During the holidays we love to learn and perform Christmas songs with motions. They are so much fun for toddlers and preschoolers! If you’re planning a Christmas concert or want to have a little something for kids to perform at a holiday celebration, these Christmas songs are great options too!
The kids (and I!) had so much fun with our Thanksgiving songs. The big kids were able to sing them all by the end of the month, and the babies even joined in with some of our hand movements. I couldn’t wait to put together our list of Christmas songs and action rhymes for preschoolers and toddlers. Of course, there are so many wonderful songs to sing this time of year, but I try to only include a few so that we can really learn them. These are our top preschool Christmas songs with actions for the month of December, but we will also sing a lot of traditional Christmas carols using picture books.
Many of these songs are adapted from the wonderful list at Everything Preschool.
Christmas Songs with Motions for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Affiliate links included.
GET A FULL WEEK OF CHRISTMAS THEME ACTIVITIES IN OUR PRINTABLE PRESCHOOL CHRISTMAS LESSON PLANS.
Many of these songs involve hand movements but it can be fun to set aside some props to go along with your music time. You can make some of the items that go along with the songs and buy a few odds and ends to set up a Christmas carols center in the classroom or at home. Then use the props to decorate when you perform or video. Here are some of our top picks:
Reindeer Pokey
The Turkey Trot was such a hit last month that I know the kids will enjoy this Christmas version of the Hokey Pokey.
Reindeer Pokey
(Tune: Hokey Pokey)
You put your antlers in.
You put your antlers out.
You put your antlers in,
and you shake them all about.
You do the reindeer pokey
and you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!
Additional verses:
Hooves
Fluffy Tail
Red Nose
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The simplicity of this song will make it very easy for the preschoolers in our house to remember, and the simple hand movements will be great for encouraging the babies to join in.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas (Sign Language for Merry Christmas),
We wish you a Merry Christmas (Sign Language for Merry Christmas),
We wish you a Merry Christmas (Sign Language for Merry Christmas),
And a Happy New Year.
Now let’s all do a little clapping (clap),
Now let’s all do a little clapping(clap),
Now let’s all do a little clapping (clap),
And spread Christmas cheer (raise arms and make sprinkling action with fingers)
Now let’s all do a little jumping (jump),
Now let’s all do a little jumping(jump),
Now let’s all do a little jumping (jump)
And spread Christmas cheer (raise arms and make sprinkling action with fingers)
Now let’s all do a little waving (wave),
Now let’s all do a little waving(wave),
Now let’s all do a little waving(wave),
And spread Christmas cheer (raise arms and make sprinkling action with fingers)
We wish you a Merry Christmas (Sign Language for Merry Christmas),
We wish you a Merry Christmas (Sign Language for Merry Christmas),
We wish you a Merry Christmas (Sign Language for Merry Christmas),
And a Happy New Year.
Additional Verses Might Include:
Praying
Smiling
Running
Marching
Baking
You could even encourage your children to come up with an action word to include in a verse.
The Lights on the Tree
If you haven’t noticed, I love to use songs that build on the kids’ prior knowledge of familiar tunes. It helps them learn the songs and focus on the actions. I think they will have a lot of fun with this song to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus.
The Lights on the Tree
The lights on the tree go, blink, blink, blink…
Blink, blink, blink… blink, blink, blink.
The lights on the tree go blink, blink, blink…
All Christmas Day.
The presents at the house go rattle, rattle, rattle…
Rattle, rattle, rattle…rattle, rattle, rattle
The presents at the house go rattle, rattle, rattle…
All Christmas Day.
Other verses:
The train under the tree goes choo, choo, choo
The bells on the tree go jingle, jingle, jingle
The snowman at the house goes melt, melt, melt
The cookies at our house taste yummy, yummy, yummy
This is another great song that you could encourage your children to develop more verses for.
Away in a Manger
Love to Know Christmas has another great list of Christmas songs. I really liked this first verse of Away in a Manger.
Away in a Manger
Away in a Manger
No crib for a bed (cradle arms and rock imaginary baby)
The little Lord Jesus (sign language for Jesus)
Lay down His sweet head (fold hands together and lay head on them)
The stars in the sky (point upwards)
Looked down where He lay (move hands down twinkling fingers as you look down)
The Little Lord Jesus (sign language for Jesus)
Asleep on the hay (fold hands together and lay head on them)
What are your favorite Christmas songs with motions? I would love to hear some more ideas.
You might also enjoy our Thanksgiving Songs for Kids.
GET A FULL SET OF CHRISTMAS THEME ACTIVITIES
The 169-page Christmas Lesson Plan Set includes hands-on activities and these additional printables:
1) Beginning Letters Gift Sorting Game (in color and b/w)
2) Reindeer Math Mats (2 versions in color and b/w)
3) My Christmas Senses Activity Book Making Pieces
4) 0-35 Christmas Number Cards (2 versions in color and b/w)
5) Christmas Counting Syllables Sorting Game (in color and b/w)
6) Christmas Picture-Word Cards (in color and b/w)
7) Ornament Play Dough Mats
8) Candy Cane Play Dough Writing Task Cards (shapes, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, number 0-20)
9) Christmas Light Patterns Activity Pieces (in color and b/w)
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Hands-On Holidays eBook
Less stress, more connecting this holiday season? Yes, PLEASE!
From the arrival of fall to Halloween to Thanksgiving and Christmas, the last four months of the year can be a wonderful opportunity for making family memories and spending time together, but they can also be stressful as we try to collect ideas, recipes, and activities to try together.
Stephanie Morgan, founder of Modern Parents Messy Kids, a site that’s been voted Best Craft Blog in Parents Magazine and one of babble.com’s Top 50 Craft Mom Blogs, recently released a new eBook to help us have a little less stress and more time to connect with family this year.
Stephanie’s goal is to make it easier on all of us to enjoy the holidays with our kids. Hands-On Holidays is 100 pages full of her family’s very favorite ways to connect as a family over the holiday season. I love the convenience of having so many ideas in one place, and most of them are simple enough for even my toddler to participate in.
The book includes picture book suggestions, DIY decor, activities, and treats. Bonus sections also offer even more ideas to enjoy. Click here to view more details.
Anees
Merry Christmas!! Christmas songs and Christmas carols are an important part of the Xmas holiday season. They become the soundtrack of shops, television ads and many houses during the Christmas holidays.
Rebecca Angel Maxwell
I also use Away in a Manger with my preschoolers and have the exact same hand motions! Thank you for the other song ideas.
Shaunna Evans
Oh perfect!
Michelle
Thank you so much! I wanted to incorporate familiar melodies – and these are GREAT!!
Shaunna Evans
So glad you like them!
Catherine Stephenson
Tis the season and the little ones in my dance classes just love to hear holiday music. I love the idea of incorporating these songs into my dance lessons. Thank you so much for the great ideas!
Shaunna Evans
How fun! Sounds like my little ones would love your class. I hope you had fun with these this year!
Catherine Stephenson
Thank you for these amazing ideas. With the holiday coming up, I would love to incorporate some of these into my dance classes for the littles ones. They will love them!
[email protected] Measured Mom
Thank you for these, Shaunna! I’m leading a preschool group at our birthday party for Jesus event this morning, and these will be great to keep the early arrivals busy and engaged!
Louise Sunde
I am a new elementary music teacher and am always looking for fun ideas and I love these! I can’t wait to begin using them.
Gwyn Rollins
Shaunna, I hope you don’t mind but I used some of your Christmas Songs to create a free printable. You can see the printable here.
Thanks, Gwyn from Preschool Printable
Shaunna Evans
Thank you for referencing our site in the printable. The songs you’ve collected look like a lot of fun.
Leah
I love these! Such fun! Our oldest loves to sing songs and especially loves when they have movement or action to go along with them. I missed your Thanksgiving songs, but there is still time to sing them. I will have to check them out! Thanks so much and blessings for your holiday season!
Shaunna Evans
I’m so glad you enjoyed these songs. Maybe you can use the Thanksgiving ones next year. I hope you’ve enjoyed the holidays. 🙂
Sarah Guile
Thank you,these ideas will help me deliver my christmas rhyme time groups. One other favourite of mine is 5 christmas puddings in a bakers shop, round and fat with holly on the top……
Verity
Thanks for this – we will use some of them this year. It’s great to learn some new songs.
We sing ‘A Christmas tree, a Christmas tree [drawing a triangle with both hands twice], With a star on top [one hand held up with fingers moving] it’s a Christmas tree! ‘[triangle] repeat phrase ‘Shiny tinsel, shiny tinsel [both hands move to sides with finger action as star] With a star on top, it’s a Christmas tree!’ [actions as before] repeat phrase. Sung to tune of ‘Pizza Hut’
Happy Christmas from England 🙂
Shaunna Evans
You are very welcome! Thank you for sharing your song, too. My little dancers will love to have another song with movements to add to our list.
Celena
I am so happy I stumbled upon this on pinterest. I am in charge of my co-op preschool Christmas party, and these songs are just perfect!
Shaunna Evans
Oh how fun! We recorded the kids singing them last year, and we’ve been watching the videos all year. I hope your co-op has a great time!
Nina P.
I just want to say I love the songs here on your blog. I am a new preschool teacher and the kids have enjoyed learning songs with sign language. I am looking forward to not only teaching the Thanksgiving songs to them but also the Christmas songs.
Shaunna Evans
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Nina! Singing is an important part of our day, and I love incorporating sign language when we can. I shared a few posts last year, but maybe I’ll get in gear to share a few more throughout the rest of the year. I hope your class enjoys the holidays songs we have available so far!
[email protected]
I love Christmas songs and your list is so fun. Thank you for sharing this wonderful post with the Weekly Kid’s Co-op. I’m Pauline and I blog over at http://lessonslearntjournal.com. I will feature this post as part of my roundup of this week’s linky party and also pin a picture from your post onto our very popular Weekly Kids’ Co-op Pinterest board :).
Shaunna
Thank you so much, Pauline! I am glad you enjoyed the list, and I really appreciate being featured.
Charlene
awww so cute, I love the reindeer pokey – cute! Thanks for sharing on Hey Mom, Look What I Did at Adventures In Mommy Land…hope to see you again soon 🙂
Shaunna
Thanks. The kids are LOVING the reindeer pokey, too!
Julie
Hi,
loved this so much I featured it on this week’s Mom’s Library! Hop over and grab a ‘I was featured on Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk” button!
Also, we are having a great Christmas Give-Away to raise awareness for the Ornaments 4 Orphans organization!
Can’t wait to see what you have to link up this week!
Julie @ Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk
http://heymommychocolatemilk.blogspot.com/2012/12/moms-library-8-for-me-and-give-away.html
Shaunna
Oh, thank you so much!
Tulip
Love the last one! My favorite. Thanks for sharing these at Mom’s Library!
Shaunna
Thanks! I really like that one, too. Very sweet to see the kids singing it.
Tracey M
These songs are just great! I’m visiting from over at the library link up … I’m always looking for fun songs we can add into our homeschool time and can’t wait to sing these with my son! Thanks for sharing.
Shaunna
Thank you so much! I hope you and your son enjoy them. Come back and tell me which ones he enjoyed the most!
Amy
My son will love these! Thank you 🙂
Shaunna
I hope so! Thanks!
Lilac @LearnersInBloom
I love songs that have hand movements and some physical activity involved in them too. I’ll have to teach my kiddos some of these songs – I bet even my 14 month old will get into them… Thanks for sharing!
Shaunna
Thanks! I bet your 14 month old will join in some. My 20 month old and a 10 month that joins us both join in on the fun by clapping, bouncing, and doing some of the basic hand motions. Enjoy!
Kelly at Little Wonders' Days
Fun! We used Christmas carols as a “theme” to our advent activities last year and the kids really enjoyed it. I think I will use some on your list again this year.
Shaunna
Terrific! Come back and let me know which song your kids enjoy the most.
Julie
So glad I saw this post! I would love for you to hop over and add this to my weekly Mom’s Library Link-Up!
Thanks and be blessed!
http://heymommychocolatemilk.blogspot.com/2012/11/moms-library-link-up-7-for-me.html
Shaunna
Thanks so much! I linked it up as #25. I appreciate the invite.
andiejaye
i love the lights on the tree one! thanks also for linking up to tip-toe thru tuesday!
Shaunna
Thank you! The kids seem to be liking it, too. 🙂
Kellee
Rudolph! Jingle Bells! Silent night!
Shaunna
Thanks, Kellee! Those are the traditional carols we love to sing, too. We have a lot of them in book form, and I plan to share about some of those books soon. 🙂