Published in: Events

Celebrating Christmas at Home-Activities for Kids

Author EAP Malaysia

Published on: December 17, 2020

“ ’tis the season to be jolly…”

That gets us humming, didn’t it? It is December again, the most magical season of the year where we all get to be merry and jolly. With the iconic carols and enchanting decorations boosting our holiday spirit, we know that Christmas is just around the corner! With the Reason for the Season, Christmas brings the message of Hope to our world.

As the pandemic still poses risks to the health of our community, hence the Christmas celebration this year may not be as big or as merry as what we used to have, but worry not! The merry and cheerful reunion is just a click away. Make sure to set a date and time with your loved ones and share the joy together through Zoom calls and Google Meets. Adding the spice to that, you can click here for some ideas on virtual family games to play during your video call!

Taking advantage of the stay-at-home season, families can have the chance to create new memories with kids and perhaps start some new family traditions too! What sounds more fun than creating memories with your loved ones? It doesn’t always have to be something grand and big. Here, we have gathered some activities that you can do with your kids at home, as part of the Christmas celebration this year.

Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts activities are a great way to develop and strengthen your child’s creativity and fine motor skills! It is also a great way to teach your child with autism how to play independently and occupy their time in a meaningful manner.

1. Fingerprint Christmas Light

Materials needed:

Drawing paper
Black Marker
Paints and containers

Steps:

Draw a line with swirls on a paper. Add some squares at the bottom part of the bulbs along the line.
Prepare multiple paints in different containers.
Let your child dip their fingers in the paint and stamp it right above the squares.
It can be in a uniform pattern or let loose and make it random!

2. Shredded Paper Christmas Tree

Materials needed:

Cardstock paper.
Green wrapping paper (shred them)
Glue
Buttons
Pompoms
Coloured Papers

Steps:

Draw a triangle on a cardstock paper / drawing paper as the base for the tree.
Fill the triangle with glue.
Fill the space with shredded paper.
Decorate your tree with any buttons, pompoms and even colourful paper.
Use a brown-coloured paper as the trunk.
Optional; let your child decorate the background too.

3. Paper Plate Santa Claus

Materials needed:

Paper Plate
Red cardstock paper
A4 paper
Googly eyes (alternatively markers or colored paper)
Pom Pom / Button
Glue
Brown paint

Steps:

Cut the paper plate in ¾ to ¼ proportion. We will be using the ¾ part as the face of Santa Claus.
Paint the middle of the paper plate with brown colour and let it dry.
Cut out a triangle out of a red cardstock paper.
Cut out a circle (for the hat), 2 semicircles (for the moustache/beard) and a rectangle (for the hat) from a white paper.
When the paper plate is dry, paste it to the red triangle.
Continue pasting the shapes to the paper plate.
Paste googly eyes (alternatively you can draw or use coloured paper for this).
Paste pompom (or buttons) as the nose of Santa Claus.

4. Beaded Candy Cane

Materials needed:

Pipe cleaners
White and red beads
Scissors or wire cutters.

Steps:

Cut the pipe cleaner into half using a wire cutter or scissors.
Slide one bead into the pipe cleaners and turn the end of the pipe cleaner to keep the bead in place.
Alternate the red and white beads when putting them in.
Turn the other end of the pipe cleaner when it is full.
Bend to the shape of a candy cane and it’s ready to be used as an ornament!

5. Popsicles Stick Snowflakes

Materials needed:

Popsicles stick
Paint (Blue and white)
Blue glitters
Glue / hot glue gun (for parents to handle)
Thread

Steps:

Mix blue and white paint in a tray and let your child dip the popsicles in it. Alternatively, you can paint it one by one using white / light blue paint.
Sprinkle blue glitter on the popsicles
Let the popsicles dry.
Glue 4 popsicles together so it looks like a snowflake.
Glue a thread on one of the ends and when the glue dries off, you have snowflakes decoration!

Snacks Activities

1. Christmas Banana Snowman

Ingredients and Materials needed:

Bananas
Skewers
Strawberries
Chocolate Chips

Steps:

Peel and cut the banana into thick pieces.
Trim the stems and cut the strawberries in half. (You will get the hat)
Thread 3 pieces of bananas and half a strawberry into the skewer.
Decorate your snowman with chocolate chips (eyes and buttons)

2. Microwave Eggnog

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ½ cup full cream milk
½ cup cream
1 tbsp ground cinnamon (sprinkle)
1 tbsp ground nutmeg (sprinkle)

Steps:

Place eggs, caster sugar and vanilla into a medium bowl.
Whisk together well.
Add the milk and cream and whisk together until completely combined.
Pour the eggnog into two microwave-safe mugs.
Heat in 30 second bursts for 4-6 minutes (times will vary slightly according to your microwave). At the end of each 30 second burst, whisk the eggnog with a fork. The eggnog is ready when it’s hot – but do not allow it to boil.
Serve warm or chilled with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.

3. Gingerbread cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup white whole-wheat flour (or half all-purpose and half whole-wheat)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon allspice
⅛ teaspoon Salt
2 tbsp Maple syrup
1 tbsp Molasses
2 tbsp milk
¼ cup soften butter
Sprinkles, raisins, chocolate chips as desired

Steps:

Place all ingredients into a bowl. Use your hand to mix together to form a dough. Make a flattened disc of dough.
Preheat the oven to 188°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough
Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes
Let cool and decorate your gingerbread!

4. Mashed potato snowmen

Ingredients:

8 cups (2 litres) peeled and cubed potatoes (about 8 potatoes)
1/2 cup (125 ml) butter
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk, approximately
Salt and pepper
1 carrot
16 pink peppercorns
8 sprigs fresh rosemary

Steps:

In a saucepan, cook the potatoes in salted water until very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
With a masher, mash the potatoes with the butter. With an electric mixer, purée the mixture with the milk. Adjust the seasoning. The purée should be firm.
Shape three balls of potatoes of different sizes
Create the eyes with two pink peppercorns, the nose with a piece of carrot and place a sprig of rosemary as a broomstick.

Story Time

For those who celebrate Christmas and would like to learn or know more about Christmas, you can watch a video/story time about Christmas with your child!

Others – Christmas Fairy Tales

Song Time

Songs are a great way to engage in interactive play with your child with autism! Here are some Christmas songs and carols that you and your child can sing along together:

For more tips on how to involve your child with autism in Christmas, check out our previous videos on Decorating the Christmas Tree and Making Christmas Cards and Buying Gifts!

A slightly different Christmas for 2020 but we surely hope it still is enjoyable and fun for your family. All the activities are only so special because it was done with love; between you and your kids. May the spirit of Christmas bring peace and joy to you and your family! Let this Christmas season be a reminder that there is hope amidst the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic. And as the curtain falls, marking the end of 2020, we would like to thank you for staying strong in such a challenging year. We, at EAP are proud of all our children and their families who have been nothing but heroes throughout this whole year.

If you celebrate Christmas but don’t have a regular church to go to or your church doesn’t have streaming available, feel free to check out Kingdomcity’s Christmas show and services for both adults and children streaming on demand on 25 December 2020.

With that, EAP wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

References:

Video call kids games: https://happymomhacks.com/games-to-play-on-zoom-kids/
Fingerprint Christmas Light: https://www.craftymorning.com/fingerprint-christmas-light-craft-for/
Shredded Paper Christmas Tree https://artsymomma.com/fun-christmas-tree-craft-kids.html
Paper Plate Santa Claus https://iheartcraftythings.com/paper-plate-santa-claus.html
Beaded Candy Cane https://fountainavenuekitchen.com/holiday-crafts/
Popsicles Stick Snowflakes https://besttoys4toddlers.com/50-green-christmas-crafts-for-kids/
Christmas Banana Snowman http://onehandedcooks.com.au/recipe/christmas-banana-snowmen/
Microwave Eggnog https://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/kid-friendly-microwave-eggnog/5d63xdrp
Gingerbread cookies https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/recipes/desserts/easy-gingerbread-cookies/
Mashed potato snowmen https://www.ricardocuisine.com/en/recipes/4187-mashed-potato-snowmen
The Christmas Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl2HVhwqnMs
The Story of Christmas (Jesus is Born) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3656G6tWuI
The Story of Christmas (Jesus and the Wise Men) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk1LhnqROCM
The Story of Santa Claus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrutxppbBQ8
The Elf and the Shoemaker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0-9b0S42HI
Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQgOhu6u6Aw
Jingle Bells https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YBGRGBj7_w
Deck the Halls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2T_rIZ4Pho
We Wish You a Merry Christmas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-OF7KGyDis
Christmas Songs Medley + More Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeXQaBbN8E

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