Education Technology

12 Days of Fun Holiday Math Activities

Posted 11/17/2023 by TI Staff

The holiday season is here! And for those math teachers looking to infuse some festive fun into their classroom, we’ve got you covered. Let’s count down these 12 holiday-themed activities teachers can gift to their students before the break. Each one is sure to keep students engaged in your end-of-year lesson plans while adding a touch of yuletide cheer to math learning.

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12. Piecewise the Bow-Tie Penguin



Before students slide into the holiday break, try out this piecewise activity featuring a penguin dressed in its seasonal best. This activity “chill-enge” worksheet is a great way for students to explore more about piecewise functions while having a flipping good time creating an image of our tuxedo-y feathered friends.

Download the penguin piecewise activity

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11. Snow much fun with coloring pages



Ready to uncover a flake-tastic surprise? This coloring page activity combines the holiday-like joy of discovery with a love for math. Students must use their trusty TI calculators to solve equations that reveal the hidden snowflake on the page. It’s one of the coolest ways to add an element of wintery, flurry fun to your classroom activities!

Download the snowflake coloring page

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10. Deck the halls with piecewise lights



Here’s a way for students to brighten up their math skills and add a festive glow to learning. This activity features a radiant display of holiday lights across your students’ TI graphing calculator screens. It’s a sparkling opportunity to help shed more light on mathematical concepts involving piecewise functions.

Download this piecewise activity

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9. Find the wintery hat with math



Here’s another math activity to help keep students focused on their learning as they start gearing up for the holidays. While many of them are bundling up for the colder weather, this “coloring discovery” activity lets them make use of their math skills to uncover the wintery hat hiding right in front of them.

Download this coloring math activity

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8. Don your DIY holiday apparel



Deck your T-shirt in style with this DIY holiday-themed design. The template is a great way for math teachers to remind students: ‘Tis the season … to show your work!

Download this T-shirt design

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7. Show off some flair with holiday stickers



Sprinkle some smiles into your math lessons with these adorable holiday-themed stickers! They’re not your average stickers — these gems are super popular with students of all ages and are great to use as rewards to make math merrier.

Whether you’re a fan of the “print and cut” method or prefer the “print and stick” convenience with Avery labels, we’ve got you covered. And what’s more, we’re doubling the fun with designs for both TI-84 Plus CE and TI-Nspire™ CX II graphing calculators.

Check out all the free stickers

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6. Happy holidays!



Ask your students to manipulate this equation. The answer is certain to bring big smiles to their faces and fit the holiday season perfectly.


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5. Jingle all the way with coding



Grab the TI-Innovator™ Hub and get ready to embrace the holiday spirit with music. Now your students can code their very own rendition of the beloved holiday classic, “Jingle Bells,” with their TI-84 Plus CE Python graphing calculators!

What’s more, we’ve already created the program file for you. Just download the file to your computer and transfer it to your calculators using the TI Connect™ CE software application.

Download the program file
Think your students might be interested in learning to code their own tunes? Try out the free Sounds of Music activity!


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4. Let it snow … on your TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator!



Help your students learn to write a program to make snow fall on their TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculators.

Download the program file

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3. Musical snow on your TI-Nspire™ CX II handheld!




This wintery mix is just right for the classroom using TI-Nspire™ CX II graphing calculators and the TI-Innovator™ Hub. Mix coding graphics and music with Python coding. Combine two great lessons into one winter wonderland activity!

Download premade programs and read the how-to blog

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2. The tacky sweater tree challenge



Here’s a simple math challenge for your students to try out:

1. Can you guess this famous number pattern?

2. If the stand is one row below the trunk, what is the sum of the row containing the stand?

3. If our tree was 15 rows taller, what numbers would be on the two center pieces?

Download the Google slide

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1. Add some color to the holidays



These coloring pages are the perfect “anytime” activity for when students are filled to the brim with holiday antics. Pass them out for a post-test breather, or if students just need a break from the math grind — it’s up to you!

Explore all the coloring pages

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But wait, there’s more! Make your “Matholutions”



Welcome students back from the holiday break with a fun “Matholutions” activity! This engaging conversation starter invites students to share their mathematical resolutions for the year ahead, empowering them to set their own goals. It’s a wonderful way to kick off the new year. Give it a try!

Download the matholutions PDF

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