The theme for this Christmas season certainly seems to be “magic.” Magic doesn’t always make itself, though. Sometimes it needs a little help. And a nice dose of humor.

We’ve been working through a bunch of Christmas activities from the Celebrate Activity Plan by Jamie Reimer of Hands on We Grow. It’s been so helpful to have a go-to resource for quick, easy and fun activities to do with Stitch leading up to Christmas. I knew I wanted to do activities like this with Stitch, who is 21-months-old. But, I also knew I didn’t have time to scour Pinterest for ideas, get all the supplies, then execute the activities. With 90% of what we’ve done, we’ve used things we already had in the house. Love it!

Two nights ago, I wanted to try a toddler version of Decorate the Christmas Tree Activity with ABCs. I’d shared the video on Facebook, but hadn’t watched it in a few days. We only had blue painter’s tape, so I plopped down on the floor and made the outline of a Christmas tree. It didn’t turn out quite the same, but Stitch was immediately engaged with it.

Before I could even show Stitch my plans for the tree, she got to work on her own plans!

Within minutes, the tree was filled with books and toys. Then she moved all the books and toys out and sat in the middle. Then she scooted from the top of the tree to the bottom of the tree and back up to the top. Before Lloyd got home, she’d already played multiple little made-up games with the tree.

While I finished dinner, Stitch and Daddy decorated the tree with gift bows we’d used for some other activities. I had planned on putting dots on the tape for her to match with the bows, but I didn’t want to interrupt her work/play to force the activity my way. She and Daddy had a great time choosing a bow for the top of the tree, then decorating the rest of the tree with the remaining bows.

Engaging Activity or Crime Scene?

The next morning she had physical therapy, and I pulled out the bows to motivate Stitch in her work. The therapist loved the activity so much, she asked me to send her a picture so she could share it with other clients. When I snapped a picture of the empty tree, I started to just laugh. Seeing it from that angle made it look like a Christmas tree had been murdered in our living room, and this was the crime scene tape outline. I wondered why I didn’t think that when I initially saw the video, so I went back to watch it again. Jamie’s version only has a zig zag outline, not the full tree.

Somehow, seeing it as crime scene tape has made it endlessly more entertaining for me. We’re using this painter’s tape Christmas tree for a lot of play and silliness in our house right now.

Endless Possibilites

Stitch came up with so many uses for the tree, and we’ve come up with others together. Check out some of the other ways you can use taped lines on the floor as activities for the kiddos. I’ll certainly be using these ideas to keep us moving indoors this winter! Want some no-fuss activity plans to follow? Jamie’s got you covered with eBooks and her member-only Activity Room.

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