Christmas Fun!!
By Laura Laforest
Tongs or Tweezer Pick-Up
Materials Needed:
- tongs or tweezers
- red and green pom-poms (Christmas) or yellow and blue pom-poms (Hanukkah)
- margarine tubs with a numeral written on each
The children will use tongs or tweezers to pick up and place the correct number of pom-poms in each margarine tub to correspond with the number in the bottom of the tub. For children not ready for numbers, let them just have fun picking up the pom-poms and putting them in the containers.
Magnetic Painting
Materials Needed:
- paper
- cookie sheet
- 4 building blocks
- magnet
- washers
- green and red tempera paint
- spoon
Place the cookie sheet on two stacks of blocks about 4" high. Put a piece of paper on the cookie sheet. The child can put several washers in each color of paint and then transfer them to the cookie sheet using the spoon. Press a magnet on the bottom of the cookie sheet. By moving the magnet, the child will move the washer along the paper and make designs.
Paper Tube Candles
Materials Needed:
- toilet paper tube for each child
- tempera paints or markers
- yellow and orange tissue paper
Each child can decorate his toilet paper tube as he chooses. Help each child tear a few pieces of tissue paper to glue to the top of the tube for flames.
Ice Cream Cone Trees
Materials Needed:
- 1 lb icing sugar
- 1/2 cup soft margarine
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- green food coloring
- cone-shaped ice cream cones
- paper plates
- plastic knives
- coloured candies/sprinkles
- raisins, marshmallows, cereal, etc.
Mix icing sugar, soft margarine, orange juice, and a few drops of green food colouring together. This will be the frosting for the cones. Let the children spread the frosting on their cones (standing on its open end so it looks like a tree) and decorate with coloured candies, rasins, marshmallows, etc. They can be eaten or used as table decorations.
Stained Glass Window Cookies
Materials Needed:
- 1 cup soft margarine
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- hard candies, crushed
Cream together margarine, shortening, sugar and eggs. Add vanilla. Sift together and add flour, baking soda and salt. Chill the dough. Give each child a golf ball sized piece fo dough and have him roll it into a rope and then make a circle by attaching the ends. Place this on a greased cookie sheet and fill the opening with crushed hard candies. Bake at 350 for seven to eight minutes. Cool before removing from the cookie sheet.
Coloured Gifts
Materials Needed:
- small boxes (about 6" x 6"), each wrapped in solidly coloured paper
- shapes cut out of construction paper in colours to match the boxes
The children place the colored shapes in the matching boxes.
Gifts in Boxes
Materials Needed:
- colourfully wrapped small boxes
- magazines and catalogues
Label each box with a different category and glue on pictures to tell the children what goes in the box (toys, clothes, food, animals, etc).
Have the children look through magazines and catalogues. Have them cut or tear out pictures that match the categories and place them in the appropriate boxes.
Puzzle Picture Frames
Materials Needed:
- puzzle with small pieces
- picture of each child
- pieces of cardboard 2" larger on all sides than each picture you will be using (one for each child)
- glue
- construction paper or felt
Collect pictures of each child. Draw an outline of the picture on the cardboard and cut the cardboard 2" larger on all sides. Trim out the centre where the picture will be placed.
The children can randomly glue colourful puzzle pieces to cover the entire frame. Place the picture in the frame and glue felt or construction paper on as backing.
Santa Song
(Sung to "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain")
He'll be comin' round for Christmas when he comes,
He'll be comin' round for Christmas when he comes
He'll be comin' round for Christmas,
He'll be comin' round for Christmas,
He'll be comin' round for Christmas when he comes!
(other verses include:)
He'll be ridin' with his reindeer when he comes.....
He'll be carryin' lots of toys when he comes.....
He'll be wavin' to the children when he comes.....
He'll be climbin' down the chimney when he comes.....
He'll be laughin' "ho-ho-ho" when he comes...
Christmas Card Story
Gather used Christmas cards or purchase a variety pack of new cards. Explain to the children that they are going to look at some pictures and then make up a group story about what they see. Show the children the cards one at a time. With each card, ask the children to describe what they see. Ask the children to tell you what they think might be happening in the picture.
Matching Wrapping Paper
Using tagboard, blue six, nine or twelve different patterns of new or used wrapping paper to make a wrapping paper matching board. Draw lines on the tagboard to mark a number of equally-sized squares equivalent to the number of wrapping paper patterns you have. Gloue a different piece of wrapping paper to each square marked on the tagboard. Laminate or cover the board with clear contact paper if possible. Make matching cards from the same wrapping paper and also laminate or cover with clear contact paper. Explain to the children that they are to take a wrapping paper card, look on the matching board to find its mate, then set the card on top of the mate. The children continue to play until all cards have been matched.