Christmas Sensory Play Ideas for the Classroom
Discover easy, low-prep Christmas sensory play ideas for calm, engaged classrooms. Explore festive sensory bins, playdough, trays and calming activities.
Are you looking for some Christmas sensory play ideas to get you through to the holidays? As Christmas approaches the children get so excited and keeping them settled and on task can sometimes be difficult.
That’s when you need to turn to sensory play. Sensory play can help your children to settle and stay on task. I am constantly amazed by the calming effects sensory activities can have on my students.
Benefits of Sensory Play
Sensory play is perfect for calming anxious or excited children. There are so many other benefits of sensory play too. Research suggests it develops oral language, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction.
Children learn everything through their senses and so sensory play is vital for cognitive growth. It even aids in developing and enhancing memory.
Most children are drawn to sensory play activities, and with all these benefits, you will find it a must have activity for your classroom this Christmas.
What is Sensory Play?
Any play that stimulates the child’s senses can be defined as sensory play. At school, sensory play is usually involving the senses of touch, sight, and hearing because these senses are the most safe and accessible.
Babies and toddlers are the experts at learning through their senses. They investigate and learn about the world through all 5 senses - touching, tasting, hearing, seeing, and smelling.
All children, no matter their age, learn through play. Sensory play is one of the most beneficial forms of play because the natural way of learning through the senses is used.
At school children still need opportunities to learn through play. Learning through play is a child’s natural way of learning so it is still very important in the early years of school.
How to Incorporate Sensory Play?
Whenever you are designing a learning provocation, consider ways to stimulate all 5 senses of the child. The senses of seeing and hearing are the senses primarily used in traditional classrooms. There are 3 more senses you could be taking advantage of.
Ask yourself what you could add to the learning space which will invite a child to explore the resources through their senses of touch, smell and even taste?
Think how much more effective your learning invitations could be If you could offer your children opportunities to learn through all 5 of their senses.
Simple Christmas Sensory Play Activities
Christmas Sensory Tray Ideas
You can easily make a sensory tray from any shallow plastic tub. I really like using those large under-bed storage trays as there is room for more than one child to explore in the tray.
Sometimes (especially at this exciting time of the year), you might prefer the calmness of solitary sensory trays.
Fill your sensory tray with a base. You can use shredded paper or cellophane, water beads, coloured and scented water, sand, rice, corn kernels, bark chips etc.
Check out this cute sensory tray from Little LIfelong Learners
Casey used shredded coconut to make the snow for the base of this Christmas themed sensory tray.
Christmas sensory bin with shredded coconut from Little Lifelong Learners
It is easy to theme your sensory tray for Christmas if you use holiday inspired bases and loose parts.
To develop fine motor skills and encourage measuring, don’t forget to add containers, funnels & spoons and fine motor tools like tweezers and tongs.
Christmas Sensory Bin
The first of the Christmas sensory bins I would like to share with you has a math focus. It will teach your children number concepts. They will practise counting through their sensory play. This sensory activity would be perfect for math investigation areas, math centers or as an early finisher’s activity in your classroom this Christmas.
If you would like to save yourself some planning and prep time, you can grab this Christmas sensory play activity already for you to print and set up.
You will receive All the printables and ideas you need to set up engaging Christmas themed Math Sensory bins.
This resource includes:
Instructions and ideas for setting up your Sensory bin
Photographs of suggested set ups
Instructions to make coloured rice, pasta or dried beans for your sensory bin base
6 Learning Provocation Prompt posters
A 20-frame recording mat
6 reproducible recording sheets in A5 size
A4 math story writing recording sheet
Instructions to tile print the resources so you can alter their size to suit your needs
Plus 2 BONUS Resources:
Instructions and printables to make Christmas counting cups for the children to use at the sensory bin
Instructions and printables to make 20 Christmas story stones you might like to add to your sensory bin
Christmas Jingle Sound bracelets
This sensory play activity is super simple and quick to set up and ticks a lot of the boxes for a great sensory play activity. Your children can make Christmas bracelets for themselves or as gifts for friends and family.
YOU NEED:
Pipe cleaners (or chenille sticks) or string. I have found those plastic scoobies to be easy for children to thread and easy for you to tie.
Christmas coloured beads and bells. To make some cheap beads, use dyed macaroni or cut up coloured straws.
Christmas Ice Play
Soak some Christmas pompoms in water and then put them in the freezer overnight. Your children will consolidate math and science concepts when they naturally sort and count them. Frozen pompoms make a great sensory play experience on our hot December days.
Here’s another cool (see what I did there 😊) sensory play activity: Freeze some Christmas loose parts in ice for the children to explore. Your children will love hammering the ice to chip away the loose parts trapped inside. I have found the tap-tap hammers are perfect for this activity as they are light and pretty well make the activity accident free.
Christmas Sensory Play dough
To make your play dough tie in with the Christmas theme you can add Christmas colours and scents. If you would like a few different colours and scents, just make a plain batch of playdough, and then divide it into 4. Add your colours and scents separately to each of the smaller divisions.
Here are some ideas for making your plain play dough a bit more festive.
Green colouring and eucalyptus essential oil
Red colouring and Juniper essential oil
Cocoa and ground ginger and cinnamon
No colouring and peppermint extract
Orange colouring and orange essential oil
Yellow colouring and vanilla extract
You can add glitter to the play dough to give it a little sparkle. Did you know you can look after our planet and use eco-friendly biodegradable glitter. There is an online Australian company selling this beautiful glitter HERE
At the end of the year when you are looking for quick and easy learning invitations, play dough is so easy to make and always a winner in the classroom. Here are some ideas for you to use your festive play dough this Christmas.
Children can make:
Play dough Christmas Trees
Play dough Snowmen
Play dough Gingerbread Men
If you would like to encourage some math learning at your playdough table, you might be interested in my FREE Christmas Playdough Mats HERE in my Resource Library.
Have you signed up for my FREE Resource Library? I have over 70 resources waiting for you there. Sign up HERE or down at the end of this blog post.
Christmas Themed Sensory Bottles
Sensory bottles are very calming. You can place these bottles in your clam down area or the children can make their own. Your children will love to shake them up and watch the objects and glitter float around as it settles to the bottom.
You can make sensory bottles by adding water, clear glue or hair gel, and any of these fun Christmas themed materials:
Shaving Cream Sensory Play
Shaving cream is a wonderful sensory experience but it definitely falls into the messy play category. I always have a bucket of water close by for the children to wash their hands (and arms) in. Place the bucket on a towel to catch the extra drips of shaving cream and water.
Your children can write letters in the shaving cream, find hidden Christmas loose parts or experiment with eye droppers and coloured water.
Your classroom sensory play activities don’t have to be complicated or take a long time to set up. Simple and easy is best – especially at the end of the school year!!
Giving your children the opportunity to engage their senses will give them the best chance to learn and grow. I hope you found some valuable Christmas play ideas in this blog post.
I would love you to leave a comment and let me know if you try any of these Christmas Sensory Play activities in your classroom.
🎅 More Christmas Inspiration for Your Classroom
If you liked these Christmas sensory play ideas, don’t miss my other festive blog posts packed with playful, low-prep activities to keep your students learning right up until the holidays:
Loose Parts Christmas Ideas: Discover the benefits of loose parts play and how you can use open-ended materials to spark curiosity, creativity, and hands-on learning in your classroom this Christmas.
Christmas Math Activities for Kindergarten: Keep your students engaged and learning with fun, hands-on Christmas math activities that blend play with key curriculum skills.
Christmas Classroom Ideas: Looking for simple ways to bring some festive cheer into your classroom? Explore my collection of Christmas classroom ideas your students will love during those last few weeks of term.
9 Christmas Games for the Classroom – Fun and Easy: Celebrate the holiday season with these fun and easy Christmas games for your kindergarten or early years students. These ideas are perfect for classroom Christmas parties or early finishers.
Free Christmas Writing Prompts for Kids in Kindergarten: Download my free Christmas writing prompts in this blog post. You can use them to inspire storytelling, vocabulary building, and creative writing in your classroom this festive season.
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