Decorating the Christmas tree is an activity that most kids anticipate as Christmas approaches. Set up a miniature Christmas tree in the classroom for the kids to decorate. Provide lots of ornaments that can't break, along with garland and other decorations. Set up the tree as a learning center. Each day, the kids can decorate and undecorate the tree at the center. Placing ornaments on the tree also helps the kids improve their fine motor skills.
Dramatic play is a big part of many preschool programs. For the Christmas theme, turn the dramatic play area into Santa's workshop. Include elf costumes for the kids to wear. Small toy hammers work well as a props. The kids can pretend to be elves putting together the toys. Plain paintbrushes allow the kids to pretend to paint the toys. You can also include gift wrap and boxes so the kids can practice wrapping the gifts once they finish making them.
Wrapped gifts make a good base for an educational Christmas game. One option is to have wrapped packages in different sizes. The kids organize the packages from largest to smallest. Another option is to use packages of the same size with each package having a different number or letter written on it. The kids arrange the packages in order based on the numbers or letters.
The pine boughs from a real Christmas tree or pine garland work well as a painting tool. Cut off pieces of pine bough about 6 inches long. The children can dip the pine into tempera paint and use it to paint a picture on a piece of paper. The little pieces of the pine boughs make interesting marks on the paper. Have extra pine pieces on hand so the kids can use them for different colors.
Choose ornaments that come in a variety of colors, sizes and designs. The kids can sort the ornaments based on different traits. For example, they might make different piles of ornaments based on color or size. Provide smaller containers for the sorting to make it easier to keep the piles together. The children also can make patterns using the ornaments. Encourage them to use the color or size to create a pattern of ornaments in a row.