Christmas Bucket List for Kids
Sharing Christmas with your kids can be a lot of fun, especially as they get older and can participate in more Christmas activities.
I have compiled this list of our favorite Christmas activities for kids to help other parents who may be struggling to come up with some new Christmas traditions to do with their kids each year.
If you have something you think I should add, let me know!
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. I only recommend products I love or would personally use.
Christmas Bucket List for Kids
Play through the nativity story.
A simple way to remember the nativity story is to act it out as a family. Every person will have a role in the nativity, starting with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, and then the more family you have, the more characters can be in your story.
Make a gingerbread house.
Every year, we build gingerbread houses with our kids. It’s one of our favorite Christmas activities for kids. You can buy a gingerbread house kit, or just buy graham crackers, frosting, and any decorations you want to add.
Read the nativity story.
Another thing we do with our kids each year is read the nativity story. Depending on the age of your kids, you can read a version made just for kids, or as your kids get older, you can read from your own Bible.
Here are my favorite Christmas books for kids!
Have a hot chocolate bar.
Imagine surprising your kids with a totally awesome hot chocolate bar when they wake up! Or, you can together create a fun hot chocolate bar to have during your family Christmas movie trivia night. What a fun idea!
Make Christmas cards.
A great kids’ Christmas activity to add to your Christmas bucket list is making Christmas cards together. You can grab some construction paper and make some fun Christmas cards for those you love, or make some Christmas cards to take to a nursing home and brighten their day.
Sing Christmas carols.
As Buddy the Elf says, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear”. So grab your kids and sing some Christmas carols together.
Color Christmas pictures.
Grab a Christmas coloring book or print some coloring sheets to have a fun Christmas coloring session together. Pair this with your favorite Christmas movie, and you have a fun Christmas night at home.
Make Christmas-themed pancakes.
A fun morning activity, either on Christmas or leading up to it, is to have some fun Christmas-themed pancakes. You can use metal cookie cutters and pour the pancake batter into them. Voila! Fun Christmas-shaped pancakes. Ann Clark cookie cutters are my favorite because they’re made in the USA and are of great quality.
Try ice skating.
If you have an ice skating rink nearby, this can make a fun family Christmas activity. Strap on those ice skates and see if you still have what to takes to stay standing.
Drive around looking at Christmas lights.
We LOVE driving around a finding fun Christmas light displays. We will grab some yummy hot chocolate and spend an hour driving around finding the biggest and best Christmas light displays in our area.
Look for and cut down your Christmas tree.
If you’re lucky enough to have a Christmas tree far close to your house, you can go pick your own tree and cut it down. I always think of Christmas Vacation with this idea, but hopefully your tree doesn’t come with a free squirrel!
Decorate your Christmas tree.
Once you haul your Christmas tree home, go ahead and spend an afternoon putting on all your favorite Christmas tree decorations!
Watch a Christmas movie.
I have so many favorite Christmas movies, and I’m sure you do too. Pick a few favorites and either have a Christmas movie marathon, have a fun Christmas movie trivia night, or pick one movie each night leading up to Christmas.
Make paper Christmas snowflakes.
If your kids haven’t made Christmas paper snowflakes, now is the time! Grab some white sheets of paper, fold them however you wish, make some cuts into the paper, unfold the paper, and voila, beautiful snowflakes!
Write a letter to Santa.
Depending on the ages of your kids, they may still want to write a letter to Santa Claus. You can do this on plain white paper, or you can grab some fun Christmas stationery.
Visit Santa.
Once you’ve written your letter to Santa, you can hand-deliver it yourself by taking a trip to visit him!
Make and scatter reindeer food on Christmas Eve.
Making reindeer food is simple! This can be as simple as mixing up some rolled oats and some dried fruit. Spinkle it outside on Christmas Eve!
Track Santa on Christmas Eve.
Using NORAD, you can track Santa’s path on Christmas Eve as he makes his way towards your house.
Make Christmas-themed things out of Play-Doh.
If you have some little Christmas lovers in your house, you can use Play-Doh to make some fun Christmas figures. You can also use the Christmas cookie cutters I shared about and enjoy a fun afternoon playing together.
Fun Christmas Date Night Ideas Every Parent Needs!
Do a Christmas puzzle.
I am a huge Christmas and Disney fan. So when you blend the two together, you can do one of the many different Disney Christmas puzzles.
Make a Christmas ornament.
I remember making many Christmas ornaments at home when I was growing up. They are true treasures from my childhood that I now get to share with my own kids. Hop onto Pinterest and you can find lots of great ideas.
Wrap Christmas presents together.
Once you’ve finished your Christmas shopping, you can have a Christmas wrapping party. It’s a great time to teach your kids how to wrap presents.
Watch a Christmas parade.
Most small towns have a Christmas parade. Look around in your area and find a Christmas parade (or 2) that you can go watch as a family.
30 Fun Christmas Eve Activities for Families
Go see the Nutcracker ballet.
Boys and girls alike will enjoy the thrill of seeing the Nutcracker story come to life! Many cities offer the Nutcracker Ballet at Christmastime, and sometimes even schools will offer some kind of Christmas play.
Bake Christmas cookies.
Every year, we bake Christmas cookies with our kids. It’s a fun time to slow down during the busy rush of the holiday season. Maybe find a new recipe to try this year.
Decorate Christmas cookies.
What is Christmas without a decorated Christmas cookie? Enough said.
Do a random act of kindness.
There are so many ways you can bless others at Christmas, but doing several random acts of kindness will always be one of my favorites. It can be doing something helpful for someone you know, or finding a way to spread Christmas cheer to those who can’t get out to celebrate the holidays.
Elf on the Shelf or The Shepherd on the Search.
We never did Elf on the Shelf or The Shepherd on the Search, but I know it has become a huge internet sensation. There are so many ideas you can find on Pinterest of things you can have your character doing.
Do a food drive and donate the food to a food pantry.
A great way to serve your community at Christmas is by participating in a food drive or even creating one. This can help bless your local food pantry, which provides food to those who need it.
Make a countdown to Christmas.
Spend an afternoon creating a fun countdown to Christmas. You can do this in so many ways. Pinterest in a great place to find ideas and inspiration!
Want to stay focused on Advent during Christmas? Here are my favorite Advent devotionals for families!
Christmas scavenger hunt.
Etsy is one of my favorite places to find things like this for cheap. Look around and find a fun Christmas scavenger hunt your kids will enjoy!
Decorate your own Christmas donut bar.
Head to your local grocery or donut store and buy some plain, glazed donuts. Then, buy or make a variety of different frostings. Add some fun donut toppings, and you’ve created an amazing donut bar!
Visit the zoo or another place with Christmas decorations.
Our local zoo puts on an amazing Christmas light display. I know many places to do incredible Christmas light displays and Christmas light shows. Look around your area and see what you can find.
Paint Christmas shirts.
Little ones will appreciate the opportunity to make a mess, and you’ll end up with a fun keepsake to enjoy many years down the road.
Build a snowman.
If you live in an area that gets snow, head outside a create a fun Christmas snowman!
Make a birthday cake for Jesus.
Every year, we make a birthday cake for Jesus. It helps us stay focused, as a family, on the true Christmas celebration.
Make a box for Operation Christmas Child.
If you aren’t familiar with Operation Christmas Child, you really should go take a look. It’s a great way for your child to learn to bless others, and realise that not everyone their age has all the simple things they have.
18 Fun Christmas Giving Ideas for Families
Collect and donate toys for Toys for Tots.
Another great organization you can support at Christmas is Toys for Tots. Buy a few new toys and talk about the mission of this great organization.
Participate in an Advent calendar.
Last, but certainly not least, consider doing an Advent calendar as a family. This one is so special to me that I made a post to share all of my favorite family Advent calendars.
The owner of this website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties.