25 Christmas Activities for Kids + Easy Family Traditions

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Kids grow up so fast, and the Christmas memories they carry with them usually aren’t about the gifts. They’re about the cookies, the matching pajamas, and the same movie on the same night every single year.

In our house, Christmas Eve has always been just as big as Christmas Day. We make a whole event of it, and those little traditions are the parts my girls still talk about. Here are our favorite Christmas activities for kids, plus easy traditions you can start this year without spending much at all.

Our Christmas Eve traditions

If you only start one tradition, make it a cozy Christmas Eve. Here’s what ours looks like:

1. Bake cookies together. We make a batch to bring to the grandparents’ the next day, and a few extra to leave out for Santa.
2. Set up a cocoa bar. Make a big pot of hot cocoa and line up the toppings: marshmallows, crushed candy canes, whipped cream and sprinkles.
3. Open new Christmas jammies. Every Christmas Eve, the girls opened one gift: new pajamas to cuddle up in.
4. Watch the same Christmas movie every year. For us, it’s The Santa Clause, in new jammies, with cocoa and cookies. Every single year.
5. Read a Christmas story before bed. One last story before the lights go out makes the night feel magical.

Christmas activities for kids at home

6. Christmas scavenger hunt. Hide candy canes, ornaments or small treats around the house with simple clues. For little ones, use picture clues. Get a ready-to-print Christmas scavenger hunt in the Kids Christmas Activity Pack
7. Christmas bingo. Play during a holiday movie or a family game night.
8. Write letters to Santa. Grab our free Letter to Santa printable.
9. Make a Christmas wish list. Our Christmas list printable keeps it fun and organized.
10. Decorate cookies. Set out icing in squeeze bottles and bowls of sprinkles, and let the kids go wild.
11. Build a gingerbread house. Graham crackers and a carton make a cheap and easy version.
12. Make homemade ornaments. Salt dough, handprints, or popcorn and cranberry garland. See our Christmas ideas page.
13. Have a Christmas movie marathon with blankets, popcorn and a homemade snack board.
14. Make paper snowflakes and tape them to the windows.
15. Bake treats for neighbors and deliver them together.

Family outings and traditions

16. See The Nutcracker. We went every year. Even small towns usually have a local production, and it gets everyone in the Christmas spirit.
17. Drive around to look at Christmas lights with cocoa in travel mugs and Christmas music on.
18. Go to a tree farm or lot and let the kids help pick the tree.
19. Attend a holiday concert or church service together.
20. Visit Santa, or have a video call with him.

Ways to give back together

Christmas is the perfect time to teach kids to appreciate what they have. Our family gives to our local food bank and women’s shelter. We try to do it all year, but it means even more at Christmas.

21. Donate toys to a toy drive or Toys for Tots.
22. Pick a name off a giving tree and let the kids help shop for that child.
23. Fill a food bank bag together.
24. Make cards for a nursing home or for service members.
25. Donate gently used toys and decorations before the new ones come in.

Christmas activities FAQ

What are some free Christmas activities for kids?

Driving around to see Christmas lights, making paper snowflakes, a family movie night, reading Christmas books from the library, and writing letters to Santa are all free or nearly free.

How do I start a new Christmas tradition?

Pick one simple thing your family enjoys and do it on the same day every year, like new pajamas on Christmas Eve or a cocoa bar after decorating the tree. Kids love knowing it’s coming.

You might also like:

• How to Have a Low-Stress Christmas
• 25 Easy Christmas Hacks
• Managing Christmas with a Toddler

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