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🎄 What We’re Using This Christmas (Amazon Favorites)
Here are a few things we’re loving and actually using this Christmas season:
🎄Kids’ Christmas Activity Book (Amazon)🎄Christmas Playdough Kit (Amazon)🎄Christmas Book Set (Amazon)🎄Easy Gingerbread House Kit (Amazon)🎄Washable Christmas Stampers (Amazon)🎄Christmas Fun Game (Amazon)🎄Kids’ Christmas Craft Set (Amazon)If you’re anything like me, December becomes a juggling act between holiday magic and keeping the household sane. I want Christmas to feel special for my kids, but I don’t want elaborate crafts, week-long prep, or a glitter explosion. That’s why I built this list: 25 beloved, easy-to-find Christmas read-alouds (all common, classic titles you can grab on Amazon) paired with one simple, low-prep activity that deepens the story, builds skills, and keeps the focus on together time — not perfection.
This post solves the holiday storytime problem: when you want meaningful, screen-free family moments but you only have 10–20 minutes and maybe one hand free. Read on for ready-to-use pairings, plus tips for pacing, variation for different ages, and how to turn this into a cozy holiday tradition.
Quick tips for success (so storytime actually happens)
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Pick books ahead — set one or two aside each week so you’re not scrambling.
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Keep materials in a “Christmas story basket” — a basket with crayons, paper, stickers, and a small bag of props (a bell, a scarf, a wooden spoon) keeps activities low-prep.
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Make it short and sweet — the activity should be 5–10 minutes max. If kiddos are into it, keep going; if not, that’s fine. The win is the shared moment.
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Rotate difficulty — mix picture books with a short chapter book or classic for older kids.
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Use read-aloud voice, props, or sound effects — even a small sock puppet or bell makes a story feel magical.
The list — 25 books + one simple activity for each
Activity: Hot-chocolate word hunt — after reading, give kids a cup of warm (real or pretend) cocoa and a printable list of five words from the book to find in the illustrations or text. Great for early readers.
Activity: Grinch feelings chart — draw three faces (grumpy, curious, happy). Ask kids where the Grinch lands during the story and color in when/how his heart grows. Teaches emotions and sequencing.
Activity: Pajama parade — lead a 2-minute “sneaky Santa” march around the living room in pajamas while humming the poem’s rhythm. Builds memory and rhythm awareness.
Activity: Tiny tree decorating — give each child a small paper or twig “tree” and three stickers to decorate. Talk about how Charlie Brown’s tree becomes special because of love, not looks.
Activity: Red-nose relay — pass a red pom-pom using only a spoon between team members while humming the song. Fine motor + silliness.
Activity: Carving story retell — have kids draw or describe a scene they’d carve into wood; older children can write a 2-sentence “memory” inspired by the book. Encourages empathy and storytelling.
Activity: Quick role swap — assign roles and act out a single pageant moment with improvised costumes (scarves, kitchen towels). Builds confidence and improvisation skills.
Activity: Mitten matching — bring a basket of real mittens; kids match pairs by size or pattern, then retell whose mitten belonged to which animal. Great for sorting and sequencing.
Activity: Kindness tags — cut small paper hearts; have kids write or draw one kind thing they can do for someone and hang them on a “room for kindness” tree or jar.
Activity: Sleep/noise chart — after the story, make a short two-column list of quiet activities vs. noisy activities for bedtime preparation. Helps with routine talk.
Activity: Letter to Santa — kids write (or draw) one line telling Santa how they’ll help this year — inspired by Olive’s creative thinking. Practice writing and expressing intention.
Activity: Snowman shadow play — cut out a snowman silhouette and shine a flashlight to create shadows on a wall while reenacting a favorite scene. Sensory and imaginative play.
Activity: Mail a story — have kids fold a short drawing or note and “mail” it to a family member (real or imaginary). Teaches letter etiquette and empathy.
14. The Snowman (wordless picture book)
Activity: Storytelling stones — use 3 stones; each child gives a sentence inspired by one stone while flipping through the pictures. Builds narrative skills without text pressure.
Activity: Gratitude swap — each family member names one thing they’d give up to make someone else happy (safe, silly answers okay). Deepens understanding of giving.
Activity: Star counting — make a paper constellation count (1–10) and count stars in the book’s illustrations. Good for number recognition and calm focus.
Activity: Rhythm circle — use pots, spoons, or clapping to play a simple beat together. Introduces steady beat and cooperation.
Activity: Color bloom craft — tear red and green paper to create a poinsettia collage. Fine motor and cultural tradition talk.
Activity: Problem-solving challenge — give kids a small puzzle (stack cups, make a tower) and ask how George would “help” — encourages creative thinking.
Activity: Measurement fun — use a tape or string and guess how tall your “biggest snowman” would be. Teach estimation and measuring vocabulary.
Activity: Design a suit — quick sketch activity where kids design Santa’s new outfit using three stickers or shapes. Encourages design thinking.
Activity: Trim-the-Tree Chain Reaction — Give your child one strip of paper and have them draw or write what their “tree top” would become if trimmed off (a toy? a tiny house tree?). Then tape it into a ring to start a simple paper chain. Each day, add another ring showing a new character or place that could use a little tree top. It teaches sequencing, creativity, and the concept of generosity.
23. How Santa Got His Job
Activity: Job interview game — children take turns “interviewing” to be Santa (questions like: favorite cookie?). Teaches public speaking in a playful way.
Activity: Light-Up Counting Game — After reading, draw five simple Christmas trees on a piece of paper. Kids place small stickers (or dot markers) on each tree as you call out numbers 1–5 (or higher for older kids). This ties into the book’s lights lighting up and reinforces counting, number recognition, and following directions.
25. The Night Before Christmas
Activity: Create a “Santa checklist” — kids draw three items Santa must check before leaving the house (cookies? lights? stockings?). Practical sequencing practice.
Ways to adapt activities for ages 3–10
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Preschoolers (3–5): Keep it sensory and action-based — marching, matching, or simple coloring.
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Early elementary (6–8): Add a tiny writing prompt (1–2 sentences) or measuring/estimating elements.
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Older kids (9–10+): Swap the activity for a short creative challenge (rewrite an ending, script a mini-play, or lead the read-aloud).
A simple routine to make this manageable
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Sunday set-up: Pick the week’s 2–3 books, put them in the story basket.
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5-minute prep: Pull out the activity item (pom-pom, stickers, paper).
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Storytime flow: Read → 5–10 minute activity → 1 quick reflection question (favorite part?).
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Optional: Photograph the finished activity and add to a “holiday story album” (phone pics are perfect).
This routine turns storytime from “something I should do” into “something we look forward to.”
Why this works (the problem it solves)
Parents want meaningful holiday moments but lack time, energy, or craft supplies. These pairings solve that by:
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Requiring minimal prep (5 minutes or less).
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Serving multiple goals: literacy, fine motor, emotional learning, family bonding.
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Being scalable by age and interest — the same book can be a quiet snuggle or an active drama session.
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Creating predictable ease: when you know each book has a tiny follow-up, storytime becomes automatic.
Final thoughts
Christmas read-alouds are magic because they’re small rituals with huge payoff: calm, connection, and memories. Keep things simple, rotate favorites, and remember that the best activity is the one you’ll actually do. If you have picky listeners, pick one active book first (dance or props!) to win attention, then move to a calmer story.
If you want even more simple Christmas activities, homeschool printables, or learning ideas to make the season magical, make sure to explore my other posts.
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Which book are you reading first this season? Do you want printable activity cards for the 25 books? Drop a comment — I read every one and always reply. ❤️
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Nancy at Cleverly Kindred ❤️
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