Christmas Activity Pages for Kids: Ideas by Age + a 12-Day Plan
Christmas activity pages for kids ages 4–8: coloring, mazes, puzzles, learning and creative ideas, what suits each age, a 12-day plan and printing tips.
The weeks before Christmas are exciting, and that excitement has to go somewhere. Christmas activity pages for kids give it a place to land: a maze to solve while dinner cooks, a word search on a snowy afternoon, a letter to Santa written in their best handwriting. They need nothing more than a printer, paper and a few crayons.
This guide covers the six kinds of activity pages that work best for kids ages 4 to 8, which ones fit each age, a simple 12-day plan for the run-up to Christmas, and a few printing tips that save ink and frustration.
Why activity pages work so well in December
December days with kids tend to be broken into short gaps: waiting for cookies to bake, the hour before guests arrive, the last days of school before break. Activity pages fit those gaps. They’re quick to hand out, kids can stop and come back later, and a stack of printed pages is ready whenever someone says “I’m bored.”
They also sneak in practice. A maze builds pencil control. Counting ornaments is real math. Tracing STAR and SNOW is handwriting practice that doesn’t feel like homework, because it has a reindeer next to it.
6 types of Christmas activity pages kids love
Mixing different types keeps things interesting. A child who gets tired of coloring will often happily switch to a maze or a puzzle.
1. Christmas coloring pages
Coloring is the easiest place to start, especially for younger kids. Look for bold, thick outlines and one big picture per page. Good themes include Santa with his sack of presents, a reindeer, elves wrapping toys, a snowman, stockings by the fireplace, a gingerbread house and a snowy village.
Want to know what kids get out of it? We cover that in our guide to the benefits of coloring for kids.
2. Christmas mazes
Mazes are a favorite from about age 4 up, as long as the difficulty matches the child. Easy mazes have wide paths and only a few turns. Harder ones have narrow paths, more dead ends and fun shapes like a Christmas tree or a gingerbread man. Clear START and FINISH labels help younger kids know where to go.
Tip: Let kids trace the path with a finger first, then draw it with a pencil. It cuts down on erasing.
3. Christmas learning worksheets
Holiday themes make early math and literacy practice feel like a treat. Ideas that work well for ages 4 to 8:
- Counting: count the ornaments on a tree, or count presents and match them to a number.
- Addition and subtraction within 10: add groups of bells, candy canes or mittens.
- Word tracing: trace short holiday words like STAR, TREE, GIFT, BELL, SNOW and JOY.
- Letters: match big and small letters.
- Patterns: finish a row of star, present, star, present…
- Shadow matching and dot-to-dot: great for younger kids who aren’t reading yet.
4. Christmas puzzles and games
Puzzles are perfect for older kids in this age range, and for siblings working side by side. Try a Christmas word search, picture sudoku with trees, stars and bells, spot the difference, hidden objects, a word scramble, odd one out or a simple picture crossword. A memory card game is a nice one to cut out and play together.
Keep an answer key nearby. It saves you from solving every word search yourself.
5. Creative and writing pages
Creative pages have no wrong answers, which makes them great for kids who get frustrated easily. Ideas include:
- A letter to Santa and a Christmas wish list
- Design your own Christmas sweater, stocking or ornament
- Decorate a tree or draw a present
- Draw a winter scene
These also make sweet keepsakes. Write the date on the back and save one or two each year.
6. Bonus pages: kindness, movement and memories
A few pages can get kids away from the table altogether. A Christmas scavenger hunt gets them moving around the house. A kindness challenge gives them small good deeds to check off, like helping set the table or making a card for a neighbor. A Christmas memories page is a nice thing to fill in together on Christmas Day. And a completion certificate is a fun way to celebrate finishing a whole stack of pages.
Which activity pages fit each age?
Every child is different, so treat this as a starting point rather than a rule.
| Age | Good fits | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| 4–5 | Big coloring pages, easy mazes, counting, shadow matching, dot-to-dot, tracing short words | Keep sessions short. Sit nearby to read the instructions aloud. |
| 6–7 | Medium mazes, addition and subtraction within 10, patterns, spot the difference, picture sudoku, letter to Santa | Let them choose between two pages. Many can work on their own for a while. |
| 8 | Challenge mazes, word search, word scramble, crossword, wish lists and creative writing | Add a small challenge, like finishing a maze without lifting the pencil. |
If you have kids of different ages, pages with Easy, Medium and Challenge levels let everyone work on the same theme at their own pace, which cuts down on “that’s not fair.”
A 12-day Christmas activity page plan
Here’s a simple countdown from December 13 to Christmas Eve. One or two pages a day is plenty. Skip days freely, since this is meant to be fun, not another job.
- Dec 13: Color Santa and his sack of presents.
- Dec 14: An easy Christmas maze, then trace STAR, TREE and GIFT.
- Dec 15: Count the ornaments on the tree.
- Dec 16: Write a letter to Santa (younger kids can draw it).
- Dec 17: A Christmas word search or picture sudoku.
- Dec 18: Design a Christmas sweater, then wear your coziest one.
- Dec 19: Spot the difference, then a Christmas scavenger hunt around the house.
- Dec 20: Christmas addition, using real candy canes or cookies as counters.
- Dec 21: Start the kindness challenge and do one good deed.
- Dec 22: A medium or challenge maze, then color a reindeer.
- Dec 23: Decorate a stocking and draw the presents you’d like to give.
- Dec 24: Fill in a Christmas wish list and color the snowy village, then award a certificate for finishing the countdown.
Print the whole plan at once and keep the pages in a folder. Kids love pulling out the next day’s page themselves.
Using activity pages in the classroom
The last week before winter break is a classic time for activity pages at school. A few ideas teachers use:
- Class party station: set out coloring pages, mazes and word searches at one table so kids have a calm option between games.
- Early finishers: keep a basket of Christmas puzzles ready for students who finish work early.
- Morning work: a counting or tracing page is an easy way to start a busy December day.
- Take-home packet: staple a few pages together for kids to bring home for break.
Need a game for the whole class? Our guide on how to play Christmas bingo with kids covers the rules, variations and party tips, and our Christmas Bingo Printable has 50 different picture cards so every student gets their own.
Check the terms of use on any printable before copying it for a class. Many are licensed for personal use only.
Tips for printing Christmas activity pages
- Pick the right paper size. Use US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) in the US and Canada and A4 in most other countries.
- Print at 100% or “Actual size.” It keeps everything on the page in proportion. Our guide on how to print digital downloads walks through the settings step by step.
- Save ink with grayscale. Kids add the color themselves, so black and white works fine for most pages.
- Use slightly heavier paper for markers. It helps stop colors from bleeding through.
- Make pages reusable. Slip mazes and puzzles into a sheet protector and use a dry-erase marker, then wipe and play again.
- Bring a clipboard for travel. It turns any car seat or airplane tray into a desk. Our road trip activities for kids guide has more ideas for long drives to see family.
A ready-to-print Christmas activity book
If you’d rather not hunt down pages one by one, our Christmas Activity Book for Kids puts every activity type from this guide in one download. It has 50 activities for ages 4–8 across 59 pages:
- 10 coloring pages, 8 mazes (2 Easy, 3 Medium, 3 Challenge) and 10 learning activities
- 10 puzzles and games, 8 creative pages and 4 bonus pages, including a scavenger hunt, a kindness challenge and a certificate
- Answer keys for every maze, puzzle and math page
- US Letter and A4 PDFs, plus grayscale versions of both
It’s licensed for personal use and for use with the children in your own class or homeschool group, so it works for the classroom ideas above too. Every page from the 12-day plan is in the book.
Free printables to start with today
Want something to print right now? Our free printables page has kids’ activities you can download for free, including an indoor scavenger hunt for cold days inside and road trip bingo for holiday travel. If you’re still planning the holiday before Christmas, our list of Thanksgiving activities for kids comes with a free placemat and table bingo.
However you use them, keep it light. A few pages a day, a cozy spot at the table and a cup of hot chocolate make a pretty good December afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
What are Christmas activity pages for kids?
They're printable worksheets with a holiday theme: coloring pages, mazes, word searches, counting and tracing practice, spot-the-difference puzzles and creative prompts like a letter to Santa. You print them at home or at school and kids work on them with crayons or a pencil.
What Christmas activities are good for a 4-year-old?
Big, simple coloring pages, easy mazes with wide paths, counting pictures, shadow matching and tracing short words like STAR or TREE. Keep each activity short and let them pick the next page, since choice keeps young kids interested.
How do I keep kids busy over Christmas break without screens?
Set up a small daily routine: one activity page in the morning, one creative page in the afternoon and something active like a scavenger hunt. Printing a stack of pages ahead of time means you always have something ready when kids say they're bored.
Can I use Christmas activity pages at a class party?
Yes. Activity pages work well as a quiet station during a class party or as early-finisher work in December. Pick pages that don't need adult help, such as coloring, mazes and word searches, and keep the answer keys at your desk.
Should I print Christmas activity pages in color or black and white?
Black and white is usually fine, because kids color the pages themselves. Choose a grayscale version if one is available to save ink, and print at 100% or Actual size so nothing near the edges gets cut off.
