Christians celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, and families give presents, decorate trees and share a big meal.
Children can make paper snowflakes, paper chains, salt dough decorations and homemade Christmas cards. Toddlers enjoy colouring pages and handprint cards, while older children can cut angel chains, build a paper nativity scene or make a Victorian-style cracker. Most crafts need only paper, scissors, glue and crayons, and free printable templates make starting easy.
When is Christmas in the UK 2026/2027? Friday 25 December 2026 and Saturday 25 December 2027.
Christmas is the Christian festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus, who Christians believe was born in a stable in Bethlehem. In the UK it is celebrated on 25 December, although Orthodox Christians in countries such as Russia celebrate on 7 January. Many families go to church services and carol concerts, and children often retell the story of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men in school nativity plays. Homes are decorated with Christmas trees, lights, paper chains and cards. Children hang up stockings for Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus, a name that comes from Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas. Many British customs took shape in Victorian times: civil servant Henry Cole commissioned the first Christmas card in 1843, and London sweet maker Tom Smith invented the Christmas cracker in the late 1840s. Families still pull crackers at Christmas dinner, and the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, is a bank holiday. For children aged 3 to 11, it is a lovely time to make decorations, cards and gifts together.
In 2026 Christmas Day falls on Friday 25 December, and the Boxing Day bank holiday in England and Wales moves to Monday 28 December.
Date checked against gov.uk.
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βοΈ Printable templates Β· DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Colour a paper tree and glue on one numbered ornament each day until Christmas. Colour and black-and-white templates.
Open on DLTK's Crafts for Kids ββοΈ Printable templates Β· Messy Little Monster
Colour, cut and glue cone figures of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, an angel, kings and animals. Free with a shop code.
Open on Messy Little Monster ββοΈ Printable templates Β· First Palette
Free Christmas templates to colour and craft with: trees, stars, stockings, angels, snowflakes and more.
Open on First Palette ββοΈ Printable templates Β· First Palette
Eleven printable snowflake patterns plus a blank one, with photo steps. Print on the thinnest A4 paper you have.
Open on First Palette βποΈ Colouring pages Β· KiddyCharts
Free 25-page colouring and activity ebook with snowmen, reindeer, gingerbread and Santa: one a day to Christmas.
Open on KiddyCharts βποΈ Colouring pages Β· Crayola
Free printable Christmas colouring pages and activity sheets, from Santa with his gifts to presents under the tree.
Open on Crayola βποΈ Colouring pages Β· DLTK's Crafts for Kids
24 colouring pages telling the Christmas story with verses from Luke and Matthew, one for each day of Advent.
Open on DLTK's Crafts for Kids βπ¨ Crafts to make Β· Messy Little Monster
Over 20 simple crafts for little ones: paper tube Santas, paper plate reindeer, handprint cards and paper strip trees.
Open on Messy Little Monster βπ¨ Crafts to make Β· Messy Little Monster
Handprint nativity scenes, paper plate mangers, peg doll sets and puppets for retelling the Christmas story.
Open on Messy Little Monster βπ¨ Crafts to make Β· English Heritage
Turn a toilet roll and wrapping paper into a Victorian-style cracker, and learn how sweet maker Tom Smith invented it.
Open on English Heritage βπ Decorations Β· YouTube β Duck Duck Goose Fun
A video guide to making a colourful paper chain to drape round the tree or hang along the wall.
Open on YouTube β Duck Duck Goose Fun βπ Decorations Β· Red Ted Art
A classic salt dough recipe plus ideas for stars, hearts, gingerbread men and fingerprint tree decorations.
Open on Red Ted Art βπ Decorations Β· First Palette
Colour, cut and hang paper ornaments: angels, bells, candy canes, reindeer, snowmen, stars and stockings.
Open on First Palette βπ Decorations Β· First Palette
Fold, cut and unfold a row of paper angels, then colour them in for a nativity-themed garland.
Open on First Palette βπ Decorations Β· First Palette
Concertina-fold brown paper and cut out a chain of gingerbread people using the printable template.
Open on First Palette βπ Cards & letters Β· Red Ted Art
Dozens of homemade card ideas, from potato-print penguins for toddlers to pop-up snowmen for older kids.
Open on Red Ted Art βπ Cards & letters Β· YouTube β Red Ted Art
A short video showing how to fold and cut a pop-up Rudolph card from paper.
Open on YouTube β Red Ted Art βπ How-to & videos Β· Red Ted Art
Photo steps and a video showing how to fold and cut a six-pointed paper snowflake from a sheet of A4.
Open on Red Ted Art βπ The story Β· National Geographic Kids
Child-friendly facts about Christmas: the nativity story, where Santa's name comes from and Victorian traditions.
Open on National Geographic Kids βπ« EYFS, KS1 & KS2 Β· Save the Children UK
The official page for Christmas Jumper Day on Thursday 10 December 2026. Schools can sign up for free resources.
Open on Save the Children UK βπ« EYFS, KS1 & KS2 Β· Save the Children UK
Classroom ideas for Christmas Jumper Day: assemblies, stories, drama, posters and Β£2 maths challenges.
Open on Save the Children UK βπ‘οΈ Grown-up rules Β· Child Accident Prevention Trust
Simple checks for gifts, decorations, visits, cooking and food, including button batteries and candles near the tree.
Open on Child Accident Prevention Trust βπ‘οΈ Grown-up rules Β· London Fire Brigade
Why flameless LED candles are safer, and how to keep real candles away from children and decorations.
Open on London Fire Brigade βπ‘οΈ Grown-up rules Β· RoSPA
Advice on choking hazards, decorations near heat, candles and button batteries to keep the festive season safe.
Open on RoSPA βπ‘οΈ Grown-up rules Β· Electrical Safety First
How to choose, check and use fairy lights safely, including teaching young children not to play with them.
Open on Electrical Safety First βTap the β on any template to save it here. Your plan stays on this device.
A simple make to start with. Grown-ups handle anything sharp or hot.
Based on redtedart.com.
Simple ways to keep Christmas crafts safe and fun.
Teach young children not to play with Christmas lights, check the lights for damage before use, and switch them off and unplug them at bedtime.Electrical Safety First
Keep candles and all naked flames out of children's reach, never leave them unattended, and consider flameless LED candles instead.London Fire Brigade
Decorations are not toys: children under 36 months are most at risk from parts that pull off easily and can go in the mouth.RoSPA
Keep decorations and cards away from fires and light fittings, and place small items high up, out of reach of young hands.RoSPA
Check new toys and light-up novelties for easy-to-access button batteries, and keep candles away from the Christmas tree.Child Accident Prevention Trust
Children under 12 should ask an adult to help with scissors when making crafts such as Christmas crackers.English Heritage
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The bits you need for these crafts, on Amazon UK. See the full Christmas shop β
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Bounce-proof baubles that survive toddlers, cats and over-excited dogs.
Shop on Amazon UKCool-to-touch LEDs. About 100 bulbs per foot of tree for a full look.
Shop on Amazon UKToddlers and preschoolers love simple, hands-on crafts such as colouring pages, fingerprint salt dough trees, handprint cards and paper chains made from strips a grown-up has cut in advance. Printable ornaments can be coloured in, then cut out by an adult and hung with string. Keep loose buttons, beads and small decorations away from under-threes, and save the trickier cutting for snowflakes and angel chains for older children.
Most Christmas crafts need only everyday supplies: A4 printer paper or thin card, child-safe scissors, a glue stick, crayons or felt tips, and coloured paper for paper chains. For salt dough decorations you need plain flour, salt and water, plus paint and ribbon to finish them. Save cardboard tubes, old Christmas cards and wrapping paper scraps too, as they are perfect for crackers, cards and collages.
Yes. Nativity scene printables and finger puppets help children retell the Christmas story, and a 24-page advent colouring book follows the story day by day through December. Paper chains are great for counting and colour patterns, and folding and cutting snowflakes builds fine motor skills. Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day is on Thursday 10 December 2026, and schools that sign up receive free resources including posters, assemblies and lesson plans.
Yes. First Palette's snowflake, ornament and paper chain templates are made for A4 or US Letter paper. Use the thinnest paper you have for snowflakes, as it is easier to fold and cut, and thin card for ornaments that need to hang. If a template from another site is cut off at the edges, set your printer margins to minimum or choose 'fit to page' in your print settings.
Supervise scissors and let an adult do the tricky cuts. Keep beads, buttons and small decorations away from under-threes, who are most at risk of choking. Try glitter glue instead of loose glitter so it stays away from eyes and mouths. Never put lit candles near paper decorations; flameless LED candles are a safer choice. Teach children not to play with fairy lights, and let an adult handle the oven when drying salt dough.