Christmas activities for 15-month-olds

Christmas ideas for 15-month-olds

The weeks before Christmas are full of things a toddler can touch, hear and help with: paper to tear, bells to shake, lights to switch on and boxes to carry. A few minutes a day of focused play with these seasonal materials turns a long, exciting wait into a routine, and gives you a gentle way to teach the tree's look-and-touch rule. On the day itself, a few gifts opened slowly and a protected nap usually go better than a big pile at once. The 9 ideas below overlap the 12-17-month band, best fit for 15 months first.

How to do Reindeer Stomp and Gallop

Your child copies reindeer moves, antler hands, big stomps and a gallop, to a simple chant, filling a gray afternoon with whole-body movement. Words to model: stomp, reindeer, fast, slow. Clear toys and cords from the path and play away from the tree.

1. 1

   Put your hands on your head as antlers and say "I'm a reindeer!"

2. 2

   Stomp three times slowly and pause; wait for your child to stomp.

3. 3

   Add one new move each round: tiptoe, gallop, then stop.

4. 4

   Copy their moves too, so the reindeer game goes both ways.

5. 5

   Finish with a reindeer nap: lie down and pretend to snore.

More Christmas ideas at 15 months

The ideas written up here sit closest to 15 months; Wrapping Paper Ball Kick (15-22 mo) and Look-and-Touch Tree Tour (16-23 mo) also overlap this age and are described on the neighboring age page.

• Stocking Surprise Reach-In

  Your child reaches into a big stocking and pulls out familiar things one at a time, feeling for objects they cannot see and naming each one. Ages 12-18 months, 3-8 min, indoors. Start: fill the stocking while your child watches, naming each thing as it goes in. Say: in, out, what is it?. Safety: Hang stockings out of reach when not in use; a heavy stocking holder can be pulled down onto a child.

• Twinkle Lights On, Off

  Your child points, signs or calls out to switch the tree lights back on, discovering that their own signal makes something happen. Ages 12-16 months, 2-6 min, indoors. Start: hold your child a safe distance from the lights and point: "Lights!" Say: on, off, more. Safety: You do all the switching; keep cords, plugs and bulbs behind furniture or out of reach.

• Jingle Bell Shake and Stop

  Your child shakes a securely made bell toy and bounces while you sing, then stops when the song stops, a cheerful early listening game. Ages 12-18 months, 3-8 min, indoors. Start: shake the bells and bounce on your knees: "Jingle, jingle!" Say: jingle, shake, stop. Safety: Loose small jingle bells are a choking hazard: use only bells fixed firmly to a large toy, and check them before each play.

• Evergreen Branch Smell and Touch

  Your child feels and sniffs a fir branch and a large pine cone with you, a short nature moment full of new texture and smell words. Ages 12-18 months, 2-6 min, indoors or out. Start: hold the branch near your nose, breathe in and say "Mmm, tree." Say: tree, smell, prickly. Safety: Watch closely: needles and cone scales go in mouths, so hold the branch yourself if they start to chew.

• Unbreakable Ornament Basket

  Your child takes big, shatterproof ornaments out of a basket, rolls them and drops them back in, exploring the tree's shiny treasures safely. Ages 12-18 months, 3-10 min, indoors. Start: remove every metal cap and hook before your child sees the basket. Say: ball, shiny, in. Safety: Use only unbreakable ornaments too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube, with caps, hooks and strings removed.

• Unwrap-a-Toy Practice

  Your child tears loosely wrapped paper off a favorite toy, practising unwrapping so the gift pile feels familiar rather than overwhelming. Ages 12-18 months, 3-8 min, indoors. Start: wrap a familiar toy loosely, with one strip of tape, while your child watches. Say: open, rip, what is it?. Safety: Skip ribbons, bows and gift-bag cords, and collect paper scraps before they reach the mouth.

Christmas safety for 15-month-olds

Seasonal hazards first, then the precautions of the ideas on this page. Stay within arm's reach whenever water, food or small decorations are involved.

• Anchor the tree to a wall or use a wide, heavy stand so it cannot tip when pulled, and keep the water in the stand covered.
• Glass, small and food-like ornaments and all metal hooks go above your child's reach; the low branches get only large, unbreakable ones.
• Light strings and extension cords stay behind furniture or taped down, and the lights go off when no adult is in the room.
• Button batteries hide in musical cards, remote controls, light-up toys and battery candles: keep compartments screwed shut and get emergency care at once if one may have been swallowed.
• Ribbons, bows, tinsel, gift-bag cords, holly and mistletoe berries and the small parts of older children's gifts are choking and strangling hazards; tidy them away as gifts are opened.
• Clear toys and cords from the path and play away from the tree.
• Hang stockings out of reach when not in use; a heavy stocking holder can be pulled down onto a child.
• You do all the switching; keep cords, plugs and bulbs behind furniture or out of reach.

Christmas words for 15-month-olds

Christmas books to share

Kinds of books to look for at the library. At 15 months, sturdy board books with one clear picture per page work best; let your child turn the pages.

• Touch-and-feel books with soft, shiny and bumpy pages of the season
• Lift-the-flap books with a present or an animal behind each flap
• Board books built around one carol you can sing while turning the pages (skip sound-chip books unless the battery cover is screwed shut)
• Stories about waiting, giving and visiting family over the holidays

Christmas gift and basket ideas for 15-month-olds

Open-ended things that fit 12-17 months; check every part against the choking-size rule (nothing that fits through a toilet-paper tube).

• Nesting and stacking cups that double as bath and sandbox toys
• A set of large wooden or foam blocks
• A doll or soft animal with a small blanket, bowl and spoon for pretend care
• A sturdy push toy or low ride-on for steady walkers
• An art basket: jumbo crayons, a chunky brush, washable paint and a roll of paper

Library activities that suit Christmas

Everyday activities from our library that fit 15-month-olds and the season's songs, books, wrapping paper and family visits.

• Count-Along Picture Book

  While sharing a familiar picture book, you count small groups of things on a page, pause, and let your toddler point, turning numbers into a shared game. Why now: tagged book and practices turning pages. 5-10 min, no prep.

• Cleanup Song Bucket Drop

  A short, same-every-time song signals cleanup while your child carries toys to a bucket and drops them in, turning tidying into a predictable routine. Why now: tagged music and practices action songs. 3-8 min, no prep.

• Tube Talk Echo Sounds

  You hum, sing and make animal sounds through a cardboard tube, then pause; your child answers with a sound of their own, and you echo it back. Why now: tagged music and practices making music. 3-6 min, no prep.

• Pot Drum Echo Turns

  You tap a short beat on an upturned pot, pause, and your child answers on their own pot, building turn-taking, listening and rhythm through back-and-forth play. Why now: tagged music and practices making music. 4-8 min, no prep.

• Lap Book Point and Pause

  With your child on your lap and one sturdy board book, follow their pointing page by page, naming one picture and pausing so they can answer. Why now: tagged book and practices turning pages. 3-10 min, no prep.

A 24-day mini-advent for 15-month-olds

One short activity a day from December 1 to 24: the Christmas ideas above on odd days and library activities for 15 months in between. Repeating a favorite is fine; repetition is how toddlers learn.

More seasonal ideas