4 Sensory Crafts for Christmas
Looking for a creative and engaging way to keep your little ones entertained this Christmas? Sensory crafts are a fantastic way to combine fun and learning, while celebrating the season. These activities stimulate the senses, promote fine motor skills, and spark imagination. We’ve got Christmas sensory ideas for your kiddos to try this holiday!
What is Sensory Play?
Sensory play is a delightful way for children to explore and engage their senses. Most of the time, you might not even realize they’re doing it (and neither do they – they’re just exploring the world around them!).
By using materials with different textures, colors, sounds, and even tastes, kids can stimulate their cognitive, emotional, and physical development. Whether it's creating colorful art, listening to soothing sounds, or feeling the texture of playdough, sensory activities offer a world of sensory experiences that spark curiosity and imagination, benefit your child, and help develop skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives.
Why are Sensory Crafts Important for Child Development?
Making crafts is an important part of sensory play. By using their hands to touch, see, taste, smell, and hear different materials, they can develop their senses and learn new things. Sensory play allows children to explore the world around them. With crafts, that could look like:
- Feeling the fuzziness of a pompom
- Seeing bright paint colors mix and splatter
- Taste edible playdoh
- Smell the scent of potato stamps
- Hear the crinkle of tissue paper
Candy Cane Playdough
A festive twist on classic playdough! Use red and white food coloring to create candy cane-inspired dough. Your child can mold, shape, and even bake it into festive treats.
Materials
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- 4 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Red food coloring
- Foodsafe gloves
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
- In a medium saucepan, combine water and vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the hot liquid, stirring continuously until a stiff dough forms.
- Once the dough has cooled slightly, transfer it to a clean surface. Knead the dough until it's smooth and pliable.
- Separate the dough into two halves. With gloved hands, add a few drops of food coloring to one of the halves.
- When the dough has totally cooled and the color does not transfer, it's ready for your little one to play with!
Seasonal Squishy Sensory Bag
It’s “finger painting” without the mess! Your child will love mixing and swirling the red and green paint. Best of all, there’s no messy hands or sink to clean up afterward.
Materials
- Red paint
- Green paint
- Large Ziploc bag
- Duct tape
- Painter’s tape
Instructions
- Squirt red and green paint into a Ziploc bag.
- Duct tape the top to be sure no paint will escape.
- Then, using painter’s tape, secure the bag to the floor or your child’s table – wherever your child wants to “paint.”
- Have your child squish the paint around the closed bag, manipulating it with their fingers.
Christmas Sensory Bin
It’s a classic sensory activity for a classic time of year. They’re easy to put together, provide hours of entertainment, and can be created for nearly any theme, season, or holiday. Create a sensory tub filled with festive-themed objects like mini ornaments, jingle bells, and pine cones.
Materials
- A clear plastic bin or tub
- Rice or beans, or pasta (colored red and green for a Christmas theme)
- Small Christmas ornaments (plastic or felt)
- Jingle bells
- Pine cones
- Red and green ribbon
- Red and green pompoms
- Small toy reindeer or Santa Claus
Instructions
- Fill the bin with your chosen sensory material, such as red and green rice or beans, or red and green pasta.
- Gently place the Christmas ornaments, jingle bells, pompoms, and pine cones into the bin.
- Place the small toy reindeer or Santa Claus in the bin.
Your child will love:
- Sorting: They can sort the objects by color, shape, or size.
- Digging: Let them dig through the sensory material to find hidden treasures with their hands.
- Scooping: Use spoons or scoops to transfer the material from one container to another. You’ll need an extra bin or Tupperware container for this one.
- Sensory Exploration: Encourage your child to feel the different textures of the materials.
Coffee Filter Christmas Trees
Watch as the magic unfolds! A fun and easy craft that involves painting coffee filters and shaping them into trees, this activity promotes fine motor skills and creativity, and introduces your child to scientific concepts.
Materials
- Coffee filters
- Washable markers
- Cup filled halfway with water
- Drying rack
- Popsicle sticks
- Stick-on stars and shapes
Instructions
- Decorate the coffee filter with markers. Make lines, shapes, and dots.
- Fold the coffee filter in half, and then in thirds, making a triangular shape.
- Help your child hold the folded coffee filter with the tip submerged just a bit into the water
- The water will start to climb up the filter. Be patient and watch the colors spread.
- When the water has started to slow, remove the coffee filter from the cup, open it up, and place it on the drying rack.
- Let dry.
- When it is totally dry, help your child fold the coffee filter in half, and in thirds again.
- Glue the popsicle stick in between the layers so that it looks like the trunk of a tree.
- Put glue dots in between the layers of the coffee filter so it doesn’t unfold itself.
- Decorate the coffee filter tree with stick-on stars and shapes.
The science behind it: The water, also known as the solvent, works its way through the paper, pulling the colorful ink molecules along for the ride. This happens because the water molecules are attracted to the ink molecules, creating a beautiful and mesmerizing display.
Add these activities to your Christmas bucket list! By incorporating sensory play and crafts into your holiday celebrations, you're providing your children with a fun and educational experience – one they might not even know is happening! These crafts and toys can be enjoyed throughout the year, making them a perfect addition to your child's toy collection. So, gather your supplies, get creative, and let the sensory fun begin!