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Features

A paper chain countdown: count the links cut off and the links left
Count back to Christmas on strings of lights by 1s, then by 2s and 5s
Fill in a December calendar from its first day, then answer questions about it
Hop from a date to December 25 on a number line to find the days left
Weeks and days until Christmas, with 7 days in every week
Countdown story problems within 20 and within 100
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Count objects to 24 and subtract from 24
Count back by 1s from 25, and by 2s and 5s
Fill in a month's calendar and name the days

Count on from a date to 25 on a number line
Know there are 7 days in a week
Solve story problems within 20 and within 100

About counting down to Christmas

Many families and classes count down the days to Christmas on December 25: a paper chain with a link cut off each morning, or a calendar with each day crossed off. Counting down is counting back, and the days left are 25 take away the date, so a countdown is math children can see every day of December.

How to Use This Pack

Six pages that build from 1st to 2nd grade. Page 1 is a paper chain of 24 links, one cut off each morning from December 1: children count the links cut off and the links left, then work out the date from the links left. Page 2 has five strings of lights: count back by 1s from 25 to 0, then by 2s and by 5s, and write the numbers in the empty bulbs. Page 3 is a December calendar whose 1st is on a Tuesday: write the dates, then answer questions about Christmas Day and the days around it. Page 4 asks how many days are left from a date: hop from the date to 25 on a number line and write the subtraction. Page 5 turns weeks and days into days and days into weeks, with 7 days in every week. Page 6 has five countdown story problems, three within 20 and two within 100. The first number line on page 4 is worked as an example.

In the Classroom

Make a real paper chain on the last school day of November and cut a link each morning, then use page 1 to talk about it. Pages 1, 2 and 4 suit 1st grade; the 2s and 5s on page 2, the jumps of 10 on page 4, and pages 5 and 6 stretch 2nd grade. Page 3 fits calendar time: the calendar on the page starts on a Tuesday, so compare it with this year's December.

At Home

Count down to Christmas together: make a paper chain, or cross off each day on a calendar. Each morning ask how many days are left, how many have gone by, and how many weeks that is.

Tips for Success

Counting back: say the numbers backward, one less each time
The days until Christmas are 25 take away today's date
On a number line, count the hops from the date to 25
A jump of 10 first makes a long count faster
7 days make 1 week, so 2 weeks are 14 days

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

1.OA.A.1 Solve story problems up to 20 that join, separate, combine or compare amounts, with the missing number in any spot, using objects, drawings or equations.
1.OA.A.2 Solve story problems where three numbers are added together for a total of 20 or less.
1.OA.C.5 Connect counting with adding and subtracting, such as adding 4 by counting on four more.
2.OA.A.1 Solve one- and two-step story problems with sums and differences up to 100, with the unknown in any position, using drawings and equations.
2.OA.C.3 Decide if up to 20 objects are odd or even (match them in twos or skip count by 2s); write evens as doubles.
2.NBT.A.2 Count up to 1,000, and count by fives, tens and hundreds.

Christmas Countdown Math

1st – 2nd Grade

Counting down the days to Christmas with a paper chain, strings of lights, a December calendar and number lines. Students count links, count back by 1s, 2s and 5s, fill in a calendar, hop to December 25, turn weeks into days and solve countdown story problems.

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What’s Included

6 worksheets, each with a matching answer key
Every worksheet in color and in black and white
A paper chain, strings of lights, a December calendar and number lines
Weeks and days, and countdown story problems

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Free to print and share

This worksheet is free to download, print, copy, and hand out in your classroom or at home. You do not need to create an account, and there are no watermarks on the PDF.