30 Christmas Sensory Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Christmas Sensory Activities

1. Fake Snow Sensory Bin

I had to begin this list of Christmas sensory activities with Fake Snow. This snow exceeded all of my expectations. I just couldn’t believe how wonderfully soft and moldable it was. My kids also spent hours playing with it, and loved it so much that it’s now something that I do regularly with them.

2. Christmas Sensory Bin – Busy Toddler

Use red and green rainbow rice to make this colorful sensory bin. As you can see, some decorations were originally added into the mix, but seem to have been quickly discarded. It just goes to show you that in so many ways, the simpler the better.

3. Jingle Bells Sensory Bin

Get musical with this Jingle Bells Sensory Bin. I love trying kids Christmas activities that include jingle bells, because they add a lovely audible component that the kids just love.

4. Baby’s First Christmas Sensory Play – Lemon Lime Adventures

Did you get as excited as I did when you first saw this play idea? I did, because I found it so difficult coming up with sensory ideas that are safe for babies. Here the babies can play with the lights, and you don’t have to worry about them putting anything into their mouths.

5. Rainbow Rice Christmas Sensory Bin

Here is another rainbow rice sensory bin that has a lot of different decorations to explore. My kids particularly loved playing with the lights, turning their scooping cups over and trying to wind the lights around like a Christmas tree. Although the lights didn’t stay up too well, I appreciated their imagination.

6. Christmas Sensory Bin – Fantastic Fun and Learning

Look at all the beautiful, wonderful things hiding inside this sensory bin. Don’t forget that sensory activities for kids can also just double as an exploration box. Fill a box filled with different objects that the kids haven’t been introduced to before and let them explore.

7. Christmas Slime – Team Cartwright

Learn how to make Christmas slime and enjoy all of the stretching, squishing and other fine motor skills that come along with it. Turn the red slime into candy canes, or the green one into Grinch slimes. You’re only limited by your imagination.

8. Christmas Decorations Sensory Bin

How does your Christmas tree look right now? The bottom half of mine is completely bare. The kids just love taking the decorations off, playing with them, and then forgetting to put them back on the tree. So I made a sensory bin that’s all about Christmas decorations. With this to play with, the kids can finally leave the tree alone.

9. Christmas Sensory Bin – And Next Comes L

Christmas sensory activities are fantastic when they engage multiple senses at the same time. This simple sensory setup is colorful, musical and contains different textures.

10. Easy Christmas Sensory Bin – Natural Beach Living

This sensory bin is made from split green peas, jingle bells, candy canes and more. I love the idea of hiding a few christmas items underneath all of these peas for the kids to find while they play.

11. DIY Christmas Tree Sensory Bottle – Active Littles

Let your kids make their own Christmas tree out of an old bottle and a bowl of sensory materials. This is a superb idea  because it’s so simple, but will keep the kids engaged.

12. Christmas Tree Sensory Bag – Happy Toddler Playtime

I love Christmas activities for kids that are mess-free, because there’s usually nothing about kids that is mess free. Try a Christmas tree in a sensory bag. Can your kids push the lights around the hair gel and decorate the tree?

13. Christmas Village Sensory Bin – Happy Hooligans

Do you have any of those little houses and figurines in your Christmas collection. Put them in a tub with some white rice and let the kids explore what a white Christmas looks like.

14. Bells, Bows and Peppermint Christmas Sensory Bin – Gluesticks & Gumdrops

Did you know that you can make your rainbow rice scented? Add some peppermint extract in the bag with your rice and create a fabulous element to this wonderful sensory bin.

15. Grinch Slime – Crafts by Amanda

I never get tired of kids sensory activities, it’s one of my favourite ways to engage my little ones. This green slime with hearts inside is a fantastic play idea for kids who love “The Grinch” story.

16. Gingerbread Cloud Dough – Messy Little Monster

Learn how to make cloud dough and let your class make their own gingerbread men again and again. Similar to playdough, cloud dough is softer, only requires 2 ingredients and you don’t need to cook it.

17. Christmas Sensory Bin – Active Littles

Just look at those giant fluffy balls. I don’t know about you, but I would love to have an indoor snowball fight with those amazing faux snowballs.

18. On The Go Christmas Sensory Tub – The Chaos and The Clutter

Have you ever tried to take a sensory bin with you while you were out and about? That is exactly what this sensory bin is for. What do you think about taking this with you while visiting relatives this holiday season?

19. Christmas Water Play with Plastic Ornaments – Little Bins for Little Hands

No matter what the weather is like outside, water is always something my kids want to play with. Christmas sensory activities are no different. I love how you can use the DIY baubles to practise scooping and pouring. It makes this easy sensory bin feel more like Christmas.

20. Christmas Baking Sensory Bin – Happy Toddler Playtime

How much time do you spend baking around Christmas? If you’re a baker then no doubt the kids will want to help you. Why not give them a few kitchen utensils, like in this sensory bin and let them create their own amazing Christmas cookies.

21. Christmas Tinker Tray – Bilingual Beginnings

Enjoy some loose parts play with this Christmas tinker tray. What can you make with all of these Christmas-themed items? The possibilities are endless, which is the magic of this type of play.

22. Christmas Sensory Play with Epsom Salts – And Next Comes L

Kids Christmas activities have so many amazing colors, red and green, but also silver and gold. This sensory bin focuses on the metallic colors that symbolise the holiday season. How do you make epsom salts look gold? Click on the link to find out.

23. Christmas Tree Sensory Bag – Fun Learning 4 Kids

Here is another Christmas tree sensory bag. However, instead of moving just the lights around, you get to decorate the entire tree. This is a fabulous mess-free sensory activity that is perfect for toddlers and older babies.

24. Nativity Sensory Bin – Happy Hooligans

This nativity sensory bin is such a wonderful way to teach kids about the original Christmas story. Let them explore the characters and the scene that led to this wonderful holiday.

25. Christmas Tree Slime – The Art Kit Blog

How do you feel about slime? Do you love it? Hate it? Never tried it? Sensory activities for kids don’t have to be messy, and slime is one example of that. Here you can use slime to make a christmas tree, or just to enjoy all of that undervalued sensory input that it provides your children.

26. Christmas Magnetic Sensory Bin – Little Bins for Little Hands

I LOVE this sensory bin because it’s also a science activity too. What’s magnetic? Give your kids some cookie cutters, jingle bells, magnets and more. Then let them explore this sensory bin to see what sticks together.

27. Christmas Reindeer Sensory Bag – Active Littles

Can you give Rudolph his trademark red nose? This sensory bag only contains Christmas rights. However, I think it would be amazing if it included googly eyes and pipe cleaner antlers that you needed to push into place too. Or maybe even some leaves that you could pretend to feed the reindeer.

28. Christmas Pom Pom Sensory Bin – Happy Toddler Playtime

Christmas play ideas don’t get more simple than this. Add some red, green and white pom poms into a tub of water. That’s it. You’ll be amazed how long your kids will play with something so easy to put together.

29. Peppermint Candy Cane Slime – Mombrite

Do your kids love candy canes? Try adding some peppermint extract into your next slime recipe and make some wonderfully scented candy cane slime. Better still, make a separate white and red slime, then get your kids to twist them together to make their own candy cane.

30. Nutcracker Christmas Sensory Play – B-Inspired Mama

One of my favorite Christmas stories is The Nutcracker. I watch it every year and enjoy the music and magic of it all. Turn this old classic story into a fun sensory bin and let your kids enjoy the magic too.