Christmas toddler busy bag activities - Part 1

Readers of this blog will know how much I like making busy bags! I've been putting together some busy bags with a Christmas theme. Some of them will come with us when we go on holiday before Christmas and the others will be ready to pull out for a Christmas activity when we need something to fill a bit of time. I've got lots of ideas so this is just the first batch! Most of these activities also require glue, I use white PVA glue. A lot of the pieces within the bags came from Christmas craft kits which I've bought at various times.

Pipecleaner bracelets

Pipecleaners with beads to thread on which can then be bent around the wrist. The fuzz on the pipecleaners holds the beads on so that they don't fall off, so I'm hoping that this will mean the activity isn't too frustrating.

Christmas collage

A selection of Christmas themed background papers, some Christmas images cut from last year's Christmas cards, some pre-cut foam shapes and a tube of glitter for good measure. You could also add Christmas stickers, sequins, stars, scraps of coloured paper etc.

Christmas tree decoration

I cut out some simple Christmas tree shapes from green card. Each decoration requires two shapes, one with a slit cut from the bottom up to the halfway point and the other cut with a slit from the top down to the halfway point. They can then be slotted together to make a tree that stands up by itself once decorated. I've included a selection of sequins and coloured stars and a tube of glitter glue to decorate.

Pom pom characters

These pieces were from a Christmas craft kit from Tesco, but you could easily make your own if you have some pom poms and foam sheets. This kit makes a Father Christmas and a snowman. I'm hoping that this will work, as I remember that the pom poms can be quite difficult to make stick together.

To hold the contents, I use small resealable sandwich bags from Ikea. The bags can then be stored in a larger bag or shoebox.