{10 Christmas Advent Calendar Ideas for Preschoolers}

10 Christmas Advent Calendar Ideas for Preschoolers:

This round up of 10 of our favourite ideas for advent calendars that are suitable for the preschool crowd may be just what you're looking for, or may inspire you to come up with a unique idea of your own! If you have a great advent calendar for your preschooler, please share it on the Mama Pea Pod Facebook page! I love to see what you've made!

DIY Advent Calendars Round-Up from Mama Pea Pod

Paper Bag Advent Calendar Activities (with printables) from The Connection We Share

Santa's Beard Countdown to Christmas from Paper Creations by Kristin

Matchboxes Advent Calendar from Write.Click.Scrapbook

Recycled Christmas Cards Activity Advent Calendar from Octavia and Vicky

Kid-Made Festive Christmas Countdown from Creative Play Central

Book Tree Advent Calendar from Reading Confetti

Around the World Advent Calendar: Merry Christmas in 24 Languages from Glittering Muffins

DIY Cone Advent Calendar from Glittering Muffins

Book a Day Countdown to Christmas from The Chirping Moms


You might also be interested in Mama Pea Pod's Christmas Ideas page over there on the right --> (scroll down a little)

{35+ Christmas Crafts for Preschoolers}

35+ Christmas Crafts for Preschoolers:

I was going to share a Ridiculously Huge Round-Up of Christmas Ideas for Preschoolers. I still am. But for the sake of getting these brilliant Christmas-themed ideas for preschoolers to you sooner, I'm breaking it up into themes. First up: Christmas Crafts for Preschoolers! Once all the themes are posted, I'll compile one Ridiculously Huge list so you can find them all in one place.

If you count them, there are exactly 35 ideas here for Christmas-themed crafty things for preschoolers to make. So why '35+'? Because I'm leaving room to come back and add more whenever I find another one that you absolutely must see! I'm good to you that way ;-)

So, here goes: 35 wonderful Christmas crafts for the preschool crowd:

Christmas Angel Tree Topper from Mama Pea Pod

Curled Paper Hanging Christmas Tree Decoration from Mama Pea Pod

Standing Paper Christmas Tree from Mama Pea Pod

Paper Christmas Tree Forest Craft from Mama Pea Pod

Three Preschool Christmas Crafts (a bell, a pine cone elf, and a Christmas napkin holder)  from Mama Pea Pod

Two Christmas Cards Preschoolers and Toddlers Can Make from Mama Pea Pod

Classic Christmas Paper Chain Garland from Mama Pea Pod

Handprint and Footprint Reindeer Growth Record from Mama Pea Pod

Craft Stick Snowman Ornaments from Happy Hooligans

Handprint Reindeer Craft from The Imagination Tree

Christmas Bauble Kids' Art Keepsake from Creative Play Central

Yarn wreath ornaments from Christopher & Tia

Homemade Christmas Cards made with kids' artwork from Dilly-Dali Art

Classic Snowflakes Craft from Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Snowflake Curtain from Paper & Stitch

Homemade Natural Holly Advent Wreath by Sun Hats and Wellie Boots

Button Tree Ornaments from UK Lass in US

Shaving Cream Marbled Snowmen (would make lovely garland) from Simple Fun For Kids

Pom Pom Window Garland from Noodlehead (I recommend these plastic kids' needles (affiliate link) for threading)

Stained 'Glass' Ornaments From Recycled Plastic from Housing a Forest

Icicle Ornaments from Happy Hooligans

I-Spy Christmas Baubles from Craft Goodies

Toilet Roll Snowman Craft from Red Ted Art

Pom Pom Pine Cone Trees Ornaments from Red Ted Art

Simple Christmas Wreath Ornament from Red Ted Art

Handprint Christmas Wreath from Learning to Play and Playing to Learn

Reindeer Tree to Decorate from Sun Hats and Wellie Boots

Recycled Model Christmas Town from Nurturestore

Handprint Santa from Learning to Play and Playing to Learn

Paper Cup Reindeer from Sun Hats and Wellie Boots

Paper Tube Nativity Set from Pink and Green Mama

Tinfoil Trees Ornaments from Happy Hooligans

Paper Plate Christmas Wreath from Glittering Muffins

Felt Christmas Tree from Buggy and Buddy

Popsicle Stick Snowflake Ornaments from Cheap Crafty Mama

{Classic Christmas Paper Chain Garland Craft For Preschoolers}

This simple Christmas paper chain garland is a classic craft for preschoolers - though I must tell you that I loved making it with them, too! There's something very relaxing about uncomplicated paper crafts.

There's just three easy steps and all you need is:

• Christmas-patterned paper (even better if it's got patterns or colour on both sides - I recommend double-sided Christmas scrapbook paper [affiliate link], but you could use gift wrap or even magazine pages)

• Glue (I find that glue sticks or glue pens [affiliate links] are much easier for preschoolers to manage for this craft than liquid glue.) 

1. Cut the paper into strips (depending on your preschooler's age and cutting skills, you may want to do the cutting part yourself. I cut them for my 2 1/2 year old, while my 5 year old cut her own strips.)

2. Bend each strip into a circle and link it through the one before.

3. Glue the ends together to hold the circle.

Sometimes preschoolers forget to link it through before glueing, but no biggie, it's easy to link the two parts together with a new strip.

The finished paper chains look so sweet and festive around the Christmas tree or draped over doorways or shelves.

Simple and classic, but I love this craft!

 

{Stars Book and Simple Star Craft}

Stars Book and Activities: 

Book by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee

We borrowed this book from our school library and had such a hard time returning it that, ahem, we may have hogged it for most of the school year! Full of hope and wisdom, this sweet, inspiring book helps children to embrace their creativity by noticing the stars all around us (not only the ones in the sky), and to use them to gain strength when they need it.

Stars activities

Sweet Pea's favourite song is Twinkle, Twinkle, which we must sing every night before bed. She decided that it would help her sleep better if she had her very own Twinkle Twinkle Star in her room to watch over her and keep the bad dreams away (she also has a dream catcher and Gruffalo toy [affiliate link] for this purpose, but they must not work all that well since she often visits us in the night!)

So we made her very own Twinkle Twinkle Star!

You need: 

Some stiff cardboard

Some aluminum foil

Some Sharpie markers

Shiny ribbon

A sharp pencil

Optional: printable star template

I just drew a star freehand (it took a few tries to get the shape I wanted, but no matter). Then I cut it out for her and poked a hole in one of the points with the sharp pencil.

I gave Sweet Pea some squares of tin foil and she wrapped her star. Then she used the permanent markers to draw on the foil. She wanted a face on hers, smiling down at her in the night, but you could decorate it any way you like. (You could also add some stick-on 'jewels' for extra bling, like in these tin foil trees from Happy Hooligans.)

Then I used the pencil to repoke the hole through the foil (not sure that it was really necessary to do it twice, it might have sufficed to just do it after it was wrapped), and then strung some shiny ribbon through it to hang up. 

She's so proud of it!

It would also make a lovely Christmas decoration for the tree, or make it a 6-pointed star and you have a Hanukah craft for little ones.

Some more Stars to Make:

• Sparkly star decoration from popsicle sticks
• Spinning star pinwheel craft
• Star wishing wands
• Star wishing tree

Stars to Eat:

• Star rice krispie treat wands
• Star cookies
• Make a star-themed bento lunch
• Coconut star treats

Stars to 'Do':

• Have your own Japanese Star Festival

Stars to Read:

• Starfish (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science) [affiliate link] - another one we borrowed from the library, and we learned so much about the stars in our seas and oceans - and it has a fun starfish craft in the back that we made but I never got around to blogging about. Maybe one day...
• How to Catch a Star [affiliate link] by the ever-popular Oliver Jeffers. We haven't read this one yet, but it's on our wish list.

And, if you're not the crafty type, Stars to Buy [affiliate links]:

• Glow in the dark stars
• Peel and stick star mirrors
• Sterling Silver Stars Pendant Necklace (ok, so I really want this one for myself!) 

{Gratitude and the Magic of Children}

As parents, we tend to spend all our time worrying about all the possible terrible things that could happen to our kids. We don't think about ourselves. But taking care of ourselves is just as important - precisely because it is so important for them to have us around.