Cork board Christmas Tree

Christmas vacation is about to begin which means lots of preschoolers will be home from school looking for crafts and activities to keep them busy. My fifth grade niece already asked when she could come over to do Christmas projects with us (we have a fun one in mind for her! Stay tuned next week as we prepare to share it on the blog with a giveaway!) Today I have a simple and activity that kept my preschooler busy and happy 🙂

This post contains affiliate links

Supplies

• Cork board
• Push pins
• Toy hammer
• Green construction paper

I started by cutting a green Christmas tree out of the construction paper and setting it on the cork board with a pin to keep it in place. My three year old then got to work”decorating” the tree!

You can call the push pins ornaments or Christmas lights, either way makes sense in this fun Christmas activity! This is also a great way to practice fine motor skills (pinching the push pins and setting them in place), as well as gross motor skills (hammering the pin in place). My boys feel like big kids whenever they do “hammer and nail” activities.

Ways to extend the activity: Bigger kids can practice making a “string of lights” with the pushpins all down the tree. They can even incorporate color patterns into their work.

Word of caution: This activity should be completed under parental supervision. If you are concerned about your child poking himself with a pin, you can choose to place the pins in the board yourself and let him do the hammering.

We didn’t have a single pin prick while doing this activity. My children were super excited to be working on a construction type of project and handling the push pins themselves made them feel a sense of responsibility (“These are like daddy’s tools.We have to be very careful!”)

See my friend Danielle’s post over at Mom Inspired life to take this activity to a whole new level!

How will your kids like this activity? Send us a picture of your projects on Instagram! Use the hashtag #Munchkinsandmoms and tag us at @munchkins_and_moms