How do I prepare and use Christmas activity placemats?
Quick answer: Use the ready-made text activities: an eight-word Christmas scramble with a separate answer key, twelve jokes and twelve would-you-rather questions. If you want a reindeer dot-to-dot, a mouse maze and a coloring border, you will need to draw them yourself, because finished puzzle artwork is not included. Arrange everything on 11x17 paper, or on letter paper with half-inch margins. Print a test copy, then print one mat per guest plus two spares. Put a named mat face down at each seat with two sharpened pencils, and set out one shared crayon cup for every three seats. Children can do the puzzles while they wait for food. Pencils go aside while everyone eats, jokes come out between courses and the questions wait for dessert.
Christmas jokes and would-you-rather questions
Read a joke between courses or ask a question at dessert. The print button opens your browser’s print dialog for this page.
How to play
- Read a joke aloud or use the picker to draw a table card.
- For a question, let each person answer or pass; there are no points.
- Print the cards to use at dinner, or copy selected jokes and questions onto your homemade placemats.
Draw one when the room is ready
Why did Santa go to music school? To improve his wrapping.
Kid joke strip
Twelve jokes with answers. Copy your favorites onto a placemat; if you draw a joke strip, write the punchlines upside down.
- Why did Santa go to music school? To improve his wrapping.
- What do you call Santa when he takes a rest? Santa Pause.
- What do elves learn in school? The elf-abet.
- How does a snowman get around? On his icicle.
- What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.
- What did the Christmas tree say to the ornament? Are you tired of hanging around?
- What falls at the North Pole and never gets hurt? Snow.
- Which of Santa's reindeer has the worst manners? Rude-olph.
- Why does Santa have three gardens? So he can ho-ho-ho.
- What do snowmen call their kids? Chill-dren.
- Why did the gingerbread man visit the doctor? He was feeling crummy.
- What does a snowman eat for breakfast? Frosted Snowflakes.
Would-you-rather table talkers
Twelve questions to read aloud at dessert. Guests can say their choice or raise a hand, and anyone can pass.
Keep it short and unscored: a question or two at dessert is plenty. If one guest keeps answering for everyone, try a quick show of hands. Our guide to playing Would You Rather with different groups also reminds everyone they can pass without giving a reason.
- Would you rather build a snowman or a snow fort?
- Would you rather ride in Santa's sleigh or on a reindeer's back?
- Would you rather have a pet penguin or a pet reindeer?
- Would you rather drink cocoa with a candy-cane straw or decorate cookies with candy canes?
- Would you rather live at the North Pole or in a gingerbread house?
- Would you rather wrap presents with the elves or bake cookies with Mrs. Claus?
- Would you rather wear an ugly sweater every day of December or jingle bells on your shoes all winter?
- Would you rather open one gift early or find one extra gift later?
- Would you rather be an elf in the workshop or a reindeer on the sleigh team?
- Would you rather have snow that falls like confetti or snow that stacks into fort walls?
- Would you rather sing carols on a stage or lead the parade from the front?
- Would you rather catch snowflakes on your tongue or draw snowflakes on a Christmas card?
What the Christmas placemats include and what you make yourself
The placemats give children something to color, solve or read while they wait for Christmas dinner. The ready-to-use parts are text: an eight-word Christmas scramble with a separate host answer key, twelve jokes and twelve would-you-rather questions on printable cards. You can use those right away, even if you never make a full placemat.
If the eight-word scramble isn't enough for your group, a larger set of Christmas word games in one pack works the same way, with player sheets printed and answer keys kept by the host. Its word-search grid needs preparing before you print.
The picture activities work differently. The reindeer dot-to-dot, the mouse maze and the holly-and-lights coloring border are written as drawing instructions, not finished artwork. If you want them, plan time to sketch them and check them before you make copies.
If you are going to draw something anyway, you might prefer a picture-search game to the maze or dot-to-dot. Christmas I Spy sheets also need a scene drawn by you, and all 26 questions checked against the finished picture before printing.
Printing the page does not arrange the activities on one placemat for you. The print buttons open your browser's print dialog and print the page content, including the host answers. They don't download a finished placemat or print the answer card on its own. Use the print preview to choose the pages you need, or copy the scramble and the cards you want into your own layout.
- Ready to use: eight-word scramble, the answer key, 12 jokes, 12 would-you-rather questions
- You draw: a 26-dot reindeer, a mouse maze and a coloring border
- Not included: finished puzzle artwork, a downloadable placemat file, upside-down punchlines
How to arrange the activities on each placemat
Leave a line at the top for the child's name, then arrange the activities around the page. One layout that works: scramble at the top left, reindeer at the top right, maze in the middle, and a few jokes plus one would-you-rather question along the bottom. Keep the other cards nearby instead of squeezing all twenty-four onto one small sheet.
Word scramble: use the eight words and leave room to write each answer. The scrambled words are TASNA, FLE, HESILG, DENIERER, YLLHO, EDANCL, TEANMRON and NETTMI. Leave the answers off the child's sheet.
Children who enjoy the scramble may want another word challenge afterwards. Christmas category game sheets are a separate game with their own rules: each player or team gets prompts, a blank answer sheet and a pencil. They aren't extra scramble words.
Reindeer dot-to-dot: sketch a reindeer and place 26 dots, numbered 1 to 26, along its outline. The original design starts at the nose, ends at the tail and draws the antlers near the end. The description isn't a tested dot pattern, so check the order on your own sketch. About three-quarters of an inch between dots is only a starting point for a large drawing. Adjust the spacing so the numbers stay readable on your paper size.
Mouse maze: draw an entrance at the bottom left and put cheese behind a Christmas tree at the finish, marked with a tiny star. Include exactly two dead ends, then trace the correct path on a host copy. This simpler design is suggested for ages 4 to 6. Change the size and difficulty to suit the children coming.
Coloring border: draw holly leaves, string lights and snowdrifts in outline. A two-inch frame is the original suggestion for a large sheet. Make it narrower on letter paper so the activities still fit.
Jokes and questions: copy your favorites from the cards. If you draw a joke strip, you can write the punchlines upside down so children turn the page to read them. You'll have to do that by hand, because the cards show answers the normal way up. A small question box works well for dessert conversation.
Where do the scramble answers go?
Quick answer: Put them on a separate host card that you keep at your own seat, not on the children's mats.
The answers, in row order, are SANTA, ELF, SLEIGH, REINDEER, HOLLY, CANDLE, ORNAMENT and MITTEN. Add the correct path from the maze you drew. If the text is still readable, a quarter-size copy of the host card fits easily beside your plate.
Choosing paper size and working out how many to print
Before printing, decide who gets a mat. The count here means every person who will have their own placemat at the table. That usually means each child, including the host's own children. Add an adult only if that adult wants a mat. Count each person once.
Print your homemade layout in black and white on card stock, so the outline drawings stay blank for coloring. Print one test copy first. Check the scramble answer lines, the dot numbers, the maze route and how much of the sheet a plate will cover.
Use the test copy for a full place-setting check: lay it out with the real plate, cup, pencils and shared crayons and see what's left to draw on. Our kids party table setup page walks through trying one complete setting before you set the rest.
| Item | Rule | Illustrative example: 8 children |
|---|---|---|
| Placemats | One per seat plus two spares | 8 + 2 = 10 mats |
| Pencils | Two sharpened pencils per seat | 8 x 2 = 16 pencils |
| Crayon cups | One per three seats, rounded up | 8 ÷ 3 = 2.67, so 3 cups |
| Host answer card | One, at the host seat | 1 card |
What size do I print Christmas activity placemats?
Quick answer: Use 11x17 for a roomier homemade layout, or letter size with half-inch margins and a narrower border and joke strip. Check a test copy before printing one per seat plus two spares.
Choose 11x17 if your printer can handle it and you want more room for the drawings. On letter paper, start with half-inch margins, narrow the border and put fewer jokes on each mat. Either way, the print control doesn't combine the activities into one placemat. You build the layout, then print it.
When to prepare the placemats
If you only use the text activities, you can copy the scramble and choose some cards the day before. If you're drawing the puzzles too, here's one sequence to adjust to your week. It's a suggested order, not an estimate of how long the drawing will take.
- One week before: sketch the outline border and the 26-dot reindeer, then check how much room is left for the scramble and maze.
- Three days before: finish the drawings, number the dots and trace the maze. Copy the scramble answers and the maze path onto the host card.
- The day before: print a test sheet, then the full set. Sharpen the pencils and put the crayons into shared cups.
- Before guests sit down: write names on the mats, put one face down at each place and keep the two spares with the favor bags.
Setting up each place at the table
Set the table once you know how many children are coming. Keep the answer card somewhere you can reach without getting up, such as under the serving spoon rest at your own seat.
What goes at each seat?
Quick answer: Put down one face-down mat with the child's name and two sharpened pencils. Share one crayon cup among every three seats, and keep the host answer card at your own place.
Putting the mat face down gives each child something to turn over when they sit. If the number of seats doesn't divide evenly by three, add one more cup for the last one or two children. Keep the spare mats with the favor bags, ready for a late arrival or a child who wants a fresh sheet to color.
Using the placemats from sitting down to dessert
Let children turn their mats over when they sit down and try a puzzle while they wait for food. Put the pencils aside when it's time to eat. Between courses, ask someone to read a joke from the cards. At dessert, read a would-you-rather question and let everyone answer or pass. Nobody keeps score.
If a child doesn't want a paper puzzle, a spoken game can fill the same wait. Choose one without a score, or agree it ends when the food arrives. Games to play while waiting for food lists options that need no supplies.
If several children get stuck on the same word, give the first letter and let them work it out together. Plan the activities around when you'll serve the food. Dinner shouldn't wait for a puzzle to be finished.
How do I keep dinner moving while kids play?
Quick answer: Offer the puzzles while everyone waits for food, put pencils aside to eat, read jokes between courses and save a few would-you-rather questions for dessert. Pause any activity when the food is ready.
Each part of the mat has its own moment. Puzzles suit the wait before the meal, jokes are quick enough for the gap between courses, and questions work as conversation over dessert. When food arrives, stop the activity, even if a scramble isn't finished.
If your group has used up the Christmas questions, or would like a different topic over dessert, food Would You Rather questions work the same way. Pass the reading turn to the next willing player, and stop when the group is ready to move on.
What happens with fast finishers?
Quick answer: Offer the coloring border, let them read a joke to a neighbor or give them a spare copy to decorate. They can take unfinished coloring home in a favor bag.
This is one reason to print two spares. Finished mats can go into favor bags too, so nobody needs to rush the coloring before they leave the table.
If the placemats are part of a Christmas-themed birthday, the finished coloring can go home on its own, without a filled favor bag. Hosting a birthday without favor bags explains how to offer one take-home item instead.
Can adults join in?
Quick answer: Adults can solve the scramble, read jokes aloud or answer the would-you-rather questions. A reader can help a younger child without turning the meal into a competition.
After the meal, a seated picture game lets adults and children play together without anyone solving text puzzles. Christmas picture bingo needs boards and caller pictures prepared beforehand, but you can vary the rules without printing anything new.
For a child who can't read yet, an adult can help sound out the scramble letters or read a joke while the child colors. If an adult wants a mat of their own, add them to the count before you print.
If sounding out letters isn't fun for a younger child, picture matching avoids reading altogether. You would need to make Christmas matching cards and draw the pictures yourself, checking that the fronts don't show through the backs.
Example: placemats for eight children
Illustrative example: eight children, including the host's two, will eat at the table. Two adults plan to help with reading but don't want mats, so they aren't counted. The host uses letter paper with half-inch margins, a narrow border and three jokes per mat.
Printing: one test copy, then 8 + 2 = 10 mats. Seats: 8 named mats face down, 16 sharpened pencils and 3 crayon cups, because 8 seats divided by 3 is 2.67, rounded up to 3. The host card with the eight answers and the traced maze path sits at the host's place.
At the meal: children do the scramble while the food is plated, then pencils go aside. An adult reads a joke between courses. At dessert, the host reads two would-you-rather questions. One child finishes early and decorates a spare mat, which goes home in a favor bag.
If the family wants to keep playing after dessert, choose one game as a separate activity rather than extending the placemats. Our Christmas party games for families page helps you choose a main, movement or seated game to fit your guests and space.
Checklist before the children sit down
- Text activities copied, answers kept off the children's sheets
- Any drawn puzzles checked: dot order, readable numbers, maze with two dead ends and a traced path
- Test copy checked for answer lines and plate space
- One mat per seat plus two spares printed
- Names written, mats face down
- Two sharpened pencils per seat, one crayon cup per three seats rounded up
- Host answer card at your place
- A few would-you-rather questions picked for dessert
| Scrambled word | Your answer |
|---|---|
| TASNA | ____________________ |
| FLE | ____________________ |
| HESILG | ____________________ |
| DENIERER | ____________________ |
| YLLHO | ____________________ |
| EDANCL | ____________________ |
| TEANMRON | ____________________ |
| NETTMI | ____________________ |
| What to prepare | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Children’s names | ________________________________________ |
| Number of guests | __________ |
| Mats needed, including two spares | __________ |
| Pencils needed, two per seat | __________ |
| Crayon cups, one per three seats rounded up | __________ |
| Paper size | __________ |
| Where the host answer card will be | ________________________________________ |
| Extra notes | ________________________________________ |
| Extra notes | ________________________________________ |
Name: ______________________________