Learning about the five senses has never been more fun than this! Christmas can be a season of sensory overload for some kids and talking about the sounds, smells and other things that they will experience is a great way to help prepare them. This Christmas Five Senses Book is the perfect thing! You can use the free printable or use this as a way to think up your own personalized book for your child.
Materials needed for the Christmas Five Senses Book:
2 Pipe cleaners
Bells (the smaller the better)
Clipping of an evergreen tree
Hot glue and glue gun
Candy Cane, miniature
Gingerbread cookie sticker or cutout
Ground ginger (or a holiday themed essential oil)
Presents stickers or cutouts
Decorations for the front cover
Hole punch
Again, this book is totally customizable. You can use the free Christmas Five Senses printable here or you can write your own sentences at the bottoms of the pages. Printing is easier for me, but whatever works best for you.
The pages are very simple to assemble. I know the materials list is longer than usual, but they are all common craft materials, so they are easy to get if you don’t have them on hand already.
The Presents Page “See”
I used some stickers that we have in our Christmas craft supplies. They are felt stickers so they are also great for a “feel” description, but most people don’t feel the presents that are under a tree to get sensory input, so for kids they are better suited for the ‘”see” page.
To extend this page, you can talk to your child about things they might see on a present like wrapping paper, a bow, or a tag.
The Gingerbread Page “Smell”
Again, I used a sticker from our craft supplies. Foam stickers are really easy to find at craft stores for various seasons. I used a glue stick on the front of the sticker and sprinkled the ginger onto the gingerbread man. Then I attached the sticker to the page.
After I did all that, I thought about the Thieves essential oil that I have that would have been perfect. You could use a drop of essential oil on the gingerbread man instead. (It would be less messy too…)
The Evergreen Page “Feel”
To create this page simply hot glue the sprig of evergreen tree to the page. I tried using a glue stick in a rush and it did not work. Stick to hot glue for this one.
The Bell Page “Hear”
Using the smallest bells you can find, thread two or three onto a pipe cleaner. Poke two holes near the center of the page and thread the pipe cleaner through to create a small loop to hold the bells. Tape down the ends of the pipe cleaner so that kids don’t poke themselves with the sharp ends. I clipped off the extra and used it on the candy cane page and on the binding.
The Candy Cane Page “Taste”
Saving the best for last! Using the same method that you used on the bell page, poke two holes in the page and thread the pipe cleaner through to create a loop to hold the candy cane. I tried simply cutting holes in the page and threading the candy cane through, but it caused the page to bend too much.
To assemble, I glued the pages back-to-back, so that the bells ended up on the back of the book. Otherwise it was too bulky and didn’t close well. My bells were also larger than what I would prefer, but they were the smallest we had on hand.
Finally, using small pieces of pipe cleaner create loops to thread through holes in the tops of the pages to create a festive binding.
And now you have a fun book to learn about the five senses all season long!
Download the Free Printable Christmas Five Senses Book
More great Five Senses activities from the #TeachECE team:
Number Sound Boxes by Munchkins and Moms
My Five Senses Book by Still Playing School
5 Senses Theme Activities for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog
Writing Letters in a Sugar Cookie Sensory Tray by Mom Inspired Life
Exploring the Alphabet with Your 5 Senses by Growing Book by Book
Winter Theme Alphabet Sensory Bin by The Educators’ Spin On It
My Christmas 5 Senses Book by Life Over C’s
Exploring the Senses Using Cardboard Tubes by Capri + 3
Wendy says
Where’s the link to print the book?
Kim says
The link is located directly underneath the materials list.
Sigita says
Very lovely book. Thanks!
Kim says
You’re welcome!
Amanda says
Love this and so would my preschooler! I bet it smells delicious.
Kim says
I’d love to see what you make! You can share it on my Facebook page. 🙂
Theresa says
That book is precious. We might need to do this as a project and have all four of our kids make their own. Thank you! Pinning.
Kim says
That sounds like so much fun!
Danielle says
The book turned out beautiful! SO inviting!
Kim says
I love this and will be making one with my kids! Thanks for sharing at Made for Kids!
Teresa says
So cute! My kids are a bit too old for this, but it would be just perfect for my baby cousin!
Emma says
What a fun idea! I love that you put in real bells and things for a more interactive book. I’m going to try this with my niece! Thanks for sharing at the Thoughtful Spot!
Kim says
Have fun!
Hil says
Such a cool idea!! I love it!
Alana says
We made one for my son yesterday and will make one with my daughter today. These are INCREDIBLE!!!! Absolutely genius!
Ria Heaton says
This is a great idea! Thank you for sharing!