The Christmas activities that work best in a care home are the familiar ones, made easier to join: a carol singalong with large-print song sheets, large-print Christmas bingo, card making, decorating the lounge together, and quiet colouring or reminiscing for residents who prefer a calm corner. Plan them across December rather than piling everything into one day, keep each session short, ask every resident what Christmas means to them, and have a quiet space ready for anyone who finds the noise too much.

Plan December around the residents, not the calendar

Start with a short conversation with each resident, or their family if they can't easily tell you: how did they spend Christmas, which carols do they know, did they go to church, is there a food or a game they remember? Dementia Support Australia suggests involving the person in the planning, because talking about decorations, food and faith is itself a good reminiscence activity.

Then spread the activities out. A rhythm of two or three themed sessions a week from early December gives residents something to look forward to without upsetting their usual day. Dementia UK's Admiral Nurses advise keeping to normal routines over Christmas, with meals, medication and getting up at the usual times, and keeping activities short, with a break every 30 to 40 minutes. Families will want to know your plans too, including what is happening on Christmas Day and when they can visit, so put the programme on the noticeboard and send it to families early.

Activities for residents who enjoy a challenge

Many residents want a game with a bit of competition, not something that feels childish. Large print and adult wording make a big difference.

• Christmas bingo. Our large-print Christmas word bingo has 24 different cards made from 36 words such as mistletoe, tinsel and mince pie, with caller cards and a checklist. No two cards share a winning line. Use buttons or counters for residents who find a pen hard to hold.
• Word searches. The large-print Christmas word search has eight words in big letters, with an answer key. For a longer session, add tea time or months and seasons.
• Number puzzles. Large-print sudoku starts with gentle 6×6 grids and goes up to easy 9×9 ones.

Gentle activities for residents living with dementia

Dementia UK's list of Christmas activities for people living with dementia puts the simple things first: singing along to familiar Christmas songs, pass the parcel, looking through photo albums, puzzles, reading together, watching old holiday films and colouring in together. It also stresses letting the person decide how involved they want to be.

• Colouring. Bold and easy pages have thick outlines and a few large shapes, which suit low vision and less steady hands. The bold stars pages fit a Christmas table, and an easy snowflake mandala works for residents who like a pattern. Our guide to colouring for people living with dementia covers setting up and when to stop.
• Helping with the preparations. Folding napkins, sorting baubles by colour, putting cards in envelopes or setting the table all give a sense of contributing. Dementia UK suggests wrapping presents, writing cards or place cards and putting up decorations.
• Reminiscence. Old Christmas cards, a tin of decorations or photographs of past Christmases can start a conversation. Alzheimer's Society notes that reminiscence can sometimes bring back sad memories, so sit with the person, follow their lead and change the subject gently if it upsets them.

For residents in the later stages, the NHS says activities still matter but are more likely to focus on the senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. A pine sprig to hold, a hand massage with a familiar scent, a soft blanket or a favourite carol played quietly can all be a Christmas activity.

Carols and music

Music is often the activity that reaches the most people. NHS England's clinical director for dementia has said that familiar seasonal songs and old Christmas films can stimulate memories and bring people together. Dementia UK suggests printing the words to carols and hymns in a large font so residents can read and sing along; one carol per page in big type is easier to follow than a crowded song sheet.

If a school choir or local group is visiting, ask them to sing songs residents will know rather than new pop songs, keep the performance to about half an hour, and leave time afterwards for the singers to chat with residents. For residents who don't want to sing, humming, clapping or tapping along still counts.

Christmas crafts residents can make

• Cards. The Merry Christmas page folds into a card to colour and send to family. Staff can help with the message and address.
• Paper decorations. Our paper snowflake templates come in easy, medium and hard designs with folding steps; the easy ones have big shapes that are kind to stiff fingers. The Christmas ornament template and star template print in three sizes, to colour, cut out and hang in the lounge.
• A group display. Give each resident one ornament or star to decorate, then put them all on one big paper tree on the wall, with names if they'd like.

Use round-ended scissors, cut out shapes in advance for residents who can't cut, and be ready to finish together rather than for them.

Food, drink and decorations, safely

Food is part of most people's Christmas, and it needs checking against each resident's care plan. Some residents have swallowing difficulties and eat texture-modified food. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in Australia explains that texture-modified diets follow the IDDSI framework, eight levels from 0 to 7 for drinks and foods, and that preparing them correctly is essential to avoid choking and aspiration. Before a baking session or a mince pie round, check with the kitchen and the speech-language therapist or dietitian which residents can have what, and plan a version everyone can share. Dementia UK adds that alcohol may increase disorientation and can interfere with some medicines, so ask the pharmacist and offer alcohol-free drinks.

For decorations, use battery-operated candles. Fire and Emergency New Zealand reminds people to never leave a candle unattended, which is hard to guarantee in a busy lounge, and a flameless candle gives the same glow without the flame. Keep decorations steady rather than flashing, and don't move furniture people rely on to find their way. Dementia UK also suggests cutting unnecessary noise such as Christmas crackers and loud music.

Visitors, video calls and a quiet space

Busy days with lots of visitors are the hardest for many residents. Dementia Support Australia suggests one conversation at a time, turning the festive music off when people are talking, and arranging a video call if family can't visit. Keep one room or corner calm on party days and on Christmas Day, with a chair, a blanket and something to do, so anyone who needs a break can take it.

When grandchildren visit, give them something to do with their grandparent: the Christmas memory game can be coloured together and played face up as a matching game, and the easy Christmas I spy gives a child and an adult something to look at side by side. If a resident is going out to family for the day, Dementia UK suggests having a practice run first and coming back in daylight, when people are usually less disorientated.

Residents who don’t celebrate, or find Christmas hard

Not every resident celebrates Christmas, and for some it brings back the loss of a partner, a home or friends. Ask rather than assume, make every activity optional, and offer something that isn't Christmas at all, such as winter pages or a flower word search. Staff can mark the day with a resident who would rather spend it quietly, and Dementia UK points families coping with bereavement towards support such as Cruse.

In New Zealand and Australia, Christmas falls in summer, so a snowy theme may mean little to residents who grew up here. Pages like the pōhutukawa Christmas tree and our guide to a summer Christmas in New Zealand and Australia fit local memories of the beach and the bach.

Questions people ask

What are good Christmas activities for elderly people in care homes?

Familiar activities adapted so everyone can join: carols with large-print song sheets, large-print Christmas bingo and word searches, card making, decorating the lounge, reminiscing with old cards and photos, and colouring bold, simple pages. Keep sessions short and let each resident choose how involved to be.

What Christmas activities suit people with dementia?

Simple, familiar ones: singing along to well-known carols, looking at photos, colouring together, helping with small preparations such as folding napkins, and sensory activities like holding a pine sprig for people in the later stages. Dementia UK and the NHS both suggest following the person’s lead and keeping noise down.

How do you run Christmas bingo for seniors?

Use large-print cards with words or pictures rather than small numbers, counters or buttons instead of pens, and a caller who speaks slowly and shows each call. Our free Christmas word bingo has 24 different cards, and no two share a winning line.

Are candles safe for Christmas in a care home?

Battery-operated candles are the safer choice. Fire services advise never leaving a lit candle unattended, which is hard to manage in a shared lounge, and flameless candles give the same look without the risk.

Sources

1. Dementia UK: Christmas activities for people living with dementia
2. Dementia UK: 12 Christmas tips for dementia carers
3. Alzheimer’s Society: Therapy and approaches for memory loss support (reminiscence)
4. Dementia Support Australia: Tips for a dementia-friendly season
5. NHS: Activities for dementia
6. NHS England: TV repeats and seasonal songs can help people with dementia (22 December 2019)
7. Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission: Nutrition and texture modified food and drink (staff fact sheet)
8. Fire and Emergency New Zealand: Wiring and lighting (candles)

Read it on Colouring Nest, with free printables for this guide

Free printable big heart coloring page: one large plain heart with a ring of small hearts around it. Easy for toddlers, or write a message inside.

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Free printable Valentine hearts coloring sheet: twelve hearts to colour and cut out for mini valentines, swap cards, gift tags or a garland.

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Free printable heart balloons coloring page: five smiling heart balloons on strings floating past the clouds. A sweet Valentine's Day page.

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Free printable heart wreath coloring page: sixteen hearts and leaves in a ring around a big double heart. Colour it and hang it on a door.

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Free printable patchwork heart coloring page: a big heart made of quilt squares to colour in a pattern, with three small hearts below.

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Free printable rainbow and clouds coloring page: a big seven-band rainbow on two fluffy clouds, with a sun and raindrops. Colour online or print the PDF.

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Free printable rainbow cloud coloring page: a smiling cloud with six rainbow streamers and stars. Big, easy shapes for toddlers and preschool.

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Free printable rainbow heart coloring page: a big heart filled with eight rainbow stripes, with small hearts in the corners. Colour online or print.

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Free printable rainbow over the hills coloring page: a rainbow above green hills with a little house, flowers and clouds. Colour online or print the PDF.

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Free printable rainbow and pot of gold coloring page: a rainbow ending in a pot of gold coins, with stars. Great for St Patrick's Day.

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Free printable rainbow umbrella coloring page: an umbrella with six rainbow panels and raindrops all around. A cheerful rainy-day page for kids.

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Free printable rainbow hot air balloon coloring page: a balloon with seven rainbow stripes, a basket and clouds. Colour online or print the PDF.

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Free printable rainbow mandala coloring page: five rings of petals, drops and circles around a star, one ring per rainbow colour.

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Free printable mini rainbows coloring sheet: nine small rainbows with clouds, hearts and stars to colour, cut out and use as stickers.

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Free printable happy rainbow coloring page: a smiling rainbow between two clouds, with the sun and raindrops. Big shapes for little hands.

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Free printable tables 1 to 20 chart: every multiplication table from 1 × 1 to 20 × 10 in its own box, 20 tables on one page. Letter and A4 PDF.

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Free dividing by 1 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 1 ÷ 1 to 12 ÷ 1, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 2 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 2 ÷ 2 to 24 ÷ 2, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 3 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 3 ÷ 3 to 36 ÷ 3, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 4 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 4 ÷ 4 to 48 ÷ 4, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 5 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 5 ÷ 5 to 60 ÷ 5, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 6 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 6 ÷ 6 to 72 ÷ 6, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 7 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 7 ÷ 7 to 84 ÷ 7, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 8 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 8 ÷ 8 to 96 ÷ 8, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 9 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 9 ÷ 9 to 108 ÷ 9, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 10 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 10 ÷ 10 to 120 ÷ 10, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 11 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 11 ÷ 11 to 132 ÷ 11, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free dividing by 12 worksheet: the 12 division facts from 12 ÷ 12 to 144 ÷ 12, then practice in order, mixed and with missing numbers. Answers on page 2.

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Free mixed division facts worksheet: 40 facts dividing by 2 to 12 in random order, plus 12 missing divisors to find. A timed review with answers on page 2.

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Free more or less worksheet for kindergarten: compare numbers to 10 with dot pictures and write >, < or = in each circle. Answer key on page 2.

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Free greater than, less than worksheet: 20 pairs of numbers from 0 to 20 to compare with >, < and =. For first grade and Year 1–2, answer key on page 2.

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Free comparing numbers worksheet: 20 pairs of two-digit numbers to 100 to compare with >, < and =, many with the same tens digit. Answers on page 2.

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Free comparing 3-digit numbers worksheet: 20 pairs of numbers to 1000 to compare with >, < and =. Hundreds, tens and ones, answer key on page 2.

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Free more than, less than worksheet with sums: work out each side, such as 7 + 6 and 12, then write >, < or =. Addition within 20, answers on page 2.

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Free printable family Christmas wish list: four boxes, each with a name, five wishes and a line for sizes and colours. A4 and Letter PDF.

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The best Thanksgiving activities for kids are simple ones that build gratitude and keep small hands busy while the meal cooks: a thankful tree made from paper leaves, Thanksgiving picture bingo, a word search, a color by number and a few turkey coloring pages. All of them print in black and white on US Letter or A4 paper.

When is Thanksgiving in 2026?

In the United States, Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday 26 November, a federal holiday. It always falls on the fourth Thursday of November. President Lincoln's 1863 proclamation set the last Thursday of the month, and after two confusing years when states marked different Thursdays, Congress fixed the date as the fourth Thursday in a resolution signed on 26 December 1941.

Canada celebrates Thanksgiving earlier, on the second Monday in October, so Canadian families marked it on 12 October this year. If you're in New Zealand, Australia or the UK and teaching about American holidays, the activities below work as a "giving thanks" theme at any time of year; in the Southern Hemisphere, November is late spring, so swap the autumn leaves for flowers if you like.

Gratitude activities that go further than "thank you"

Thanksgiving is a natural moment to talk about gratitude, and researchers suggest doing more than prompting children to say thank you. The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley breaks gratitude into four parts, notice, think, feel and do, and offers questions for each: what have you been given, why do you think someone gave it to you, how does it feel inside, and is there a way you want to show it? A five-minute chat at the table using a couple of these questions suits most ages.

A thankful tree turns that conversation into something to look at. Print the leaf template at the smallest size (12 leaves to a page), have each child color and cut out a few leaves, and write one thing they're thankful for on each. Tape the leaves to a branch in a jar, or to a paper trunk on the fridge or classroom wall. Younger children can draw instead of writing, and an adult can label the drawing.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' parenting site suggests other small habits: talking about what went right each day, modeling gratitude yourself, and giving children a way to help others, such as collecting items for a local food bank. A Thanksgiving card for a neighbor or grandparent is an easy start: the Happy Thanksgiving coloring page has the words in bubble letters, ready to color, fold and sign.

Printable games for the Thanksgiving table

Games that need only paper keep children together and away from the stove while the meal is finished.

• Picture bingo for a big family or a class. Thanksgiving picture bingo has 24 different 5×5 cards with a free center, caller cards to cut out and a checklist. Pictures such as a turkey, pumpkin, acorn, corn and pie mean non-readers can play alongside older cousins. Use dried beans or torn paper as markers.
• Bingo for toddlers and preschoolers. Preschool Thanksgiving bingo uses 12 different 3×3 cards with big pictures and words, so a round ends before attention runs out.
• Word search races. The easy Thanksgiving word search hides 10 words in a 10×10 grid; the medium (14 words) and hard (20 words in a 16×16 grid) versions suit older children and adults. Each one has an answer key. Give pairs the same puzzle and see who finishes first.

Thanksgiving coloring pages and activities by age

Pick by attention span rather than exact age, and keep a couple of easier pages on hand for younger siblings.

• Ages 3 to 5. The leaf dot to dot counts from 1 to 10, then becomes a coloring page. Turkey coloring page #1 has a big fan tail with large shapes that small hands can fill with crayons.
• Ages 6 to 8. The autumn leaves color by number (colour by number, in UK and NZ spelling) uses 7 colors with an answer key, which practises reading numbers and following a key. The pumpkin color by number is another quick one.
• Ages 9 to 12. The cornucopia coloring page has lots of detail to shade, and the hard autumn leaf mandala is detailed enough for teens and adults to color alongside them.

The full set is on our Thanksgiving coloring pages hub, and there are more leaves, pumpkins and acorns on the fall coloring pages hub (autumn colouring pages, if you search the UK or NZ way).

Teaching Thanksgiving at school, with care

Many classroom materials retell the "First Thanksgiving" of 1621 as a friendly shared meal. The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian explains that this version is a myth that took shape in the mid-1800s, when English accounts of the 1621 harvest event resurfaced, and that harvest ceremonies and daily and seasonal traditions of giving thanks were part of Wampanoag life for thousands of years before English settlers arrived.

The museum gives teachers practical advice. It discourages "Native" costumes and crafts in the classroom, because projects that copy Native traditions often spread stereotypes. It recommends picture books with accurate, tribally specific portrayals, such as Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story for kindergarten to second grade, and reading the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address with students. For grades 3 to 5, its free inquiry resource The "First Thanksgiving": How Can We Tell a Better Story? walks students through Wampanoag perspectives using primary sources.

Our Thanksgiving printables stick to the harvest, food, autumn leaves and gratitude, so they sit comfortably alongside that teaching.

Place cards and decorations kids can make

Children like having a job on the day. Give them the table to decorate.

• Leaf place cards. Print the leaf template at the middle size, color each leaf, write a guest's name on it and stand it against a glass.
• Acorn garland. Cut out the acorn template at the smallest size, color both sides and string the acorns on yarn with tape.
• A colored centerpiece. Lay a few finished coloring pages down the middle of the table as a runner, and let children explain theirs to the guests.

Printing tips for home and school

Every page here has a US Letter and an A4 PDF, so it prints at the right size in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK without scaling. Print in black and white and on ordinary paper; use thin card for place cards and leaves that need to stand up. For a class bingo game, print the cards once, store them in a folder and keep the caller cards for next year. If pages come out cropped, our guide on how to print colouring pages covers the printer settings.

Questions people ask

What can kids do on Thanksgiving while dinner cooks?

Paper activities work well because they need no setup: picture bingo for the whole family, a Thanksgiving word search race, a color by number, turkey coloring pages, or making leaf place cards for the table. Preschool bingo with 3×3 cards suits children aged 3 to 5.

How do you make a thankful tree with kids?

Print a leaf template, let children color and cut out the leaves, and write or draw one thing they are thankful for on each. Tape the leaves to a branch in a jar or to a paper trunk on a wall, and add a few more each day in the week before Thanksgiving.

When is Thanksgiving 2026?

In the United States, Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday 26 November. It is always the fourth Thursday in November, set by Congress in 1941. Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October, which was 12 October in 2026.

How should teachers teach the history of Thanksgiving?

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian suggests including Wampanoag perspectives, avoiding “Native” costumes and crafts, and choosing books with accurate, tribally specific portrayals. Its free resource for grades 3 to 5 helps students look at the 1621 harvest celebration through primary sources.

Sources

1. US Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays (2026)
2. National Archives: Congress Establishes Thanksgiving
3. The Canadian Encyclopedia: Thanksgiving in Canada
4. Greater Good in Action (UC Berkeley): Gratitude Questions for Kids
5. HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics): Beyond Thanks, 5 Ways to Nurture Gratitude in Children
6. Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations
7. Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: The “First Thanksgiving”, How Can We Tell a Better Story?

Read it on Colouring Nest, with free printables for this guide

The Christmas activities that work best in the last weeks of term keep the learning going under a festive theme: a hundreds chart mystery picture, a sight-word colour by code, a letter to Santa written in full sentences, a word search race or a round of picture bingo. Match each activity to the age group, print in black and white, have a winter or summer page ready for children who don't celebrate Christmas, and keep food out of the games and prizes.

When to start Christmas activities in class

Most classes need two or three weeks of Christmas material, not a whole term. In New Zealand, term 4 of 2026 runs from 12 October to no later than Friday 18 December, and the summer holidays begin straight after, so the end of the school year and Christmas arrive together. Check your own school's calendar, because many schools finish a few days earlier.

Work backwards from two dates: your last day, and any posting deadline if the class is writing to Santa (see below). A paper countdown chain gives the run-up a shape. Our activity countdown chain has 24 numbered strips, each with a small task; for a class, cut it down to the number of school days left and let a different child open a strip each morning.

Christmas activities for 5 and 6 year olds

For new entrants and Year 1 in New Zealand, Foundation and Year 1 in Australia, Reception and Year 1 in the UK, or kindergarten in the US, keep tasks short, hands-on and mostly pictures.

• Draw and write to Santa. The draw-and-write letter has a big box for a picture and three rows of lines to copy "I would like".
• Preschool picture bingo. Christmas bingo for little ones uses 3×3 cards with large pictures and words, which suits a small group with an adult calling.
• Cutting practice. Print a gingerbread man template in the largest size, colour it, then cut along the thick outline.
• Colour by number. The Christmas tree colour by number (color by number, if you search the US way) practises reading numerals 1 to 10.

Christmas activities for 7 to 9 year olds

Years 2 to 4 (grades 1 to 3 in the US) can work more independently, so this is the age where a festive sheet can carry real maths and reading.

• Hundreds chart mystery picture. In the Christmas tree mystery picture, children colour 48 numbers in four colours to reveal the tree, with the answer on page 2. It's good number-recognition practice to 100.
• Sight-word colour by code. The snowman and Christmas lights sheets use Dolch sight words as the colour key, with an answer key.
• A letter with structure. The fill-in-the-blanks letter to Santa prompts for a name, age, something the child is proud of and three wishes.
• Word search. The easy Christmas word search has 10 words in a 10×10 grid; the medium and hard versions are on the Christmas word search page.

Christmas activities for 10 to 12 year olds

Older children (Years 5 to 8, grades 4 to 6) enjoy a challenge and a bit of competition.

• Word search races. The hard Christmas word search hides 20 words in a 16×16 grid. Pairs race to find them all, then swap and check against the answer key.
• Persuasive writing. Give them the lined letter to Santa and ask for one gift, argued in three paragraphs with reasons.
• Symmetry. A snowflake mandala has six matching arms. Ask children to colour it so the pattern repeats around the centre, then describe its rotational symmetry.

Sending letters to Santa from school

Several postal services answer children's letters, and some have a schools option with its own deadline.

• UK. Royal Mail asks schools and groups to put all the children's letters in one outer envelope with the correct postage and post them to Santa/Father Christmas, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ by Wednesday 2 December 2026, and to have the children use their best handwriting so the replies can be sent back.
• US. USPS Operation Santa letters go to Santa Claus, 123 Elf Rd., North Pole, 88888 and must be postmarked by December 5. Through the programme, members of the public can adopt letters and answer wishes, and the letters follow the programme's own guidelines, so read them before a whole class writes.
• New Zealand. In past years NZ Post has run a Write to Santa service with a Freepost address, online letters and postcards from Santa that teachers could request for their class by mid-November. Look for this year's dates on NZ Post's website early in November.

If the letters aren't being posted, they still make a good writing task: read them aloud, or display them with the children's drawings.

Party games that only need paper

A class party doesn't need much more than printed games.

• Picture bingo for the whole class. Christmas picture bingo has 24 different 5×5 cards, caller cards to cut out and a checklist, enough for most classes.
• Bingo with words. Confident readers can play Christmas word bingo, which uses 36 Christmas words in large print.
• Colouring corner. Put out a stack of pages from the Christmas activity sheets for children who want a quieter break.

Plan prizes that aren't food. Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia suggests non-food rewards such as a classroom privilege, extra time on a game, a prize box of stickers or small toys, or recognition on the wall, and advises talking with families before any activity that uses food. A Nice List certificate is a free prize every child can take home.

Keeping Christmas activities inclusive

Not every child in a class celebrates Christmas, and some families avoid holidays altogether. The Anti-Defamation League's guidance on the December holidays in school says children should always be allowed not to take part and should have other enjoyable activities to choose instead. It names a letter to Santa as something that may be uncomfortable for a child who doesn't celebrate, and suggests more general decorations such as lights or snowflakes. Paper snowflakes suit every child: our paper snowflake templates come in easy, medium and hard designs, each with folding steps a class can follow and a picture of the opened snowflake.

New Zealand's Human Rights Commission makes a similar point in Religion in New Zealand Schools: a school may mark Christmas, Hanukkah or Diwali, as long as it isn't exclusionary and there are respectful, valid options for those who don't want to join in.

In practice, ask families rather than assume, and keep a pile of neutral pages ready: winter pages for the Northern Hemisphere, summer pages for New Zealand and Australia, and snowflake mandalas for anyone. If children in the class celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, offer those pages alongside the Christmas ones.

Outdoor parties in New Zealand and Australia

End-of-year parties down under often move outside, and that's when the sun is strongest. SunSmart New Zealand points out that from September to April students are at school when UV radiation peaks, between 10am and 4pm. Hold outdoor games early or late, use shade and hats, and keep the bingo and colouring for the middle of the day indoors. Our guide to a summer Christmas in New Zealand and Australia has more on beach-themed activities.

Printing for a whole class

Every page here prints in black and white, and each one has an A4 and a US Letter PDF, so it will fit your school's paper without scaling. Print a bingo set once and keep the caller cards for next year. If pages come out with cut-off edges or the wrong size, our guide on how to print colouring pages explains the printer settings, and the teachers' page collects worksheets by age and skill for the rest of the year.

Questions people ask

What are good Christmas activities for the last week of school?

Short, self-contained tasks work best: a word search race, picture bingo, a letter to Santa, a colour by number or a hundreds chart mystery picture. They need no preparation beyond printing, they keep a mixed-age group busy, and they still practise reading, writing or number skills.

How do you include children who don’t celebrate Christmas?

Ask families what they are comfortable with, let children opt out without fuss, and offer an equally fun alternative, such as winter, summer or snowflake pages instead of Santa. Guidance from the Anti-Defamation League and New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission both stress respectful choices for children who don’t take part.

When do letters to Santa have to be posted?

For 2026, Royal Mail asks schools to post class letters by Wednesday 2 December, and USPS Operation Santa letters must be postmarked by 5 December. NZ Post usually announces its dates in November.

Can Christmas activities cover the curriculum?

Yes. A hundreds chart mystery picture practises number recognition to 100, sight-word colour by code practises reading, and a letter to Santa is a structured writing task. Pick sheets that match what the class is already learning rather than adding new skills in the last week.

Sources

1. New Zealand Government: School terms in NZ (2026 term and holiday dates)
2. Royal Mail: Letters to Santa for schools and groups (2026)
3. USPS: Operation Santa program now accepting letters (14 September 2026)
4. NZ Post: Write to Santa with NZ Post (media release, 2 November 2020)
5. Anti-Defamation League: Winter holidays, December dilemma or teaching opportunity?
6. Human Rights Commission and Victoria University of Wellington: Religion in New Zealand Schools (2009)
7. Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia: How to include students with food allergy in school life
8. SunSmart (Cancer Society NZ): SunSmart Schools

Read it on Colouring Nest, with free printables for this guide

Teach the times tables in an order that builds on itself (2, 5 and 10 first, then 3, 4 and 11, then 6, 9 and 12, and 7 and 8 last), make sure children understand what multiplying means before asking them to memorise, then practise recall for a few minutes most days with the facts mixed up. Turnarounds help a lot: once a child knows 3 × 8, they also know 8 × 3, so the "hard" facts shrink to a short list you can work on directly.

When should children know their times tables?

It depends on where you live, but the expectations are close. In New Zealand, the Ministry of Education's guide for parents says children in Year 3 recall the facts for the 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 8s and 10s, Year 4 children know the 2 to 10 times tables, and Year 5 children memorise the 11 and 12 times tables.

The Australian Curriculum (version 9) expects Year 4 students to recall multiplication facts up to 10 × 10 and the related division facts. In England, every Year 4 pupil in a state school sits the multiplication tables check, which tests fluent recall up to 12 × 12.

So by about age 9 or 10, most children are expected to answer any fact up to 10 × 10 quickly, and many schools go on to 12 × 12 within a year.

Start with what multiplying means

Children who only chant tables can often say "seven eights are fifty-six" without knowing what it means, and they get stuck as soon as a fact is asked out of order. Before memorising, spend time on these three ideas:

• Equal groups. 4 × 3 is four groups of three. Use egg cartons, Lego bricks or biscuits on plates.
• Arrays. Lay counters in 4 rows of 3. Turn the tray round and it becomes 3 rows of 4: same total. This is the turnaround idea that halves the work.
• Skip counting. Counting in 3s (3, 6, 9, 12) is the bridge from adding to multiplying. The NZ curriculum puts counting in 2s, 5s and 10s in the first years of school, before the tables themselves.

The Education Endowment Foundation's guidance on maths in the middle years recommends both: pupils should develop fluent recall of facts, and teachers should also make the connections between facts and concepts clear. Understanding is what lets a child rebuild a fact they have forgotten.

What order should times tables be taught in?

A common order, and the one our worksheets follow, is:

1. 2, 5 and 10. The answers follow clear patterns (even numbers, numbers ending in 5 or 0, numbers ending in 0).
2. 3, 4 and 11. The 4s are the 2s doubled. The 11s up to 11 × 9 repeat the digit (11 × 6 = 66).
3. 6, 9 and 12. Each can be built from a table already known: 6 × n is 5 × n plus one more n; 9 × n is 10 × n minus one n; 12 × n is 10 × n plus 2 × n.
4. 7 and 8. By now almost every fact in these tables has been met as a turnaround. 7 × 4 is just 4 × 7.

Here is why turnarounds matter. If a child knows the 0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 tables and understands that order doesn't change the answer, only 21 different facts are left in the whole 10 × 10 square: the products of 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 with each other (including squares such as 6 × 6). Write those 21 on cards and you have the real job in front of you.

Tricks for the hard times tables

Tricks work best as a way to work a fact out while it is being learned. The goal is still to know it without the trick.

• 4s: double, then double again. 4 × 7: double 7 is 14, double 14 is 28.
• 8s: double three times. 8 × 6: 12, 24, 48.
• 6s: five lots and one more. 6 × 7 = 5 × 7 + 7 = 35 + 7 = 42. Children who know the 3s can also double them: 6 × 7 is double 3 × 7.
• 9s: ten lots, take one away. 9 × 7 = 70 − 7 = 63. Two checks: the tens digit is one less than the number you are multiplying by (9 × 7 starts with 6), and the digits add to 9 (6 + 3) for every answer up to 9 × 10.
• The 9s finger trick. Hold up ten fingers. For 9 × 4, fold down the fourth finger from the left. Three fingers are left of the fold (30) and six to the right (6): 36.
• 7s: five lots plus two lots. 7 × 8 = 5 × 8 + 2 × 8 = 40 + 16 = 56. Many children like the rhyme "5, 6, 7, 8: 56 is 7 × 8".
• Square facts as anchors. 7 × 7 = 49 and 8 × 8 = 64 are easy to picture as squares. From 7 × 7, one more 7 gives 7 × 8 = 56.
• 12s: ten lots plus two lots. 12 × 6 = 60 + 12 = 72.

The three facts that trip up the most children are usually 6 × 7, 6 × 8 and 7 × 8. Put them on the fridge for a week.

How to practise so the facts stick

Short and frequent beats long and occasional. A plan that works at home or in class:

1. Pick one table and its turnarounds. Read the table aloud in order once, then cover it.
2. Practise in order, then mixed. Order helps at first; mixed order is what proves a fact is known.
3. Ask the missing-number question. "Seven times what is 42?" is the first step towards division and catches children who are only counting up.
4. Keep a "still slow" list. Any fact that takes more than a few seconds goes on the list. Spend most of the next session on those.
5. Mix old tables in. Once a table is secure, keep a few of its facts in every later session so it isn't forgotten.
6. Stop while it's still fun. Five to ten minutes is plenty for a 7- or 8-year-old.

Games help with the mixed practice: flash-card snap, "beat your score" with a set of 20 cards, or a colour-by-code page where each answer tells you which colour to use.

How to use our times tables printables

Each times table sheet shows the table at the top with a fold line, so a child can hide it. Level ★ asks the facts in order, ★★ mixes them up and ★★★ asks for missing numbers. The review worksheet for each table mixes the new facts with earlier tables. Flash cards print double-sided with the answer on the back, and a 1–12 multiplication chart is handy for checking answers, not for copying them.

Questions people ask

What is the easiest way to learn the 7 times table?

Build each fact from tables you already know: 7 × n is 5 × n plus 2 × n, so 7 × 6 = 30 + 12 = 42. By the time children reach the 7s, most facts are turnarounds of tables they know, and only 7 × 7 and 7 × 8 are new. Anchor those with the square 7 × 7 = 49 and add one more 7 to get 56.

What is the trick for the 9 times table?

Multiply by 10 and take one lot away: 9 × 8 = 80 − 8 = 72. The answers also have digits that add to 9 up to 9 × 10, and the finger trick works for 9 × 1 to 9 × 10: fold down the finger for the number you are multiplying by and read the tens and ones on either side.

How do I teach times tables to a 7 year old?

Start with meaning and patterns rather than speed. Use equal groups and skip counting in 2s, 5s and 10s with real objects, then learn those tables. Keep sessions to five or ten minutes and use games. Most curricula expect the full 10 × 10 facts around age 9 or 10, so there is time.

Should children learn times tables to 12 or to 10?

Australia’s curriculum sets 10 × 10 by Year 4, while New Zealand adds the 11 and 12 times tables in Year 5 and England checks up to 12 × 12 in Year 4. Learn to 10 first; the 11s and 12s are quick once 10 × 10 is secure.

Sources

1. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 3
2. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 4
3. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 5
4. Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority: Year 4 standard elaborations, Australian Curriculum v9 Mathematics
5. GOV.UK (Department for Education): Multiplication tables check
6. Education Endowment Foundation: Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3

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A hundreds chart is a 10 × 10 grid of the numbers 1 to 100, ten to a row. Because each row is one ten, moving one square right adds 1 and moving one square down adds 10. That makes it a picture of place value: children use it to count and find numbers at 4 or 5, to skip count and add tens at 6 or 7, to add and subtract two-digit numbers at 7 or 8, and to explore multiples and number patterns from about 8.

What does a hundreds chart show?

Every row holds one decade: 1 to 10, 11 to 20, and so on. Every column holds numbers with the same ones digit (except the last column, which holds the tens). So the chart shows at a glance that 37 is three rows of ten and seven more, and that 47 sits straight below it.

There are three common layouts, and each has a reason:

• 1 to 100 is the most common. It matches how children count, starting at 1.
• 0 to 99 puts every decade on its own row (the 30s are all in one row, starting with 30), which some teachers prefer for place value.
• 1 to 120 carries on past 100. Children often stall after 100, and seeing 101 to 120 under 1 to 20 shows that the pattern simply repeats.

What children learn with it, by year

The New Zealand curriculum gives a useful timeline. In Year 1 children count in 1s, 2s and 10s up to 100 and read and compare numbers to at least 100, using place value (17 is one ten and seven ones). In Year 2 they work with numbers to 120, count forwards and backwards in 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s from any number, and add and subtract by splitting numbers into tens and ones. In Year 3 they name the number 10 more or 10 less than any number to 100. A hundreds chart supports every one of these steps.

Hundreds chart activities by age

Ages 4 to 5: counting and finding numbers

• Point and count along a row together, then down the last column: 10, 20, 30.
• "Find your age", "find the number on our letterbox", "find 15". Talk about how you found it.
• Colour the numbers you can already read. Add more each week.

Ages 5 to 7: patterns and skip counting

• Colour every number you say when counting in 2s, then 5s, then 10s. The 10s make a column, the 5s two columns, the 2s stripes.
• Cover a few numbers with counters or sticky notes and ask what is underneath. The numbers on each side, above and below are the clues.
• Cut a chart into a jigsaw. NRICH, the University of Cambridge maths project, has a free 100 square jigsaw in four versions.

Ages 6 to 8: adding and subtracting

• Practise "ten more" and "ten less": one square down, one square up.
• Add two-digit numbers by moving down for the tens and right for the ones (below).
• Find the difference between two numbers by counting the jumps between them.

Ages 8 to 10: multiples and number puzzles

• Colour the multiples of 3. They form diagonal stripes. Try 4, 6 and 9, and predict before colouring.
• Shade numbers that are in both the 2s and 3s patterns. What do you notice? (They are the multiples of 6.)
• Try NRICH's Hundred Square problem: if a chart is printed on both sides of the paper, which number is behind 58?

How to add on a hundreds chart

Take 34 + 23:

1. Put a finger on 34.
2. Split 23 into 2 tens and 3 ones.
3. Move down two rows for the tens: 44, 54.
4. Move right three squares for the ones: 55, 56, 57.
5. Say the sum as a sentence: "34 plus 23 is 57."

When the ones jump goes past the end of a row (for 38 + 5), carry on at the start of the next row: 39, 40, then 41, 42, 43. That wrap-around is exactly the moment a new ten is made, so it's worth slowing down and saying it out loud.

How to subtract on a hundreds chart

For 72 − 25, start on 72, move up two rows for the tens (62, 52), then left five squares for the ones (51, 50, 49, 48, 47). The answer is 47. Children can also count up from 25 to 72 and add up the jumps, which is often easier and shows that subtraction can be read as a difference.

Hundreds chart or number line?

Use both. A number line shows numbers as distances along a line, which suits measuring, rounding and fractions later on. A hundreds chart shows the structure of tens and ones, which suits mental adding and subtracting. Children who can move between the two understand numbers to 100 well.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Going the wrong way. Some children move up for "ten more". Agree a rule ("bigger numbers are lower down") and check it with a known fact.
• Counting the starting square. For 34 + 3, the first jump lands on 35, not 34.
• Stopping at the end of a row. Practise the wrap from 40 to 41 and 99 to 100 on its own.
• Counting every square. If a child counts 1s to add 20, show the two-row jump and practise it.

Questions people ask

What is a hundreds chart used for?

Counting to 100, reading and finding numbers, skip counting, seeing the tens and ones in every number, adding and subtracting tens and ones mentally, and later spotting multiples and number patterns.

How do you use a hundreds chart for multiplication?

Colour the multiples of a number by skip counting: every third square for the 3s, every fourth for the 4s. The coloured pattern shows the times table, and comparing two patterns shows common multiples.

What is the difference between a hundreds chart and a hundreds board?

Nothing important. A hundreds board is usually a physical board with pegs or tiles, and a hundreds chart is printed. Both show 1 to 100 in rows of ten.

At what age should a child use a hundreds chart?

From about 4 or 5 for counting and finding numbers, and through to about 10 for multiples and number puzzles. New Zealand children work with numbers to 100 in Year 1, which starts at age 5.

Sources

1. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 1
2. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 2
3. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 3
4. NRICH, University of Cambridge: 100 Square Jigsaw
5. NRICH, University of Cambridge: Hundred Square

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A ten frame is a rectangle split into two rows of five boxes. Children put counters in the boxes to show a number, and because the frame always holds ten, they can see at a glance how a number is made: 7 is "five and two more" and "three less than ten". That quick seeing, without counting one by one, is the foundation for the number bonds to ten and for adding across ten, which is why ten frames are used so widely from preschool to about age 7.

Why use a ten frame?

Young children first count objects one at a time. To add and subtract mentally they need to see numbers as made of parts: 8 is 5 and 3, and also 10 minus 2. The Victorian Department of Education's Teaching with the Big Ideas in Mathematics calls this part-part-whole knowledge and links it to subitising, recognising small quantities instantly. A ten frame shows both parts at once: the full row of five, and the gap to ten.

It also previews place value. A full frame is one ten. Two frames side by side show the teen numbers as "ten and some more", which helps children understand why fourteen is written 1 then 4.

How to fill a ten frame

Most teachers use one convention so that numbers always look the same: fill the top row from left to right, then the bottom row from left to right. That way 6 always looks like a full row and one more, and children stop needing to count.

Some teachers fill in pairs (one top, one bottom) to show doubles and odd and even numbers. Either is fine; just choose one and keep to it while a child is learning.

Ten frame activities and games

1. Flash and say. Show a filled frame for two seconds, hide it, and ask how many. Ask how they knew ("five and two"). NRICH's Ten-Frames Games includes a version where children rebuild the frame from memory.
2. How many more to make ten? Show 7. Ask how many empty boxes there are. Say the fact both ways: 7 and 3 make 10; 10 take away 7 is 3.
3. Make ten snap. Using ten frame cards, players snap two cards that together make ten.
4. Two colours. Fill a frame with red and yellow counters to show all the ways to make a number: 6 is 6 and 0, 5 and 1, 4 and 2, 3 and 3.
5. Bridging through ten. For 7 + 5, put 7 counters on one frame and 5 on a second. Move 3 to fill the first frame: now it's 10 and 2, which is 12. The Education Endowment Foundation's early maths guidance uses this exact example, with a teacher splitting the 5 into 3 to make ten and 2 more (Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1).
6. Teen numbers. Use a double ten frame. Show 14 as a full frame and four more, then write it.
7. Ordering cards. Lay ten frame cards 0 to 10 or 11 to 20 in order and talk about what changes each time.

What age are ten frames for?

Ten frames to 10 suit children from about 4, once they can count a small group reliably. In New Zealand, Year 1 children (age 5 to 6) learn the addition facts to 10 and their subtraction facts, and split groups of up to 20 objects in different ways, which is exactly what a double ten frame shows. By Year 2 they are expected to recall addition facts to 20 quickly, so the frame becomes a tool for adding across ten, and then it can be put away.

Making ten frames at home

• Print one. A blank ten frame sheet and a pile of buttons, dried pasta or coins is all you need.
• Egg cartons. A 12-cup carton with two cups cut off is a sturdy ten frame.
• Ice cube trays. The EEF guidance mentions a teacher giving ice cube trays in tens to children who found it hard to keep counters in place.
• Chalk. Draw a big frame outside and use stones or have children stand in the boxes.

Common mistakes

• Counting every counter. That's fine at first. Encourage "I see five and one more" by flashing the frame too quickly to count.
• Random placement. If counters go anywhere, the frame loses its point. Model the top-row-first rule.
• Moving on too slowly. Once a child says bonds to ten instantly, use the frame for crossing ten, then retire it.

Questions people ask

What is a ten frame in maths?

A two-by-five grid that holds ten counters. It helps children see numbers as parts of five and ten, learn the number bonds to ten and add or subtract across ten.

What is a double ten frame?

Two ten frames side by side, holding up to 20. It shows teen numbers as one full ten and some more ones, and it is used for adding pairs such as 8 + 6 by filling the first frame.

How do you fill a ten frame?

The common convention is to fill the top row left to right, then the bottom row left to right, so each number always looks the same. Filling in pairs is another option for showing doubles and even numbers.

What age is a ten frame for?

From about 4 to 7. Younger children use it for counting and recognising amounts to 10; older ones for number bonds, teen numbers and adding across ten.

Sources

1. Victorian Department of Education: Teaching with the Big Ideas in Mathematics
2. NRICH, University of Cambridge: Ten-Frames Games
3. Education Endowment Foundation: Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1
4. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 1
5. Ministry of Education (NZ): Mathematics and Statistics in Year 2

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Almost every child learns to print first and joins letters later, if at all. In Australia the national curriculum introduces joined letters in Year 3 (about age 8). In New Zealand cursive is optional: the Ministry of Education's guidance suggests considering it from Year 5, and only for children who already print with ease. In the US it varies by state, usually around grade 2 or 3. Research doesn't show that one style suits every child; what matters most is handwriting that is legible and fast enough that a child can think about ideas instead of letters.

What is the difference between print and cursive?

• Print (also called manuscript or basic script) has separate letters made from simple strokes. It looks like the letters in books, which helps children who are learning to read.
• Pre-cursive is print with small exit strokes on many letters. The exits make joining easier later. Several Australian state styles teach pre-cursive letters from the start.
• Cursive (joined writing) links the letters inside a word with joining strokes so the pencil lifts less often. New Zealand's guidance describes it as a progression from basic script that can increase fluency and speed.

When do kids learn cursive?

New Zealand. The Ministry of Education's Teaching Handwriting guidance (updated October 2025) says basic script should be taught to all learners from Years 0 to 8, that cursive is not a requirement of the English learning area, and that teaching cursive to learners who can write with ease and automaticity is an option to consider from Year 5. Some children start joining on their own, and the guidance accepts personal variation as long as letters keep their essential form.

Australia. Under version 9 of the Australian Curriculum, Year 2 students write words using consistently legible unjoined letters, and Year 3 students write words using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size. States set their own handwriting style. The New South Wales Stage 2 handwriting sequence, for example, introduces all the joins in NSW Foundation Style during Year 3.

United States. There's no national rule. The Iowa Reading Research Center at the University of Iowa notes that Iowa students begin cursive in second grade with the main focus in third grade, while Oklahoma begins in third grade.

Is cursive better than print? What the research says

The honest answer is that the evidence is thin on cursive versus print, and strong on handwriting itself.

• Handwriting helps reading. In a brain-imaging study at Indiana University, James and Engelhardt (2012) had five-year-olds print, type or trace letters. Only free-form printing later recruited the brain network used in reading when the children looked at letters. Note that this compared printing with typing and tracing, not print with cursive.
• Teaching handwriting works. A large meta-analysis by Santangelo and Graham (2016) found that explicit handwriting instruction improved legibility and fluency and led to better writing.
• Cursive research is limited. The Iowa Reading Research Center points out that far more research exists on print than on cursive, and that there isn't robust evidence comparing the two across countries and languages.

New Zealand's guidance says joined writing is associated with better outcomes for spelling and can feel more grown-up to older learners. Both are good reasons to offer it, but neither means a child who prints well is behind.

Signs a child is ready to join letters

• They form every lowercase letter correctly, starting in the right place and moving in the right direction.
• Letters sit on the line and are a consistent size.
• They hold the pencil comfortably and can write for several minutes without their hand getting sore.
• They write familiar words without stopping to think about how each letter goes.

If a child still reverses letters or starts them in odd places, joining will make those habits harder to fix. Spend a few more weeks on formation first.

How to start teaching cursive

1. Check the print. Ask for the alphabet in lowercase and watch, not just the result. Fix any letter formed from the wrong starting point first.
2. Add exit strokes. Practise letters such as a, d, h, i, m, n, t and u with a small flick at the end. This is the pre-cursive stage.
3. Teach one kind of join at a time. New Zealand's guidance begins with letters that are joined to and join on diagonally (such as in, an, um), then moves on. Horizontal joins come off the tops of o, r, v and w, and letters with tails come later.
4. Practise in short, daily sessions. New Zealand's Teaching Handwriting page says just 10 to 15 minutes of focused teaching each day can make a significant difference.
5. Move from joins to words to sentences. Common pairs (th, an, ing) first, then short words, then a sentence the child chooses.
6. Accept a personal style. Many adults join some letters and not others. Legible and fluent is the goal, not a perfect copy of a model.

Which cursive style should we use?

Use whatever your child's school uses, so home practice matches class. New Zealand schools use the Ministry's basic script and cursive, and the Ministry has released free Playwrite NZ fonts on Google Fonts to support teaching. Australian states each have their own model, such as NSW Foundation Style or Victorian Modern Cursive. Our cursive sheets use a traditional US-style cursive font; our handwriting style charts cover print, pre-cursive and the NZ and Australian state styles, drawn with the free Playwrite fonts. They are practice sheets, not official school documents, so check the model with your school if it matters.

Questions people ask

What age do kids learn cursive?

In Australia joined letters start in Year 3, at about age 8. In New Zealand cursive is optional and the Ministry suggests considering it from Year 5 (about age 9) for children who already print with ease. In the US it is usually grade 2 or 3, depending on the state.

Should my child learn cursive or print first?

Print first in almost every school system. Printed letters match the letters children read in books, and correct print formation is the base that joined writing builds on.

Is cursive faster than print?

Joining can make writing more fluent because the pencil lifts less, and New Zealand guidance says it can increase speed. Children who print fluently can be just as quick, so speed alone is not a reason to switch.

Do NZ schools still teach cursive?

Cursive is not required by the New Zealand English curriculum. Schools may teach it from Year 5 to children who print with ease, and some children join letters on their own as their style develops.

Sources

1. Ministry of Education (NZ): Teaching Handwriting (October 2025)
2. Tāhūrangi, Ministry of Education (NZ): Teaching Handwriting
3. Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority: Year 2 English, Australian Curriculum v9
4. Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority: Year 3 English, Australian Curriculum v9
5. NSW Department of Education: Stage 2 handwriting and digital transcription
6. James and Engelhardt (2012), Trends in Neuroscience and Education (PubMed Central)
7. Santangelo and Graham (2016), Educational Psychology Review: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of Handwriting Instruction (ERIC)
8. Iowa Reading Research Center, University of Iowa: Looping Back to Cursive Handwriting

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Teach letter formation as a movement, not a shape to copy: show where each letter starts and which way the pencil travels, group letters that share a movement, start with lowercase, and watch children write for 10 to 15 minutes a day so mistakes are caught before they become habits. New Zealand and the Australian states use slightly different letter models, but the starting points and directions are nearly the same, so good habits carry across.

Why movement matters more than neat shapes

New Zealand's Ministry of Education puts it plainly in its Teaching Handwriting guidance: teachers should focus on how the pencil moves to make each letter rather than on exact copies of a model alphabet, because a printed sample can show a shape but can't show a movement. A letter that looks right can still be made the wrong way, and a wrong movement slows children down later, especially when they start joining letters. The same guidance warns that marking work after a lesson isn't enough when children are first learning, because you can't see how the letter was formed.

Before letters: grip, posture and paper

• Posture. Feet on the floor, writing arm resting on the table, the other hand holding the paper, shoulders relaxed.
• Grip. A tripod grip: pencil between thumb and forefinger, resting on the middle finger. The Ministry suggests holding it about 3 cm from the tip, and a little further back for left-handers so they can see their writing.
• Paper. Right-handers tilt the page slightly anticlockwise. Left-handers tilt it clockwise, more steeply, with the arm below the line of writing, which helps avoid the hooked wrist.
• Warm-ups. For children who have hardly used a pencil, play dough, pegs, drawing big circles and zigzags build the control letters need.

Teach letters in families

Grouping letters by their first movement means each new letter reuses one the child already knows. New Zealand's guidance suggests three groups for the first months of school:

• Anticlockwise curve start: c, a, d, g, q, o, e, s, f. Start just below the top, curve back to the left and around.
• Straight down start: l, t, i, j, r, n, m, p, h, b, k, y, u. Start at the top and pull straight down.
• Slants: v, w, x, z.

Australian state guidance groups letters in a similar way, so the families still work if your school uses a state style.

How to teach one letter, step by step

1. Model it big. Write the letter large on a whiteboard while saying the movement: "start at the top, straight down, back up and over" for n.
2. Air and finger. The child draws it in the air, then with a finger on the table or in sand, saying the same words.
3. Trace with a start dot. A green dot shows where to begin and an arrow shows the direction.
4. Copy, then write from memory. Move off tracing quickly. In the Indiana University study by James and Engelhardt (2012), children who printed letters freely later showed brain activity linked to reading when they saw those letters; children who only traced or typed them did not.
5. Use it in a word. Write a short word with the letter so the movement joins up with reading and spelling.
6. Watch, then praise the movement. "You started at the top" is more useful feedback than "neat".

New Zealand's Tāhūrangi handwriting page says 10 to 15 minutes of focused teaching a day can make a significant difference.

Lowercase first, then capitals

Most of what children read and write is lowercase, so it comes first. New Zealand's guidance makes lowercase letters the priority for the first six months of school, introduces all letters and the numerals 0 to 9 during the first year, and adds uppercase once lowercase is learned. A child who writes their name in capitals is very common; gently teach the lowercase version once they start school.

Fixing b and d reversals

Letter families solve the most common reversal. In the NZ grouping, d starts like c (an anticlockwise curve, then the tall stick), while b starts with a straight line down from the top, then the bump. If a child begins d by writing c first, they can't make it backwards. Say "c, then up and down" for d, and "down, up and round" for b, every time.

New Zealand and Australian handwriting styles

New Zealand uses one basic script in all schools, described in the Ministry's guidance, with an optional cursive later. The Ministry has also published free Playwrite NZ fonts for teaching.

Australia has a national expectation and state styles. The curriculum asks Year 2 students to write words in consistently legible unjoined letters. Each state and territory chooses a model: New South Wales uses NSW Foundation Style (with pre-cursive and cursive forms, as in the NSW Stage 2 sequence); Tasmania describes a beginners' alphabet that later gains exit strokes for cursive in its Handwriting Guidelines; Victoria, Queensland and South Australia have their own models.

The differences are mostly in slope and exit strokes: some state models give letters a small flick at the end from the start, while NZ basic script stays upright and plain. Starting points and directions rarely differ. Our NZ and Australian charts are drawn with the free Playwrite fonts, which are modelled on each style. They are not official school documents, so if your school issues its own chart, use that.

Questions people ask

What letters should be taught first in handwriting?

Lowercase letters, in groups that share a starting movement. Many teachers start with c, a, d, g and o (the anticlockwise curve letters), or with simple straight-down letters such as l, t and i. Introduce capitals once lowercase is secure.

How do you teach letter formation to preschoolers?

Keep it physical and short: big movements in the air, in sand or with paint, then tracing from a start dot. Name the movement each time. Most four-year-olds are ready for a few letters, such as those in their name, rather than the whole alphabet.

What is the NZ handwriting style?

New Zealand schools use the basic script in the Ministry of Education’s Teaching Handwriting guidance: upright, simple letters taught by movement, with optional cursive from about Year 5. The Ministry’s Playwrite NZ fonts show the letter shapes.

Why does my child write letters backwards?

Reversals such as b and d are common in the first years of school. Teaching letters by their starting movement, rather than by their shape, usually fixes them, because the movement is different even when the shapes are mirror images.

Sources

1. Ministry of Education (NZ): Teaching Handwriting (October 2025)
2. Tāhūrangi, Ministry of Education (NZ): Teaching Handwriting
3. Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority: Year 2 English, Australian Curriculum v9
4. NSW Department of Education: Stage 2 handwriting and digital transcription
5. Department for Education, Tasmania: Handwriting Guidelines
6. James and Engelhardt (2012), Trends in Neuroscience and Education (PubMed Central)

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To draw bubble letters, write the word lightly in pencil with wide gaps between letters, draw a rounded outline about a finger's width around every stroke, let neighbouring letters touch or tuck behind each other, then rub out the pencil skeleton and add holes, shine marks and a shadow. It takes a few tries to get the spacing right, which is where most bubble letters go wrong. If you need a neat result quickly, our free bubble letter generator draws any name or message for you to colour, print or trace.

Where bubble letters come from

The bubble style most people picture took shape on New York subway trains in the early 1970s. The writer known as Phase 2, whose New York Times obituary describes him as one of the most inventive and widely copied writers of that period, is generally credited with popularising "softies", the soft, inflated letters other writers quickly adapted. Today the same shapes turn up on birthday banners, school posters and journal headings.

How to draw bubble letters step by step

1. Plan the space. Count the letters and lightly mark where each one goes. Bubble letters are about twice as wide as normal letters, so leave a gap of at least one letter-width between skeleton letters.
2. Write a thin skeleton. Write the word in simple capitals with a light pencil. Use single strokes, no serifs.
3. Draw the outline. Trace around every stroke at the same distance, about a finger's width, keeping all corners round. Where two strokes meet, the outline flows around the outside of both.
4. Keep the holes open. Letters such as A, B, D, O, P, Q and R have enclosed spaces (type designers call them counters). Draw a small rounded hole in each so the letter can still be read.
5. Erase and ink. Rub out the skeleton and go over the outline with a felt-tip pen.
6. Add details. A short curved shine line near the top left of each letter makes it look round. Then add a shadow (below).

Tips for tricky letters

• A and R: keep the hole small and high. If the bar of the A sits too low, the hole closes.
• B: make the top bump a little smaller than the bottom one, with a hole in each.
• M and W: these get very wide. Make the middle V shallow and the outside posts close together.
• S: draw the skeleton as one smooth curve, then outline it in one go; stop-start outlines go lumpy.
• E and F: round off the ends of every arm so they look puffy rather than square.
• Lowercase i and j: give the dot its own big round bubble.

Spacing and overlapping

The gaps between letters matter as much as the letters. Type designers adjust the spacing of awkward pairs, a process called kerning; with bubble letters you do it by eye. Two looks work well: letters that just touch, or letters that overlap slightly with each one tucked behind the letter before it. For overlapping, draw the front letter first and stop the outline of the next letter where it meets it. Whichever you choose, keep it the same across the whole word.

Shading and 3D shadows

1. Decide where the light comes from, for example the top left.
2. On every letter, draw a second outline offset a few millimetres down and to the right.
3. Join the corners and fill the shadow in a darker colour or grey.
4. Add the shine marks on the side facing the light.

The most common mistake is putting shadows on different sides of different letters. Same direction, same depth, every time.

Bubble letters with children

Bubble letters make a good first lettering style because every letter is a closed shape with an inside to colour and an outline to follow. Start with a child's own name. Younger children can colour ready-made bubble letters, or trace dashed ones, before drawing their own. A name in bubble letters also makes a chart feel like theirs: the routine chart maker puts it at the top of a morning, bedtime or reward chart. Older children enjoy filling letters with patterns: stripes, dots, stars or a different colour for each letter.

Using the free bubble letter generator

Our bubble letter generator draws up to three lines of text in round bubble letters that fill the page. You can choose outline letters to colour, 3D letters with a drop shadow, or dashed letters to trace, pick portrait or landscape, colour it on screen, print it, or download a PDF for US Letter or A4. What you type is drawn in your browser and isn't sent to us. Below the generator there are ready-made pages for every letter from A to Z, the whole alphabet and the numbers 0 to 9.

Questions people ask

How do you draw bubble letters easily?

Write the word in thin pencil capitals with big gaps, draw a rounded outline about a finger’s width around every stroke, erase the pencil, then add small holes in letters like A, B and O. Practise the spacing on scrap paper first.

How do you make bubble letters look 3D?

Choose a light direction, then draw a second outline offset down and to the side on every letter, join the corners and shade it darker. Keep the shadow on the same side and the same depth for every letter.

How do you draw bubble letters A to Z?

Use the same method for each letter: a single-stroke skeleton, an even rounded outline, and open holes. The printable A to Z pages show every letter in bubble form, with uppercase and lowercase, to copy or colour.

Is there a bubble letter generator I can print?

Yes. Our free generator draws any name or message in bubble letters as outline, 3D shadow or dashed tracing letters, and makes a PDF for Letter or A4 paper. No sign-up is needed.

Sources

1. The New York Times: Phase 2, an Aerosol Art Innovator, Is Dead at 64 (2019)
2. Google Fonts Knowledge: Counter (glossary)
3. Google Fonts Knowledge: Kerning (glossary)

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Anzac Day, on 25 April, marks the anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli in 1915. It is a public holiday in both countries, with dawn services, marches and ceremonies at war memorials. Remembrance Day, on 11 November, marks the Armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War at 11 am on 11 November 1918, and is observed with a minute's silence at 11 am; it is not a public holiday. Today both days remember all who served and died in war, not only in the First World War.

Anzac Day and Remembrance Day at a glance

What is Anzac Day?

"Anzac" comes from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. On 25 April 1915 these troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in what is now Türkiye. NZ History, from Manatū Taonga, notes that New Zealand first observed Anzac Day in 1916 and that the Anzac Day Act of 1920 made 25 April a public holiday. The Australian War Memorial describes Anzac Day as one of Australia's most important national occasions, marking the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces in the First World War.

Over time the day has widened to honour everyone who has served. Typical events are a dawn service at a local memorial, a later civic service, a parade of veterans and families, and the laying of wreaths.

What is Remembrance Day?

Fighting on the Western Front stopped at 11 am on 11 November 1918, when the Armistice took effect. The day was first called Armistice Day. According to the Australian War Memorial, two minutes' silence was first observed in Australia on the first anniversary of the Armistice, and after the Second World War the Australian and British governments renamed it Remembrance Day so that it covered all war dead. In 1997 Governor-General Sir William Deane proclaimed 11 November as Remembrance Day and urged Australians to observe one minute's silence at 11 am, as the Department of Veterans' Affairs Anzac Portal records.

New Zealand also marks the Armistice on 11 November (NZ History tells the story of how the news reached the country in its Armistice Day pages), but Anzac Day is its main day of remembrance.

Why New Zealand wears poppies in April

In many countries the red poppy is worn around 11 November. New Zealand is different, by accident. The Returned Soldiers' Association planned its first Poppy Day for Armistice Day 1921, but the ship carrying the poppies from France arrived too late. NZ History's page on the red poppy explains that the poppies went on sale on 24 April 1922 instead, and since 1927 Poppy Day has been held on the Friday before Anzac Day. As Te Ara notes, volunteers hand out poppies on Poppy Day in return for donations to the RSA welfare fund. In most other countries, the poppy is mainly a Remembrance Day symbol.

Talking about Anzac Day and Remembrance Day with children

• Start with remembering. For young children, keep it simple: long ago many people went to war, many did not come home, and we stop to remember them and hope for peace.
• Make it personal. Look for family names on a local memorial or ask relatives whether anyone in the family served.
• Practise the silence. A minute is a long time for a five-year-old. Try 30 seconds first and talk about what they thought about.
• Keep the tone respectful. These are days of remembrance, so "happy Anzac Day" doesn't fit. Images of poppies, rosemary, doves and wreaths suit children better than soldiers or weapons.
• Go to a service. Dawn services are early and cold, but many children remember them for years. A mid-morning civic service is a gentler start.

Activities for home and school

1. Colour a poppy and add it to a class wreath or a window display.
2. Make a rosemary sprig card. NZ History notes rosemary is also worn for remembrance; colour a sprig and pin a real one to it.
3. Bake Anzac biscuits and talk about why they are linked to the day.
4. Write a "we will remember" message on a colouring page with the words "Lest we forget".
5. Make a peace dove for Remembrance Day and talk about what peace means.

Questions people ask

Is Anzac Day the same as Remembrance Day?

No. Anzac Day (25 April) marks the 1915 Gallipoli landings and is a public holiday in New Zealand and Australia. Remembrance Day (11 November) marks the 1918 Armistice and is observed with a minute’s silence at 11 am. Both now remember everyone who served and died in war.

Is Remembrance Day a public holiday in New Zealand or Australia?

No. Remembrance Day is observed in both countries with ceremonies and a minute’s silence at 11 am, but it is not a public holiday. Anzac Day is.

Why is the poppy worn on Anzac Day in New Zealand?

Poppies ordered for Armistice Day 1921 arrived from France too late, so the first New Zealand Poppy Day was held on 24 April 1922, before Anzac Day. Poppy Day has been the Friday before Anzac Day since 1927.

What time is the minute’s silence on Remembrance Day?

At 11 am on 11 November, the hour the Armistice took effect in 1918.

Sources

1. NZ History (Manatū Taonga): Anzac Day resources
2. NZ History (Manatū Taonga): The red poppy
3. NZ History (Manatū Taonga): Armistice Day
4. Australian War Memorial: Anzac Day
5. Australian War Memorial: Origins of Remembrance Day
6. Australian War Memorial: A period of silence
7. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Anzac Portal: Remembrance Day
8. Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: New Zealand’s special national holidays

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In New Zealand and Australia, Christmas comes at the start of summer and the long school holidays, so it is usually celebrated outdoors: lunch on the deck or a barbecue, a swim at the beach, backyard cricket, and carols in the park on a warm evening. Native plants that flower in December take the place of holly. In New Zealand that's the red pōhutukawa, known as the New Zealand Christmas tree; in New South Wales it's Christmas bush and Christmas bells.

Why is Christmas in summer down under?

The seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are the reverse of those in Europe and North America, so December is early summer. Christmas also falls just after the end of the school year, and many families take their main holiday between Christmas and late January. NZ History's article on a Kiwi Christmas sums up the result: less about snow and sleigh bells, more about sun, sand and barbecues.

Christmas traditions in New Zealand

• The pōhutukawa. The Department of Conservation explains that the blazing red flowers of pōhutukawa around Christmas have earned it the title of New Zealand's Christmas tree. Te Ara describes its crowns covered in red to crimson flowers around December. NZ History notes that the tree appears on greeting cards, in poems and in songs, and also holds an important place in Māori tradition.
• Santa parades. According to NZ History, Santa or Christmas parades are held around the country in November and December, and began in the main centres in the early 1900s.
• Summer holidays. Beach days, a bach or crib, jandals and backyard cricket are as much part of a Kiwi Christmas as presents.
• Local songs. Many carols have been adapted for New Zealand settings, with native birds and summer weather.
• Meri Kirihimete. "Merry Christmas" in te reo Māori, as listed in Te Aka Māori Dictionary, appears on many cards and shop windows.

Christmas traditions in Australia

• Carols by Candlelight. Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight began in Melbourne in 1938, founded by radio broadcaster Norman Banks, and is the country's oldest and best-known Christmas concert. Councils and communities across Australia hold their own outdoor carols.
• Native Christmas plants. The Australian National Botanic Gardens lists several Australian Christmas plants, including New South Wales Christmas bush, which turns red in summer, and Christmas bells, which flower in summer. Its page includes an old newspaper picture of a boatload of Christmas bush being rowed towards Sydney for sale.
• Outdoor eating. Many families swap a hot roast for seafood, salads and a barbecue, with pavlova or fruit for dessert.
• Beach and pool. A Christmas afternoon swim is common, with sun safety front of mind.

Sun safety on Christmas Day

December UV levels are high in both countries. Cancer Council Australia's SunSmart advice is to use all five steps: slip on covering clothing, slop on SPF 50 or 50+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen at least 20 minutes before going outside and reapply it every two hours, slap on a broad-brimmed hat, seek shade, and slide on sunglasses. Plan outdoor games for the morning or late afternoon, and set up a shady spot for quieter activities such as colouring in the heat of the day.

Planning a summer Christmas Day with children

A hot Christmas Day goes better with a plan that follows the sun:

• Early morning: presents, breakfast, and any outdoor games or a walk while it's cool.
• Late morning: help in the kitchen or set the table outside in the shade; let children make place cards or name tags.
• Lunch: eat in the shade and keep water jugs on the table.
• Early afternoon: the hottest, highest-UV part of the day. Bring the quiet activities out now: colouring, puzzles, a new book or a board game indoors or under a tree.
• Late afternoon: a swim or the beach once the sun is lower, with sunscreen reapplied.
• Evening: leftovers, carols on the radio or television, and an early night.

At school, the year finishes before Christmas, so classroom Christmas activities happen in the first weeks of December, alongside end-of-year concerts and prize-givings.

Summer Christmas activities for kids

1. Colour a pōhutukawa Christmas tree and hang it where a pine tree might go, or send it to relatives overseas.
2. Make jandal gift tags. Colour, cut out and punch a hole for ribbon.
3. Draw Santa at the beach in board shorts. What would he need for a summer Christmas Eve?
4. Make a shell wreath from collected shells, or colour a printed one.
5. Native bird ornaments. Colour a tūī or pīwakawaka (fantail), cut it out and hang it on a branch.
6. Christmas cards for the other hemisphere. Children with family in Europe or North America can draw what Christmas looks like here: sun, sand and flowers.
7. Beach treasure hunt. A list of things to find on a Christmas walk: a red flower, a shell, a feather, a crab.

Questions people ask

Why is pōhutukawa called the New Zealand Christmas tree?

Because it flowers in December, covering the tree in red blossom just when Christmas comes. The Department of Conservation and Te Ara both describe it as New Zealand’s Christmas tree.

What do Australians do on Christmas Day?

Many families open presents in the morning, then share a long lunch, often seafood, salads or a barbecue, and spend the afternoon at the beach, the pool or relaxing in the shade. Carols by Candlelight concerts are held in the days before.

How do you say Merry Christmas in Māori?

Meri Kirihimete. It is listed in Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

When does the summer school holiday start in New Zealand?

The school year ends in mid-December, a week or two before Christmas, and the summer holidays run until late January or early February.

Sources

1. NZ History (Manatū Taonga): Kiwi Christmas
2. NZ History (Manatū Taonga): Pōhutukawa trees
3. Department of Conservation: Pōhutukawa
4. Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: Pōhutukawa
5. Australian National Botanic Gardens: Australian Christmas Plants
6. Vision Australia: Carols by Candlelight history
7. Cancer Council Australia: Be SunSmart
8. Te Aka Māori Dictionary: Kirihimete

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Colouring can be a calm, grown-up activity to share with someone living with dementia, as long as it suits them: pages with bold outlines and large spaces, subjects they care about, a short and relaxed session, and no pressure to finish. Treat it as time together rather than a task. It isn't a treatment and won't suit everyone, so follow the person's lead and be ready to try something else.

Is colouring a good activity for this person?

Dementia Australia's guidance on activities for people with dementia suggests choosing activities that keep skills active, make the person feel good and confident, respect their cultural or spiritual background, and connect with what makes them who they are: their work, hobbies, places they've been and important moments in their life. Colouring fits well for people who enjoyed art, crafts, puzzles or gardening, and for some who never did but like a quiet, absorbing task.

It may not suit someone who finds fine hand movements frustrating, who feels it's childish, or who would rather be moving, chatting or listening to music. Alzheimers New Zealand's guidance for people living with dementia encourages adapting hobbies to suit changing abilities rather than giving them up, so if colouring doesn't land, painting with big brushes, arranging flowers or a large-print word search might.

Choosing colouring pages for adults with dementia

• Grown-up subjects. Flowers, birds, gardens, the seaside, tea time, simple patterns. The Alzheimer's Society's activities handbook suggests an adult colouring book with a theme the person is interested in, such as animals.
• Bold outlines and big spaces. Thick lines are easier to see and to stay inside. Start with fewer, larger shapes than you think.
• Nothing childish. Avoid cartoon characters and baby animals with big eyes unless the person clearly loves them. Being offered children's materials can feel belittling.
• Familiar and personal. A favourite flower, a type of bird they used to feed, a pattern like the tiles in their old kitchen.
• Several options. Print two or three and let the person choose.

Setting up the space and materials

Dementia Australia recommends an activity space that is tidy, quiet, well lit without being too bright, with comfortable seating at the right height. For colouring that means:

• A clear table with only the page and a few pens or pencils on it.
• Good daylight or a lamp placed so the hand doesn't cast a shadow on the page.
• Chunky felt-tip pens, crayons or soft pencils that give strong colour without pressing hard.
• A small choice of colours, three or four, rather than a full box.
• The page taped to the table or on a clipboard if it slides around.
• Something to look at for ideas: real flowers, shells or photos.

How to run a colouring session

1. Pick a good time of day. Dementia Australia suggests choosing times when the person feels at their best; for many that is the morning.
2. Invite, don't insist. Offer the activity and accept a "no". You can always try again later.
3. Start together. If they hesitate, colour a shape yourself or choose the first colour together. Sometimes just sitting together is enough.
4. One step at a time. "Shall we do the petals in pink?" works better than a list of instructions.
5. Keep it short. Ten to twenty minutes is plenty. Stop while it's still enjoyable.
6. Talk, if they want to. A flower page can lead to a conversation about gardens, a seaside page about holidays. Follow their lead rather than quizzing.
7. Admire the work. Comment on the colours or the pattern. There is no "right" way and no need to stay inside the lines.
8. Do something with it. Dementia Australia suggests inviting the person to sign their work, then mounting it on coloured paper, making it into a card for family or framing it.

Doing it with them, not for them

Alzheimers New Zealand's person-centred principles, Engage, Enable, Empower, describe supporting people to do things with others rather than having things done for them. In practice: let the person choose the page and the colours, resist finishing a section "to help", and let an unfinished page be finished. If colouring is a group activity in a care home or day centre, offer a few different pages and let people sit with friends.

As dementia changes

The NHS notes that in the later stages of dementia activities often need to be simpler and more focused on the senses, but that people can still enjoy them (Activities for dementia). Colouring might become filling one big shape, enjoying the feel of a crayon, or watching someone else colour while chatting. Simpler pages, a single colour at a time and more help getting started all keep it possible for longer.

When colouring isn't working

• Frustration with small spaces: switch to a bolder page or a painting activity.
• "This is for children": try a geometric or stained glass design, or move to a word search.
• Restlessness: go for a walk, garden, or put on music. The Alzheimer's Society lists many activity ideas, from cooking to music.
• Low mood or tiredness: leave it for another day. Some days the person won't want to, and that's fine.

If you care for someone full time, look after yourself too. Colouring alongside them can be a quiet ten minutes for you as well.

Questions people ask

Is colouring good for dementia patients?

It can be an enjoyable, calming activity for some people living with dementia, especially those who liked art or crafts. Dementia organisations list creative activities such as art among the ways to stay engaged. It is not a treatment, so choose it for enjoyment and follow the person’s lead.

What kind of colouring pages are best for people with dementia?

Adult subjects with bold outlines, large spaces and not too much detail, such as flowers, birds or simple patterns. Avoid pages that look childish, and offer a choice of two or three.

How long should a colouring session last?

Short: ten to twenty minutes is plenty for most people, and less is fine. Stop while it is still enjoyable, and try again another day.

Are there free printable colouring pages for seniors?

Yes. Our bold and easy pages and large-print word searches are free to print at home, in day centres and in care homes, with US Letter and A4 PDFs.

Sources

1. Dementia Australia: Activities for people with dementia
2. Alzheimer’s Society (UK): The activities handbook
3. Alzheimer’s Society (UK): Activity ideas for people with dementia
4. Alzheimers New Zealand: Engage, Enable, Empower information sheet
5. Alzheimers New Zealand: Everyday life
6. NHS: Activities for dementia

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A handful of small experiments suggest that colouring can reduce anxiety in the short term and may lift mood, and one New Zealand study found lower depressive symptoms after a week of daily colouring. But the evidence is modest: most studies are short, involve university students, and measure feelings straight after a session. A 2022 review found that colouring mandalas worked no better than free drawing. So colouring is a pleasant, cheap and easy way to relax, not a treatment for anxiety or depression.

What the studies found

Curry and Kasser (2005). In Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anxiety?, 84 undergraduate students were made anxious with a short task, then coloured a mandala, coloured a plaid pattern, or coloured freely on blank paper. Anxiety fell by about the same amount after the mandala and the plaid, and both fell more than after blank paper. The authors suggested that colouring a structured design may help people settle.

van der Vennet and Serice (2012). This replication study repeated the experiment and found that the mandala reduced anxiety more than the plaid or blank paper. So the two studies agree that structured colouring helped, but disagree on whether mandalas are special.

Eaton and Tieber (2017). In The Effects of Coloring on Anxiety, Mood, and Perseverance, 85 undergraduates either chose their own colours or copied the colours of a finished picture. Choosing freely led to a bigger drop in anxiety and signs of more perseverance.

Flett and colleagues, University of Otago (2017). In Sharpen Your Pencils, 104 female university students were randomly assigned to colour or to do logic puzzles every day for a week. The colouring group reported fewer depressive symptoms and less anxiety afterwards; the puzzle group did not. The authors called it preliminary evidence and suggested colouring may be a cheap, accessible self-help tool for people who are not clinically unwell.

What the reviews say

Støre and Jakobsson (2022). This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled eight randomised studies with 578 adults and compared mandala colouring with free drawing. Mandala colouring did not reduce anxiety significantly more than free drawing. The authors also found that the less precise studies reported bigger effects, a sign that the literature may lean towards positive results.

Liu and colleagues (2026). A meta-analysis of nine randomised trials with 648 people aged 55 and over found that mandala-based art activities were associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms than control conditions. The trials varied a lot, though, and the activities included more than colouring, so the result is encouraging rather than settled.

The limits of the evidence

• Small, similar samples. Most studies used 50 to 160 university students; the Otago study included only women. Results may not hold for older adults, men, or people with anxiety disorders.
• Short time frames. Many measured anxiety minutes after a single session. We know little about whether regular colouring helps over months.
• Self-report. Anxiety and mood were measured with questionnaires, which are useful but can be influenced by what people expect.
• Artificial stress. Several studies made people anxious first with a writing task, which is not the same as everyday worry.
• Few strong comparisons. Colouring often beat doing nothing or blank paper, but other calm activities, such as free drawing, may work about as well.

So what does this mean in practice?

If you enjoy colouring, the research gives no reason to stop and some reason to think it helps you unwind. A few practical takeaways:

1. Pick what you like. The Eaton and Tieber study suggests choosing your own colours matters more than following a scheme.
2. Any structured design works. Mandalas aren't magic; patterns, flowers or stained glass may do just as well.
3. Short and regular is realistic. The Otago study used daily colouring for a week. Ten to twenty minutes a day is easy to keep up.
4. Put the phone away. Part of the appeal is a single, absorbing task with no notifications.
5. Know when to get help. If anxiety or low mood is affecting daily life, talk to your GP or a mental health professional. Colouring can sit alongside that support, not replace it.

Is colouring a form of mindfulness or art therapy?

Not in itself. Art therapy is delivered by a trained therapist. Colouring can be done mindfully, by paying close attention to the colours and the movement of the pen, and some studies add mindfulness instructions, but colouring a page at the kitchen table is simply a relaxing hobby. That's a perfectly good reason to do it.

Questions people ask

Does colouring help with anxiety?

Several small experiments found that colouring reduced anxiety for a short time after a session, and one week-long study found less anxiety in a daily colouring group. The studies are small and short-term, so treat colouring as a way to relax, not a treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Are mandalas better than other colouring pages?

Probably not. One study found mandalas and plaid patterns worked about equally well, another found mandalas worked better, and a 2022 meta-analysis found mandala colouring was no better than free drawing.

How long should adults colour to feel the benefit?

Studies have used single sessions of about 20 minutes and daily colouring over a week. There is no proven dose; ten to twenty minutes is a realistic amount to enjoy regularly.

Why is colouring good for adults?

It is a simple, absorbing activity with a clear task and no wrong answers, which many people find calming. Research suggests short-term benefits for anxiety and mood, though the studies are small.

Sources

1. Curry and Kasser (2005), Art Therapy: Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anxiety?
2. van der Vennet and Serice (2012), Art Therapy: Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anxiety? A Replication Study
3. Eaton and Tieber (2017), Art Therapy: The Effects of Coloring on Anxiety, Mood, and Perseverance
4. Flett et al. (2017), Creativity Research Journal, University of Otago: Sharpen Your Pencils
5. Støre and Jakobsson (2022), Art Therapy: The Effect of Mandala Coloring on State Anxiety (ERIC)
6. Liu et al. (2026), Frontiers in Psychology: Mandala-based art interventions in middle-aged and older adults (PubMed)

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For the best result, print the PDF rather than the web page, choose the PDF that matches your paper (A4 in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and most of the world; US Letter in the US and Canada), and print at 100%, called "Actual size" in most print dialogs. If you only have the other paper size, choose "Fit" or "Shrink oversized pages": the picture shrinks by about 3 to 6% and nothing gets cut off. Use 100% whenever the size matters, such as handwriting lines or a chart a child will measure against.

A4 vs Letter: what is the difference?

A4 is 210 × 297 mm, part of the A series of paper sizes defined in the international standard ISO 216. US Letter is 8.5 × 11 inches, or 215.9 × 279.4 mm. So Letter is about 6 mm wider and A4 is about 18 mm taller. They look almost the same, which is why a page made for one can quietly lose its edges on the other.

Which PDF should I download?

Every page on our site has two PDFs: one for US Letter and one for A4. Pick the one that matches the paper in your printer. Each one has the picture centred inside margins of about 10 mm (0.4 in), which most home printers can print without trimming.

Print scaling options explained

Adobe's help page on page sizing for printing describes the options most PDF readers offer:

• Actual size (100%). Prints without scaling. If the page is bigger than the paper, the edges are cropped. Best when the PDF matches your paper.
• Fit. Enlarges or shrinks each page to fit the printable area of the paper. Safe when the sizes don't match.
• Shrink oversized pages. Shrinks pages that are too big but leaves smaller ones alone.
• Custom scale. Prints at a percentage you choose.

On a Mac, Apple's guide to print options shows the same idea under Paper Handling: choose "Scale to fit paper size" and pick your printer's paper in Destination Paper Size, or "Scale down only" to leave smaller documents as they are.

How much does a page shrink if I fit A4 onto Letter?

Fitting an A4 page onto Letter paper scales it to about 94% (the height has to shrink from 297 to 279 mm). Fitting a Letter page onto A4 scales it to about 97% (the width has to shrink from 216 to 210 mm). For a colouring picture that's barely noticeable. For handwriting paper or a chart, it changes the measurements slightly, which is why we say "print at 100%" on those pages.

When size matters

• Handwriting paper. Our line heights (24, 18, 12 and 9 mm) are measured on the Letter PDF; the A4 version is about 3% smaller. Printing either at 100% keeps the lines consistent from sheet to sheet.
• Multiplication and hundreds charts. Print at 100% so the squares stay big enough to write in.
• Double-sided flash cards. Print both sides at 100% and choose "flip on long edge" so each answer lands behind its question.
• Certificates and labels. Print at 100% so they line up with frames or label sheets.
• Routine and reward charts. Print the routine charts at 100% on card, or slip them into a plastic sleeve so a dry-erase marker wipes off at the end of the week.

Printing from a phone or tablet

1. Tap "Download PDF" for your paper size and open the file.
2. Use the Share button, then Print.
3. Check the paper size shown matches what's in the printer.
4. If there's a scaling option, leave it at 100% or "Actual size". If there isn't, the phone will usually fit the page to the paper, which is fine for colouring pictures.

Which paper to use

• Everyday copy paper (about 80 gsm) is fine for crayons and coloured pencils.
• Heavier paper (about 100 to 120 gsm) stops felt-tip markers soaking through. Put a scrap sheet underneath either way.
• Card (about 176 to 300 gsm, if your printer accepts it) is best for cards, door signs, flash cards and certificates. Check your printer's manual for the heaviest paper it takes.

Fixes for common printing problems

• Edges cut off: you're probably printing an A4 PDF on Letter paper (or the reverse) at 100%. Download the other PDF or choose Fit.
• Picture is small with a wide white border: you printed the web page, not the PDF, or the scale is set below 100%.
• Lines look grey or patchy: turn off draft or economy mode, or choose "Black and white" or "Greyscale" printing with normal quality.
• Web address and date printed at the top: that's the browser's header. Print the PDF instead, or turn off "Headers and footers" in the browser's print settings.
• Printer says the wrong paper is loaded: set the paper size in the print dialog to match the tray.

Questions people ask

How do I print A4 on Letter size paper?

Open the A4 PDF, choose Print, and set the scaling to Fit (or Shrink oversized pages, or Scale to fit paper size on a Mac). The page shrinks to about 94% so it fits on Letter without losing the edges. If there is a Letter version, print that at 100% instead.

Should I print at 100% or fit to page?

Print at 100% (Actual size) when the PDF matches your paper size, and always for handwriting paper, charts and flash cards. Use Fit when the PDF and paper sizes don’t match.

What size paper is used in New Zealand and Australia?

A4, 210 × 297 mm. Choose the A4 PDF on our pages.

Why is my colouring page cut off when I print?

Usually because the PDF is for a different paper size and the scaling is set to 100%. Choose the PDF for your paper, or set the scaling to Fit.

Sources

1. ISO: ISO 216:2007, Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter – Trimmed sizes – A and B series
2. Adobe Acrobat Help: Adjust page size for printing PDFs
3. Apple Support: Choose print options before you print on Mac

Read it on Colouring Nest, with free printables for this guide

Christmas is the biggest colouring moment of the year in every country we measured. In December, searches for Christmas colouring pages run at about 7 to 9 times an average month: 9 times in the US, 7.5 times in Australia and 6.6 to 7.4 times in New Zealand (Google Ads search volumes, measured 27 October 2026). Australians and New Zealanders say “colouring in”, Americans say “coloring pages”, and families everywhere also look for word searches, activity sheets and colour by number. We haven’t measured UK volumes yet, but Google’s UK suggestions show what British families type.

How big is December?

For each country we took the most-searched Christmas colouring terms and compared the busiest month in the past year with the 12-month average. Google reports an approximate number of searches for each month (Google Ads API: monthly search volume), so the multiple shows how sharply interest jumps rather than how big each country is.

The US jump is the steepest: “christmas coloring pages” goes from about 135,000 searches in an average month to 1,220,000 in December. Australia’s two big terms both rise about 7.5 times. New Zealand’s numbers are smaller, but the shape is the same: in all three countries, December is the busiest month of the year for these terms.

Australia: Christmas owns the year

Christmas is not just one peak among many. When we line up the busiest month of every seasonal colouring term we measured in Australia, Christmas terms take four of the top seven places.

“Christmas colouring in” (60,500 in December) is searched more than three times as often at its peak as Easter colouring pages are at theirs (18,100 in March). Halloween (12,100 in October) and Anzac Day activities (9,900 in April) are the next biggest moments. Mother’s Day peaks at 5,400 in May.

The Australian wording matters. “Christmas colouring in” is a bigger search than “christmas colouring pages” (8,100 a month on average against 5,400), and “christmas colouring sheets” adds another 9,900 in December.

New Zealand: smaller numbers, same story

In New Zealand, “christmas colouring pages” peaks at 6,600 searches in December and “christmas colouring in” at 2,900. “Christmas word search” adds 1,900. These numbers are measured, but small terms below Google’s reporting threshold come back with no data at all, so NZ-specific ideas such as pōhutukawa or summer Christmas colouring are likely searched but not counted.

Timing is different here too. NZ schools close for the summer by Saturday 19 December (Ministry of Education term dates), so Christmas pages for class need to be printed before then; at home, the holidays run on to late January or early February. Christmas falls in summer, which runs from December to February south of the equator (Bureau of Meteorology), so beaches, jandals and pōhutukawa make more sense than snow.

The United States: Christmas and everything around it

American families search for a wide range of December printables beyond plain colouring pages. Leaving out the head term so the rest are visible:

“Winter coloring pages” and “christmas word search” each reach about 165,000 searches in December. Activity sheets, worksheets and colour by number each sit between 40,500 and 49,500. Hanukkah (27,100) and Kwanzaa (8,100) colouring pages have their own December peaks too, and New Year colouring pages reach 49,500.

The UK: what families type

We have not measured UK search volumes yet, so we won’t guess them. What we can show is Google’s own autocomplete for the UK, read on 28 October 2026. Typing “christmas colouring” suggests, in Google’s order: pages, blanket, book, sheets, pictures, book for adults, pages printable, books for kids and blanket for adults (Google UK suggestions).

Two things stand out. “Pictures” and “sheets” are the UK words alongside “pages”, and the UK list has no “colouring in”, which comes second in New Zealand’s list (Google NZ suggestions) and in Australia’s. And the UK list mixes printables with things to buy, such as colouring books and colouring blankets. Autocomplete shows that people search these phrases, not how often, so treat it as a guide to wording rather than a ranking.

How we measured

Volumes are Google Ads search volumes, pulled through OpenSEO, which uses DataForSEO’s Google Ads endpoint (DataForSEO documentation), for the US, Australia and New Zealand on 27 October 2026. Each figure is Google’s monthly estimate, rounded, and Google combines close variants: “coloring” and “colouring”, singular and plural, are usually counted together (DataForSEO on grouped volumes). So the US figure for “christmas coloring pages” includes people who typed “colouring”. We report the average month and the busiest month from the past year of data. We did not use Google Trends for this story. If you are a journalist and want the full table, email us and we will send it.

What this means for parents and teachers

Print before the rush: December is the peak everywhere we measured, and in New Zealand the school year ends before Christmas. Mix the formats: word searches and colour by number keep older children busy while younger ones colour. And in New Zealand and Australia, look for summer Christmas pages: pōhutukawa, beaches and jandals feel more like home than snowmen.

Questions people ask

What is the most searched colouring theme at Christmas?

“Christmas coloring pages” is the biggest single term in the countries we measured: about 1,220,000 searches in the US in December. In Australia, “christmas colouring in” is bigger than “christmas colouring pages” (60,500 against 40,500 in December).

When do Christmas colouring searches peak?

In December, in the US, Australia and New Zealand, according to the monthly search volumes we measured. December searches run at about 7 to 9 times an average month.

Do Australians and New Zealanders search differently?

Yes. They spell it “colouring” and often say “colouring in”, which is the second Google suggestion for “christmas colouring” in New Zealand and Australia but not in the UK or US.

Is UK data included?

Not as volumes yet. We show what UK users type from Google’s autocomplete, and say so. We plan to add measured UK volumes later.

Sources

1. DataForSEO: Google Ads search volume (live) documentation
2. DataForSEO: why Google Ads groups volumes for similar keywords
3. Google Ads API: MonthlySearchVolume (approximate searches per month)
4. Google autocomplete, UK: “christmas colouring” (read 28 Oct 2026)
5. Google autocomplete, New Zealand: “christmas colouring” (read 28 Oct 2026)
6. Ministry of Education (NZ): school terms and holidays dates
7. Bureau of Meteorology: Australia’s seasons

Read it on Colouring Nest, with free printables for this guide