15 Fun Christmas Activities for Kids & Families

1. Christmas Coloring Pages That Feel Like Little Holiday Stories

Coloring is more than just filling in shapes. It's a calm, creative space where kids can relax, focus, and imagine. During December, it becomes even more special when the pages tell small holiday stories: wrapping gifts, hanging stockings, helping reindeer, or watching angels fly.

Here's a festive mix of Christmas coloring pages that works beautifully for both home and classroom use:

These pages work wonderfully as:

Quiet morning activities
Early finisher work
Calm down time before dismissal
Cozy family coloring nights

Explore the full Christmas collection with dozens more festive coloring pages at our Christmas coloring pages section. Browse Christmas coloring pages →

2. Turn Christmas Art Into Storytelling and Writing

Once kids have a holiday picture in front of them, stories come naturally. A wrapped gift becomes a mystery. A reindeer gets a name. A snowy scene turns into an adventure.

One simple way to run this activity is:

Let kids pick any Christmas image or coloring page.
Ask three questions: Who is in the story? What do they want? What surprising thing happens?
Have them draw first, then write one sentence, a paragraph, or a full short story.

This works beautifully across ages:

Younger kids can dictate their story to an adult.
Older students can build full narratives, comics, or plays.

If you'd like ready to use seasonal writing prompts to pair with your art and coloring activities, these are great free resources:

Christmas writing worksheets and prompts (Education.com)

Story writing helps kids practice sequencing, creativity, and emotional expression, all while staying in the Christmas spirit.

3. Simple Christmas Crafts Kids Can Actually Finish

Craft time doesn't have to mean glue everywhere and half finished projects piling up. A few well chosen crafts give kids a sense of accomplishment and create keepsakes they're proud to bring home.

Some easy, low prep favorites:

Paper wreaths made from handprints or cut leaves
Homemade Christmas cards for parents or grandparents
Mini paper stockings with cotton snow
Pipe cleaner candy canes and ornaments

These activities build fine motor skills, patience, and confidence, especially when kids get to gift what they've made.

If you'd like step by step craft ideas that don't require specialty supplies, these resources are especially useful:

Crafts pair perfectly with coloring and writing, letting you rotate through activities without overstimulating kids.

4. Decorating the Christmas Tree Together

There's something irreplaceable about the moment the tree goes up. The familiar ornaments come out of their boxes, each one carrying a memory. For kids, this is hands on magic: unwrapping treasures, deciding where each piece belongs, and watching the tree transform.

Ways to make tree decorating more meaningful:

Let each child pick one special ornament to hang in their favorite spot
Share the story behind family heirloom ornaments
Create a new handmade ornament together each year
Play Christmas music and make hot cocoa for the occasion

For classrooms, a small tabletop tree with student made ornaments works wonderfully. Kids can make paper stars, yarn wrapped cardboard shapes, or decorated pinecones to hang together.

5. Building a Snowman With or Without Real Snow

When the snow falls, there's no better excuse to bundle up and head outside. Rolling snowballs, stacking them just right, and hunting for the perfect stick arms is pure winter joy. But even if you live somewhere without snow, the spirit of snowman building can live on indoors.

No snow snowman ideas:

Stack white paper plates and decorate with buttons and fabric scraps
Build mini snowmen from cotton balls and toothpicks
Create sock snowmen filled with rice, no sewing required
Make snowman faces on paper bags for puppet play

Pair indoor snowman crafts with our snowman coloring pages for a full winter themed afternoon.

6. Sledding Adventures and Winter Play

That first sled run of the season is pure exhilaration. The climb up the hill, the moment of anticipation at the top, and the whoosh down never gets old, whether you're five or fifty.

Making sledding special:

Pack thermoses of hot chocolate for warming breaks
Try building a small snow ramp for extra excitement
Race siblings or friends down the hill
End with snow angels at the bottom

No sled? Flattened cardboard boxes, plastic storage bin lids, or even sturdy garbage bags work in a pinch. The hill doesn't need to be steep, just steep enough to glide.

7. Visiting a Christmas Parade or Holiday Village

There's something about seeing a town come alive for the holidays. Local Christmas parades with marching bands, decorated floats, and maybe even Santa waving from the final trailer create memories that last. Holiday villages, whether elaborate light displays or charming downtown shops, offer the same sense of wonder at a slower pace.

Tips for enjoying holiday outings with kids:

Arrive early for parades to find a good viewing spot
Bring a blanket, snacks, and hand warmers for cold nights
Let kids pick one small treat or souvenir to remember the evening
Take photos together in front of light displays

Can't make it to a parade? Many communities stream their local events online, or you can find classic Christmas parade footage to watch together at home.

Find Christmas events near you (Eventbrite)

8. Making Homemade Eggnog or Hot Cocoa

Something about December makes warm drinks taste better. Whether it's classic eggnog, kid friendly of course, or simple hot cocoa topped with marshmallows, making it together turns a drink into an event.

Easy versions kids can help with:

Stir hot cocoa mix into warm milk and add their own toppings
Blend vanilla ice cream with milk and a dash of nutmeg for quick eggnog
Dip candy canes as edible stirrers
Top with whipped cream and holiday sprinkles

Warm drinks pair perfectly with coloring time, story reading, or watching a favorite holiday movie together.

9. Hanging and Decorating Stockings

Stockings have a way of building anticipation like nothing else. Hanging them up marks the official start of the Christmas countdown, and decorating them makes each one special.

Stocking activity ideas:

Let each child personalize a plain felt stocking with fabric markers or iron on letters
Add small jingle bells to the top for festive sound effects
Create a classroom set where each student decorates their own
Hang stockings for pets or beloved stuffed animals

For families, the tradition of checking stockings first thing Christmas morning is often the most exciting part of the day for kids. A few small surprises like clementines, candy canes, and tiny toys go a long way.

Christmas crafts for kids (Good Housekeeping)

10. Baking Christmas Cookies Together

The smell of cookies in the oven is Christmas in a single breath. Baking together teaches patience, measuring, and following directions, all wrapped in frosting and sprinkles.

Easy baking moments for kids:

Use pre made sugar cookie dough for quick prep
Let kids choose and use cookie cutters like trees, stars, and gingerbread people
Set up a decorating station with frosting, sprinkles, and candies
Bake extras to leave out for Santa or share with neighbors

Even if baking isn't your thing, decorating store bought cookies or graham crackers with frosting creates the same joy with less cleanup.

11. Reading Christmas Stories Together

There's a reason families return to the same Christmas books year after year. Curling up together with a beloved story creates warmth and connection that screens simply can't match. Whether it's a picture book for little ones or a chapter book read aloud over several nights, storytime becomes a treasured ritual.

Classic favorites that never disappoint:

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
A Charlie Brown Christmas adapted picture books
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

For classrooms, reading one Christmas book each day during the final week before break creates a special countdown tradition kids look forward to every year.

12. Writing Letters to Santa

Few things capture the magic of childhood Christmas like writing a letter to Santa. It's a chance for kids to practice writing, think about what they really want, and believe in something wonderful.

Ways to make letter writing special:

Use special Christmas stationery or let kids decorate plain paper first
Encourage them to write about what they're grateful for, not just what they want
Include a drawing of themselves or their family
Seal with a sticker and mail to the North Pole (or your local postal Santa program)

Many postal services have programs where Santa writes back. In the US, the USPS Operation Santa program connects letters with volunteers who send responses.

Keep copies of Santa letters each year. They make wonderful keepsakes to look back on when kids are older.

13. Making Homemade Ornaments

Store bought ornaments are lovely, but there's something extra special about decorations kids make themselves. Homemade ornaments become family treasures that come out year after year, each one bringing back memories of the Christmas it was made.

Easy ornament ideas for all ages:

Salt dough shapes stamped with cookie cutters and painted after baking
Clear plastic baubles filled with glitter, fake snow, or tiny pom poms
Popsicle stick snowflakes or reindeer faces
Cinnamon applesauce ornaments that smell amazing
Photo ornaments with pictures from the past year

Date each ornament on the back so you can watch the collection grow over time. Kids love finding their old creations and seeing how their skills have improved.

14. Watching Classic Christmas Movies

Movie nights become extra cozy in December. There's joy in introducing kids to the films you loved growing up and starting new traditions around family favorites. Pair the movie with themed snacks and pajamas for a full experience.

Family friendly classics everyone loves:

Elf
Home Alone
The Polar Express
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
The Muppet Christmas Carol
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated or live action)

Consider creating a movie advent calendar where you watch one Christmas film each weekend in December, building up to Christmas Eve.

Best Christmas movies (Good Housekeeping)

Create a cozy movie watching spot with blankets, pillows, and twinkle lights for that extra special December feeling.

15. Creating a Christmas Countdown Calendar

The countdown to Christmas is almost as exciting as the day itself. An advent calendar, homemade or purchased, gives kids something to look forward to every single morning in December.

DIY advent calendar ideas:

Fill small paper bags numbered 1 through 24 with tiny treats or activities
Create an envelope wall where each day reveals a fun family activity
Use a string of mini stockings with notes or small surprises inside
Make a paper chain and remove one link each day
Fill matchboxes with jokes, candies, or tiny toys

Activity based calendars work wonderfully too. Each day could reveal something like "have hot cocoa together" or "sing a Christmas carol" or "call Grandma," making the countdown about experiences rather than just things.

DIY advent calendar ideas (Good Housekeeping)

A Simple December Routine That Feels Special, Not Stressful

A gentle rhythm works wonders this time of year:

Color to settle in
Write or talk to imagine
Craft to create and share

It keeps the days festive without feeling rushed, and creates moments kids will remember as part of their holiday season.

However you celebrate, I hope your December is filled with warm afternoons, creative hands, and just enough sparkle to make it feel like Christmas.