This month we decided the boys would be too focused on the holiday activities to really pick a creative or different theme. So we went with Christmas.

We started the month with a Christmas themed science experiment using oil, water, seltzer tablets and food coloring to make lava lamps.

They played with a sensory bin filled with jingle bells, tinsel, and magnets. As well as did coloring sheets and read Christmas stories.

The next week, we made cinnamon dough ornaments and gingerbread houses using graham crackers, cream cheese, and fruit candies.

The little boys mostly did “graham cracker sandwiches” over building structures. But older brother was very proud of his creation.

 

The next week, we did Christmas catapults using pom poms, spoons, Popsicle sticks and rubber bands.

The boys made Christmas jingle bell wreaths by stringing bells onto pipe cleaners while I read them a Christmas story.

Afterward they played with snowmen sensory bags-moving the pieces around to make snowmen faces.

For snack this week we let the boys choose to make santa hats, snowmen, or candy canes with strawberries, bananas, and cream cheese (we figured they needed more healthy option to balance out the sugar from the week before.)

For our field-trip both families, including husbands, all met at the zoo for Zoolights. We had gone a few years ago with my in-laws when Z was only a few months old. Z loved it, especially riding the Zebra on the Carousel.

On our non-preschool days, Z and I made ornaments and decorations using craft store kits. These kits included sticky foam pieces, pom poms, stickers, string, and required little additional resources other than a glue stick.

Z loved being able to do most of it himself making a gingerbread house to hang up for our Christmas party and a candy cane, stocking, and wreath to put on our tree.

We also made ornaments for our family. Using another craft store kit, we did finger print dot art around a picture frame. Z wanted to hang it on the tree right away but we had to wait for the photos to come to complete the project.

Z and I read many Christmas books, moved Santa along on the Christmas advent tree, danced and sang to Christmas carols (he almost has all the words for jingle bells), and did our advent study as a family once a week.

There has been a lot to learn about Santa and the Nativity Story and what happens at Christmas  and some of it has gotten mixed up in funny ways. But I know he is getting the big picture ideas.

What fun crafts or activities do you do with your kids for the holidays? What ones do you remember doing a kid?