5 Fun Christmas Math Riddles and Brain Teasers for Grades 1-8

Math teachers often struggle to keep their students engaged during the weeks leading up to winter vacation.

This is a time when your students are extremely excited and anxious about celebrating the holidays and keeping their focus is challenging.

But instead of fighting against your students’ enthusiasm, you can channel it into meaningful learning experiences by incorporating fun holiday-themed Christmas math activities into your lesson plans this month.

And to save you some time, today I am sharing 5 Fun Christmas Math Riddles and Brain Teasers for students in grades 1-8 (with answers included)!

These Christmas Math Activities are a great supplement to our super popular 12 Days of Christmas Math Challenges and 10 Free Christmas Math Activities for Your Kids.

All of the math riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers below are from holiday versions of activities from our best-selling 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Kids Ages 10+!

5 Fun Christmas Math Riddles for Kids:

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1.) Christmas Ornaments

Answer: Nick has 9 ornaments in total: 3 blue, 3 green, and 3 red.

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2.) Buddy and Hermey

Answer: When Buddy is 100, Hermey will be 97.

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3.) How Much for Hot Cocoa?

Answer:  Hot Cocoa costs $1.40 and a cookie costs $0.40.

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Are you looking for more super fun Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers to share with your kids?

My best-selling workbook 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers for Kids Ages 10+! is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

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4.) Holiday Spending Spree

Answer: Dasher spent $120, Prancer spent $240, and Cupid spent $360

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5.) How Many Squares? 

Answer: There are 14 total squares (15 if you count the square at the center of the bow on the wreath)

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All of today’s math riddles and brain teasers are holiday versions of the puzzles shared in our best-selling workbook: 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Kids Ages 10+!

Here are some samples from the book:

Guaca-Math

The Gummy Bear Pyramid

In Between

Friday the 13th

101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers for Kids Ages 10+! is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

Click here to get 100 more math riddles, brain teasers, and puzzles for kids!

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Did I miss your favorite math holiday riddle for kids? Share your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

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12 Thanksgiving Math Activities for Grades 1-8

Thanksgiving Math Activities for Grades 1-8

Thanksgiving is here and it’s time to share some fun Thanksgiving-themed math activities and puzzles with your students in grades 1-8 (elementary and middle school). This collection of Thanksgiving Math Activities includes order of operations puzzles, area models and multiplication tables, and ‘which one doesn’t belong?’ Enjoy!

The days leading up to Thanksgiving vacation are an exciting (and extremely distracting) time for you and your students.

But you can keep your students on track by sharing some fun Thanksgiving-themed math activities, puzzles, and challenges that channels their holiday excitement and enthusiasm into math learning experiences.

The following easy-to-print Thanksgiving Math Worksheets will add some holiday fun to your lesson plans this month. The activities can be shared with students in grades one through eight.

The activities are samples from our best-selling workbooks 101 Daily Math Challenges for Engaging Students in Grades 3-8 and 101 Daily ‘Which One Doesn’t Belong?’ Math Activities for Grades 1-8 .

The following Thanksgiving Math Activities can be used for anticipatory sets and warm-ups, exit tickets, transitions, and homework or extra credit assignments.

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1.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 1 of 12

Leaves = 18

Turkey = 9

Pumpkin = 12

? = 3

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2.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 2 of 12

Fire = 13

Apple Cider = 7

Acorn = 14

Honey = 15

? = 49

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3.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 3 of 12

Turkey = 8

Calendar = 8

Candle = 5

Cake = 9

? = 67

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4.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 4 of 12

Chipmunk = 13

Hot Cider = 8

Pumpkin Pie = 24

Football = 20

? = 65

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“I always look forward to getting my Mashup Math newsletter email every week. I love the free activities!” -Christina R., 5th Grade Math Teacher, Dallas, TX

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5.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 5 of 12

Pumpkin = 12

Berries = 5

Turkey = 6

Pie = 30

? = 192

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6.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 6 of 12

Pie = 10

Turkey = 14

Corn = 9

Pilgrim = 12

? = 92

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7.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 7 of 12

Cooking Pot = 6

Cupcakes = 18

Cranberry Sauce = 9

Cauliflower = 10

? = 126

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Are you looking for more daily math challenges and puzzles to share with your kids?

My best-selling workbook 101 Math Challenges for Engaging Your Students in Grades 3-8 is now available as a PDF download!

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8.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 8 of 12

Apple = 6

Cider = 6

Cinnamon = 5

Kettle = 1

? = 180

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9.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 9 of 12

Multiplication Table

Pilgrim Hat = 8

Food Basket = 4

Mashed Potatoes = 1

Corn = 5

Pumpkin = 15

Turkey = 6

Pie = 3

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10.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 10 of 12

Area Model

1,3,6,10,...

Sunflower = 20

Turkey = 10

Acorn = 6

Turkey Leg = 40

Leaves = 120

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11.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 11 of 12

Solution:

Click here to access more fun math riddles and brain teasers for kids.

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12.) Thanksgiving Math Activity 12 of 12

Which One Doesn’t Belong?

Click here to learn more about how to use ‘Which One Belong?’ activities to boost student engagement in your classroom.

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Share your thoughts, opinions, and ideas in the comments section below!

Looking for more fun math resources to share with your kids? Click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel and access our free video library--and don't forget to subscribe!

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By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

Which One Doesn't Belong? Free Math Activities for Grades 1-8

Free ‘Which One Doesn’t Belong?’ Activities for Your Upcoming Lesson Plans!

Are you looking for an engaging math activity to boost your warm-ups, transitions, and/or exit ticket activities?

If you’re not familiar with using ‘Which One Doesn’t Belong?’ (WODB) activities and why they are amazing for boosting student engagement in the math classroom, click here to learn everything you need to know.

I started sharing WODB activities with my students because I was struggling to find ways to get all of my students engaged, especially those who struggle with mathematics and are reluctant to participate.

I was inspired by the work of Christopher Danielson, so I started creating my own WODB activities geared towards students in elementary and middle school.

The results? My student engagement skyrocketed! Since WODB activities don’t have a single correct answer (the idea is to get students thinking mathematically and learn how to justify their answers), all of my students (even ones who rarely participate) felt comfortable sharing and getting involved.

Now I use WODB at least once a week!

Again, if you want more information on how WODB activities work and how you can use them to boost student engagement in your classroom, click here to learn everything you need to know.

And check out these brand new FREE WODB math activities:

1.) Shapes and Figures

2.) Groupings and Grids

*Remember that WODB activities purposely do not have a single correct answer. Click here to learn more.

3.) Patterns and Ratios

*Remember that WODB activities purposely do not have a single correct answer. Click here to learn more.

4.) Numbers!

*Remember that WODB activities purposely do not have a single correct answer. Click here to learn more.

5.) Equations

*Remember that WODB activities purposely do not have a single correct answer. Click here to learn more.

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These puzzles are samples from my best-selling workbook 101 Daily ‘Which One Doesn’t Belong?’ Math Activities for Grades 3-8.

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Multiplication Table Worksheets: Free Printable Math Puzzles

Can Your Students Solve These Multiplication Table Math Puzzles?

Are you looking for some fun and engaging activities to help your kids practice and understand multiplication?

I started using multiplication table puzzles with my students every week last school year, and the results were pretty awesome, especially when it came to improving their ability to multiply and divide values without relying on memorization.

And if you're a fan of Stanford's Jo Boaler, then you know that she is a huge proponent of using visual math activities (like multiplication table puzzles) to improve student performance.

The following puzzles challenge students to use their math and reasoning skills to find the value of different symbols contained within a multiplication table.

They work like a bingo-table where the icon in each box represents the product of its corresponding column and row.

So go ahead and share the puzzles with your kiddos this week! They make for a great warm-up or cool-down activity for sparking mathematical discussion and creative problem-solving!

You Might Also Like: Free Math Worksheets for Grades 1-8

Keep reading to access the answer key and to download your free Multiplication Table Worksheet!

1.) Candy Time!

*Keep reading to get the answer key.

2.) Sandwich Day!

*Keep reading to get the answer key.

3.) Peanut Butter Time!

*Keep reading to get the answer key.

These puzzles are samples from my best-selling workbook 101 Math Challenges for Engaging Your Students in Grades 3-8.

The book is available as a PDF download and you can also get a hard copy on Amazon (Free Amazon Prime Shipping Included; pages are in black-and-white).

Click here to download your free PDF worksheet!

And here are the solutions to today’s multiplication table puzzles:

Candy Puzzle:

Sandwich Day Puzzle:

Peanut Butter Puzzle:

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Free Math Coloring Worksheets for 3rd and 4th Grade

Now is the perfect time to share some math coloring pages and coloring worksheets with your 3rd grade and 4th grade students!

(Were you looking for math coloring pages for grades 5 and 6?)

These brand new math coloring worksheets for grade 3 and grade 4 come as familiar PDF files that are easy to print and share. The math coloring puzzles will engage your students to practice mathematical thinking and apply basic operations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The activities can be used to supplement your lesson plans and can be shared during any point of a lesson plan (or as homework and extra credit assignments).

Keep reading to access the full PDF file that shares all five math coloring worksheets for 3rd graders and 4th graders. To download each worksheet individually, right-click an image and save it to your computer.

Check This Out: Free PDF Math Puzzles for All Grade Levels

Math Coloring Worksheets for 3rd and 4th Grade

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Math Coloring Worksheet #1/8: Monkey Math!

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Math Coloring Worksheet #2/8: Sweet Treats!

Are Your Kids Ready for These Candy-Themed Math Puzzles for Grades 1-6?

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Check This Out: Free Growth Mindset Math Poster for Your Classroom!

Math Coloring Worksheet #3/8: Game Time!

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Math Coloring Worksheet #4/8: Lost at Sea!

Are YOU looking for some super fun daily math puzzles for your students in grades 3-8? Our best-selling 101 Daily Math Challenges workbook is now available as a PDF download!

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Math Coloring Worksheet #5/8: Animal Friends

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Check This Out: 10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids (with Answers)

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Math Coloring Worksheet #6/8: Snack Time!

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Check This Out: 21 Time-Saving Strategies, Activities, and Ideas All Math Teachers Should Know

Math Coloring Worksheet #7/8: On the Farm!

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Math Coloring Worksheet #8/8: Game Time!

Click here to download all 8 free Math Coloring Worksheets for 3rd Grade and 4th Grade Students as a PDF file AND access the answer key to each puzzle.

And click here to access free math coloring worksheets for grades 5 and 6!

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Have any questions or ideas? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.