Christmas Theme

Old St. Nicholas Had A Tree Sung to Old McDonald Had a Farm

Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho!
And on that tree he had some horns
Ho ho ho ho ho
With a toot toot here and a toot toot there
Here a toot, there a toot
Every where a toot toot
Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho!

Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho!
And on that tree he had some drums
Ho ho ho ho ho
With a boom boom here and a boom boom there
Here a boom, there a boom
Every where a boom boom
Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho!

Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho!
And on that tree he had some bells
Ho ho ho ho ho
With a ring ring here and a ring ring there
Here a ring, there a ring
Every where a ring ring
Old St. Nicholas had a tree
Ho, ho ho ho ho!

Let's All Do a Little Clapping Sung to: We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Let's all do a little clapping
Let's all do a little clapping
Let's all do a little clapping
And spread Christmas cheer.

Let's all do a little jumping
Let's all do a little jumping
Let's all do a little jumping
And spread Christmas cheer.

Let's all do a little twirling
Let's all do a little twirling
Let's all do a little twirling
And spread Christmas cheer.

Continue with more actions the children suggest...

Christmas Bell

I�m a little Christmas bell
I like to sing a Christmas song
When I sing
You hear me ring
Ding-dong Ding Dong

Crafts

Advent Stocking Garland

Advent Paper Chain

Paper Bag Santa Puppet

Toddler Holiday Placemats

Made It Myself Mouse Pad

Come Cook With Me Jar

Whisk You A Merry Kissmas

Preschool Christmas Crafts

Christmas Crafts For Kids

Shake-and-Make Glitter Ornaments

Christmas Time Together - Crafts

Free Christmas Crafts

Amazing Moms - Easy Homemade Gifts

Santa's Key
Use this printout of an old fashioned key to cut the shape from card paper; have the children paint it gold and add gold glitter (or use glitter glue) for sparkle.

Holiday Kids Crafts

Card Basket

Ornaments

Making Friends - Christmas Crafts

Christmas Bells
Cut the egg cups out from a cardboard carton - trim smooth. Have children paint the cups their choice of colour. Let dry. String a jingle bell onto a pipecleaner - thread through the bottom of the cup so the bell hangs down a little. Knot on top and add a loop for holding.

Photo Ornament 1
Cut sparkle felt into an ornament ball shape with a square at the top for hanging (x2). Cut the center out of one of the balls - this will be the front and hold a photo. Use a gluegun to glue the photo in place. Then glue the ornament (front and back) 3/4 the way closed. Stuff the 'ball' part with batting and seal. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the square part and add a ribbon for hanging.

Photo Ornament 2
Print pictures of the children on transparent printer paper and insert them in a clear glass or plastic ornament globe. Add a decoration to the top and a ribbon for hanging.

Photo Play Clay Ornament
Make clay...
1 cup cornstarch
1 - 1lb box of baking soda
1 1/4 cups water

Mix cornstarch and baking soda in a pot. Add water and stir - mixture will be very liquidy. Cook on medium heat until thickened (it will look like mashed potatoes). Place on a pastry board and knead well. If stored wrapped in a damp cloth in a plastic bag, the clay will keep for several days.

Cut shapes with Christmas cookie cutters. Depending on the thickness of the ornaments, these will take 2 to 4 days to dry completely. Remember to flip them over several times a day during drying. Paint when dry then shellac. When shellac is dry, cut a photo of the child into the shape of the ornament and glue on the front. Use glitter to decorate the back of ornament if you wish.

Ball/Star Ornament
Paint a larger styrofoam ball, let dry, and then stick colored toothpicks in it to make a beautiful star/ball.

Pom Pom Ornaments
Take a small styrofoam ball and gluegun sparkly small pompoms all over it til it is completely covered. Add a string for hanging - these are very pretty and you can create patterns or just use a variety of coloured pompoms.

Handprint Tree
Start with 5 handprints on the bottom and working up pyramid style to one for treetop. When dry, decorate with cut out ornaments and a star for the top.

Jingle Bell Rudolph
Paint a jingle bell brown and let dry. Glue googly eyes, small red pompom nose, fun foam antlers and a ribbon if you wish to the bell. You can thread the bell for hanging on the tree for an ornament or with ribbon for a necklace.

Reindeer Food
Place cooking oats and coloured sugar into a zip lock baggie. Children can decorate a reindeer label by cutting a triangle shape and adding googly eyes, pompom nose, and antlers to the shape. Glue the reindeer onto a paper with one of the following poems and staple the baggie of food to the paper.

1. Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
Santa's reindeer fly and roam
This will guide them to your home.

2. On Christmas Eve before you sleep,
Step outside and take a peek.
Can you see them? Are they near?
You don't think so? Never fear!
While still outside do this simple deed:
Sprinkle this packet of special feed.
The glow of the stardust, the smell of oats
Will draw to YOUR house those special folks!
They can't miss you now, there's nothing to fear,
For this special mix is guaranteed
To draw Santa and his famous reindeer.

Candy Cane Gift Bag or Picture
Create stripes of paint alternating red and white (or red, white, and green). Place a candy cane shaped sponge onto the paint and then stamp onto a brown paper bag or paper.

Science, Discovery, and Math

Christmas Themed Math Pages

Word Problems

Christmas Chromatography

Case of the Christmas Cookie Mystery

Case of the Christmas Cookie Mystery - Teacher Directions

How Stuff Works - Christmas

I Smell Christmas
Use plastic spice containers (or the black film containers - you know... before digital cameras!) - or something similiar. If there are no holes, you will need to poke some into the lids - and tape the lids down. Place different seasonal smells in the jars for the kids to smell and guess what they are smelling. YOu could add pictures of the various items on cards on the table for the children to match. Some scents to include cocoa, gingerbread, candycane, and pine.

Dramatic Play

Santa's Workshop
Add santa and elf hats, stockings, soft hammers, box for a sleigh, etc. Decorate with tinsel and things the kids have made. The children will enjoy pretending to make toys and fill the stockings. Gift bags and work benches can also be added to the dramatic area. A fireplace can be created with a box or by painting on paper and attaching to the wall.

Outdoor Play

Decorating
Get the children involved in the outdoor decorating. Have children create decorations from natural materials and hang in an outdoor tree.