Festive Christmas Tree Addition Craft for Kindergarten & First Grade

 🎄 New Christmas Tree Addition Craft: A Fun & Festive Math Activity for December!

I’m so excited to share my newest holiday resource—a Christmas Tree Addition Craft that brings hands-on math practice and seasonal fun together! This activity pairs perfectly with my Christmas Tree Action Rhyme, making it a joyful, integrated experience for both math and literacy in December.

🛒 Find the craft here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Addition-Craft-Ten-Frame-Math-Tree-Kindergarten-1st-Grade-14981047

🎶 And the Christmas Tree Action Rhyme here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Action-Rhyme-Interactive-Reading-and-Literacy-Activities-8822139

🌟 Why I Love Math Crafts in December

December is a whirlwind—special events, excitement, and a classroom full of energy. Math crafts allow students to practice essential skills, slow down, and engage creatively, all while offering teachers a structured, meaningful workflow across several days. This new addition craft makes a great center activity, small-group project, or whole-class display!

🧮 Teaching Tips: Planning a Successful Math Craft

1. Teach the Concept First

• Before jumping into the craft, give students hands-on practice with addition at their level:
• Combining Counters: For early learners, simply combine two groups to make a total.
• Counting On: Roll a die, start at the number shown, and count on to reach 10. (Ex: Roll 6 → count on 4 → 10!)
• Fast Facts & Mental Math: Call out quick addition facts—“7 + 3,” “3 + 2”—and let students respond chorally before choosing one to show on their tree.

This builds confidence and ensures the craft reinforces skills they already understand.

2. Day 1: Create the Base

Have students assemble the basic tree pieces. This gives everyone a foundation without the pressure of finishing all at once.

3. Day 2: Color or Paint

Let the creativity begin! Markers, crayons, watercolor—whatever fits your classroom setup. Painting days always feel extra special in December!

4. Day 3: Record the Math

Students fill in their ten frame or addition equation to match the number story they’ll create. This is also a great time to pair the craft with a skill-building worksheet like these addition and subtraction pages:

📝 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Addition-and-Subtraction-Worksheets-3507754

5. Day 4: Cut & Glue

Now the pieces come together. Students assemble and glue their finished Christmas tree, complete with their math representation.

6. Celebrate With Math Talk!

Once the trees are displayed, invite students to come up and tell a math story that matches their tree. 

This helps:

• deepen number sense
• build oral language
• model how math lives in real-world stories
• create excitement around their hard work!

Example prompts:

• “Tell us how you made 10 on your tree.”
• “What addition story could match your number?”
• “How did you know your answer was correct?”

Students love sharing, and you’ll get meaningful evidence of their understanding.

🎁 A December Activity Kids Will Remember

This Christmas Tree Addition Craft brings together creativity, collaboration, and core math skills—perfect for the joyful learning energy of December. I hope your students have as much fun making theirs as mine did!