The holiday season is filled with wonder, and it offers the perfect opportunity to slow down and make learning feel meaningful again. Instead of adding more worksheets or pressure, we can invite our children into the gentle, hands-on math that naturally happens as we bake together, prepare gifts, create traditions, and enjoy the beauty of the season.
With a little intention, Christmas becomes a classroom of its own, full of counting, measuring, patterns, problem-solving, and all the practical skills our children need, wrapped in joy and connection.
These simple ideas will help you weave math into your days in ways that feel cozy, festive, and truly memorable.
Bake together. All of our Christmas-themed resources include recipes, and taking time to measure a batch of sugar cookies helps your child with counting, fractions, and temperature-related math skills. Check out our Peaceful Press Cookbook as well!
Count miniature candy canes. In Christmas Guide Volume 2, we spend time counting several different objects and then use them in recipes such as hot cocoa mix.
Sew together. In Christmas Guide Volume 1 and Volume 2 we include simple sewing projects such as making animal pincushions. This helps with using measurements as well as the pattern skill involved in stitching a seam.
Make patterns. Creating beaded bracelets, making a paper chain, or other pattern activities can help children develop number sense.
Play Santa's Beard Roll. In the Holiday Book Flood we include a picture of Santa's head with numbers on his beard. To play, you roll the dice and put a mini marshmallow on the corresponding number. It’s a silly, fun game that helps with numeral recognition.
Measure Christmas-themed items. We include a candle-measuring activity in Christmas Guide Volume 2, but you can measure items around the house with your child as well.
Skip count ornaments. Count ornaments by 2s, 5s, or 10s.
Make a Christmas budget. Look at The Peaceful Press storefront on Amazon or our Christmas gift guide on the blog. Write down the dollar amounts with your child, and help them learn to use the dollar sign or a decimal to illustrate prices.
Make a calendar. Use a blank calendar template and let your child decorate each page, write in the dates, and fasten it together as a sweet gift for grandparents.
Cut ribbon lengths. Measure and cut ribbon or yarn for gift wrap, or follow the instructions in the Holiday Book Flood crafts.
Temperature observations. Check the daily temperature leading up to Christmas and record it on a simple chart. Noting patterns and comparing warm and cold days naturally introduces graphing and early data skills.
Symmetry with paper snowflakes. Fold and cut snowflakes together, then talk about how each side matches.
Ornament estimations. Fill a small bowl, basket, or gift box with ornaments and invite your child to estimate how many are inside before counting together. It’s a simple introduction to estimation and comparison.
Holiday store pretend play. Set up a small “gift shop” using toys or household items. Add price tags and play money, and let your child shop and make change.
Build a Christmas village. Use blocks, Magna-Tiles, or LEGO bricks to build a cozy holiday town. Children practice spatial reasoning, geometry, and planning as they design and construct.
As you try a few of these activities, remember that the goal isn’t perfection, it’s presence. Holiday learning doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful. A few measured cups of flour, a handful of candy canes, or a simple craft at the kitchen table can spark curiosity and build confidence in powerful ways. And if you’d love even more gentle, ready-to-go activities for this season, all of our Christmas resources were created to help your homeschool feel peaceful, connected, and full of wonder. May your December be one of slow learning, warm moments, and the joy of growing together.
FAQ
Does holiday learning “count” as schoolwork?
Yes! Real-life math, practical skills, reading, storytelling, handicrafts, and nature study all fit beautifully within a Christmas homeschool rhythm.
How can I incorporate math without worksheets?
Hands-on Christmas math is easy—measuring cookie ingredients, counting ornaments, making patterns, skip-counting candy canes, or setting up a pretend holiday store all build real skills through play.