Last Updated on August 11, 2025 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: This Christmas block center idea includes cones, blocks, and loose parts for some creative hands-on play!
Lights, cones, arches, mirrors, wood pieces … that’s what this Christmas block center is all about.
Children use their fine and large motor muscles while constructing pieces out of the blocks and loose parts.
While it might look like a lot of pieces, it’s a rather simple set up that encourages being creative as pieces are put together.
Our block area gets changed with each theme (even though it’s not always theme-related). Some pieces – like our wood unit blocks, basket of cars, basket of people, and arched blocks – are always available, stored on a shelf.
But other pieces, like what I am going to show you today, are brought in for two weeks.
Related: The Best Blocks Activities
Watch the video:
Christmas Block Center
I am going to share what we used, but please know that you can substitute anything with what you already have.
Go through your stash and see what would work.
What We Used
- Red and green cones, sticks, and golf tees (I was gifted these items from Homegrown Studio and love them)
- Mirrors from our playdough table
- Red and green wood blocks pulled from our wood blocks set
- LED Christmas lights
- Wood rings
- Wood trees
- Red and green arched blocks pulled from our wooden arch rainbow blocks
- Red and green plastic candy shaped dishes from a dollar store
Set Up
I used our train table as the flat surface to display everything.
Obviously not everyone has a train table (I was fortunate to find one someone was going to get rid of) but these could also be set up on any table or even the floor, depending on the type of space you have.
I put everything on the table and the rest was up to the children.
Invitation to Play
So what will they do with this Christmas block center?
That’s what I love to stand back and observe during our free-choice centers time.
Lots of building, of course.
My two year olds love to stack blocks as high as possible, until they topple over.
Working Together
This is also a space that encourages working together.
In December most of my students are close to 2.5 years old (some might be 3), so they are starting to play more together than side-by-side.
They are learning to navigate shared space and shared materials, something that can be a challenge for this age group.
This is where a teacher can step in to help when needed, but it’s amazing how they figure so much out on their own, too.
The Biggest Hit
The most popular pieces on this table were the cones and the pieces that got pressed into them.
These were new to us, since I was asked to give them a try in our classroom.
While I loved them as soon as I opened the box (they are so sturdy!), the real test was how the children would use them.
They were so intrigued by pressing the sticks through the holes in the cones.
And turning the cones into anything they wanted them to be, including binoculars.
Learning through play.
This is why I love providing open-ended activities!
And the children obviously love them, too.
More Christmas Activities
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