I've been MIA the last few months and I guess I have somewhat of a good reason. My little girl is going to be a big sister come June! This has left me exhausted, the house in a bit of chaos and little if any time given to blogging.
However, I'm back to share a few fun ideas for your upcoming "week before Christmas." These are just a few of the things we've done and hopefully I can get some ideas from you too!
1. Making cookies. My daughter LOVED making gingerbread cookies and decorating them. We made them "just for us" so I didn't care if she touched the dough, decorated the cookies however she wanted, etc...
2. Advent calendars. I should have shared this at the beginning of the month, but these are just a few of the fun advent calendars (countdown to Christmas) we're doing around here: The nativity (adding an element every day), poems (we rotate days and each day we write a poem--limerick--for that person saying where to find their little treat or gift or whatever it is) and of course, the traditional chocolate advent calendar.
3. Elf on the Shelf. My little girl absolutely LOVES this. She loves finding "Elf" every morning. He keeps watch on her until Christmas.
4. Nativity set. We are loving having a nativity to teach about the Christmas story. It's in use multiple times, daily at our house.
5. Green and Red playdough. I found these recipes for "edible playdough" (even though I really don't recommend eating it). The idea is that it won't hurt your child if they eat it. This was super-easy to make and my daughter absolutely LOVED it. I made the Kool-Aid version. It kept her entertained for a good 30 minutes (my record so far).
We're also planning a trip to visit Santa, going to see Christmas lights and maybe a few more holiday crafts. I'm thinking of making a big paper Christmas tree and decorating it or maybe something with a reindeer.
What are some of your Christmas activity suggestions? What have you done that's successful with toddler-age?
