Christmas Tree Ball Sort for Toddlers

 

I am so excited to share with you my favorite activity as of late (besides our LEGO Nativity Puzzles, anyway). Little Sister LOVES this Christmas Tree Ball Sort for Toddlers activity and it keeps her busy doing something besides trying to drink water from the toilet (yes, that is an actual issue in our house these days).

 

If you have a toddler who loves to get into the big Christmas tree, try making this (or our Felt Christmas Tree for Toddlers) to keep him/her occupied and his/her hands away from the real tree. Not only is it super fun, it great for fine motor control (fitting those balls inside the small openings) and color recognition.

 

Here’s what you’ll need:

Large piece of cardboard

Green posterboard

A yardstick or some other long, thin item to hold the tree up (I used an unused curtain rod- ha!)

Baskets

Ball Pit Balls

Spray adhesive (or just use glue sticks)

Zip Ties

Construction Paper (the same color as the ball pit balls)

 

 

1. Cut out a triangle shape from your cardboard. Trace the shape onto your green poster board.

 

2. Cut out the poster board.

 

3. Use spray adhesive to attach the green poster board to the cardboard.

 

4. Find a cup and a larger cup that the ball pit balls fit through and trace them on the cardboard. Then trace the smaller cup inside the larger cup on each color of the construction paper.

 

5. Cut out the circles from the cardboard/poster board combo. I broke my Xacto knife cutting the triangle piece of cardboard, so I had to use scissors to do this step. I found it was easiest to stab the inside of the circle and then make rays to the edges of the circle (so that it looks like a pizza being cut). Then cut around the circle.

 

6. Cut out the inside of the circle from each color of construction paper.

 

7. Use a glue stick to attach the circles onto the tree. And, of course, you have to add a star to the top!

 

8. Next, use packing tape to attach your yardstick/rod to the center of the tree.

 

9. Use zip ties to secure the base of the rod to the basket.

 

Now, put your ball pit ball into a basket next to the tree. Let your little one get busy putting the balls through the holes in the tree.

 

Little Sister didn’t quite understand the concept of putting the ball into the corresponding color of hole…but eventually her brothers helped her realize the goal. :)

 

 

 

Once she got started, there was no stopping her.

 

This girl was on a mission.

 

Ta-Da! A yellow ball in the yellow hole…success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out more Christmas activities here.