Christmas Bell Activities and Crafts for Tots

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Christmas is fast approaching and I really wanted to add in some seasonal Tot School ideas. It seemed like the perfect time to have some activities around music and being creative with sound, so this week we have some fabulous activities and crafts for your toddler or preschooler in our Christmas Bell Tot School.

Christmas bell activities – fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are an important part of your tot’s development, because without them they won’t be able to write, grasp small objects or fasten zips on their clothing.

Here are some wonderful Christmas bell activities to help develop those fine motor skills through play:

Transferring bells – A strawberry huller is a great way to develop the pincer action, your child can use one to transfer bells from one container to another.
Jingle Bell Sorting – Using tongs or tweezers to pick up the bells is a great way to develop fine motor control, make the bells a variety of colours and you also encourage cognitive development.
Bell Maze – This activity is simple to put together and a great way to develop hand eye coordination and visual motor skills.
Fine Motor Skills Jingle Bells and Pipe Cleaners Activity – If you have a young toddler who is still putting things in their mouths this is a great activity as it uses jumbo sized bells.
Jingle Bell Streamers – I loved dancing with streamers when I was little and think the kids will really enjoy this one. It’s a great way to practice threading skills.

Christmas bell activities – gross motor skills

This week we’re all about the jingle bells and the sounds they create as your little one works on developing those larger muscles to help them jump, spin and dance to the music!

Jingle Bell Wrist Bands – Here’s a great idea for music and movement – knit up some Jingle Bell wristbands and then have your little one dance around.
Jingle Bells Shoes – I love this idea of adding some bells to your child’s shoes so that they can make music wherever they go!
Paper Plate Tambourine Craft – Here’s a super simple bell craft that can then be used for gross motor play.
Infant & Toddler Fun: Balls, Bells, a Basket, and a Box – This activity looks like a whole heap of fun and is perfect if you need to involve an infant or young toddler in your play session.
Preschool Handbells – Did you know that handbells help your child develop advanced maths understanding and teamwork, and research has shown that kids who play handbells get higher grades in High School? This is a fabulous resource for introducing your child to handbells and music.

Christmas bell printables

To help develop numeracy and literacy skills you can use one of the many free printable packs that are shared by other mums. Here are some Christmas bell printables:

Christmas bell sensory tubs and small world play

Sensory tubs are a brilliant way to encourage learning through invitation to play. Little ones can explore their senses as well as practicing pouring and measuring, counting and patterning. There is also an opportunity for small world play too as they explore and comprehend the world around them. Most of the time we focus on touch and smell in our sensory play, but this week the bells allows us to explore the sense of sound as well.

Christmas Sensory Bin – This sensory bin has all sorts of bells in it as well as other Christmas themed items.
Christmas Sensory Bin – For a much more simple activity try this one which really is all about the bells and a perfect way to practice sifting and sorting.
What’s in the Tub ~ Christmas – I love the fact that this sensory tub has a little Christmas tree in it! Why not tie some loops of ribbon to some bells so that your child can decorate the tree.
Painting with Sound – Ok so this one isn’t a sensory bin, but it’s a sensory craft. Use the bells to have your little one paint with sound.

Christmas bell crafts

Crafts are another way to develop fine motor skills and creativity and this week your little one will have so many wonderful creations that can be used to decorate the Christmas tree or give as a gift to Daddy or Grandma.

Decorated Bell – Here’s a really simple craft that would be suitable for toddlers. Cut out a bell shape from cardboard and then let them have fun decorating it with stickers and glitter.
Egg Carton Bell Ornaments – This craft jumped out at me because the little bells are Christmas Tree ornaments, and I think it’s so lovely to have little ones make a new ornament each year. It turns your Christmas Tree into a memory tree!
Jingle Bell Ornament – Here’s another bell craft that will make a wonderful tree decoration, why not make an extra one for Grandma?
Fairy Bells – I love this bell craft idea, for making fairy bells that your child can hang in the garden for the fairies to jingle! I think these would also look pretty cute hanging on the Christmas tree!
Egg Carton Bell Christmas Craft – Here’s a simple craft that will be fun to play with once the paint is dry.
Christmas Bell Ornaments – Time to make a head start on those homemade Christmas gifts with this one because these Terra Cotta pot ornaments are adorable.

Christmas bell books

In our house we have a rule that when a child comes to you with a book you stop what you’re doing and read it together. I’ve lost count of the number of times Master J and I have snuggled up on the kitchen floor to read a book when I’m in the middle of making dinner!

I do this because I love books and I want my children to share that passion. But there are also studies that show that a child who reads for enjoyment every day develops a broad vocabulary and general knowledge and should do better at school than those who don’t.

Here are some Christmas bell themed books for you to read together:

Christmas bell snacks

All this learning is enough to make anyone hungry, so why not fix one of these tasty Christmas bell snacks to enjoy together:

Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies – Use a bell shaped cookie cutter to make some themed cookies.
Jingle Bell Sandwiches – Or for a savoury snack use the cookie cutters on a sandwich instead!

Tot School Supply Cupboard

You’ll be needing a lot of jingle bells for this week’s activities. If you have a toddler who still likes to put things in their mouth invest in some jumbo jingle bells, for preschoolers this bag of mixed colour jingle bells would be perfect!
If you don’t have a bell shaped cookie cutter in your collection already this one looks great, or you could pick up a Christmas set instead.
You’ll also want a strawberry huller or pair of kid friendly jumbo tweezers.
You might alway want to invest in a set of handbells.

~Clare – currently pinning to Fun Toddler Activities.

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