*Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase - at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

🎄 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 sneaks up every single year. One minute we’re coasting through fall worksheets and cozy read-alouds, and the next minute the kids are begging for Christmas activities… and you’re staring at your printer thinking, I do NOT have the time for another complicated setup.

That’s exactly where low-prep Christmas centers come in.

These centers are simple, hands-on, festive learning activities you can rotate through your homeschool week without spending hours preparing. They’re perfect for busy moms, easily adaptable for multiple ages, and most importantly—they keep your kids engaged while you keep your sanity.

In this post, I’m sharing 35 low-prep Christmas themed centers that you can start using today. They require little to no prep, use things you already have at home, and help your kids stay focused during an already overstimulating (but magical!) month.

Let’s make December learning feel light, joyful, and totally doable. 🎄✨

Why Low-Prep Christmas Centers Are a Homeschool Lifesaver

December brings excitement, sugar, glitter, holiday events, and… less attention span. If academics feel like a struggle this month, you're not alone.

Christmas-themed learning centers can help by:

Keeping kids engaged through fun, hands-on activities
Reducing battles and overwhelm (for both of you)
Creating structure during a busy season
Giving you pockets of quiet to catch your breath
Working for multiple ages at the same time
Using materials you already have at home
Building real skills, not just busywork
Letting kids work independently

These activities also support skills like fine motor development, early literacy, math fluency, creativity, problem-solving, and sensory exploration.

And they’re easy. No laminator needed. No hours of prep. No perfection required.

Let’s get into the centers!

35 Low-Prep Christmas Themed Centers for Homeschool

I separated the centers into helpful categories so you can build your own rotation: literacy, math, sensory, STEM, art, and early learning.

These can be done during morning time, after lunch, in independent work blocks, or even as a “quiet table” while you finish holiday tasks.

🎄 LITERACY CENTERS

1. Christmas Word Building with Letter Tiles

Write simple Christmas words (tree, star, snow, elf) on index cards and have kids build the words using letter tiles, magnets, or scrabble pieces.

Skills: spelling, letter recognition, vocabulary

2. Gingerbread Story Sequencing Strips

Print (or quickly draw) 3–4 simple story scenes such as making a gingerbread cookie. Kids put the strips in the correct order.

Skills: comprehension, sequencing

3. Santa’s Rhyming Match

Write rhyming pairs on small cards. Kids match “sleigh/play,” “light/night,” etc. You can even hide the cards around the room for extra fun.

Skills: phonological awareness

4. Christmas Write-the-Room

Place 8–10 Christmas word cards around the house. Give kids a clipboard and paper to find and copy them.

Skills: handwriting, vocabulary, reading

5. Ornament Alphabet Match

Place uppercase letters on paper ornaments and have kids match lowercase letter stickers or tiles to the correct ornament.

Skills: letter recognition, matching

6. Christmas Sentence Builder

Write simple sentence starters (“The elf is…”, “The snow is…”) and provide a few picture cards. Kids build, read, and write the sentence.

Skills: early writing, reading fluency

7. Holiday Book Basket + Response Cards

Choose 5–7 Christmas books and add a simple response sheet:

Favorite part
New word I learned
Draw a scene

Skills: comprehension, writing

8. Christmas Syllable Sort

Write Christmas-themed words and sort them into 1, 2, or 3 syllables.

Skills: phonemic awareness

❄️ MATH CENTERS

9. Candy Cane Counting Sticks

Draw stripes on popsicle sticks. Kids add red beads or pom-poms to match the stripes.

Skills: 1:1 correspondence, counting

10. Roll & Cover Christmas Board

Draw a simple Christmas tree or present grid. Kids roll dice and cover numbers using pom-poms or cereal.

Skills: number recognition, addition

11. Ornament Pattern Strings

Cut yarn pieces and give kids beads to make AB, ABC, and ABB patterns.

Skills: patterns, sequencing

12. Christmas Number Line Hop

Place numbers 1–20 on the floor. Call out math problems (“Hop to 9!”, “Find 12 + 3!”).

Skills: number fluency, mental math

13. Gumdrop Geometry

Use gumdrops and toothpicks to build 2D and 3D shapes.

Skills: geometry, engineering concepts

14. Christmas Cookie Fractions

Draw simple cookie circles and have kids shade 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc.

Skills: fractions, visual math

15. Holiday Price Tag Play Store

Use toy items, sticky notes for prices, and play money.

Skills: financial literacy, addition & subtraction

16. Snowflake Skip Counting

Cut paper snowflakes and write numbers on them. Kids lay them in order (skip by 2s, 5s, 10s).

Skills: skip counting, number patterns

✨ SENSORY & FINE MOTOR CENTERS

17. Christmas Sensory Bin

Fill a bin with:

Rice
Bells
Pom-poms
Mini ornaments
Scoops and cups

Skills: sensory play, fine motor development

18. Holiday Playdough Mats

Print (or draw) gingerbread men, ornaments, wreaths, etc. Kids decorate them using playdough.

Skills: creativity, dexterity

19. Jingle Bell Tweezers Transfer

Use tongs or tweezers to transfer bells from one bowl to another.

Skills: pincer grip

20. Christmas Cutting Practice

Draw simple shapes like stockings, trees, stars. Kids cut them out.

Skills: scissor skills

21. Sticker Ornament Decorating

Give kids a paper ornament and a sheet of dot stickers.

Skills: hand-eye coordination, creativity

🎅🏼 STEM & SCIENCE CENTERS

22. Grow a Crystal Candy Cane

Pipe cleaner bent like a candy cane + borax solution = WOW.

Skills: chemistry, observation

23. Melting Snowman Experiment

Freeze water in a snowman mold or shape. Kids sprinkle salt and watch it melt.

Skills: states of matter

24. Jingle Bell Magnet Discovery

Use a magnet wand and bells to test which items in a bin are magnetic.

Skills: scientific inquiry

25. Christmas Catapult

Craft sticks + rubber bands + plastic spoon = launch mini pom-poms.

Skills: engineering, cause and effect

26. Pinecone STEM Challenge

Use pinecones, playdough, sticks, and small items to build a structure.

Skills: creativity, problem-solving

🎨 ART & CREATIVE CENTERS

27. Watercolor Christmas Shapes

Tape down paper in the shape of a star or tree. Kids watercolor over and reveal the shape.

Skills: creativity, motor control

28. Ornament Stamping

Use toilet paper rolls shaped into circles or hearts, dip in paint, stamp ornaments.

Skills: art exploration

29. Gingerbread House Design Sheet

Print a simple house outline and let kids design their own gingerbread house using crayons or stickers.

Skills: design thinking

30. Simple Christmas Collage

Give kids:

Magazine cutouts
Wrapping paper scraps
Glue

Let them build a holiday collage.

Skills: creativity, composition

🌟 EARLY LEARNING & PRESCHOOL CENTERS

31. Christmas Color Sorting

Sort red, green, white, and gold items (pom-poms, buttons, beads).

Skills: sorting, color recognition

32. Build-a-Tree Shape Center

Cut basic shapes—triangle, circle, rectangle—and let kids build trees or presents.

Skills: shape recognition

33. Christmas Counting Clip Cards

Write numbers and have kids clip the correct amount of dots or stickers.

Skills: fine motor, counting

34. Roll-a-Reindeer

Roll a die and draw one part of the reindeer (antler, nose, eye, etc.). First to complete wins.

Skills: counting, drawing, turn-taking

35. Holiday Tracing Center

Trace candy canes, simple ornaments, lights, trees—just draw them on paper and let kids use markers.

Skills: handwriting readiness, tracing skills

🎄 How to Use These Centers in Your Homeschool Without Feeling Overwhelmed

Here’s how you can simplify December even more:

1. Pick 5–7 centers for the whole week.

Rotate daily or let kids choose.

2. Store everything in gallon Ziplock bags or small bins.

Grab-and-go is your best friend.

3. Reuse materials.

Pom-poms, dice, letter tiles, playdough—use them again and again.

4. Keep expectations low and joy high.

December is for memories, not perfection.

5. Add a Christmas playlist and a warm drink.

It changes the whole mood instantly.

🌟 Solving the Real Problem: December Overwhelm

Homeschooling in December is not about cramming in more.

It’s about:

Protecting your peace
Giving your kids meaningful but light learning
Creating pockets of joy
Reducing battles
Keeping the routine predictable
Giving yourself permission to simplify

These 35 centers help you do exactly that.

Once they're set up, your days feel smoother. Kids are busy learning, exploring, and creating… without you needing to orchestrate every minute.

That’s the magic of low-prep Christmas centers—they keep learning going while giving you the breathing room you need.

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.

Your support helps me keep creating helpful content for your home and homeschool.

❤️ Before You Go…

If you try any of these centers, I would love to hear how it went.

Featured Post

How We Simplify Homeschool in the Spring (And Why It Works)