Looking for a fun fine motor activity that doubles as a holiday activity? This Christmas Tree Craft is a creative way to work on fine motor skills like hand strength, fine motor dexterity, along with eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, and more. This is a Christmas activity for kids that you will want to pull out year after year as a holiday decoration that kids can use as a Christmas themed busy bag. Add this Christmas tree activity to your therapy toolbox because you can use it again and again all season long!

Christmas Tree Craft

Clothespins are a fantastic tool for helping kiddos develop the fine motor skills necessary for daily tool manipulation and other fine motor tasks. Squeezing open and placing clothespins can help strengthen the small finger muscles of the thumb, index, and middle fingers, develop the arches of the hand, while also improving eye-hand coordination.  All of which are essential for successful prewriting, handwriting, scissor use, and fastener manipulation. 

Christmas Fine Motor Activity

Use this crafty Christmas tree to work on essential fine motor skills with kiddos in a fun and festive way this holiday season.

When choosing clothespins for kiddos to use, be sure to use clothespins with the best resistance level for the child so as to provide the just right challenge and not be too difficult for the child to squeeze or be too easy.  Here is more information on using clothespins to work on fine motor skills.

Also, when having a child squeeze open the clothespins, be sure to have them use their skill fingers which are the thumb, index, and middle fingers as these are the fingers that are utilized the most for skilled manipulation such as writing with a pencil, cutting with scissors, and using other school tools. Read more about separation of the sides of the hand.

But before you can begin using the tree, you have to create it!  

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Christmas Tree Craft:

Amazon affiliate links are included below.

• 1 paint stir stick
• 12 clothespins
• green paint
• brown paint
• paintbrush 
• shape stickers (or whatever you decide to use to adhere to the clothespins, which could be pom-poms, buttons, gems, etc.)

• If you do not use shape stickers, you will need tacky glue or a hot glue gun to adhere decorative objects to each clothespin 

If you prefer not to paint, you can simply use green and brown markers to color the paint stir stick and clothespins or you could apply green and brown tape. 

Christmas Tree Craft Directions

Below are the steps to make the activity as I have. By the way, kiddos love doing this part too and there are so many skills that can be addressed while creating this crafty clothespin Christmas tree!

1. Paint the paint stir stick with green paint on the front and back side for approximately ¾ the length and let dry.
2. Paint your paint stick with brown paint on the front and back side for approximately ¼ the length and let dry.
3. Paint each of your clothespins with green paint on the front and back side and let dry.
4. Apply shape stickers to clothespins (and yes, the gems I used came with sticker backs). 
5. Apply star shape stickers to the top of the paint stick on both the front and back sides.
6. Have fun using this crafty creation to work on fine motor skills by having children squeeze open and place the clothespin branches to create the tree placing 6 branches on each side.

Now enjoy creating and utilizing this fun, festive Christmas tree with kiddos this holiday season! Merry Christmas! 

This is a contributor post on The OT Toolbox: 

Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!

Whew, what a week this has been! We've been talking all about Christmas Activities for Kids here on The OT Toolbox and today ends the week of Christmas activities in this series. We've talked about all the ways to make this holiday season special while working on underlying skill areas and incorporating occupational therapy goals. Today, it's all about Christmas Sensory Activities that can be used in the classroom, clinic, or home programs over the holiday break. 

If you've missed any of the blog posts this week, you might want to catch up on all of the ideas! You can check out all of the Christmas Activities for Kids here on our main Christmas page. 

Some of the ideas we've covered are Christmas activities for preschoolers, Christmas activities for toddlers, Christmas crafts for kids, and Christmas party ideas. All of these activities have a therapy mindset where they encourage movement, play, and motor development with a Christmas theme!

With the upcoming holiday season, kids can be all over the place when it comes to excitement for holiday events. Try incorporating some of the Christmas sensory activities listed below to encourage sensory play with a learning twist.

Christmas Sensory activities

First, you'll want to check out a previous post here on The OT Toolbox where we shared sensory processing activities and sensory experiences perfect for the month of December.

Try this scented peppermint sorting activity to work on fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Add motor skills like finger isolation to count the peppermints or use tongs to move the peppermints and strengthen the hands.

Mix up a batch of candy cane moon dough for sensory play with a fresh scent! Moon dough can be used as a writing tray to practice letter and number formation or to work on eye-hand coordination  in scooping and pouring. 

Have you ever let the kids play with cooked pasta as a sensory play experience? It's a tactile challenge for some! This noodle sensory activity can boost fine motor skills. Try cutting them to sneak in some scissor work, too.

We shared this Christmas tree sensory experience the other day on our Christmas activities for preschoolers post, but it's worth mentioning again. There's a reason why: manipulating wet pieces of foam is a fantastic tactile sensory experience that doubles as a fine motor activity, too. 

For a sensory recipe, try this scented playdough for creating miniature snowmen. Add a few manipulatives to make it a fine motor powerhouse. This is an OLD post here on the website. Beware, the pictures are small and dark!! That doesn't stop the play dough from being fun though! Add this activity to your holiday lineup.

Another sensory recipe is this DIY snow recipe, perfect for play and fine motor work. This would make a great addition to a home program for the holiday break!

Add a few colored ice cubes and scoops, spoons, and ladles to a big bowl for eye-hand coordination and fine motor precision with a Christmas theme. Kids love water play and this Christmas water activity is no different!

This easy Christmas sensory bin can be a go-to activity for settling holiday excitement in the days leading up to Christmas. Use materials you have in your home to work on fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, crossing midline, and more through sensory play.

Getting the kids into the kitchen is a great way to work on so many skills with kids! Direction following, executive functioning skills, motor skills, strengthening, and more are developed through cooking with kids. Make a batch of this Gingerbread Salt Dough for sensory play and ornament-making. These ornaments are still on our tree years later! Check out the pictures on this OLD blog post. This takes me back to those busy days as a mom of toddlers and preschools! Tears!

Colder weather doesn't mean outdoor play needs to stop. Take a sensory potpourri hike outside with the kids and explore nature by creating a potpourri. Add bits and pieces such as various pine needles, pine cones, and add in orange peels or cinnamon sticks. Kids can cut pine needles with scissors and add them to the scented collection. 

For many more Christmas sensory activities, check out this round up of activities from all over the internet.

Need another scented DIY play dough recipe? This one is a peppermint scented play dough, perfect for rolling, needing, and strengthening those hands!

Working on handwriting with kids this Christmas season? Grab your copy of the Christmas Modified Handwriting Packet. It's got three types of adapted paper that kids can use to write letters to Santa, Thank You notes, holiday bucket lists and much more...all while working on handwriting skills in a motivating and fun way! Read more about the adapted Christmas Paper here. 

Impulse Control in Kids...Do you know a child who risks their safety by running across a busy street without looking...The child that impulsively hits, bits, or kicks others...The child in the classroom who is distracted to the point that they can't focus or stay on task with classroom assignments...The child that blurts out answers or constantly interrupts...The child who lacks age-appropriate impulse control and is constantly not paying attention...

Do any of these kids sound familiar? 

Impulse control, or inhibition, refers to the ability to stop and think before acting. While impulse control can difficult for kids and adults of all ages (Hello cupcake sitting in the kitchen!), the inability to utilize critical thinking to consider consequences and use cognitive flexibility along with other executive functioning skills can be detrimental. 

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This is a 4 day email series that covers all of the topics above plus more so that you can feel relief when strategies are implemented, resulting in tools for safer kids who use age-appropriate strategies for impulse control.

Enter your email below to access the free impulse control mini-course and printable resources:

Know a child who can't stop and think before acting or who lacks age-appropriate impulse control?

Let's talk about what's going on behind those impulses!

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Want to get in? Join us in this free email-mini course and you'll gain: 

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Disclaimer: This email mini-course does not provide continuing education units or professional development units. The course is not intended to treat or evaluate any executive functioning or impulse control needs. This mini-course is intended for information purposes only. The reader is responsible for any action or consequence as a result of strategies listed in the email mini-course or on this website. The OT Toolbox and it's author(s) are not responsible for any results of actions taken as a result of reading this website or it's email or social media outlets.

See you in the Impulse Control email mini-course! 

As a mom with young kids, I love to help out in the school holiday parties whenever I can. Some parties it works out with schedules and the classroom needs and other times it doesn't. When I CAN make it to a holiday party, I love to put on my "therapy hat" and make the games movement-based, promoting development, and fun, all with a holiday theme.

That's why I was super excited to share a collection of Christmas party games for kids. These holiday party games are perfect for promoting development, play, and movement with a Christmas theme. Use these kids' Christmas games for classroom parties, kid-friendly family parties, or even as a break from holiday shopping or while waiting at a restaurant. Each of these games are great for promoting the skills kids need while providing sensory input, visual motor skills, coordination, balance, and more.

This post is part of this week's Christmas Activities for Kids series here on The OT Toolbox. Each day this week, we're rounding up fun and creative ways to play and support development in kids with a Christmas theme. If you missed any of the posts this week, be sure to check them out on the main Christmas Activities For Kids page.

Christmas Party Games for Kids

Are the kids ready for some holiday celebrations? Here are party games that pack a therapist-approved punch!

Balance and Coordination Christmas Party Games

First, this list of Christmas Proprioception Activities may be just the thing for a transition activity in the classroom. This time of year especially, the regular routines can be off and holiday excitement is on a high level. A movement activity can be a great transition activity.

Christmas Twister- You'll need a Twister game for this party game. You could also create a Twister board on the floor using masking tape. On the Twister game mat, tape squares of paper. On each piece of paper, write Christmas-themed words. Each color should have the same Christmas themed word. Then, they can put their right hand on "gift" or left leg on "reindeer", etc.

Santa Says- Put a spin on Simon Says with a Santa hat and even a beard! Kids can move, listen, and balance with this fun Christmas party game!
Santa Toss- Use our Santa Snack Cups to play a game of toss. Kids can either toss cotton balls or ping pong balls into the cups or play a game of catch as they try to toss a ping pong ball from one cup to a partner's cup.

Gift Push- Load cardboard boxes with heavy objects like books.  Ask the child to push the boxes across a room.  For less resistance, do this activity on a carpeted floor.  For more heavy work, do this activity outside on the driveway or sidewalk. This can be a relay race where teams of students transport gifts across a room. The students can wear Santa hats as they push "sleighs" across a space.

Reindeer Kick- Promote calming proprioceptive input through the upper body with wheelbarrow race type movements. Kids can also stand on their arms and legs in a quadruped position and kick their legs up. Try other animal walk types of movements with races with a group of students or children.

Here are a few more reindeer themed party games with ideas like Pin the Nose on Rudolph and Pass the Stocking (a great game for classroom parties!)

Eye-Hand Coordination Christmas Games

Below are some active games promoting eye-hand coordination. These are great for the classroom or for a kid-friendly holiday party:

Mitten Toss- Fill a plastic sandwich bag with dry beans and tape to secure. Push the filled bag into a mitten.   Use the mitten as a DIY bean bag in tossing target games. Or, make regular bean bags into snowflake beanbags. They can be used to toss into a bucket or bin. 

Bean Bag Relay Race- This is a great relay game for a large group of students. Split the group into teams. Each team should stand in a line. The beanbags can be in a bucket in front of the first person in each line. The first student can pass the bean bag between their legs to the person behind them. That person can pass the bean bag to the student behind them by handing it over their head. Each team can race to pass all of the bean bags over and under the heads and legs of each member in the lines. The first team to get all of their beanbags to the end of the line wins.

Snowball Toss- Use a ping pong ball or soft craft pom pom in a tossing game. Use these homemade Santa Cups as targets. Making the cups is half of the fun!

Christmas Cookie Relay- Make these EASY no-sew felt cookies and use them in a relay race with friends. Teams can race to move all of the cookies on a cookie tray to plates on the other side of the room by using a spatula to carry ONE cookie at a time from the cookie sheet to the plates. The first team to finish is the winner!

Sensory Christmas Party Games

Jingle Bell Shake- Every child puts their head down or covers their eyes. One child moves around the room and shakes jingle bells. Other students need to listen to where the child moves. Then, the child stops shaking the jingle bells and continues to move silently. They can hide somewhere in the room. Then the other students need to race to where they think the child is hiding. Ask students to hold jingle bells by the small loop to promote fine motor skills, too!

Christmas Gift Wrap- Wrap a gift with many layers of wrapping paper. Two kids can put on oven mitts and race to open a gift.  The first one to open the gift wins. To play with a group of students, use a timer and have the kids attempt to open the gifts for 10 seconds, and then pass the oven mitts to the next player when the buzzer sounds.

Stocking Guess- Fill a stocking with many small items. A child should reach into the stocking and feel an object. They can guess what the object is by touch. Try to guess all of the objects in the stocking. Use items like small ornaments, mini candy canes, miniature Christmas trees and other items.

Visual Perception Christmas Party Games

DIY "I Spy" Christmas Game- We played this DIY I Spy game with real toys in the past. For this Christmas party game, you will first need to gather various small items and Christmas themed toys. Items may include: candy canes, small stocking, bells, berries, pine twigs, figures, and ornaments of various colors. Spread all of the items on a table. Kids can play "I Spy" by visually scanning for a particular item described by its color or shape.

What's Missing- Use those same Christmas themed items in a "what's missing" game that works on visual scanning, visual memory, figure ground, visual discrimination and other visual perceptual skill games. Show the student all of the items and then cover them with a stocking or Santa hat. Take away one of the items. Then reveal the items and see if the child can recall the "visual picture" they saw before to identify the missing item(s).

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, so many of us occupational therapists, teachers, and parents are looking for fun and easy holiday activities for preschoolers. You've probably seen the Christmas excitement as kids get amped up for Santa, Christmas trees, candy canes, presents, and the upcoming holiday!  

Why not mix therapy and learning with a Christmas theme and build on that excitement?

With the Christmas activities for preschoolers listed below, you'll be able to add some learning or therapy work into holiday activities, all while getting into the Christmas spirit in the preschool classroom!

This collection of preschool activities with a Christmas theme is part of this week's Christmas Activities week here on The OT Toolbox. Each day this week, we're rounding up collections of holiday themed activities, crafts, games, and ideas to fill your therapy toolbox. 

If you missed the previous collections this week, check out Monday's post on Christmas Activities for Toddlers and Tuesday's Christmas Crafts for Kids.

Be sure to stop back each day this week to catch all of the holiday fun! 

Christmas Activities for Preschoolers

Now on to today's collection of activities that preschoolers will love all while working on the skills your kids need!

Work on Scissor Skills- Preschoolers are just getting the hang of managing scissors in one hand and the paper in another, all while snipping along a line. This Icicle Scissor Skills Craft is perfect for the preschool age range. It's got simple lines that can be adjusted in width to meet the child's needs and can be a huge help in teaching preschoolers to manage and turn paper to cut angles. Then, hang those icicles in the window and your preschooler will feel so proud of their work! 

Work on Bilateral Coordination- Kids in preschool are just learning to manage clothing, tools, and other tasks that require coordinated movement of both hands with greater precision. Tasks like buttoning and zippering clothing require bilateral coordination with fine motor work. This Recycled Lid Ornament Garland is a power tool in promoting bilateral coordination and refined dexterity in order to thread and create ornaments. This Christmas activity is another that a preschooler will be proud of. Hang the garland on a tree or across a window sill.

Work on Visual Tracking Skills- Visual tracking is a necessary skill for reading and writing. While preschoolers aren't at this stage yet, they soon will be! That makes a marble run a fantastic visual processing tool for building a base n the skills kids need down the road. Add a Christmas twist with jingle bells on the marble run! It's perfect on the floor or in a sensory table and is a fun activity preschoolers will love this season.

Work on Scissor Skills with a Christmas Tree Craft- Just like the icicle craft listed above, this Christmas Tree Scissor Skills Activity is perfect for preschoolers who are developing and refining their scissor skills. Use thicker paper like cardstock (or even green paper plates!) for younger kids who are still learning to work those scissors! You can encourage preschoolers to cut through to the edge instead of turning the paper when first learning to cut angled lines. 

Encourage Sensory Play- The preschool age is the perfect time to encourage sensory play with sensory bins. You can use any sensory bin fillers and create a sensory bin based on infinite themes! Here are lots of Christmas Carol Sensory Bin ideas. Use them to promote visual motor skills like scooping and pouring through tactile sensory play. This Away in a Manger Sensory Bin is just one of the ideas.

Build Shoulder and Wrist Stability on a Vertical Surface- Working on a vertical surface like an easel is a powerful way to strengthen the shoulder and wrist. This Christmas Tree Sensory Activity combines scissor work with fine motor skills and sensory play.

Promote Hand Strength with a Counting Activity- This Christmas Counting Activity is a DIY activity that uses clothespins and fun Christmas decorations to work on fine motor skills and early math. 

Work on Pre-Writing Skills- Working on pre-writing lines is a powerful early writing skill for preschoolers. These Christmas Pre-Writing Activities can give preschoolers the tools they need to form letters. Teaching horizontal and vertical lines, crosses, curved lines, diagonal lines, "X"s, and simple shapes can be completed with a Christmas theme to make things fun this time of year. 

Work on Direction Following- This Christmas Tree Stamp Art is a process art craft that preschoolers can make as a gift tags or DIY wrapping paper for family! Stamp Christmas trees, while working on fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination to dot on paint decorations with a cotton swab. This stamp art is a hit with kids! 

Looking for more Christmas activities? Stop back the rest of this week for more holiday ideas that boost development through movement and play.

If there is one most of us are short on this time of year, it's time. There is just NO time to search Google for fine motor craft ideas or Christmas crafts to add to the occupational therapy activities in December. That's why I wanted to put together a list of  creative Christmas crafts for kids. These are craft ideas driven by fine motor skill development but also promote skills like hand strength, bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, precision of grasp, motor planning, direction following, and creativity. 

Most of these crafts are process-based but some are not, making them the perfect mix for the therapist looking for crafts that meet the needs of a varied occupational therapy caseload. Use the Christmas craft ideas below to add a holiday theme to your therapy plans this month!

This post is part of our Christmas Activities for Kids series we've got going on this week. It's all designed to share holiday activities so you don't need to search all over the internet! If you missed yesterday's post, you'll want to check out Christmas Activities for Toddlers to find occupational therapy activities designed for the 2-3 year old age range.

These are activities, games, and ideas for kids with a Christmas theme that can be used in occupational therapy treatment in the home, school, or clinic!

If you missed the announcement post on our Christmas Activities for Kids series, you'll want to check it out. We'll have a different Christmas activity theme each day this week!

Christmas Crafts for Kids

Bilateral Coordination Bear Craft- This bear craft Christmas ornament helps kids use bilateral coordination and motor planning to wrap twine around a bear, making it a fun craft and a powerful therapy tool too! This Christmas craft goes along with a popular children's book, making it a great craft to share as "occupational therapy homework" over the holiday break!

Hand Strength Christmas Tree Craft- Use this Christmas Tree Fine Motor Craft activity to develop strength in the hands and more. This activity uses a hole punch to create lights for each Christmas tree. The bonus with this craft is the learning and math component. Add a colorful twist by adding colored tissue paper to the backs of the trees with glue.

Snowman Fine Motor Craft- Creating this Snowman Fine Motor Craft is a fun way to develop skills like bilateral coordination, pincer grasp and more. This craft is one that builds fine motor strength and precision while creating a fun holiday decoration.

Fine Motor Christmas Tree Craft- This Fine Motor Christmas Tree Craft addresses many skills needed for development and function. This craft has been very popular here on The OT Toolbox, and for a good reason!  It's a way to recycle egg cartons while working on various skills: bilateral coordination, fine motor strength, precision, eye-hand coordination, visual attention, spatial awareness, arch development, wrist extension and stability, and more.

In-Hand Manipulation Bottle Cap Christmas Tree- Use recycled bottle caps to make this Bottle Cap Fine Motor Christmas Tree Craft. This fine motor activity can be a holiday decoration that boosts fine motor skills such as precision, in-hand manipulation, tip-to-tip pincer grasp, rotation and dexterity of the fingers needed for in-hand manipulation, and bilateral coordination.

Process Art Ornament- This Bottle Caps Holly Ornament  is a creative process craft and if you make them with friends or in a classroom setting, there will be no two that look exactly alike. This Christmas craft for kids is a powerhouse for the fine motor development that occurs:  Scissor skills, bilateral coordination, eye hand coordination, and more.

Tactile Sensory Play Wreath Ornament- This Spaghetti Wreath Ornament is another process art Christmas craft that kids will love. In fact, it's a sensory goldmine and can be used for sensory play along with fine motor work and crafting! 

Finger Isolation Ornament- This ornament craft is based on the well-known children's book, Little Tree. Read the book and then make the ee cummings Little Tree Christmas Ornament AND sneak in fine motor skills like finger isolation, scissor skills, and so many other skills.

Scissor Skills Reindeer Craft- Another Christmas craft that is based on a children's book is this Olive the Other Reindeer Ornament that doubles as a scissor skills craft. Wouldn't it be fun to make a whole Christmas tree full of ornaments made in therapy sessions?

Precision Christmas Tree Suncatcher Craft- Need a Christmas craft that helps with precision and dexterity? This Christmas Tree Sun Catcher Craft will make the windows look festive!

Holiday Crafts without a Christmas Theme- To switch things up, here are several Winter Bird Crafts that boost fine motor skills and can be done this month or all winter long.

Kid-Made Christmas Ornament Crafts- Looking for ornaments the kids can make? This collection of ideas has something for everyone. It's a great way for kids to make a holiday gift for their family while working on fine motor skills and other occupational therapy goals.

Hand Strengthening Christmas Card Craft- This Homemade Christmas Card for kids is a fun Christmas card kids can make for family or friends. It provides an opportunity for hand strengthening with the hole punch Christmas tree. Sneak some handwriting practice in, too!

Tripod Grasp Christmas Tree- Kids will love this Pattern Christmas Tree Craft because they can make it as sparkly as they like! Encourage a little math and visual motor work with patterns on the Christmas tree while promoting a tripod grasp. 

Need more Christmas ideas? These Christmas Activities for Preschoolers are a big hit, too!

More Christmas Activities for Kids

Working on handwriting with kids this Christmas season? Grab your copy of the Christmas Modified Handwriting Packet. It's got three types of adapted paper that kids can use to write letters to Santa, Thank You notes, holiday bucket lists and much more...all while working on handwriting skills in a motivating and fun way! Read more about the adapted Christmas Paper here.