Supervise
Supervise sensory play · Supervise small parts · Adults handle hot materials and sharp tools
DECEMBER PLAY GUIDE
December Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers
A Month of Christmas Magic & Cozy Winter Play
December is full of things little kids find magical: twinkling trees, pretend cocoa, gingerbread houses, snowmen, reindeer, icy animals, and the excitement of a brand-new year. This December play guide turns that excitement into four weeks of hands-on learning through sensory play, pretend play, early math, fine-motor activities, crafts, and simple seasonal traditions. Choose a whole week or just one activity that sounds fun today.
Ages 1–6 · sensory play · dramatic play · early math · preschool · homeschool
What to Do With Preschoolers in December
December can feel like the busiest month of the year, but play does not need to become another thing to plan.
For young children, the season is already packed with invitations to learn: ornaments to count, pretend cookies to bake, cocoa to scoop, snowmen to build, animals to discover, gifts to wrap, and family traditions to talk about.
This December play guide organizes those ideas into four simple themes.
Start with Christmas trees and Santa play, spend a week baking and serving pretend holiday treats, explore snow and Arctic animals as winter arrives, then finish the month celebrating the new year.
You do not need to do everything. Pick the activities that fit your family, your child, and the materials you already have.
Your December Play Plan
Four festive themes. One month of learning through play.
Add a Little Extra Magic to December
Start with a free printable that turns one of your family’s favorite December themes into an easy hands-on activity. Print it, add a few simple play materials, and you have a festive invitation to play without another complicated project to plan.
Week 1: Christmas Trees & Santa
Start December with the things children notice first: Christmas trees, ornaments, presents, stockings, Santa, and reindeer. These familiar holiday symbols make easy invitations for counting, sorting, fine-motor play, and imagination.
Learning: Counting · Fine Motor · Sorting · Pretend Play · Holiday Vocabulary
Bring Christmas Into the Sensory Table
Turn the sensory table into a tiny Christmas world where kids can decorate a tree, feed the reindeer, hang stockings, build a snowman, make cocoa, and create their own holiday stories.
Christmas Play World
Explore Christmas PlayWeek 2: Gingerbread, Cookies & Cocoa
The coziest week of December belongs in the pretend kitchen. Kids can scoop cocoa, count marshmallows, decorate gingerbread, build pretend houses, follow visual recipes, and open their own tiny holiday bakery. Food-inspired pretend play naturally combines fine-motor practice, early math, sequencing, and imagination.
Sensory PlayHot Cocoa Sensory BinScoop, pour, stir, and serve pretend cocoa while counting marshmallows and toppings.Gingerbread24 Days of Christmas Gingerbread KitsBuild or decorate a pretend gingerbread creation while practicing fine-motor skills, patterns, colors, and imaginative play.Land of SweetsNutcracker Sensory Bin
Learning: Counting · Sequencing · Fine Motor · Pretend Play · Early Math
Open a Tiny Hot Cocoa Shop
Set out cups, scoops, pretend cocoa, marshmallows, peppermint toppings, and a few tiny customers. Children can take orders, count toppings, stir pretend drinks, and serve cup after cup of cozy Christmas cocoa.
Hot Cocoa Play
Make Some Pretend CocoaA Whole Winter of Pretend Play
Keep the seasonal play going beyond Christmas with GoodnightFox winter dramatic-play themes for Christmas, Arctic animals, snow and ice, holiday baking, and cozy winter adventures.
Winter Printable Dramatic Play Bundle
Explore the Winter Play BundleWeek 3: Snow & Arctic Animals
As winter officially arrives, shift from Christmas magic into icy science and small-world play. Snow, ice, snowflakes, polar bears, penguins, seals, and other cold-weather animals give preschoolers a playful introduction to temperature, habitats, melting, observation, sorting, and winter vocabulary.
Frozen Animal RescueArctic Rescue BinPenguinsPenguin Ice Skating TrayScienceMelting Snowman ScienceSnowmanSnowman Sensory Bin
Learning: Science · Observation · Habitats · Fine Motor · Winter Vocabulary
Winter Is Just Getting Started
Christmas may be winding down, but snowflakes, polar animals, icy experiments, winter crafts, and cozy indoor sensory play are only beginning. Continue into the full GoodnightFox Winter Collection for activities you can use throughout December, January, and February.
Winter Collection
Explore Winter ActivitiesWeek 4: New Year’s Eve
Finish December with a celebration children can understand: counting down to something new. Use clocks, numbers, stars, sparkles, music, and pretend party play to explore counting, time, movement, and family traditions without needing to stay awake until midnight.
Sensory PlayNew Year Disco Ball & Mirror BinNumbers · PatternsNew Year PatternsPretend PlayNew Years Dramatic Play Printable
Learning: Counting · Numbers · Time · Fine Motor · Family Traditions
A Countdown Made for Little Kids
Little kids do not need to stay up until midnight to join the celebration. Create your own family countdown earlier in the day with numbers, music, dancing, pretend confetti, and a simple conversation about favorite memories and things your child is excited to do next.
New Year Play World
Explore New Year’s PlayChristmas Is Over. The Play Doesn’t Have to Be.
Once the ornaments come down, move naturally into snow, ice, Arctic animals, snowmen, winter nature, and cozy indoor activities. December’s winter activities can keep going well into January, making them perfect for the quieter days after the holidays.
Winter Collection
Keep Playing Through WinterCozy December Story Time
Pair December play with stories about Christmas, gingerbread, snow, winter animals, and the excitement of the season.
A Quick Safety Note
When food-based sensory materials are used, supervise sensory play, consider individual allergies and choking risk, and select materials appropriate for the individual child. Supervise small parts, and adults should handle hot materials, sharp tools, and preparation requiring them.
Choose thoughtfully
Consider individual allergies · Consider choking risk · Select materials appropriate for the individual child
WANT THE WHOLE MONTH PLANNED?
Make December Play Easier
December is busy enough. The GoodnightFox Play School Planner organizes hands-on learning into simple weekly themes so you can spend less time searching for activities and more time actually enjoying them with your child. Explore sensory play, early math, literacy, crafts, stories, and themed learning ideas in one simple rhythm.
December Activities FAQ
What are good December activities for preschoolers?
December is a great time for Christmas sensory play, gingerbread activities, pretend hot cocoa, Christmas tree decorating, snowman play, winter science, Arctic animals, holiday baking, and simple New Year’s countdown activities.
What are easy Christmas activities for toddlers?
Keep Christmas activities hands-on and simple. Toddlers can decorate a pretend tree, scoop and pour in a holiday sensory bin, feed a pretend reindeer, build a snowman, serve pretend cocoa, decorate gingerbread, or wrap and unwrap play presents.
What can I put in a Christmas sensory bin?
Choose child-appropriate materials and add seasonal play pieces such as ornaments, trees, reindeer, pretend marshmallows, snowflakes, gingerbread pieces, cups, scoops, or gift boxes. Always choose materials for the individual child and supervise sensory play.
What are good winter activities for preschoolers?
Try Arctic animal small worlds, ice-melting experiments, frozen-animal rescue, snowman building, snowflake crafts, winter sensory bins, color sorting, and pretend ice-skating play.
How can preschoolers learn through Christmas play?
Holiday play can reinforce skills children are already developing. Count ornaments or marshmallows, sort decorations by color, follow a pretend recipe, practice fine-motor skills with scoops and tongs, or use dramatic play to build vocabulary and storytelling.
What can preschoolers do for New Year’s Eve?
Create an early family countdown with numbers, clocks, music, dancing, stars, and pretend confetti. Children can count backward, talk about favorite memories, and celebrate the arrival of a new year without staying awake until midnight.