Christmas Puzzles (Numbers to 10 and 2-D Shapes)

Christmassy puzzles for numbers and shapes – perfect for little ones this holiday season

Today we had our first snowfall, and it’s now most definitely starting to feel a bit like Christmas (cue the song!).

As we head into the festive period, it’s always fun to dig out some jolly festive activities to do at home. And this includes festive math activities too!

If you’re in need of some new math activities with a holiday twist, then today I have just the thing: two sets of Christmas puzzles.

They’re fun, festive, hands-on and great for little ones just starting with numbers and shapes. Read on to find out more.

Tell me about these Christmassy math puzzles!

This resource contains two different sets of puzzles – one for numbers to 10, and one for simple 2D Shapes.

These puzzles are fun, hands-on and require no writing – and they’re always a hit with young learners.

Set 1 – Christmas Tree Number Puzzles

This first set of puzzles will have young children counting baubles on Christmas trees.

There are 11 trees in the set – each with a number between 0 and 10. In the pot at the bottom of the tree there is a numeral, and on the tree itself there is the corresponding number of baubles.

To use the puzzles, first cut them out and then cut each tree puzzle into its two pieces, along the dotted line.

Jumble all the pieces up and spread them out, face up on the table or floor (lots of space is useful for these!).

Count how many baubles there are on each tree and then find the corresponding plant pot. Match the two pieces together to complete the tree.

Keep going until all the trees are complete.

Set 2 – Gingerbread Shape Puzzles

This set is great for children just getting familiar with 2D shapes.

There are 8 different gingerbread puzzles included, each for a different shape – circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, heart, rhombus and trapezoid.

On each gingerbread person, the buttons are a different shape. Children need to match the shape of the buttons to the correct label. Each label has both the shape name as well as a picture of the shape that children can use to match to.

Again, you’ll want lots of space to spread these puzzles out as each one is a full page.

These puzzles are such fun for young children in the run up to the holidays. The big, bright, colourful pictures make the these activities really appealing for little ones. Plus there is no writing required – just fun, hands-on learning.

Once printed, you can use these puzzles over and over to help practice counting and shape recognition.

(If you’re using these in the classroom, I would definitely recommend laminating so they you can use them every Christmas – they’re sure to be a hit!).