Colouring NestThe Night Before Christmas Fill in the Blank Story
- Ages 8+
- Medium
- 3 pages
- Worksheet
- PDF: Letter & A4
- Updated
Tip: print page 1 (the word list) for each player and page 2 (the story) once for the reader. Or play it online below: type the words and press “Read my story”.
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A Christmas fill-in-the-blank poem: the first twelve lines of A Visit from St. Nicholas, the 1823 poem that begins with the night before Christmas, with eleven of its words left for you to fill. There are 11 blanks: 4 plural nouns, 3 nouns, 2 pieces of clothing, 1 verb ending in -ing and 1 plural body part. Made for the whole family, from about 8 to grandparents who know the poem by heart. Page 1 of the PDF is the word list, with a one-line hint for every word type, page 2 is the story with numbered blanks, and page 3 is a read-aloud example with our own silly words. You can also play it online further down this page.
Play this Christmas story online
Fill in a word for each number without peeking, then press “Read my story”. Your words stay on this device.
The Night Before Christmas
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the
Not a creature was , not even a mouse,
The were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there,
The children were nestled all snug in their ,
While visions of danced in their ,
And mamma in her , and I in my ,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
When out on the there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the and threw up the .
Read-aloud example
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the BATHROOM
Not a creature was BURPING, not even a mouse,
The PANCAKES were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there,
The children were nestled all snug in their BATHTUBS,
While visions of MEATBALLS danced in their KNEES,
And mamma in her WELLIES, and I in my FLIPPERS,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
When out on the TRAMPOLINE there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the FRIDGE DOORS and threw up the SPAGHETTI.
Our example words are in capitals. Yours will make a different story every time.
The word types in this story
- Noun: a person, place or thing: sock, kitchen.
- Verb ending in -ing: an action + ing: dancing, sneezing.
- Plural noun: more than one thing: socks, puddings.
- Plural body part: more than one: knees, eyebrows.
- Clothing: something to wear: hat, socks.
How to play
- Print the PDF at 100% on A4 or US Letter paper. Keep page 2, the story, face down.
- Ask for each word on page 1 in order. Write it in the box with its number.
- Copy each word into the blank on page 2 with the same number.
- Read the finished story aloud. Then swap readers and play again with new words.
Fill-in-the-blank stories are a fun way to practise nouns, verbs ending in -ing and plural nouns: children have to think what kind of word each one is before they choose it, and hear straight away when a word doesn't fit. For one skill at a time on paper, try the grammar worksheets (nouns, verbs, adjectives, plurals and past tense). More for a Christmas party: Christmas trivia, would you rather, Christmas bingo and every Christmas party game.
Questions about fill-in-the-blank stories
How do you play a fill-in-the-blank story?
Don’t look at the story first. Ask for each word on the word list in order (a noun, a verb, an animal), write it in its box, then copy each word into the story blank with the same number and read the story aloud. The sillier the words, the funnier it gets. With one player, cover the story and fill in the list alone.
What is a noun, a verb, an adjective and an adverb?
A noun names a person, place or thing (sock, kitchen, Grandma). A verb is an action word (jump, sing). An adjective describes a noun (fluffy, enormous). An adverb tells how something is done, and often ends in -ly (loudly, slowly). Each word list has a one-line hint and two examples beside every word type.
Are these stories free?
Yes. Every story is free to print for home, classroom and party use, with no sign-up, and free to play online.
More Christmas fill-in-the-blank stories: The Runaway Reindeer · The Snowman Who Wanted to Be Warm · Christmas at the Beach · Elf Training Day · The Class Gingerbread House · A Penguin Writes to Santa · Christmas Dinner Disaster · Our Family Christmas Letter · The Office Christmas Party
For teachers and parents
- What it practises
- Parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, plural nouns and past tense verbs, reading aloud with expression
- How to use it
- Read out the word list one blank at a time and collect a word for each, without showing the story. Copy the words into the numbered blanks, then read the story aloud. Talk about why a word does or does not fit.
- Time
- About 10–20 minutes
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More christmas fill-in-the-blank stories
See all christmas fill-in-the-blank stories →
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Collections: Printable Christmas Party Games
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Printing tips
- Print at 100% (actual size) on Letter or A4.
- Print page 1 for every player and page 2 once for the reader.
- Read the finished story aloud with lots of expression: it is the best part.
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