Colouring NestThe Runaway Reindeer: Funny Christmas Fill in the Blank Story for Kids
- Ages 6–10
- Easy
- 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 funny Christmas fill-in-the-blank story for kids: Dasher the reindeer runs off on Christmas Eve and Santa’s best helper has to find him with a bag of snacks. There are 10 blanks: 1 name, 1 adjective, 1 animal, 1 food, 1 number, 1 place, 1 silly sound, 1 colour, 1 body part and 1 exclamation. Some numbers come back later in the story, so the same word turns up more than once. Made for children from about 6 who can read short words, or younger ones with a grown-up writing. 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 Runaway Reindeer
On Christmas Eve, Santa called his best helper, , to the stable with some bad news: Dasher the reindeer had run away! He was last seen chasing the neighbour's across the snow. packed a bag full of , because every reindeer loves . Together they searched rooftops before they found Dasher hiding in . When he smelled the snack, Dasher leapt up and shouted ! His nose glowed bright with happiness. Santa gave him a pat on the , and the whole team flew off just in time. ! cried . Christmas is saved!
Read-aloud example
On Christmas Eve, Santa called his best helper, GRANDMA ROSE, to the stable with some bad news: Dasher the reindeer had run away! He was last seen chasing the neighbour's SLEEPY GOAT across the snow. GRANDMA ROSE packed a bag full of SPAGHETTI, because every reindeer loves SPAGHETTI. Together they searched 47 rooftops before they found Dasher hiding in THE SWIMMING POOL. When he smelled the snack, Dasher leapt up and shouted BOING! His nose glowed bright GREEN with happiness. Santa gave him a pat on the ELBOW, and the whole team flew off just in time. HOORAY! cried GRANDMA ROSE. Christmas is saved!
Our example words are in capitals. Yours will make a different story every time.
The word types in this story
- Person's name: someone in the room, or anyone.
- Adjective: a describing word: fluffy, enormous.
- Animal: any animal: hippo, goldfish.
- Food: any food: spaghetti, sprouts.
- Number: any number: 7, 365, a million.
- Place: anywhere: the moon, the bathroom.
- Silly sound: a funny noise: boing, splat.
- Colour: any colour: purple, sparkly gold.
- Body part: a part of you: elbow, nose.
- Exclamation: a word you shout: Wow! Yikes!.
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, reading the hint aloud for younger children. Write it in the box with its number.
- Copy each word into the blank on page 2 with the same number (some numbers appear twice: use the same word both times).
- 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 adjectives and exclamations: 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 Christmas games for kids: the Christmas word scramble, Christmas I spy and the Christmas colouring pages.
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 ages are these Christmas stories for?
The kids stories suit about 6 to 10 (a grown-up can write for younger children who say the words). The classroom stories suit grades 2 to 5, about 7 to 11. The family and party stories suit about 9 to adults, and the office party story is written for adults but is clean enough to read aloud to anyone.
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 Snowman Who Wanted to Be Warm · Christmas at the Beach · Elf Training Day · The Class Gingerbread House · A Penguin Writes to Santa · The Night Before Christmas · 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 →
Seasonal: Christmas Coloring Pages
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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