What (easy) Christmassy activites can I do with my 2.8yo DD?

[TheMightyToosh]

This is really the first Christmas that DD sort of understands about and I'm working all but 2 weekdays between now and Xmas eve.

I've no time or energy to be very inventive myself at the moment, so hoping MNers can share some tips!

I love Xmas and want to get into the spirit ASAP, and make it magical for her.

What special things can I do in the run up to the big day? They need to be easy and cheap as possible - I can't do day trips to the snow dome etc.

I know MNers will have some fab ideas... TIA!

make some edible christmas tree decorations with her.
paper chains

Gingerbread men?
We made xmas cards yesterday I just sprinkled glitter into some paint.

Or gingerbread play dough it smells really christmassy I have the recipe will try and find it after I have fed dd.

We've made xmas cards - packs of 20 blanks in Tescos plus random xmas stickers and lots of gold stars & glitter glue. She loved this and keeps asking to do more.

Xmas biscuits with boiled sweet 'windows' (trial run for nursery staff pressies). Need to do more, plus fudge

Have paper chain making stuff to do at the weekend

Will do paper snowflakes - fold into quarters and then cut random patterns and open out - will stick these on windows. Might do some tree decorations with similar patterns with coloured tissue paper stuck over the holes

make tinsel.

Go for a lovely long walk in the woods, collect loads and loads of brown leaves, Fir cones and holy.

get some string and tie to a needle.

Thread the leaves onto the string to make tinsel. you can wrap some craft wire around the fir cones and attach those too if you like.

pour some craft glue (PVA) into a tray and roll the edges off the leaves.
then roll it again in some glitter.

you get some beautifull natural tinsel with a touch of sparkle.

we do it every year.

if your colour theme is silver or gold or whatever you can spray the tinsel prior to adding the glue/glitter.

another vote for paper chains here

each year my dcs each choose a new tree decoration for the Christmas tree, so maybe you could take your DD to pick one out for your tree?

could also make some homemade wrapping paper with her using big sheets of paper and cut-out potato stamp shapes dipped in paint

This is a really easy recipe for Christmas Cookies.

200g plain flour
80g sugar
packet of vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
half tsp baking powder
1 egg
100g butter or marg

Bung everything into food processor and whizz around.

Roll out to about 1/2 cm thickness then use cutters to make cookies.

Bake in hot oven (200°C) for about 11 minutes.

Once it has cooled you can decorate with icing and sprinkles.

Really easy craft activity.

Get some green paper, brown, white paint and red paint (stuff for finger painting)

Get your DC to make a fist, using the side of her hand (thumb up) to dip into the brown paint. Print the middle of the green paper.

Then using red paint, two hand prints above and at either side of the brown print.

Use red paint to paint a big red nose at the end of the brown splodge. Two eyes with the white paint.

Instant Rudolf.

Does that make sense? I think I still have the one we made a few years ago that I could scan/photograph.

I used them as Christmas cards one year.

We're making wrapping paper too by collecting lots of leaves and doing rubbings onto white paper.

Angels or robins with paint are really easy.

Angels are 3 hand prints one for dress (fingers splayed, adn 2 for wings going off at the side. Draw a circle or potato/parsnip staps for head, then add eyes adn glitter.

Robins, cut a carrot in 3 places (so 3 reducing sizes of circles. Biggest in brown, then middle in white ont eh tummy, then smallest in middle of white one in red. OOnce dry draw on beak and feet with black pen/felt tip.

Best tip I have for painting is to do at kitchen table, cover with shower curtain/newspaper if prefer, then once finished painting put big washing up cowl with warm bubbly water in the middle of hte table. Add a couple fo small bath toys and while kiddie playing with that you can wash up the messy bits. They will have mostly cleaned their hands with the playing and you jsut need to gather up the newspaper/wipe the waterproof thing and dry their hands. A snack to move things along is always a good transition!

We're making wrapping paper too as we have brown paper and a Christmas stamp kit.

DD is 16mths and so far we have made :

Reindeer hanging decs- Footprint in brown then a yellow handprint either side. When its dry add a red shiney nose and eyes. I laminated mine and threaded ribbon through the top for hanging to give to the grandparents.

Tree xmas- Really easy.
Green handprint upside down for the tree. Decorate with stickers of using finger dots of paint for baubles Draw on a little trunk and add a star on the top. These are this years cards.

paper chains.

Hanging decs- Cut out various xmas shapes. Bells, trees, stars. Decorate with glitter, pens, stickers ect.

This and the paperchains are all over DDS bedroom ceiling.

Snowflakes- Decorate/colour squares of white or blue paper and fold and cut them into snowflakes. Great for sticking on the windows.

Christmas fudge

If you are in the country go out and collect holly and ivy to decorate the house

Read her The Night before Christmas - even if she's a bit too young to understand it is still lovely, especially if you can find a nicely illustrated edition (library?)

Wow thanks everyone! I'm loving all the craft and cooking ideas. It's amazing how much I've forgotten over the years, but lots of these (paper chains, snowflakes etc) we used to do at school. (It's been a long time )

Potpouri - I LOVE the washing-up bowl trick