Two of the things I love most about Oregon is it’s luscious green trees and nice long growing season. Of course, this comes with a cost…. lots and lots of rain. My kids get a bit antsy and rambunctious being cooped up indoors when the weather gets wetter and colder. Here you’ll find a list of 5 simple and festive indoor activities to keep your child busy this fall and winter season. These activities were given a thumbs up from my 5, 4, and 2 year old. All of them are festive and can be done over again year after year. They also incorporate typical Montessori style skill-sets you would find in my Montessori Curriculum guide. Be sure to also check out the basics of Montessori Art in my post here.

Montessori Skills Covered

• Science: Natural materials (pinecones, cranberries, etc.)
• Culture: Christianity, Christmas traditions, origin, meaning, etc.
• Practical life: Using a a blunt needle with string/Stringing items

Indoor Activities- #1: Cranberry Garland

Get yourself some cheap fresh cranberries from your go-to grocery store, some cotton string, and one of your embroidery needles. Cut a long piece of string (long enough for your garland) and thread your blunt needle. Tie a cranberry at the end of it to get it started. Have your little one string the cranberries with the blunt needle and help them move the cranberry to the bottom as needed. The most exciting part is hanging it up when you are finished!

Learning opportunities during this activity:
Talk to your child about the cranberries. How do they smell? How do they taste? What color are they? Explain to them how they grow and what we use them for during the holidays.

Indoor Activities- #2: Painted Pinecone Garland

Have your child collect a handful of pinecones from your yard or a park or go on a nature hike (if you do not have pine trees in the climate that you live in, they do sell them at craft stores during the holiday season, or, you can skip to activity #4).

Part 1: Bring the pinecones home, place them in the sink with a bit of soap and a lot of warm water. Clean them up and rinse well before putting them on a paper towel to drip dry. When ready, place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven for 30-45 min at 150 degrees. The pinecones should be dry when you pull them out, but not so dry that the pinecone shrivels and closes up (yes, that happens to pinecones in the heat!) so keep an eye on them. Sometimes it’s easier to do a little bit of this at a time instead of all at once, so feel free to spread this process out over a couple of days time. You can include your little one in the washing of the pinecones if you’d like, but I find it easier to leave the painting and scavenging to the child and the rest up to me.

Part 2: Once they are fully cleaned, dried, and cooled down, you’re ready to have your little one paint them. Make sure to cover the tabletop with protection. I use an old painters cloth for my children’s painting activities, but paper towels, newspaper, or even paper bags will do. When it comes to colors I always reach for gold or silver, but any color (or colors!) of the rainbow will do. If you’re feeling fancy, you can add glitter for some sparkle. After the paint dries, leave them in a vase to view, or, tie them to a long piece of cotton twine and make an amazing homemade pinecone garland- my favorite. Nothing beats handmade, sentimental decor during the holiday season!

Learning opportunities during this activity:
Talk to your child about pine trees, pine cones, and the reproductive cycle of trees during this activity. Ask them what they smell like, what they feel like, and what they noticed when they were scavenging for them.

Indoor Activities #3: Pinecone Christmas Trees

Because we live in Oregon, we have plenty of pinecones to scavenge for when the fall season stumbles upon us. For those of you who live in a climate without pine trees, see my cardboard Christmas tree activity below.

Part 1: Follow part 1 from activity #2 above, except you may only need 1 or two pinecones for this craft.

Part 2: Make sure to cover the tabletop with protection. I use an old painter’s cloth for my children’s painting activities, but paper towels, newspaper, or even paper bags will do. Choose a nice green color for the child to use and have them paint the pinecone as best as they can. Glue beads, sequins, or gems to the scales of the pinecone for lights/ornaments and add a pom-pom or create a pipe-cleaner star for the top. You can choose to use hot glue and add the glue for the child, or, Elmer’s school glue. Elmer’s glue will make more of a mess but will set appropriately if you give the tree enough time to cure.

Learning opportunities from this activity:
Talk to the children about the topics mentioned in Activity #2 regarding the pinecones. Have a conversation about Christmas, the meaning of Christmas, and the history of the Christmas tree tradition (the real story might surprise some of you! Make sure you google it first). Teach them about other religious festivals and holidays, like Hanukkah and Kwanza.

Indoor Activities- #4: Cardboard Christmas Tree (FREE Printable Below)

For those of you who live in a climate without pine trees, my cardboard Christmas tree activity is a great alternative. Instead of pinecones, you will re-purpose cardboard using the FREE printable I have below as a guide. Whats neat about this printable is that it creates a 3D tree for the children to paint and decorate, just like the pinecone. Cut the trees out of the printable and trace them onto your cardboard (or if your child is coordinated enough, have them cut it and trace it). Cut the cardboard and the slit through the middle of both trees. Slide the two trees together from top to bottom accordingly and continue with Part 2 from activity #3.

Indoor Activities- #5: Slice of Pie Craft

My children love this activity in the Fall. For my full instructions and a free printable, click here. This one is great because it’s a good fit for any holiday. It is SUPER easy. If you are a homeschooling parent, or just craftsy in general, you probably have everything on hand already. If you’re feeling extra fancy, consider doing a little pie tasting for extra sensorial exposure. Who can turn down a slice of pumpkin, apple, or cherry pie (and don’t forget the whipped cream!).

FREE Printable