Colouring NestChristmas activities for the classroom: printable ideas by age
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.
