensory activities help kids decompress during the holidays
The holiday season is full of joy and excitement, but it can also be overwhelming for little ones. Sensory activities offer the perfect way for kids to relax, refocus, and recharge during this busy time of year.
Engaging in hands-on play helps regulate emotions by providing a calming outlet for excess energy and feelings.
Whether it’s the soothing texture of play dough or the repetitive scooping in a sensory bin, these activities create a peaceful moment amidst the holiday hustle.
Plus, sensory play encourages mindfulness, allowing kids to focus on the present moment. It’s like a mini-vacation for their minds!
Whether they’re scooping, squeezing, or creating, sensory activities help bring balance to their busy days and holiday season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sensory play works for many ages with adult supervision. While it’s popular in the preschool classroom, older children often love sensory activities just as much.
They improve fine motor skills, problem-solving, language, teamwork, cause and effect, creativity, and MORE.
Yes! And, you can more complex elements like building challenges or themed games.
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