Christmas Practical Life Ideas for Toddlers
There is so much planning and preparation that goes into the Christmas season. The weeks and days leading up to Christmas during the Advent season are a time for preparing for the true gift at Christmas. How can we take this often hectic and stressful time for so many to slow down and prepare our hearts, our homes, and our children for Christmas? Here are some practical life ideas to try with your toddler this Christmas season. Naturally, toddlers need us to slow down, show them how to do things and bring them along with us. Try doing that with one of these ideas! Or all of them!
Watering the Christmas Tree
If you get a real Christmas tree, you could have your toddler help to water the tree every day. Especially in the first few days of a tree being cut down, it requires a lot of water!
Turning on Window Lights
Growing up, we had a simple, classic home with traditional Christmas decorations. I remember looking at the house and seeing all the single lights lit in every window. I continued the tradition in our home with these simple fake candle stick lights. If you get corded ones, like I had growing up, you could have your toddler help you go around the house and turn all the window lights on. If you get the automated ones like I have now, they are set on a timer. However, they are still fun to set out at the beginning of the season.
Baking Cookies
I spend so much time in the kitchen during the holidays, and I look forward to slow times baking with my twins. Thanks to a learning tower that makes all these kitchen practical life activities so much easier. Consider cookies such as sugar cookies, where they can be rolled and cut out. Offering so many great practical life opportunities. Additionally, I love the classic peanut butter blossom cookie. Your child could help unwrap the chocolate kisses and press them into the cookies.
Hot Cocoa Work
Pouring, mixing, sprinkling, sipping, and placing are all motions that your toddler can do to make some hot cocoa. Put some milk in a pitcher for them to pour into a saucepan to warm up. Scoop and dump the cocoa powder into the milk. Mix with a whisk, sprinkle with mini marshmallows! So sweet and special to take the time to make this special treat and enjoy it together.
Decorating the Christmas Tree
A family tradition in many homes is decorating the Christmas tree. In my toddler Christmas activities post, I share an idea of hanging plastic candy canes to help isolate the skill of hanging things up on a tree or garland. Stringing lights, laying out the tree skirt, hanging the stockings, and setting out other Christmas decor are all things we can take slowly and allow our toddler to help bring these changes into their environment.
With their strong sense of order, we want to support them as best as possible. This is best done when we bring them along and slowly show them what we are doing. You can offer simple grace and courtesy lessons on how to decorate the Christmas tree and how to care for an ornament. I can imagine that by having them involved in this process of decorating, they may be less interested in pulling all of the ornaments off of the tree in the weeks to come! Christmas practical life opportunities are all around us if we take the time to see them.
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Setting the Table
Enjoy more cozy meals as a family or with friends and extended family. A toddler can help to set the table. Slowing down the process, folding the cloth napkins, setting out the silverware, and more.
These are just some day-to-day activities you may find yourself doing around the Christmas season that your toddler would love to join you for. Find more ways to build meaningful connections with your toddler through some Montessori Christmas work ideas for your shelves! If you have other Christmas practical life ideas, tell me about them in the comments!
