Simple Montessori Baby Christmas Activities

There are many fun ways to bring the Christmas spirit into your baby’s environment. The Christmas season has many unique sounds, sights, and smells. In this post, I will share many Montessori Baby Christmas activities that will brighten up your baby’s shelf work and bring the cozy Christmas spirit into your home.

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Montessori Christmas activities with a baby don’t need to be complicated or involved. It’s simply about incorporating different activities that we have going on during this time of year and finding small ways to involve our baby in that work, whether it is looking at Christmas lights or opening Christmas gifts.

Sensory Ornaments

One great way to allow your baby to experience the Christmas season is to prepare ornaments that are safe for them to explore. You can make a few sensory ornaments for those low branches on your Christmas tree. These ornaments should be non-breakable and sensorially interesting. I found some clear plastic bulb ornaments at the dollar store. Then filled them with objects I thought would have a good sound when my twins rattled them around. I then tied a festive ribbon to the top of it to be able to hang it on the tree and for them to hold on to. If you fill the ornament with small objects, you should secure the top of the ornament so they can’t open it.

Another great sensory ornament is to string jingle bells onto some ribbon and hang them on low branches. I also hung many of my non-breakable Christmas ornaments low on the tree. Metal and wooden ones are usually able to withstand the exploration of little hands.

Three plastic bulb ornaments. One filled with corn kernels, one with broken cinnamon sticks and one with cranberries.

Velcro Ornament Christmas Tree Board

As my babies get older, they’re really refining that little pincer grasp and love grabbing at everything. A fun way to support this is by making a Velcro Christmas tree board. I had my brother-in-law cut a wooden Christmas tree for us, but you could also use a wooden cutting board shaped like a tree (like this one here) or even wrap a piece of foam core board with felt or fabric to create the tree shape. Then, just add Velcro to some wooden circles and to the tree itself. Your baby will love pulling off and sticking on these “ornaments,” all while strengthening their fine motor skills.

Cinnamon Stick In-and-Out Box

Around 9 to 12 months, many babies become fascinated with the idea of putting things in and taking them out again. To support this stage, you can offer a simple activity using a small container and a few cinnamon sticks. It gives your baby the chance to practice that “in and out” concept, enjoy the warm scent of cinnamon, and even explore it safely as a teether. The best part—it’s something you can set up quickly with items you likely already have at home.

Always supervise closely since little ones love to mouth objects. If you’re unsure about safety, check with your pediatrician. From what I’ve found in my own research, cinnamon is generally considered safe in small amounts for babies over 6 months.

Cinnamon stick in a glass jar. Stripped Christmas ribbon in the background.

Jingle Bell Object Permanence Box

For a few days, the ball to our object permanence box had seemed to go missing. It probably rolled under some piece of furniture. I used a jingle bell that I had around instead. The object permanence box functioned the same with a jingle bell as it did with a wooden ball. Now it has an additional point of interest, the jingle bell!

Object permanence box with a jingle bell. Decorative stripped ribbon in the background.

Nativity Set

Getting a nativity set that is child-friendly will be a great addition during those younger years. My husband had a collection of the Fontanini Nativity pieces, which are beautiful, durable, and great for young hands and mouths to explore. They are not the cheapest option, but they will last your lifetime. There are alternative Nativity sets on the market as well.

Christmas Books

Offering some Christmas board books to your environment for your baby can be a fun, simple way to bring this season to your baby. You can start collecting books for an Advent Book Calendar, where you gift your child a new Christmas book for the 25 days leading up to Christmas. Also, check out my Christmas book lists for toddlers here! A new Christmas book makes the perfect gift and will be loved by young children for years to come.

Shop my Christmas Book Lists

Board Book Christmas Book Titles

Christmas in the Manger (Board Book)
Who Is Coming to Our House? (Board Book)
Little Christmas Tree (Board Book)
Room for a Little One (Board Book)
The Mitten (Board Book)
The Night Before Christmas (Board Book)

Two board books with decorative pine branches, dried oranges, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks.

Present Stacking

Find some small boxes and wrap them up. Place them into a larger basket and offer them as you would any other block. Your child may enjoy stacking them, or more likely will enjoy knocking down your towers of presents.

You could use a variety of colored and textured wrapping paper to add more interest.

Looking at the Christmas Lights

One of the simplest activities during the holiday season is just slowing down and letting your little one take in the Christmas lights. For young babies, lying on a blanket in their movement area while gazing at the soft twinkling lights is an excellent opportunity to practice visual tracking. For older babies and toddlers, you might walk in the evening together and look at different light displays. It’s such a calm, fun way to spend quality time and soak in the spirit of Christmas without adding extra materials.

Christmas Sensory Basket

A sensory basket is always engaging for babies. Christmas time is the perfect time to refresh it with new materials. You can add things like pinecones, jingle bells, soft ornaments, felt Christmas tree cutouts, or other small Christmas decorations, like a mini candy cane decoration. Having a basket of Christmas treasures will offer so much for your baby to explore and support their hand-eye coordination while introducing different textures and objects. Babies love exploring different sounds, shapes, and materials, and this simple setup makes for great Montessori activities the whole Christmas season.

Jingle Bell Bracelets

Jingle bell bracelets are a fun variation of musical instruments that even young babies can enjoy shaking. Slip one gently onto your baby’s ankle or wrist during playtime, or let older toddlers explore making noise with them in different ways. The best part is how these simple bracelets encourage movement. A baby can get feedback about their movements when they have it around their ankle while crawling or walking. Such a simple addition that can make an ordinary afternoon at home a little more festive.

Jingle Bell Tactile Mobile in the Movement Area

If you already have a Montessori movement area set up, adding a seasonal tactile mobile is such a fun idea. Hang a large jingle bell from a beautiful piece of ribbon. Hang that from a mobile hanger, a wind chime hanger, or just a hook in your ceiling. Your baby can bat at the bell. Alternatively, you could place the bell by your baby’s feet, and when they kick their legs, they will move the bell.

Montessori Movement Area Near the Christmas Tree

Last year, I set up our twins’ movement area right next to the Christmas tree. Babies naturally gravitate toward the Christmas lights. A movement area is great for a non-mobile baby. As your baby gets mobile, have low baby-safe ornaments at the base of the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree will be very interesting for them to explore.

Christmas Coin Box

A classic Montessori material with a festive twist! You can easily make a Christmas coin box using an empty coffee canister, or I’ve even used a lotion container. Cut a slit in the top of the lid. Offer wooden discs, gold coins, or even large buttons wrapped in Christmas paper, for your child to post through the opening. This practical life activity builds fine motor skills, concentration, and problem-solving. For older toddlers, it’s a great way to encourage independence while also sneaking in a little holiday fun.

You can also buy a Montessori coin box, which has a drawer that is an engaging part of the work for the baby.

Setting It Up:

Show your child how to “post” each piece into the box and let them repeat.

Other Ways to Celebrate with Your Baby

There are many simple activities that your little one will enjoy throughout the Advent and Christmas season. Here are a few ideas of things you could try. Remember, we don’t need to fill our days with activities and overcrowd our schedule. Most of the time, the season is already busy enough with Christmas parties and other festivities. Find ways to slow down and share these moments with your little one. Here are some additional Montessori-friendly baby Christmas activities

Decorate together
Make a simmer pot on the stove to enhance the smell of your home
Go on a walk to look at Christmas lights or find a light show to attend in your area
Listen to Christmas music, even classical Christmas music can be great!
Nativity set
Stacking present boxes
Use an Advent wreath
Read a New Advent or Christmas book each day in December leading up to Christmas. Check out this post for details and my top Christmas books for babies, toddlers, and Christmas classics!
Sing Christmas carols as a family

Christmas Ideas for a Toddler

I wanted to avoid suggesting things with small objects, but as your baby grows into a toddler and isn’t putting things into their mouth, we can start to introduce different materials and activities. Here are some great ideas for Christmas activities for younger children.