Free Christmas Activities for Kids: Printable Ideas for the Holidays
The weeks before Christmas are exciting for children, but they can also be long, especially on dark afternoons, wet weekends and the first few days of the school holidays. Printable Christmas activities are a simple, low-cost way to keep children busy, calm and creative without lots of screen time. This guide shares free Christmas activity ideas for kids that you can do with a printer, some paper and a few pens, plus tips for making them last.
Why printable activities work so well at Christmas
- They are cheap. Paper and ink are all you need, and many ideas below cost nothing extra.
- They are quick to set up. Print a sheet and hand it over; there is no shopping trip or tidy-up of glitter.
- They suit different ages. Colouring for little ones, puzzles for older children, and planning or writing activities for children who like to be in charge.
- They travel well. A few sheets and a pencil case will help on train journeys, in cafés or at relatives' houses.
Free Christmas activities for kids you can do at home
1. A Christmas countdown chart
Children love counting down to Christmas. A printable countdown from 1 to 24 December gives them something to tick off every morning, and you can write a small activity in each box: "make a paper snowflake", "watch a Christmas film", "write a letter to Father Christmas". Our free Christmas countdown and to-do list can be used this way, and you can read more ideas in our guide to using a printable Christmas countdown.
2. A letter to Father Christmas
No special template needed: fold a sheet of paper, draw a festive border and let children write (or dictate) their letter. For younger children, it can be a drawing of what they would like. Some families also post letters through Royal Mail's letters to Santa scheme; check the Royal Mail website for that year's details and deadline.
3. Colouring pages
Colouring is calming and works for a wide age range. Simple outlines of trees, stockings, stars and snowmen are ideal for younger children, while older ones may enjoy more detailed patterns. Finished pages make good homemade decorations or wrapping paper for small gifts.
4. Christmas word searches
Write a short list of festive words (sleigh, reindeer, tinsel, mince pie, cracker, robin) and hide them in a grid on squared paper. Older children can make their own word searches for siblings or grandparents, which is an activity in itself.
5. Dot-to-dot and mazes
These are great for building pencil control and number recognition. They also work well as quiet activities while dinner is being cooked.
6. Christmas I-spy or scavenger hunt
Make a simple list of things to spot: a robin, a wreath on a door, a star, something red, a snowman. Take it on a walk around the neighbourhood or a local Christmas lights trail and tick things off as you find them.
7. Homemade gift tags and cards
Cut card into rectangles or circles, punch a hole, and let children decorate their own gift tags. They can use them on presents they give to family. If you prefer printed designs that children can colour or write on, our guide to printing Christmas gift tags covers paper choice and neat cutting.
8. Paper snowflakes and chains
Fold a square of paper into a triangle a few times, cut small shapes from the edges and unfold. Strips of coloured paper make paper chains. Both are free, satisfying and look lovely in a window.
9. A Christmas kindness list
Help children write a short list of kind things to do in December: make a card for a neighbour, help set the table, donate a toy, call a grandparent. Ticking these off can be just as exciting as opening an advent calendar.
Matching activities to ages
- Toddlers and preschoolers (2–4): big, simple colouring pages, stickers, paper chains and spotting games.
- Early primary (5–7): dot-to-dots, simple mazes, easy word searches with words in straight lines, and letters to Father Christmas.
- Older primary (8–11): harder word searches, making their own puzzles, detailed colouring, planning a family film night or helping with the Christmas to-do list.
Every child is different, so treat these as rough guides and adjust to what your child enjoys.
Tips for printing kids' activity sheets
- Print on A4 at 100% ("actual size") so puzzles and mazes keep their proportions.
- Use your printer's draft or eco mode for colouring pages to save ink.
- Print a couple of copies of favourites so siblings do not argue over the same sheet.
- Pop a few sheets, a pencil and some crayons in a folder for journeys and visits.
- Slightly thicker paper works better for felt tips, which can bleed through thin paper.
Making activities last through the holidays
Rather than handing over a big stack of sheets at once, try releasing one or two a day. Tie them to your countdown chart so each morning reveals the day's activity. Keep finished pages in a folder or peg them on a string as a "Christmas gallery". It is a small thing, but children often enjoy seeing everything they have made by Christmas Eve.
A ready-made activity pack from Pennaby
If you would like a set of ready-to-print sheets, the Pennaby Kids Christmas Activity Pack has 8 pages of colouring, dot-to-dot, a word search and a maze, designed to print at home. It is also part of the 5-Printable Bundle, alongside planners, gift tags and a budget tracker.
And for something free, download our free Christmas countdown printable and turn it into a daily activity chart for the children. If you are organising the grown-up side of Christmas too, our guide to using a printable Christmas planner may help.
In summary
You do not need to spend much to keep children happy and busy in the run-up to Christmas. A printer, some paper and a handful of ideas (countdown charts, colouring, puzzles, letters to Father Christmas, paper crafts and kindness lists) can fill plenty of afternoons. Pick a few that suit your children's ages, spread them out over December, and enjoy the calm.