The few weeks between Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break seem to fly by so fast. I honestly love this time because of the fun activities we do in my 2nd grade classroom. I love to make everything holiday based, especially with math. Let’s talk about the 5 christmas math activities students love.

But before we get started, did you know it is my passion to help teachers teach math facts in a fun, yet meaningful way. A way that helps students understand the basic facts, rather than using rote memorization. I have a free workbook to get you started. Download my 7 Steps to Ensure Math Fact Fluency here.

Christmas Math Activities

1. Christmas Math Craftivity

Students love crafts. And I love them too! Students are easily engaged by them. They are perfect for a Friday afternoon or you can even leave a math craft for a substitute to do with the kids.

 

My students absolutely love this Christmas Math Craftivity! One reason why I think they like it so much is because it’s 3D!

 

Plus, this resource is differentiated. You can use it to help students practice math facts 1-10, math facts 1-20, 2 digit addition, or 2 digit subtraction, making this resource great for 1st or 2nd grade.

No only that, for a craft, it’s pretty low prep for teachers. Just print on color paper and you are good to go!

Find this Christmas Math Craftivity here.

 

2. Christmas Don’t Eat Pete

Don’t Eat Pete is such a simple, yet fun game for students to play! I love to leave this game out as an early finisher math activity.

I also have it be part of my special “Holiday Rotations” which are just the rotations we do right before a break.

In this game, students work in a small group. They choose one to leave the group as they choose “Pete.” (which is just one of the squares on the playing board. When ready, they call the one player to come back. That one play starts to pick up “markers” as they say the math fact for each square. When they go to pick up “Pete” they group says, “Don’t Eat Pete.” Then it is another player’s turn.

Students have a blast playing this game. Plus, it is low prep for teachers! Just print off the page and slip it into a sheet protector. 

Find this Don’t Eat Pete Christmas math activity here.

3. Christmas I Spy Math Fact Worksheets

Students love to play I Spy. Add in some Christmas clipart and math facts, and it is the perfect Christmas math activity.

With these worksheets, students search the page for facts that equal 10 for example. They highlight those facts.

For facts that don’t equal 10, they write the equation and answer on the back side of the sheet. So they get a ton of practice with math facts.

Students love to find the facts and then color the pictures. And I don’t blame them. The clipart is so cute, making them such a fun Christmas math activity.

Find the December I Spy Math Facts Worksheets here. Find the year long bundle here.

 

4. December Math Facts Boom Cards

Now if you are teaching online this year, I don’t want you to feel left out! So no worries. I’ve got you covered with digital Christmas math fact activities.

BOOM cards are digital task cards. They are so engaging for students. Plus they give them immediate feedback.

This is a great way to help students practice the math fact fluency they need. I created one with the cutest Christmas present clipart to keep students engaged. Find them here.

Find the year long bundle here.

Looking for more help with these math online? Check out this blog post: How to Get Student Online Math Fact Practice

 

5. Paper Chain Christmas Tree

Make a Christmas tree door display in your classroom. It’s engaging to students because they make the links and chains.

Plus, it’s a low prep activity for you. Just cut green construction paper into a inch and a half strips.

You can easily make this Paper Chain Christmas Tree into a math activity for students. Have them solve math facts on each link. Or have them solve a 2 digit addition problem on a number line with each link. Honestly, the ideas are endless. Whatever you are doing in math, you can make this into a review activity!

Need more ways to help your students practice 2-Digit Addition Strategies? Read this blog post: 2 Digit Addition Strategies That Work

 

So no more wondering what you can do to make math fun in the month of December. Use these Christmas math activities to get your students the fun practice they want and need.

Want other ideas on how to help students master basic addition and subtraction math facts? Check out my free workbook for teachers: The 7 Steps to Ensure Math Facts Fluency. Download your’s free, here.