10 Peaceful Preschool Christmas Activities for Gentle December Learning

A Calm and Meaningful December

December can feel like such a whirlwind, can’t it? Between the baking, decorating, and keeping up with lessons, it’s easy to feel like there’s just no time for peace. But what if learning this month looked a little slower—more cozy mornings, soft Christmas music, and simple, meaningful activities that point our little ones back to what this season is really about?

Here are 10 gentle preschool Christmas activities to bring more peace, learning, and togetherness to your December days.

1. Christmas Book Basket

Start the month with a basket of cozy Christmas books. Choose stories that are warm, simple, and rich in meaning—books that you won’t mind reading again and again.Add a cozy blanket, a few twinkle lights, and let your child choose one to read after breakfast or before bedtime.

A few favorites:

• Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell

• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

• The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado

  
  

2. Winter Nature Walk

Bundle up and head outside to notice the quiet beauty of winter. Look for evergreen trees, pinecones, or animal tracks. Bring a small basket to collect nature treasures and talk about how even in winter, God’s world is still full of life.

3. Handprint Keepsake Craft

Preserve this year’s little handprints with a simple craft. Try salt dough ornaments or painted prints on cardstock. These make wonderful grandparent gifts—and a sweet reminder of these fleeting years.

4. Christmas Playdough Invitation

Set up a tray with homemade cinnamon playdough, star cookie cutters, beads, or small bells. Sensory play like this builds fine motor skills and gives little hands something to do while you chat or read together.

5. Christmas Songs & Fingerplays

Music adds so much joy to the season! Try simple songs like Away in a Manger, Silent Night, or Jingle Bells. Little ones love hand motions, and singing together helps build rhythm, memory, and language.

6. Counting Ornaments

Turn decorating into learning! Let your child count ornaments as they hang them or sort them by color or shape. You can even make it into a “find the red ones” scavenger game.

7. Christmas Baking Day

Invite your preschooler to help in the kitchen—stirring, scooping, and sprinkling. They’ll practice early math and fine motor skills while making precious memories. Bonus: the smell of cinnamon and cookies makes your homeschool day feel special and cozy. Try baking one day and decorating the next! Our family loves making gingerbread men, sugar cookies, and shortbread cookies every year!

8. Christmas Sensory Play

Create a festive sensory bin or tray with holiday-themed items like red and green rice or pasta, small ornaments, pinecones, or jingle bells.

• Include scoops, spoons, and cups for fine motor practice.

• Encourage sorting by color, size, or texture.

• Use holiday vocabulary and counting during play for an educational twist.

9. Nativity Story Time

Each week of December, read one part of the nativity story together. Use wooden figures, felt pieces, or printable cards to help your child retell what they’ve learned. If you’d like something ready-made, my Nativity Story Unit Study includes tracing pages, sequencing cards, and Scripture memory to make it easy and meaningful.

(Link to your Nativity Unit here

10. Preschool Christmas Morning Menu

This is such a fun way to gently weave learning into your mornings. The Preschool Christmas Morning Menu includes weather and date pages, alphabet and number tracing, colors, and cozy Christmas-themed activities like designing ornaments, writing a letter to Santa, and more.

It even includes a bonus Gingerbread Man Addition and Subtraction Unit (1–10) — a sweet and simple way to introduce early math.

You can reuse the pages all December long by sliding them into a restaurant-style menu cover or laminating them.

Bringing It All Together

Mama, your preschool Christmas doesn’t need to be complicated or rushed. Choose a few gentle activities, follow your child’s curiosity, and enjoy the slower moments that make this season special.

If you’d like print-and-go tools to help you create a peaceful rhythm this month, take a peek at the Nativity Story Unit Study and Preschool Christmas Morning Menu — both designed to help you slow down, connect, and make learning joyful this December.