Christmas Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

What Letter Comes Next?- Christmas Holiday

November 28, 2023 By Deirdre

What Letter Comes Next? pages invite children to share what letter of the alphabet will come next in a series of uppercase letters. After looking at the letters that come before the missing letter, children will be able to narrow down the missing letter to just one letter.

Clues to the missing letter can also be found by looking at other lines of letters on the page. If you don’t want your children to use the hints, you can cover the other letter lines with paper. That will cause children to focus on just that line.

Getting the What Letter Comes Next? Pages

First, you download the set.

What Letter Comes Next? Christmas Holiday Download

Second, if you don’t have Acrobat Reader please download it. The set is an Acrobat Reader PDF file.

Third, go to your download file and open the set.

Reusable or One Time Use

The pages can be laminated so that they can be reused. If you want to use them like a worksheet, just print them out and give them to your children to use.

Uncovered Pages

The uncovered pages are easy for children to help you cut and are great for one-time use.

Covered or Laminated Pages

Covered puzzles can be used over and over again. It will be great to put in the math center for children to explore.

Making the Pages Reusable

If you plan on using the pages over and over again, you may want to laminate them. Below I have suggested products that you may want to use to cover them.

The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. My Amazon Picks

Scotch Brand PRO Thermal Laminator, Never Jam…$54.68~~$128.93~~ (11154)

Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, 100 Count-P…$15.98~~$24.68~~ (63556)

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More Alphabet Activities

Star-Themed Alphabet Tracing Mats

Building Alphabet Letters- Kids Learning Activity

Poinsettia Pinwheel Template STEM Challenge

December 4, 2021 By Deirdre

poinsettia pinwheel template stem activity

The poinsettia pinwheel template is the fourth in a series of Christmas STEM challenges I am sharing this year. The first is a wreath made with quadrilaterals. The second features a Christmas tree tessellation. The third activity looks at using old Christmas cards to make tangrams. Each set has a printable set that you can download for free.

Building Background

Your children may not know much about the poinsettia plant. Below you will find several children’s books that feature poinsettias.

The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Getting Poinsettia Pinwheel Template

The challenge sets are in a PDF. When you download one or both of them, you will need to open them with a PDF reader. Acrobat Reader is a popular reader that you can download to use. You probably have it on your computer already.

Poinsettia Pinwheel Template Download

Exploring the Poinsettia Pinwheel STEM Challenge

Gathering the Materials

The challenge requires the following:

Red card stock
Hole Punch
Pins with Balls on the Top
Pony Beads
Pencils

Printing out the Poinsettia Pinwheel Template

While the project works out best with thick paper or card stock, you could use construction or printer paper.

Constructing a Poinsettia Pinwheel

Cut out the pinwheel shape.
Use a hole punch or pin to place a hole in each of the pointed ends The hole punch will create large holes that help the pinwheel spin. It will spin with just the pin holes.
Curl each point to the center of the pinwheel.
Glue a yellow circle in the center of the pinwheel. You can add more yellow circles if you like.
Push a pin through the center of the pinwheel to hold all of the points in place.

6. Place a bead on the pin behind the pinwheel. Push the pointed end of the pin through the eraser end of a pencil.

7. Then bend the pin and tape it down.

More STEM Activities to Explore

How to Make Fake Snow Recipes Featuring Cornstarch Displayed on Blockly Blocks.

How to Make Snow with Cornstarch

Winter Olympic Sports - STEM Snowboarding Halfpipe : This is a fun STEM activity that can be used for creative play.

Creating a Snowboarding Halfpipe

Elf on the Shelf STEM Activity

Christmas Tree Tessellation STEM Challenge

November 20, 2021 By Deirdre

This Christmas tree tessellation challenge is a great way to introduce children to tessellations. The set features large trees. It was created for younger children. However, older children will enjoy building a tessellation with trees too.

What is a Tessellation?

A tessellation is a pattern of shapes that fit together and don’t overlap. Many times the shapes are all the same.

Reading About Tessellations

Before you start this STEM challenge, you may want to read about tessellations with your children. Below are some books that feature tessellations.

The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Getting the Christmas Tree Tessellation Challenge Sets

Christmas Tree Tessellation STEM Challenge Set Download

Exploring the Christmas Tree Tessellation Challenge

While most children can cut out the trees on their own, some may need you to cut them out.
The directions ask children to cut out the trees and then color them. You may decide that it is easier to color the trees before cutting them out. That is perfectly fine.
Children may need to arrange the trees inside the frame or square before they start to glue them in place.

Create a Card with the Christmas Trees

The Christmas tree tessellation can be used to decorate a card. Children will need to fold a piece of cardstock in half hamburger style. Then they can glue the tessellation and the frame around it to the front of the card.

More STEM Challenges

Cool Science Projects -Ski Jumping Straw Rocket

Ski Jumping STEM Challenge

Ski Lift Paper Plate Craft

Paper Bag Gingerbread House Craft

December 4, 2015 By Deirdre

We love to make and decorate a gingerbread house at my house every December. We had fun creating a whole bunch of gingerbread houses made from paper bags. The goal was to create enough gingerbread houses to make a small village.

The first thing that had to be done was to cut out colored construction paper in candy shapes. We stuck to colored circles and candy cane rectangles. You could easily come up with a wide variety of paper candies.

My son does a good job of cutting paper. If your children aren’t there yet, you can have the candies cut out in advance for them.

We decorated the front of paper bag by adding a roof, chimney, and door. Then paper candies were added to it. You may decide that you want to decorate both sides of your bags.

Hint: If you want your gingerbread house to have more 3-D effect, you can add the following objects.

cotton from cotton balls
glitter
buttons
felt for the door and windows
burlap
paint

Do you have to use your gingerbread house in a village?

You really don’t have to. After creating your gingerbread house there are a number of ways you can share or use your gingerbread house craft.

First, I think it would make a fun gift bag.
Second, it would be fun to hang on a door or bulletin board in a village or own its own.
Third, this craft could be used a prop in a child created story featuring a gingerbread house.
Finally, it could be held up when sharing this fun gingerbread house poem. I found on ProTeacher.

I made a house of gingerbread.
It was so sugary sweet.
It took me all day long to make.
But, it lasted just a week.
Monday I ate the ceiling.
Tuesday I ate the door.
Wednesday I ate the windows.
Thursday I ate the floor.
Friday I ate all four walls.
Saturday I ate the lawn.
Sunday I licked up all the crumbs.
My gingerbread house is gone!

No matter how you share your wonderful gingerbread house creation I know it will be enjoyed.

If you like the winter activity, here are some more you will love:

Building a Snowman with Household Items

A Snow Globe Craft for Kids

Handprint Christmas Trees

For more Christmas crafts please check out my Christmas Crafts board on Pinterest.

Before or After Gingerbread House Why Not Read a Book

The links below are affiliate links.

20 Totally Awesome Fine Motor Christmas Activities

November 27, 2015 By Deirdre

What fun to is to create and build using fine motor skills during the holidays! I have pulled together a collection of twenty totally awesome fine motor Christmas activities. Some of them are from right here on JDaniel4’s Mom. Some are from other wonderful blogs. I tried to select activities that younger learners along with school age learners will enjoy!

Totally Awesome Fine Motor Christmas Activities

Christmas Tree Sensory Writing Tray from Imagination Tree

Scrap Ribbon Tree Ornaments from Fireflies and Mud Pies

3 Christmas Activities with Jingle Bells from LalyMom

Pom Pom Toothpick Tree from Stir the Wonder

Santa Hat Cup Stacking from LalyMom

Christmas Sensory Play Water Beads Search and Find from Little Bins for Little Hands

Cutting Practice- Trim Santa’s Beard from Hands On: As We Grow

Christmas Trees from I Can Teach My Child

Christmas Gingerbread Fine Motor Activity from Living Montessori Now

Q- Tip Christmas Painting Printables from Totschooling

Invitation to Build: Tinkering Trees from Left Brain Craft Brain

Button Tree from Powerful Mothering

Racing Reindeer Number Line Activity from Mom Inspired Life

Pom Pom Tree Push Box from The Activity Mom

Trim a Tree Fine Motor Activity from No Time for Flashcards

Pom Pom Painting Christmas Craft from Fantastic Fun and Learning

Here are the fine motor activities from right here on JDaniel4’s Mom:

Ribbon Candy Ornaments

DIY Christmas Wreath

Threaded Star Tree

I hope you will find a number of these activities to do with your children. If you do, please take a picture of your version of the activity and share it with me on Facebook. I would love to see how they turn out!

Homemade Ornaments- Ribbon Candy

November 24, 2015 By Deirdre

My grandmother always seemed to have ribbon candy in a covered candy dish in her living room at Christmas time. I still think of it at Christmas time. Recently we made our own ribbon candy homemade ornaments for our tree. When I see them hanging up I am sure I will think of my grandmother.

My son just loves to use our hole punch. Sometimes he punches holes in random scraps of paper. For this craft he punch holes about two inches apart in a piece of ribbon that was folded in half. (The ribbon needed to be folded so that it was thick enough to punch holes in it.)

When the holes didn’t fall off of the ribbon and hung their by a few threads, we trimmed them off with scissors. Just a snip or two set them free. Many fell off on their own.

When all the holes had been made, we got the pipe cleaners project ready. Each pipe cleaner got had a knot made at the end of it to keep the ribbon from falling off.

Then the pipe cleaner was place in the first hole at one end of the ribbon. It was then folded back and the next hole was thread through. The ribbon was folded forward and the next hole was thread. We repeated this process until be reached the last hole.

The long end of the pipe cleaner was then made into a hook so, we could hang these homemade ornaments.

This craft is so easy to make! It also uses several fine motor skills. Children punch holes, thread, and knot. Each of these skills can be challenging for some kids. While others will think they are a piece of cake. Both groups will make really cool homemade ornaments.

Here are some other homemade ornaments that work on fine motor skills:

Christmas DIY Wreath

Threaded Christmas Star

Christmas Counting Games- Peppermint Numbers

November 23, 2015 By Deirdre

Last year I created a set of turkey numbers that could be used to play Thanksgiving counting games and adding the numbers 0-10. This year I have made two different sets of Christmas themed numbers. Along with the numbers each set has Christmas themed counters that can be for the Christmas counting games. Today I am going to share the Candy Cane Number Recognition Activity peppermint numbers with you. Later this week I will be sharing gingerbread themed numbers and candy counters.

The peppermint numbers come with counting holly leaves. If you think you need something little bit easier for your children to pick up, you could cut out holly leaves out of thick felt.

Below you will find some Christmas counting games you can play with your children. I am sure you will come up with a number of counting game of your own.

Counting Games

Number Order

You can have your children put the the candy themed numbers in order. You can decide if you want your children to start counting a 0 or 1. We tend to start counting at one at my house.

Sorting By Even and Odd

Children can place the even numbered peppermint numbers in one row and the odd numbers in another. Your children may want to add holly leaves to each of their numbers. It will help them to see that the even numbers have leaves that can be paired together. Odd numbers will have one leaf that doesn’t have partner.

Adding Numbers
This counting and adding game has children place the correct number of holly leaves on the two numbers being added. Children can pick up the leaves from the two numbers and place them on number that is the sum.

Here are some more fun holiday-themed printables you will want to explore:

Christmas Graphs You Can Color, Color and Graph

Elf on the Shelf Learning Packet

Reindeer Number Recognition Match

Editable Ornaments for Reading Centers

Gingerbread Shape Activities

More math activities can be found on my Early Learning Math Pinterest board.

Fine Motor Skills- Christmas DIY Wreath Ornament

November 20, 2015 By Deirdre

After having so much fun threading beads for our threaded star tree, we made an ornament by threading a pipe cleaner. It was the second in our series of three Christmas ornaments that focused using our fine motor skills.

We have bunch of burlap left from a project we did last summer for Totschooling. The loose weave of burlap makes it perfect for weaving. Pipe cleaners slip easily through its open space.

Christmas Wreath Ornament

Materials

The links below are affiliate links.

Directions:

We started using our fine motor skills to make this Christmas ornament by cutting some green burlap into strips a foot long. They were about three inches wide.

Next we wove sparkly and holiday colored pipe cleaner through the burlap. There were about 2 inches between stitches. We continued weaving up and down until we reached about two inches for the end of the strip.

As we wove the pipe cleaner through the burlap, we pushed it down the pipe cleaner. That gave us a bunch of burlap at one end.

Then we formed the pipe cleaner into a circle and tied a knot to close off the circle. The ends of the pipe cleaner were cut up close to the knot.

The bunch burlap was then pushed around the circle we created. We tried to even out the folds of burlap. It helped you create a balanced wreath.

A second pipe cleaner of another color was used to make a bow. We used a little piece from the first pipe cleaner to attach the bow to the wreath.

Variations:

You could add a bead to the pipe cleaner between your stitches. They would look like berries on your wreath.

We used green burlap to make our wreath. I think you could used any color of burlap that you like. I think tan or red would look pretty too.

Here are some other wonderful Christmas fine motor skills based crafts:

Threaded Star Tree

Doily Painted Angel

Branch Bracelets

DIY Christmas Decorations – Threaded Star Tree

November 17, 2015 By Deirdre

You know you have come up with fun DIY Christmas decorations craft when you child looks at your sample and asks when he can make one. JDaniel did just that last week when he saw the green tree ornament. I had another red popsicle tree sitting out on the table and announced it was his. I think it might have been the sparkly pipe cleaner that could his attention.

Creating the DIY Christmas Decorations

Making the Trees

If you make the trees ahead of time for your children, they will just need to thread the beads on the pipe cleaners. The tree is made with four colored popsicle sticks. I made triangle with three of the sticks. Then I added a stick that would go down the center of the tree. It gave the tree a trunk. It also gave us an area we could weave under or over if we chose to.

Pipe Cleaner Work

The links below are a affiliate links.

Mystar beads were added to the glittery pipecleaners in an AB pattern. I used a small bead and then large bead. Then I repeated the pattern. They holes in these beads was wide enough to get they threaded easily.

JDaniel added beads to his pipe cleaners randomly. He just looked through the beads and picked out ones that he liked.

Once the beads are in place, they will need to wrap the ends around the frame of the tree.

Craft Variation

We tried to attach our pipe cleaners horizontally. You may decide that you want to attach them vertically. You could also weave the pipe cleaners over and under each other to make a web like effect.

Here are some other DIY Christmas Decorations you may want to make:

The Last Ornament by Judith Vicary Swisher (2010-04-01)

A Christmas Spider’s Miracle

Math Game- Candy Cane Tally Marks

November 16, 2015 By Deirdre

$Math Game- Candy Cane Tally Marks This is a fun way to build numbers and w$

Learning to count to ten with tally marks will be really fun with these Candy Cane Tally Marks . They will look like Christmas and you will not be tempted to eat them.

Math Game Variations

$Math Game- Candy Cane Tally Marks This is a fun way to build numbers and work on counting skills.$

There are so many different ways to explore and build numbers with them. Here are a few that I came up with.

Roll and Display Math Game

The link below is an affiliate link.

Children can roll a die and then display the number that appears on the top of it. We used a 10 sided dicethat displays the numbers zero to nine. If you have traditional dot dice with six numbers on them, you may want to play this with two die.

$Math Game- Candy Cane Tally Marks This is a fun way to build numbers and work on counting skills.$

Call Out a Number and Show It Math Game

Children can do this activity with a partner. One person calls out a number and the second person has to display it.

Display It and Say It Math Game

Children can build a number with the peppermint sticks. Then they will need to say the number they have created.

You can make it more challenging by asking them to say the number that comes right before or right after it.

Build Even or Odd Math Game

Children can be asked to build an even or odd number. They can then explain what makes that number even or odd. I bet they will tell you that even numbers have buddy and odd numbers don’t.

Stocking Number Pick and Display Math Game

The number 1-10 can be placed slips of paper in a Christmas stocking. Children can be asked to pull a number out of the stocking and display it with the peppermint sticks.

If your children are ready to work with a number larger than ten, you can print out several peppermint stick tally mark sheets.

$Math Game- Candy Cane Tally Marks This is a fun way to build numbers and work on counting skills.$