Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is one of my all-time favorite Christmas stories. From the nostalgic 1949 song version sung by Gene Autry to the fantastic Claymation T.V. special, the story never gets old but holds a special place in many of our hearts. This year, introduce our little red-nosed hero to your child to support his self-concept and empathy skills!

Share Rudolph’s story. Rudolph was a young reindeer who had an unusual red nose that lit up. Although Rudolph was excluded and laughed at by the other reindeer because he was different, Rudolph was able to save Christmas by helping Santa guide his sleigh through the dark night to deliver his gifts to all the children in the world. All of the reindeer’s cheered for Rudolph realizing that being different can be a good thing.

Sing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. There’s no better way for preschoolers to learn than through song. Sing the 1949 classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with your child to reinforce the awesome story about our little buck hero.

Daily Reflections: Ask your child to reflect on the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

• How do you think Rudolph felt when the other reindeers didn’t want to play with him?
• Have you ever felt excluded like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? How did you feel?
• What makes you different and special from others?

Make a tree ornament. Gemma and I created these simple Rudolph tree ornaments for our DIY Children’s Christmas tree this year. Not only did she enjoy extending the story experience with a hands-on art project, but she also practiced her fine motor, dexterity, and exploring shapes and sizes skills.

1. Gather the materials:

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer worksheet
• Cardboard
• Brown colored felt or construction paper
• Cream colored felt or construction paper
• Red colored felt or construction paper
• Brown colored pipe cleaner
• Black marker or two mini pom poms
• Yarn (green color is preferred)
• White craft glue
• Pencil or thin marker
• Tape
• Child-safe scissors and fabric scissors (if you use felt)
• Optional: Glitter glue

2. Use the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer worksheet to cut out cardboard shapes. Ask your child to trace the following shapes:
   • Triangle shape on the brown felt or paper
   • Heart shape on the cream felt or paper
   • Circle shape on the red felt or paper
3. Cut Away.  Help your child cut out the shapes.
4. Make it Stay. Glue the brown triangle onto the triangle cardboard shape (this will be the base of your ornament). Turn the triangle upside down to reflect Rudolph’s head. Glue the cream heart onto the bottom corner of the triangle. Add Rudolph’s nose by gluing the red circle at the tip of the corner.
5. What’s Missing? Add details by drawing in eyes with the black marker (or gluing the black mini pom poms) and embellishing the red nose with glitter glue.
6. Finishing Touches. Make the antlers by folding the pipe cleaner into a V and twisting pieces into 3 “branches” on each side. Affix the antlers to the back of the ornament using tape.
7. Hang and Display. Cut a 4-5 inch length of yarn to form the loop that secures the ornament to the tree. Tape the loop to the back of the ornament. Set the ornament aside to allow for drying before decorating the tree.
8. Download your free Rudolph Worksheet here.

P.S. This is just a rough guide on how we made our Rudolph. If your child wants to deviate and add his own magic to the ornament, go for it! Even with ours, Gemma insisted that we replace the red circle with a red heart for Rudolph’s nose!

P.S.S. Don’t have all of the materials listed above? Not a problem! You can do this craft using plain white paper and crayons!

Learning Foundations: Self-Concept, Empathy of Others, Following Rules and Routines, Appreciation of Books and Stories, Music Appreciation and Creation, Phonological Awareness, Small Muscle Movement and Dexterity, Exploring Shapes and Sizes.

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Yvette Hwee

CEO & Founder at Playful Bee

I'm the momma of Gemma, a curious 3-year old, and Foxin, a rambling 1-year old, so I'm deep in the trenches every day, just like you. I'm deeply passionate about early childhood education and policy. On any given day, you'll find me 1) running a mile a minute chasing after my tots, 2) busy at work with Playful Bee, 3) cuddling with my dogs, 4) chowing down on a delicious meal with my hubby, and 5) enjoying a bit of zen during a hot stone massage. As young parents, our days may be long and years short, but ahhhh...life can be good if we let it.

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