Build this Christmas pom pom push activity for toddlers with just a few supplies. This easy Christmas activity will keep toddlers busy all holiday season long. Grab a shoe box and some pom pom balls: that’s all you need.
Christmas Pom Pom Push
This fun and simple toddler activity was whipped up in about 5 minutes and bought me so much concentrating, quiet toddler time.
The return of investment was amazing making this Christmas Pom Pom Push a total winner – and I must insist you give it a go.
For this toddler activity, we did a Christmas twist on one of our favorite games Pom Pom Push which is one seriously easy to prep activity that we’ve been playing around here for months. It was destined for a holiday spin.
RELATED: Need another easy Christmas toddler activity idea? This list has the best!
Supplies
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- pom pom balls
- shoe box
- construction paper
- utility knife
The set-up
Here are the steps to creating this activity:
- I started by gluing a piece of white construction paper to the top of a shoe box. I haphazardly drew on a Christmas tree (who isn’t going to win any design awards).
- Next, I created the holes for the pom pom balls. To do this, I used a utility knife to cut out the holes very, very, very carefully. My holes are definitely more square than circle but it is what it is.
- Finally, I traced each hole with marker to make it correspond to the pom poms. It made it look just a like ornaments on a tree. Square, poorly cut out ornaments, but I’m fine with it.
I promise the set up took me 5 minutes on the dot. It sounds like a lot but it was seriously just 5 minutes. And it bought me a whole lot of “Mom time” with a toddler independently playing and having fun.
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How to introduce the Christmas pom pom push
I set the pom poms next to the box and my toddler knew exactly what to do – push those buggers through the holes. The added challenge of asking him to push each pom pom through its corresponding color hole was a nice added challenge.
My toddler (2.5) played this activity over and over, and we’re keeping it around through the holiday season. It’s easy to store and something quick to pull out when we have a second and need a little activity to do.
Note – skills practiced
Yes, this is a fun activity. Yes, it’s engaging. It’s also rich with learning and skill development:
- Fine motor skills
- Sorting skills
- Independent play
While we don’t need to justify activities or play with specific learning targets, it’s still fun and amazing to see where play and learning meet. They are not exclusive. They happen together and this is a perfect example.
RELATED: What are the best toys to gift toddlers at Christmas? Come see my list!
Tip – Don’t rush to put this away
Whether your child immediately gravitates to this activity or is slow to warm up, leave this activity out for a while (weeks even) if safe.
We kept this on the fire place and it became no different than any other toy that he bounces back and forth to.
The Christmas pom pom push became our favorite seasonal toy.
Note: I made this for years after writing this post. I created it for my daughter when she was two, and again when I had a 2, 3.5, and 5 year old. Every Christmas, it was a hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pom pom balls are a choking hazard. Do not take them lightly. Give great supervision and use excellent judgement when deciding if your child is ready for these. Never leave a pom pom ball activity unattended.
Remember, think stages not ages. Instead of judging by the age of the child, look at their interests and stage in life. Are they safe with pom pom balls? Can they push something through a hole? Do they have the dexterity to pinch pom pom balls?
I do! I collected activities from so many great bloggers and listed them in this Hanukkah activities post.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
Sarita says
This was a fabulous idea, my 2 year olds at work were really engaged , so much so I had to make another, I made a snowman Pom Pom drop, Thank you.
Tina says
I love this idea! I can imagine little ones staying busy for a long time with this. Thanks for sharing on Toddler Fun Friday 🙂
Jolanthe says
love it! Thanks for sharing!
Vanessa says
Fabulous idea! Thank you for linking up at “A Little Bird Told Me” Wednesday link party! You have been featured on Mama’s Happy Hive blog. 🙂
Jessica says
Love this idea! Thanks so much for the great idea!
Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi says
Love this! What a fun holiday twist on playing with pom poms (which my toddler loves!).
Nadia - ScandiMummy says
What a great idea… My 10-month-old would eat those pom poms, but saving it for next year 😉 #whatevertheweather
Nadia – ScandiMummy x
Chelsea @ Life With My Littles says
Fun! I love that this is a cute holiday activity, but still teaches kids about colors!