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Preschoolers will have a blast at school when they engage in Christmastime festivities. Pre-K students can practice their art and fine motor skills by using construction paper, crayons, markers, glitter and glue to make Christmas tree, star, wreath and stocking ornaments. The children can hang them on a Christmas tree (with adult supervision) or add them to a wall display. Preschoolers can also practice their fine motor schools by creating gingerbread play dough people with gingerbread cookie cutters.

Creating ginger bread houses is always a delightful way to engage little one. After an adult covers milk cartons with aluminum foil, preschoolers should add white icing, graham crackers, and candy pieces such as M&Ms, peppermint disks, Fruit Loops and gum drops.

Children will love to decorate (and eat!) gingerbread and Christmas cookies. Supply white icing, plastic spoons, colorful sprinkles and other decorations and let the children decorate their cookies.

Here’s how to make gingerbread cookies:

Ingredients (for 36 cookies):
3/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/8 cup butter, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

(makes 36 cookies)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Using a medium bowl, pour in the molasses, brown sugar, butter and water and stir until the mixture is smooth.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger and stir until all of the ingredients become moist.
4. Cover the dough and chill in a refrigerator for at least three hours.
5. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly-floured surface (wax paper on a table or counter top works well) until the dough is one-quarter inch thick.
6. Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
7. Place cookies one inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake for eight to 10 minutes.
9. Cool.

Here’s a recipe for Christmas cookies:

Ingredients (for 48 small cookies):
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons original (not imitation) vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Using a medium bowl and a sifter, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
3. Using a large bowl and mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until they’re light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time with a large spoon or spatula one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
4. Cover the dough and chill in a refrigerator for at least two hours.
5. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly-floured surface (wax paper on a table or counter top works well) until the dough is one-quarter inch thick.
6. Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
7. Place cookies one inch apart on a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake for six to eight minutes.
9. Cool.

Christmastime is also a great time to read holiday books with the little ones. Classics such as The Littlest Elf, Froggy’s Best Christmas and The Night Before Preschool are sure to be a hit.