christmas themed problem solving activities

35 Festive Christmas STEM Activities for Kids

Categories Christmas , STEM

Kids of all ages are going to love these Christmas STEM activitie s. From engineering challenges, to cool science experiments, there’s something for everyone.

Make the holiday season epic with the Christmas Activity Pack . Over 100 pages of educational printables for preschool and kindergarteners. Check it out now.

Disclosure: Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times.

Christmas STEM Activities for Kids

1. bauble balance.

This bauble balance activity is perfect for this holiday season. Help toddlers and preschoolers develop engineering skills with this simple idea.

2. Christmas Measuring Activity (Free Printable for Kids)

Encourage kids with festive learning with this Christmas Measuring Activity free printable . It’s a great way for preschoolers & kindergarteners to practice math skills!

3. Christmas Roll and Graph (Free Printable for Kids)

Make math merry with this free Christmas roll and graph activity for preschool and kindergarten kids! It’s a fun way to learn about data collection and analysis through hands-on play

4. Free Printable Christmas Number Sequence Puzzles for Kids

Young kids will love these Christmas number sequence puzzles ! Perfect for preschool and kindergarten math centers. Grab your copy of this free printable activity for the holiday season.

5. Build Tinkering Trees

Build Christmas tinkering trees with your kids! Kids will have so much fun using these simple materials to explore the engineering design process.

Photo: Left Brain Craft Brain

6. Candy Cane STEM Building Challenge

Build with candy canes this Christmas season! Challenge kids to create their own sweet creations in this fun STEM activity.

Photo: Lemon Lime Adventures

7. Christmas STEM Pattern Block Challenge Cards

Christmas STEM Challenge: Pattern Block Cards – Add festive flair to math centers with ready-to-print Christmas cards focusing on 2D shapes.

Photo: You Clever Monkey

8. Christmas Catapult STEM Activity

Build, launch, and learn with this Christmas catapult ! Practice critical thinking while crafting your very own launching device.

Photo: Little Bins for Little Hands

9. Raft For The Reindeer

Christmas STEM challenges made easy. Design and test a special raft for the reindeer in this engaging engineering idea for kids.

Photo: Science Sparks

10. Magnetic Christmas Tree

Create a unique Christmas tree from magnetic blocks with your children. A fun Christmas STEM activity that incorporates jingle bells for merry learning and play.

Photo: And Next Comes L

11. Christmas STEM Challenge Cards

Start your Christmas countdown in a fun and educational way with these free printable Christmas STEM Challenge cards . They’re the perfect way to make the Christmas & winter season fun.

12. Homemade Marbled Ornaments

Color mixing ornaments : Create vibrant homemade marbled ornaments with your kids. A fun STEM activity for younger students and Christmas memories!

Photo: Team Cartwright

13. Dissolving Candy Canes

Use candy canes to make some Christmas science experiments. This is a fun way to find out how dissolving candy cane ornaments behave in different chemical reactions. 

14. Christmas Tree STEM Challenge

Can you build a Christmas tree using cups and string ? Fun activities like this are perfect for classrooms, where you want children to practice working as a team.

15. Christmas Tree Cup Stacking Game

Who can create the tallest tree using only cups ? This is a fantastic low-prep engineering project for kids of all ages.

16. Rudolf Races – Balloon Physics Christmas STEM Game

Rudolf Races : Reindeer fly in this Christmas STEM game! Get kids moving and laughing while learning physics. Fun for all ages!

Photo: STEAM Powered Family

17. Binary Code Christmas Ornament

Create a unique coded Christmas ornament with pipe cleaners and beads, using the binary alphabet for a fun coding twist. Perfect for holiday activities!

18. Pulley for the Elf

Kids will love Christmas STEM projects like this fun idea. Build an elf pulley system to help him move his treats around.

19. Rudolph Pipe Cleaner Circuit

Light up Rudolph with this fun idea! Learn about electrical circuits and light up rudolph’s nose for a fun holiday lesson.

Photo: Teach Beside Me

20. Christmas Salt Circuit STEM

Create a glowing Christmas tree with this fun science experiment! Perfect for classroom or homeschool activities. Get ready for some festive STEM fun!

21. Christmas LEGO Challenge Cards

Christmas LEGO cards for winter break fun! This is an easy way to get your kids involved in some .holiday STEM

22. Santa’s Chimney STEM Challenge

Build a gingerbread house out of candy in this Christmas Candy STEM Challenge! See if you can test your design skills and build Santa’s new chimney.

​23. Lego Sleigh for Santa

Join the fun building a LEGO Santa sleigh ! Challenge your kids’ problem-solving skills with this Christmas-themed STEM activity. Who will build the best sled?

24. Poinsettia pH Experiment

Poinsettia pH experiment – the perfect STEM activity for young scientists.

25. Spinning Christmas Tree Science Experiments

Get ready to be amazed by the spinning Christmas trees experiment ! Easy, cool, and perfect for December STEM lesson plans.

Photo: 123 Homeschool 4 Me

26. Parachute for an Elf

Create your own elf parachute and see if he can fly. What design challenges will you need to solve to get your elf in the air?

27. Christmas Coding STEM Printables

Discover the magic of Christmas coding with these STEM printables! Exciting STEAM activities await, with endless learning opportunities.

28. Crystal Candy Canes

Grow crystal candy canes ornaments in time for Christmas. The Christmas break is the perfect time to try this great idea.

29. Dissolving Fizzy Coal Christmas Science

Fizzy coal is sure to be a hit with your kids! These lumps of coal that fizzle and dissolve, all thanks to a little science.

Photo: Reading Confetti

30. Christmas Lava Lamp Science Experiment

Looking for fun Christmas STEM activities? Make your own DIY lava lamps with a Christmas twist . This is a fun hands-on activity that your kids will want to do again and again.

Photo: Fun Learning for Kids

31. Christmas Baking Soda Experiment

All you need are a few simple household items to make this Christmas themed baking soda experiment . Kids will love watching the various shapes bubble and fizz before their eyes.

Photo: Messy Little Monster

32. Christmas Science: An Oil and Water Experiment

Christmas oil and water experiment : A fun twist for holiday learning with your child. Try this easy science activity today!

Photo: Inspiration Laboratories

33. Balancing Elf!

Looking for Christmas STEM ideas that don’t require a lot of prep work? This printable balancing elf is a great resource. Explore gravity and balance with this fun idea.

Photo: Red Ted Art

34. Grow the Grinch’s Heart Science Experiment

Grow the Grinch’s heart activity – a festive STEM learning experience for Christmas time.

Photo: Creative Family Fun

35. Build a Marshmallow Snowman

Build a marshmallow man with this fun STEM challenge! Explore various materials in this Christmas science investigation activity.

Are you going to try any of these Christmas STEM activities with your kids? Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.

More Play Based Learning for Kids

Christmas Activities for Kids

STEM Activities for Kids

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Fun Christmas Math Problems

I teach at a very small private school, and each year we have a math team to compete at the state math meet. A team consists of ten students, and ten students is about the size of our  entire  high school (which is wonderful when you get to teach class sizes of anywhere from one to eight students, but is not so great for raising up a ten person math team). We usually end up having half a team, and half of the students are middle schoolers.

We know that we're not going to be "competitive," but I try to make sure that the students have some fun doing problem solving activities together. One of the big challenges is trying to create competition-style problem sets that have something that's feasible for my entire range of students from sixth graders to twelfth graders.

This year I put together a set of Christmas-themed problems for my students to work on as a team. The problem set is the attached printable file, and there is a solution key below.

This problem set would also work well as a Christmasy problem-solving activity for a high school math class.

Handouts/Worksheets

Christmas problems.

• How many gifts were given in all in the song “The Twelve days of Christmas”?  
• The earth has eight billion people, and the average family size is 2.5 people. 75% of all families have children, and 3 8  of those families have only “nice” children. If Santa only visits families that don’t have any “naughty” children, how many families does he have to visit?  
• I have a certain amount of money to spend on Christmas gifts. I spent half of it on my wife, a third of the remaining money on my son, and half of the remaining money on my daughter. When I was all done, I had $12 to spend on the baby. How much money did I start with?  
• The Christmas eggnog was not creamy enough; it was only 30% cream. How much half-and-half (50% milk, 50% cream) must be added to five gallons of eggnog to make it 45% cream?  
• Santa’s workshop is filled with elves, reindeer and snowmen. Elves have two legs, reindeer have four, and snowmen have none. In all there are 72 “creatures” in the workshop, and 176 feet. Only elves and snowmen wear hats, and there were 40 hats in the workshop. How many snowmen were there?  
• In how many distinct ways can the letters of the name “SANTA” be arranged?  
• Hermie can open presents at a rate of three presents every two minutes. Rudolph can open presents at a rate of two presents every five minutes. If they work together, how many minutes will it take them to open 133 presents?  
• At dawn on December 1st, Frosty the Snowman is 62 inches tall. Every day Frosty melts a little, decreasing his height by 4 inches. Every night it snows a little, increasing his height by 3 inches. On what day will Frosty reach a height of zero inches?

Christmas Problems: Solution Key

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Christmas Math Worksheets

Merry Christmas from Math-Drills.Com where our gift to you is a page of Christmas math worksheets! On this page you will find a selection of Christmas math worksheets and regular math worksheets decorated with Christmas ornaments .

Some of the Christmas math worksheets may be fairly large due to the number of images included. We hope you enjoy this page and we wish you the best of the season! Have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy your time with family and friends.

Most Popular Christmas Math Worksheets this Week

Various Christmas Math Worksheets

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...! These counting worksheets visually allow students to see groups of numbers for their skip counting. For example, on the 5 Gold Rings worksheet, there are groups of 5 gold rings and students count by 5s. Some of the numbers are included, so students stay on track.

• Christmas Skip Counting with the 12 Days of Christmas 1 Partridge in a Pear Tree 2 Turtle Doves 3 French Hens 4 Calling Birds 5 Gold Rings 6 Geese a-Laying 7 Swans a-Swimming 8 Maids a-Milking 9 Ladies Dancing 10 Lords a-Leaping 11 Pipers Piping 12 Drummers Drumming
• Christmas Counting Objects in Various Arrangements Counting Christmas Objects in Horizontal Linear Arrangements Counting Christmas Objects in Rotated Linear Arrangements Counting Christmas Objects in Rectangular Arrangements (Maximum Dimension 5 ) Counting Christmas Objects in Rectangular Arrangements (Maximum Dimension 9 ) Counting Christmas Objects in Circular Arrangements Counting up to 10 Christmas Objects in Scattered Arrangements Counting up to 20 Christmas Objects in Scattered Arrangements Counting up to 50 Christmas Objects in Scattered Arrangements Counting Christmas Objects in Various Arrangements ( Easier Version) Counting Christmas Objects in Various Arrangements ( Harder Version)

The Santa's Route activity is similar to the traveling salesman problem which asks for the shortest route through a number of cities. In the case of the traveling salesman problem, one must return to the original city. The Santa's Route activity does not have this final requirement and is technically a minimum-length Hamiltonian path. But the important part is that Santa needs your students to assist! This is an open-ended activity where the goal isn't to get the correct answer, but to go through the process of finding an answer and perhaps improving on it. Students use mathematical and logical thinking when designing their routes. The newer version of Santa's Route is linked to a Google map that students can use for visualizing the activity and drawing a path. They should use the distance chart to calculate their final route as it gives them some adding practice and the final answers will differ slightly from the measured routes on the Google maps. Students should be scored on the process rather than the final result matching the answer key. To get the minimum distance for all the questions might take a really long time and/or some programming skills.

• Santa's Route Data Analysis Santa's Route in Miles Santa's Route in Kilometers

The Christmas word problems only have one theme: Christmas. In order to complete them, students will have to draw on their knowledge of several math topics. Most of the questions are multi-step problems.

• Christmas word problems Christmas Word Problems

Ordering numbers is an important skill and these worksheets will get students in the Christmas spirit while practicing this skill. Each of the worksheets has three activities, two of which are ordering/comparing activities and the third is a small art project to design a Christmas ornament. Make sure students are ordering their numbers in the correct order; different versions of each worksheet ask for greatest to least or least to greatest.

• Christmas Sorting/Ordering Worksheets Sorting/Ordering Numbers 0 to 10 on a Christmas Tree Sorting/Ordering Numbers 1 to 50 on a Christmas Tree Sorting/Ordering Numbers 10 to 99 on a Christmas Tree Sorting/Ordering Numbers 100 to 999 on a Christmas Tree Sorting/Ordering Numbers 1000 to 9999 on a Christmas Tree

There are three different attributes to watch in the picture patterns. The first is "shape" which is really just different Christmas objects. Students determine what comes next by figuring out the pattern of shapes. The second attribute is size; in this case either small or large. The third attribute is rotation which could be any of four rotations: 0, 90, 180, or 270 degree rotations (aka, up, right, down, left). For the worksheets with combined attributes, have students figure out the pattern of one attribute at a time.

• Christmas Picture Patterns Christmas Picture Patterns with Shape Attribute Only Christmas Picture Patterns with Size Attribute Only Christmas Picture Patterns with Rotation Attribute Only Christmas Picture Patterns with Shape and Size Attributes Christmas Picture Patterns with Shape and Rotation Attributes Christmas Picture Patterns with Size and Rotation Attributes Christmas Picture Patterns with Shape, Size and Rotation Attributes One-Attribute (Shape) Patterns Version 1 (OLD) One-Attribute (Shape) Patterns Version 2 (OLD)

A small selection of number patterns worksheets on Christmas themes. The Elves Number Patterns worksheet is a more standard type of patterning worksheet where students identify and continue a pattern. The Reindeer Patterns is a bit more challenging because students look for the mistakes in number patterns and fix them.

• Christmas Number Patterns Elf Toy Inventory Number Patterns ( Intervals to 9 ) Elf Toy Inventory Number Patterns ( Intervals to 99 ) Elf Toy Inventory Number Patterns ( Intervals to 999 ) Reindeer Patterns

This section includes Christmas Cartesian Art activities also known as coordinate geometry activities. Each activity in this section includes a solution page, a co-ordinates page and a blank grid. The latter two, of course, are what students will need to complete the activity.

• Christmas Cartesian Art Christmas Cartesian Art Santa (Four Quadrants) Christmas Cartesian Art Nativity (Four Quadrants) Christmas Cartesian Art Tree (One Quadrant) Christmas Cartesian Art Snowflake (One Quadrant) Christmas Cartesian Art Snowflake 2 (Four Quadrants) Christmas Cartesian Art Holly (Two Quadrants) OLD Christmas Coordinate Geometry Activity

A variety of graph papers with various themes. Graph paper can be used to calculate the area of rectangles or other shapes; design a room; make a map; line up multi-digit addition questions; learn about place value; make a bar or broken line chart; and much more.

• Christmas Graph Paper (U.S.) Christmas Santa 1/2 Inch Graph Paper Christmas Reindeer 3/8 Inch Graph Paper Christmas Presents 5 Lines per Inch Graph Paper
• Christmas Graph Paper (Metric) Christmas Holly 1 cm Graph Paper Merry Christmas 2.5 cm / 0.5 cm Graph Paper Christmas Nativity 2.5 cm / 0.5 cm Graph Paper

Two simple fraction skills are reviewed in these Christmas math worksheets to give students something fairly easy on the road to Christmas vacation.

• Christmas Fractions Worksheets Open the Present Equivalent Fractions Shake the Present Simplified Fractions

Christmas Arithmetic

Ebenezer Scrooge was so stingy that Bob Cratchit had to watch how much ink he used. As he was quite clever, Bob wrote each question so not only could he save some ink, but any other clever person could still figure out which digits went where. As we all know, Scrooge stopped being a miser, so he bought some ink, gave Cratchit the day off and is now going to fill in all the missing digits in the accounting ledgers. Can your students help Scrooge fill in the missing digits?

• Ebenezer Scrooge's Missing Digits Worksheets (Addition and Subtraction) Scrooge's Missing Digits Addition (Easier) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Addition (Harder) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Subtraction (Easier) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Subtraction (Harder) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Addition and Subtraction Mixed (Easier) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Addition and Subtraction Mixed (Harder) ✎
• Ebenezer Scrooge's Missing Digits Worksheets (Multiplication and Division) Scrooge's Missing Digits Multiplication (Easier) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Multiplication (Harder) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Division (Easier) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Division (Harder) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Multiplication and Division Mixed (Easier) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits Multiplication and Division Mixed (Harder) ✎
• Ebenezer Scrooge's Missing Digits Worksheets (All Operations) Scrooge's Missing Digits All Operations Mixed (Easier) ✎ Scrooge's Missing Digits All Operations Mixed (Harder) ✎

The "What's in the Gift?" worksheets are really pre-algebra, but students who are able to do each operation should be able to figure out the missing terms. The "What's in the Gift?" multiplication worksheets challenge students to figure out what number is missing in each multiplication question. There are a variety of levels to appeal to students who have grasped different parts of the multiplication tables. The What's in the Gift division worksheets encourage students to apply their multiplication facts to division and algebraic situations. Choose a level that is appropriate for your student. These worksheets should ideally be done mentally as review or practice.

• What's in the Gift Addition What's in the Gift? Addition (Sums to 18) What's in the Gift? Addition (Sums to 50) What's in the Gift? Addition (Sums to 98) What's in the Gift? Addition (Sums to 198) What's in the Gift? Addition (Sums to 1998)
• What's in the Gift Subtraction What's in the Gift? Subtraction (Differences to 9) What's in the Gift? Subtraction (Differences to 25) What's in the Gift? Subtraction (Differences to 49) What's in the Gift? Subtraction (Differences to 99) What's in the Gift? Subtraction (Differences to 999)
• What's in the Gift Multiplication What's in the Gift? Multiplication (Products to 49) What's in the Gift? Multiplication (Products to 64) What's in the Gift? Multiplication (Products to 81) What's in the Gift? Multiplication (Products to 100) What's in the Gift? Multiplication (Products to 144) What's in the Gift? Multiplication (Products to 400)
• What's in the Gift Division What's in the Gift? Division (Dividends to 49) What's in the Gift? Division (Dividends to 64) What's in the Gift? Division (Dividends to 81) What's in the Gift? Division (Dividends to 100) What's in the Gift? Division (Dividends to 144) What's in the Gift? Division (Dividends to 400)
• Christmas Secret Message Activities Christmas Holly Secret Message Addition with Addends from 1 to 25 Christmas Tree Secret Message Two-Digit Addition Christmas Bells Secret Message Three-Digit Addition Christmas Toys Secret Message Single-Digit Multiplication
• The Christmas Shoppe Activity The Christmas Shoppe (Numbers under $100) The Christmas Shoppe (Numbers under $1000)

The "Santa's List Addition" worksheets have a challenging bonus on them which requires adding long columns of numbers. Challenge your students to complete addition in their head, say using a left-to-right addition algorithm, instead of with paper and pencil. For more proficient students, make mental addition a game by having speed competitions. The Christmas order of operations worksheets should be easy enough that students can do them in their head.

• Santa's List Addition Santa's List Addition (Single-Digit) Santa's List Addition (Two-Digit) Santa's List Addition (Three-Digit) Santa's List Addition (Four-Digit)
• Christmas Order of Operations Christmas Order of Operations with Three Steps Christmas Order of Operations with Four Steps
• Miscellaneous Christmas Math Worksheets Christmas Spirit Secret Message Two-Digit by One-Digit Multiplication Kindergarten Addition Multiplication Two-Digit by Two-Digit (Vertical; 49 per page) Christmas Cards Christmas Missing Digits (Mischievous Elves) Santa's Competition

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Resources you can trust

Christmas resources

Christmas maths activities.

Here are our top picks for Christmas maths activities. Give them a try or browse the full collection for more classroom activities and printable worksheets to add some festivity to your maths lessons.

1. Draw a Christmas tree using geometry

Christmas cards by curve stitching challenges students to practice accurate drawing skills to create different Christmas pictures including a Christmas tree and a star.

2. Solve Christmas maths problems

Build students’ problem solving skills with Christmas-themed word problems and real-life scenarios that involve maths. Our favourites include Present wrapping conundrum and Christmas pudding ratio problems .

3. Practice with Christmas coordinates

Coordinates picture - Santa is a great resource to help KS3 students practice using coordinates to create a Christmas picture of Santa.

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Search results

Christmas maths worksheets.

Browse this collection of Christmas resources for KS3 and GCSE to find printable worksheets and maths games that reinforce concepts and build maths skills while helping students wind down for the Christmas holidays.

These downloadable Christmas-themed maths resources allow you to have some festive fun while ensuring your students are still thinking mathematically right up until the end of term! 

Christmas Math Activities: Problem Solving With the 12 Days of Christmas

Here’s a fun way to connect your classroom holiday sing-a-long with fantastic math concepts – perfect for ages 8 and up! In fact, students who love math may get so caught up in all of the number patterns they can find in The 12 Days of Christmas song that they may not want to stop!

This activity requires no special materials, just paper and pencil and the lyrics of The 12 Days of Christmas. Y ou can find the lyrics along with some problem solving prompts and record sheets at the bottom of the post, available as a free printable download.

You’re probably already familiar with the song but in case you need a refresher, here’s how it begins:

The 12 Days Of Christmas On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Now here’s the interesting question to pose to middle-grade students – have you ever wondered how many gifts in total were received? 

Many will immediately work on adding them up this way:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 =

Although this is not going to produce the true answer, it can be a great opportunity to reinforce finding sums of 10 first.

By counting the ten made (1+ 9)+ (2 + 8) (3 + 7), and (4 + 6) and adding the remaining numbers ( +5, +10, +11, +12), the sum of 78 can be determined fairly quickly.

That’s quite a heap of presents! However, you might ask, “Is this really what the song says – that one gift is given each day?”

After a closer look at the lyrics, students will see that on the second day, it appears that the “true love” gives three gifts- two turtle doves and another partridge in a pear tree!

Now the math fun really begins! Ask students to list the days and the number of presents given! Have them predict the grand total before actually doing the figuring.

Day 1 – 1 gift Day 2 – 3 gifts Day 3 – 6 gifts Day 4 – 10 gifts

…. and so on.

This song is “super mathy” with patterns galore! Ask students to see if they notice any patterns as they figure the gifts. They might see this one:

Day 1 : 1 Day 2 : 3 (1 + 2) Day 3 : 6 (1 + 2 + 3) Day 4 : 10 (1 + 2 + 3 + 4)

Recognizing patterns in math is the basis of all kinds of more advanced work. Some students might notice the numbers of gifts received are all “triangular numbers,” numbers that can be formed by dots in triangles.

When students have a chance to work with the new sums, then total them, they should find that the grand total of all gifts received is 364 !

For older students, additional questions can lead to more discoveries. For example:

Which gifts will total a dozen by the end of the song? Partridges and drummers (Each day, one partridge will be given so there will be a total of 12. On just one day, Day 12, a dozen drummers will be given.)

Of the 364 gifts, which ones will be given in the greatest numbers? Geese and swans – (6 geese will be given a total of 7 days for a total of 42 geese; 7 swans will be given 6 out of the twelve days for a total of 42 swans)

We’ve included these questions in the printable 12 days of Christmas Math Activity Pack (which you can download and print below). The pack includes the song lyrics and four pages of Christmas math activities related to the song.

There you have it! A very “mathy” Christmas carol it is, and you may never be able to hear it again without thinking about all the computations and number applications!

RELATED: Looking for more holiday activity ideas for  school age kids? Check out our 12 Days of Christmas Fun for School Age Kids .

Printing your 12 days of christmas math activity sheets.

Click here to download: 12 Days of Christmas Math Activities . Save the PDF to your computer. Open the PDF and print the pages you require. When printing, select “Fit to printable area” (or similar) to ensure the page fits with your printer type and local paper size (these have been created at A4 size).

Having trouble accessing or downloading the file? Please try a different internet browser. Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell. You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents. Teachers may use multiple copies for students in their own classroom.

Christie Burnett is a teacher, author and mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to find engaging, high quality learning ideas.

One Comment

Fabulous resource – thank you so much for sharing it…

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14 Best KS1 And KS2 Christmas Maths Activities

Hannah Searle

Christmas maths activities are a great way to celebrate Christmas and the end of term while consolidating pupils’ learning through fun maths.

As maths tutoring specialists, we know how busy school life is in the run up to Christmas so we’ve put together a collection of different Christmas maths activities suitable for key stage 1 and key stage 2 pupils. All of the maths problems, activities and maths resources included on this blog are included in a ready to use downloadable, printable format to reduce your maths lessons preparation time even further – and leave you more time to get in the Christmas spirit with your class!

Each activity has a Christmas theme and includes year group and time recommendations and instructions and advice on how to adapt and differentiate these activities to make them suitable for your pupils.

14 Christmas Maths Activities

Add some mathematical fun to the Christmas celebrations with these 14 festive maths activities for Years 1 - 6.

What sorts of Christmas maths activities are there?

Christmas maths activities are a great way to engage your pupils in learning, consolidate maths skills and apply them to fun new contexts.

We’ve designed these Christmas maths activities to be engaging, educational and aligned with the national curriculum. Importantly, we’ve also created them to be low prep and provided teachers with an easily downloadable and printable resource to reduce planning time and maximise fun!

More Christmas maths ideas, including a Christmas maths quiz are also available.

Why are Christmas maths activities important?

During the lead up to Christmas, there will be a lot of excitement and changes to routine with Christmas trips, nativity plays and other fun activities taking place during the school day. 

Christmas is also a rich opportunity for teachers to engage pupils in their learning. Topical maths activities provide pupils with practical applications of mathematical concepts which can help to deepen and solidify their understanding.

At Third Space Learning, we provide online one to one maths tutoring to KS1 and KS2 pupils across the UK. Our lessons follow an ‘I do, we do, you do’ approach to build conceptual understanding and provide opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge in new contexts to problem solving and reasoning questions. We also recognise the importance of engagement for successful learning and our tutors are trained to build rapport and adapt teaching for each pupil.

Christmas maths activities for KS1

For key stage 1 learners, these Christmas maths activities offer the opportunity to practise sequencing, christmas counting, addition and subtraction and review shapes in fun, festive and creative contexts.

1. Decoration Counting

Year Group: Year 1 Duration: 30 mins Topic: Number (counting)

Summary: Pupils create and decorate Christmas trees while practising counting sequential numbers.

You will need: 

• Decoration Counting Resource Sheet

Instructions:

• Hand out the Decoration Counting Resource Sheet to each pupil. 
• Tell the pupils that they need to place each decoration on the Christmas tree in the order they are numbered (e.g. bauble 1 goes on the 1 square). 
• Once they’ve placed all their decorations, they can colour them in. 
• Encourage pupils to count in order out loud as they are completing the activity. 

Alternative: 

• Create a template using the numbers 11 to 20. 
• Create a template where the numbers are out of order. 

2. Reindeer Addition Race

Year Group(s): Year 2 Duration: 25 minutes Topic: Calculation (addition and subtraction)

Summary: Pupils solve addition and subtraction calculations to help Santa’s reindeer complete their journey in a race format.

• Reindeer Addition Race Resource Sheet (Includes playing board and question cards)
• Put pupils into pairs or small groups. 
• Each pupil uses a counter or item to represent their reindeer. 
• Pupils take it in turn to roll their die and move the number of spaces shown. They either perform the task on the square they land on or, if the square is blank, they draw one of the question cards. 
• Pupils must answer a question correctly in order to roll and move again. If they answer a question incorrectly, they can either try to answer the same question again on their next turn or draw a new card and answer that question. 
• The pupil who reaches the finish line first wins. 
• Use different calculations e.g. all number bonds to 10 or 100, all addition, all subtraction etc.
• Create a race track around the hall or classroom for a more interactive activity.

3. Christmas Pattern Ornaments

Year Group: Year 1 to 3 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Geometry (2-D shapes)

Summary: Pupils design Christmas ornaments/baubles by using given 2-D shapes.

• Maths books/paper to draw on or Christmas Pattern Ornaments Resource Sheet
• Together as a class list different 2-D shape names and properties.
• Explain that pupils are tasked with designing different ornaments/baubles patterns using 2-D shapes and lines. 
• Include parameters such as: include 1 triangle and 1 circle. Then instruct pupils to colour specific shapes in specific colours. 
• Ask pupils to make one pattern – how many different combinations of colours can they colour their pattern (multiplication link). 
• Pupils create a Christmas picture using specific shapes and lines. 
• Include angles when discussing what to include

Christmas maths activities for KS2

With these Christmas maths activities, KS2 pupils can consolidate skills in measurement, geometry, statistics, algebra and more in fun and accessible festive contexts.

4. Christmas Estimations

Year Group: Year 3 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Measurement (Length/height)

Summary: Pupils participate in an activity where they estimate then measure Christmas-themed objects, practising their measurement skills.

• Various Christmas themed items (such as baubles, Christmas cards, small or large Christmas tree, advent calendar etc). Before the lesson, make sure you know the length/height of each item.
• Measuring tools (rulers/measuring tapes)
• Remind pupils how to measure items. 
• Either put pupils into groups or ask pupils to get into groups. 
• Explain that pupils are going to have time to estimate the length/ height of the Christmas themed objects at the front of the class. 
• One pupil can come to the table to look at the objects but cannot touch them. They can then bring back their observations to their team. 
• As a team, pupils agree on the estimations. 
• Either as a whole class or in their small groups, pupils then accurately measure the items. 
• Exact estimates = 3 points
• Estimates within 5mm of accurate estimate = 2 points
• Estimates within 1cm of accurate estimate = 1 points
• Estimates over 1cm of accurate estimate = 0 points
• The team with the greatest number of points, wins. 
• Pupils estimate the mass of the items as well as or instead of the length/height.

5. Christmas Magic Squares

Year Group: Year 3 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Calculation (Addition)

Summary: Pupils create and solve Christmas themed magic squares, enhancing their numerical reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

• Christmas Magic Squares Resource Sheet
• Explain what magic squares are: grids where the sums of numbers in each row, column, and diagonal are equal. 
• Show pupils the Christmas Magic Squares Resource Sheet and ensure they understand how to solve it.
• Hand out the worksheet and answer any questions pupils have along the way. 
• Pupils can create their own Christmas themed magic squares
• Create Christmas themed magic squares for pupils to recap important concepts such as number bonds and times tables facts.

6. Christmas Time Zone Challenge

Year Group: Year 4 Duration: 1.5 hours Topic: Measurement (Time)

Summary: Pupils calculate travel times across different time zones as Santa delivers gifts around the world, enhancing their understanding of time calculations and geography.

• Christmas Time Zone Challenge Resource Sheet
• (Optional) Access online time zone map
• Discuss what is meant by a ‘time zone’ and how this is relevant to Father Christmas/Santa’s global journey. Together, look at a time zone map of the world (these can be found online) and discuss time zones. 
• Explain that they are going to plan how long it would take a ‘normal’ (non-Father Christmas/Santa) person to get to different locations around the world on Christmas day if they flew from London each time. 
• Look at the Christmas Time Zone Challenge Resource Sheet. As time zones are calculated using GMT, we have provided the time it would take to different locations around the world from London. 
• Pupils calculate the time of arrival in each given location using the journey times given (approximately) and the time zone the destination is in. You can decide as a class the time they would leave London. 

Alternative:

• Select your own locations for pupils to use. 
• Provide pupils with the approximate flight durations but not the time zones. Encourage pupils to research the time zones for themselves. 
• Pupils map out a route Father Christmas/Santa could take to visit each given location. Using the internet, they could find the journey time using commercial flights between each location and calculate: a) the total duration of the journey and b) the touchdown time at each location.

7. Holiday Budgeting Exercise

Year Group: Year 4 Duration: 1.5 hours Topic: Measurement (money)

Summary: Pupils plan a Christmas shopping budget, applying arithmetic operations to manage their funds effectively.

• A fictional present list with prices
• Discuss the importance of budgeting and how it applies to Christmas shopping.
• Provide pupils with a fictional budget (e.g., £50) for buying Christmas gifts and identify how many people they will need to buy presents for (or allow them to decide based on their family/ friends). 
• Provide pupils with a list of fictional items with prices (e.g. new book: £7.99). 
• Pupils choose gifts they wish to “buy” within their budget. They then calculate the cost, ensuring they do not exceed their budget. 
• Encourage pupils to find different possible combinations of items that do not exceed the budget set. 
• Provide real world examples of the cost of items and a larger budget. Allow pupils to find the total cost of their idea present selection for friends/family or their own Christmas wish list.

8. Christmas Tree Symmetry Art

Year Group: Year 4 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Geometry (Symmetry)

Summary: Pupils create festive Christmas tree designs while exploring lines of symmetry and geometric shapes.

You will need:

• Squared paper
• Recap symmetry and demonstrate a line of symmetry using a simple shape.
• Demonstrate to pupils how to make a symmetrical Christmas tree on squared paper (folding the paper in half, drawing half of the Christmas tree and cutting it out. 
• Instruct pupils to create a symmetrical pattern within the Christmas tree. This could be by colouring squares or by creating shapes. Ensure pupils are focusing on symmetry throughout. 

Create a symmetrical Christmas tree on plain paper and mirrors. Discuss how pupils find this compared to using squared paper.

9. Reindeer Relay Race Fractions

Year Group: Year 5 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Fractions

Summary: Pupils participate in a relay race where they solve fraction problems related to Christmas reindeer, promoting teamwork and fraction understanding.

• Reindeer Relay Race Fractions Resource Sheet
• A large space
• Put pupils into teams. 
• Explain that pupils will need to run to a table/work station at the front of the space, answer a fractions word problem then run back to their team to tag the next person. 
• They can select the question they want to answer when they reach the table. 
• Each correct answer gains the team a point. 
• Teammates can check the answers that have already been given but that will be their turn (they cannot answer a new question and check an already completed question). 
• Set a timer for pupils to complete this activity. 
• Check/share the answers as a whole class at the end. 
• Change the topic of the questions e.g. to decimal word problems. 

10. Festive Area and Perimeter 

Year Group: Year 5 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Measurement (area and perimeter)

Summary: Pupils design and measure Christmas decorations or gifts, applying their knowledge of area and perimeter to real-world scenarios.

• Discuss what area/perimeter are and how to calculate them, including discussing composite shapes. 
• On squared paper, pupils design a Christmas decoration or Christmas picture using only composite shapes. 
• Pupils calculate the area and perimeter of each composite shape in their decoration/picture. 
• Provide pupils with parameters, e.g. You must include two composite shapes with the same area but different perimeters. You must include three composite shapes with the perimeter of 24cm.

11. Christmas Tables

Year Group: Year 5 Duration: 2 hours Topic: Statistics

Summary: Pupils design their own research that can be presented in a given way. 

• No additional resources 
• Explain that we are going to collect festive data and analyse it. 
• Either put pupils into groups or allow pupils to form groups. 
• Each group picks a festive theme for their survey where the data can be presented in a two-way table, e.g. how many children in each group like Christmas songs, how many children in each group like the colder weather etc.
• Once you are happy with the question pupils have selected, they can gather their data and present it in a two-way table.
• Pupils can then draw conclusions about their question based on the data they have collected. 
• Allow pupils to select any festive question and present their data in a way they deem fitting.

12. Festive Algebra Word Problems

Year Group: Year 6 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Algebra

Summary: Pupils develop algebraic thinking by solving Christmas-themed word problems. 

• Festive Algebra Word Problems Resource Sheet
• A space (e.g. classroom/ hall)
• Place the cards from the Festive Algebra Word Problems Resource Sheet around the room. 
• Explain that around the room, you have placed cards with word problems on them. The cards have an answer at the top (e.g. 60) followed by a word problem. 
• Pupils must follow the clues on a treasure hunt style task, answering each word problem then finding the associated answer to the problem. 
• Pupils can start at any point in the circuit. 
• This task can be completed individually and silently or in pairs/ teams. 
• Pupils should be able to solve the given problems without knowledge of algebra, however, you could make similar problems with different topics. 

13. Gingerbread House Measurement

Year Group: Year 6 Duration: 2 hours Topic: Ratio and Proportion (scale factors)

Summary: Pupils design and measure gingerbread houses, applying the concept of scale factors.

• No additional resources
• Discuss why it is important to use an accurate and consistent scale when designing buildings etc. 
• Explain that pupils will be designing their own gingerbread house, using accurate scales. This could be completed individually or in teams. 
• Pupils can start by drawing a simple gingerbread house and label the actual dimensions they would want to use. 
• Pupils replicate their simple drawing as a scale drawing of the gingerbread house they have designed. 

Additional activity: 

• Pupils could either make their gingerbread houses (baking or using cardboard) in school or take a copy of their scale drawings home to create at home. 
• Instead of focusing on accurate scale drawings, focus on 3-D nets of shapes.

14. Christmas Percentage Presents

Year Group: Year 6 Duration: 1 hour Topic: Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

Summary: Pupils calculate discounts and markups on Christmas presents, applying their knowledge of percentages in a shopping context.

• Christmas Percentage Presents Resource Sheet or fictional gift prices with discounts. 
• Review percentage concepts, including calculating percentages of numbers.
• Discuss when pupils have seen percentages in their real life (such as shopping discounts and price markups). Around the festive period, there are certain promotional days, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where businesses offer discounts. 
• Present pupils with the worksheet to complete. 
• Share the answers at the end of the lesson. 
• Give pupils a list of items that are full price at the beginning of the lesson and a budget to spend. Explain that throughout the lesson, the prices will decrease or increase at random. They can decide to buy the items at any point throughout the lesson but once they’ve ‘spent’ their money they can’t return items. Throughout the lesson, increase/decrease the price of items at random and ask pupils to calculate the new price. At the end of the lesson, share who got the best deal/why and how much everyone ‘spent’. 

Are you looking for more engaging, curriculum-aligned topical maths lessons and resources? See our collections below:

• Sports day maths activities
• Outdoor maths activities
• End of term maths activities  
• Maths club ideas & activities
• World Cup maths activities
• Football maths activities
• Easter maths investigations
• Halloween maths

Tips for Christmas maths activities

Christmas can be a lot of great fun and offers the opportunity for teachers and pupils to strengthen their relationships and engage with families and the wider community. However, it’s also an extremely busy time! 

Below, we’ve included a few tips for teachers both to implement these Christmas maths activities and to generally support wellbeing during the run up to the Christmas holidays:

• Download the activities from this blog in an easy to print and share format.
• Reduce planning time by sharing teaching resources within your school. Third Space Learning has hundreds of free resources including Christmas maths worksheets available for primary teachers and a Christmas collection of blogs.
• Incorporate maths and English skills into your class’ morning routine with an advent calendar of Christmas word games and maths challenges. Transum has an excellent online and interactive advent calendar among other Christmas resources.
• Don’t underestimate the power of simple activities – making snowflakes offers teachers a great opportunity to review shapes and explore symmetry (and provide great classroom decorations!)

We hope you enjoy using these curriculum-aligned Christmas maths activities with your pupils and enjoy a restful Christmas holiday. Happy Christmaths!

Christmas maths activities FAQs

Fun maths lessons are less about elaborate activities or equipment and far more about designing engaging content where pupils work actively on appropriately challenging work. Consider how best to show your enthusiasm as a teacher, how best to hook your pupils and how to incorporate appropriate maths games to encourage fluency.

There are a wide range of activities suitable for teaching maths in the classroom and it depends on the topic and age range of your pupils. At KS1, pupils should be engaged in activities that build their foundational maths skills and fluency. At KS2, pupils will build on these skills and develop fluency through games. At KS3, pupils should focus on activities and challenges that require them to problem solve and think critically to support their transition to GCSE maths and beyond.

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