Countdown to Christmas
Big-Picture Goals
- Count forward from 1 to 24 or 25 using a simple Christmas countdown.
- Recognize and use Christmas-related colors, shapes, sounds, and vocabulary.
- Practice fine-motor skills through drawing, gluing, tearing, threading, and decorating.
- Build understanding of time and sequence using words such as today, tomorrow, yesterday, before, and after.
- Enjoy songs, stories, pretend play, and family traditions connected with Christmas.
Materials for the Unit
- Large paper or poster board
- 25 small paper pockets, envelopes, or numbered squares
- Paper, crayons, washable markers, child-safe scissors, glue, and stickers
- Red, green, white, and gold construction paper
- Cotton balls, yarn, ribbon, paper plates, cardboard tubes, and craft sticks
- Blocks or small toys for counting
- Christmas picture books from home or the library
- A small bell, jingle bells, or a homemade shaker
- Play dough
- Music for familiar Christmas songs
- Optional: a small Christmas tree, battery-operated lights, or a nativity set if these are part of the family’s traditions
Week 1: What Is a Countdown?
Day 1: Introducing the Countdown
Show the child a row of five blocks and ask, “How many blocks are here? What happens if we take one away each day?” Make a simple countdown strip with the numbers 1 through 5, and let the child decorate it with stickers. Move one paper marker each day while saying, “Today is number 1. Tomorrow will be number 2.”
Day 2: Counting Christmas Colors
Place red, green, white, and gold objects in front of the child and name each color. Invite the child to sort the objects by color, then count how many are in each group. Add a numbered square to the countdown and count aloud together.
Day 3: Christmas Shapes
Show paper circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. Say, “A tree can look like a triangle, and an ornament can look like a circle,” then help the child make a simple paper Christmas tree from three triangles. Count the triangles and place today’s number on the countdown.
Day 4: Jingle and Stop
Ring a bell or shake a homemade shaker while singing or saying, “Jingle, jingle, stop!” The child shakes when the sound is playing and freezes when it stops. Count five jingles together, then move the countdown marker.
Day 5: Story and Review
Read a short Christmas picture book and pause to ask, “What do you see?” and “What color is that?” Review the week by looking at the countdown and counting the numbers together. Let the child choose a sticker or drawing to add beside today’s number.
Simple Check for Understanding
Ask the child to point to today’s number, count five objects, and name one Christmas color and one shape.
Week 2: Counting and Making Decorations
Day 1: Paper Chain Countdown
Make a paper chain with five loops, using red and green paper. Count each loop as you add it, then explain, “We can take off one loop each day as Christmas gets closer.” Let the child remove one loop and count how many remain.
Day 2: Ornament Patterns
Make a pattern with stickers or paper shapes, such as red-green-red-green. Say the pattern aloud and ask, “What comes next?” Help the child decorate a paper ornament using the same pattern. Add or remove one item while counting together.
Day 3: Cotton-Ball Snow
Give the child cotton balls and a sheet of blue paper. Help the child glue five cotton balls to make snow, counting each one as it is placed. Talk about how snow can look white, soft, and cold, even though the cotton balls are not real snow.
Day 4: Numbered Gifts
Wrap or pretend-wrap three small blocks as gifts and place numbers 1, 2, and 3 on them. Ask the child to put them in number order and count them. Pretend to open each one and use words such as first, next, and last.
Day 5: Decoration Walk
Look around the home for Christmas decorations, or look at pictures in a book. Ask the child to find something red, something round, and something that shines. Make one small decoration together, such as a paper chain loop or a paper ornament, and add it to the countdown display.
Simple Check for Understanding
Show three objects and ask the child to count them, put them in order, and continue a simple red-green-red-green pattern.
Week 3: Christmas Stories, Songs, and Pretend Play
Day 1: Christmas Story Sequence
Read a Christmas story and choose three events from it, such as “a character gets ready,” “the character travels,” and “the character celebrates.” Draw or make simple picture cards for the three events. Help the child place them in the order they happened and use first, next, and last.
Day 2: Singing Together
Sing a familiar Christmas song, such as “Jingle Bells” or “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Let the child clap, tap, or shake a bell along with the beat. Stop after one verse and ask, “What did we sing about?”
Day 3: Pretend Christmas Shop
Set out blocks, paper ornaments, or empty boxes as pretend gifts. Take turns being the shopper and the shopkeeper, using phrases such as “Please,” “Thank you,” and “Here is your gift.” Count out one, two, or three items for each pretend customer.
Day 4: Helping and Giving
Talk about ways people help during the Christmas season, such as sharing, giving a card, tidying up, or helping prepare food. Invite the child to make a simple thank-you picture for someone. While working, ask, “Who will receive this?” and “How might it make them feel?”
Day 5: Christmas Sounds
Make or listen for quiet Christmas sounds, such as bells, paper rustling, clapping, or a song. Play a guessing game: make one sound behind your back and ask the child to identify it. Finish by adding today’s number to the countdown and singing one favorite song.
Simple Check for Understanding
Ask the child to put three story pictures in order, name one way to help someone, and copy a simple rhythm such as clap-clap-pause.
Week 4: Getting Ready for Christmas
Day 1: A Countdown to 25
Make or complete a countdown display with numbers 1 through 25. Count as far as the child can comfortably go, and do not worry if the child needs help. Explain that each number represents one day as Christmas gets closer.
Day 2: Christmas Tree Craft
Help the child make a tree from green paper or a paper plate. Add ornaments using stickers, fingerprints, or small paper shapes, counting each decoration. Ask, “Which decoration did you put on first?” and “Which one did you put on last?”
Day 3: Baking or Pretend Baking
If appropriate, make simple cookies together, or use play dough to pretend to bake. Count scoops, cutters, or pretend cookies, and talk about before and after: “First we mix, then we shape, and after that we bake.” Invite the child to help with a safe job such as placing paper liners or choosing a cookie shape.
Day 4: Rehearsing the Celebration
Practice a small Christmas celebration with a song, a story, and one decoration the child made. Let the child decide what comes first, next, and last. Use the countdown display and say, “Christmas is getting closer!”
Day 5: Final Countdown Celebration
Look at all the crafts, pictures, and countdown numbers made during the unit. Count the numbers together and remove the final paper loop or marker. Sing a favorite Christmas song and celebrate the child’s work with a special snack, story, or family activity.
Simple Check for Understanding
Ask the child to explain what the countdown shows, identify today’s number with help if needed, and tell or show one thing people do to get ready for Christmas.
End-of-Unit Project: My Christmas Countdown Book
Create a small book with five pages. On each page, the child draws, glues, or dictates an idea from the unit:
- Counting: Draw or stick on five Christmas objects.
- Colors and shapes: Add a red circle, a green triangle, and another favorite shape.
- Story: Draw what happens first, next, and last in a Christmas story.
- Helping: Draw one way to help or give to someone.
- Celebrating: Draw a favorite song, decoration, food, or family tradition.
Read the book aloud together. Ask the child to count the objects on the counting page, name two colors, identify one shape, and describe one page using a complete thought such as, “I like the bells.”