How is it possible that the year is almost over with? December is such a fun month for learning activities and play. There are endless themes to focus on. This month’s FREE preschool activity calendar has four weekly topics: Gingerbread Fun, Christmas on the Move, Holiday Animals, and Christmas Classics. Gingerbread Fun is playful learning centered around the traditional, yummy treat. Christmas on the Move and Holiday Animals are an eclectic collection of activities focused on the holidays, yet the weekly themes have vehicles and animals as their main characters. Lastly, Christmas Classics is a week of fun activities based on classic stories for this season. All the activities in the Ways to Play Every Day December Preschool Activity Calendar are suited for the classroom, childcare, or home environments.
WAYS TO PLAY EVERY DAY: DECEMBER ACTIVITY CALENDAR FOR PRESCHOOLERS
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This free December preschool daily activity calendar offers ideas and prompts for daily learning, exploration, and creativity. This free December activity printable is suited for preschool teachers for their classrooms or for parents to use in the home. Follow the calendar each day for activities that correspond with the book list or choose activities at random to inspire play. Below you’ll find each calendar activity from the calendar, as well as links to printables, activity instructions, and book lists that you can use to supplement each one.
WEEK ONE – WAYS TO PLAY EVERY DAY DECEMBER PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES: Gingerbread Fun
- Practice making patterns with gingerbread man buttons.
- Play Gingerbread Man tag.
- Dress up a paper gingerbread in a costume (cowboy, ninja, ballerina, etc.).
- Make gingerbread person prints with cookie cutters and paint.
- Build a gingerbread school (or house).
- Mix up some gingerbread scented playdough.
- Bake some gingerbread cookies.
PRESCHOOL BOOKS TO ACCOMPANY WEEK ONE: GINGERBREAD FUN
The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School
Catch That Cookie
The Gingerbread Cowboy
Ten Tiny Gingerbread Men
The Gingerbread Man Loose in Our School!
Gingerbread Friends
The Gingerbread Man
WEEK TWO – WAYS TO PLAY EVERY DAY PRESCHOOL DECEMBER ACTIVITIES: Christmas on the Move
- Visit a Christmas tree farm and learn about a Christmas Tree Life Cycle.
- Paint a paper Christmas tree with toy tractor wheels.
- Build with toy blocks wrapped like “presents”.
- Dig in play snow with toy construction vehicles.
- Go on a Christmas light scavenger hunt.
- Explore with a snowy train sensory bin.
- Design your own custom sleigh.
PRESCHOOL BOOKS TO ACCOMPANY WEEK TWO: CHRISTMAS ON THE MOVE
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas
An Otis Christmas
Construction Site on Christmas Night
Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas?
The Christmas Truck
Santa and the Goodnight Train
The 12 Sleighs of Christmas
WEEK THREE – WAYS TO PLAY EVERY DAY PRESCHOOL DECEMBER ACTIVITIES: Holiday Animals
- Make a Christmas ornament.
- Have some sensory fun in a reindeer feed tray.
- Come up with your own version of the 12 Days of Christmas.
- Create watercolor paper dreidels.
- Mix up some kwanzaa friendship salad for a snack.
- Decorate a felt Christmas tree.
- Make a Christmas wish list for different animals.
PRESCHOOL BOOKS TO ACCOMPANY WEEK THREE: HOLIDAY ANIMALS
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
Olive, the Other Reindeer
Pete the Cat’s 12 Groovy Days of Christmas
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah?
Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa
Is it Christmas yet?
The Animals’ Santa
WEEK FOUR – WAYS TO PLAY EVERY DAY PRESCHOOL DECEMBER ACTIVITIES: Christmas Classics
- Go caroling in your neighborhood.
- Make a star topper for your Christmas tree.
- Decorate a paper stocking.
- Watch the Polar Express movie in your pajamas.
- Practice counting with this reindeer nose playdough mat.
- Mix up some Grinch slime.
- Work on cutting skills while crafting a paper snowman.
PRESCHOOL BOOKS TO ACCOMPANY WEEK FOUR: CHRISTMAS CLASSICS
Jingle Bells
The Christmas Story
The Night Before Christmas
Polar Express
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Frosty the Snowman
Let this calendar inspire you to find ways to play every day with these fun, easy preschool activities for December! Download and print below.
Ways-to-Play-December-Activity-Calendar-for-PreschoolersDownload
Teachers, Childcare Staff or Providers, and Home Preschool Parents can also download the Gingerbread Man and Christmas Thematic Units right here on the blog!
