Kids build three paper Christmas trees in small, medium and big sizes, then sort paper shape ornaments by size and glue each one onto the tree it fits. It combines shapes and proportions in one festive math activity, and it is easy to simplify for toddlers.
An adult does the cutting with scissors or a circle punch ahead of time.
Supervise toddlers closely: small paper shapes and glue can go in mouths.
Before the kids arrive
Cut 3 green triangles in increasing sizes for the tree leaves.
Cut 3 brown rectangles in increasing sizes, in proportion to the triangles, for the trunks.
Cut circles, squares, triangles and stars in 3 sizes, in proportion to the trees. These are the shape ornaments.
Roll out the white art paper and draw three boxes labeled Big, Medium and Small.
Steps
Set out the leaves, the trunks and the shape ornaments in separate piles.
Build three trees by matching each triangle to its trunk rectangle, talking about biggest, medium and small.
Glue the trees onto the paper.
Sort the shape ornaments into the Big, Medium and Small boxes.
Put all the ornaments back together in one big pile.
Pick an ornament, decide which tree it fits, and glue it on.
Say the name of each shape aloud as it goes on the tree.
Tips
Circle punches in a few sizes would have been so helpful. I ended up hand cutting the circles, and the punches come in handy for lots of kids' crafts.from the author
Sorting into the boxes first helps kids see the varying sizes of each ornament. Then pile them back together and sort on the go.from the author
Triangles and rectangles are simple to match. When she got to the smaller ornaments, she realized she had to pay more attention.from the author
I repeated the names of the shapes many times while the kids were making their trees.from the author
A homeschooling reader planned to use it as the following week's math lesson.from readers
Make it your own
Toddler version: make one bigger tree from a triangle, a rectangle and a star, with just a couple of smaller basic shapes as ornaments. The parent calls out each shape while the child glues.
Skip the sorting boxes: put all the ornaments in a big basket and have the child sort each one as she picks it. This makes the decision-making a little more challenging.
Top each tree with a paper star.
The story behind it
By TurkeyMom · November 2012
We are still on a shapes learning mission with my toddler. It started as a simple shapes Christmas tree, but with my preschooler around it morphed into a math activity.
These little guys are the shape ornaments: 4 basic shapes (circles, squares, triangles and stars) cut out in 3 different sizes, proportionate to the leaves and trunks.
I set out the leaves, the trunks and the ornaments separately and set up the Christmas Tree Puzzle challenge. First step is to create the trees while talking about biggest, medium and small.
We sorted the shape ornaments into the 3 boxes first to help her see the varying sizes. Then we put them back in a pile and matched each ornament to the tree size.
Here are our mathematically decorated trees. Triangles and rectangles are simple to do. When she got to the smaller ornaments, she realized that she has to pay more attention.
This Christmas activity is easy to adapt to a toddler: make a bigger tree with a triangle, rectangle, star and a couple of smaller shapes. While gluing, call out the shape aloud.
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What readers say
💬 5 comments✍️ 1 answered by the author
🎉 Worked for us
Repeat shape names while building
The author repeated the shape names many times while the kids made their trees, turning the craft into shape-vocabulary practice.
“I repeated the names of the shapes many times while the kids were making their trees”
🎉 Worked for us
Planned for a math lesson
A reader loved the idea and planned to use it as her math lesson the following week.
“I think we'll be doing it for our math lesson next week.”
🎉 Worked for us
Great for ongoing shapes practice
A parent saw it as a perfect way for her daughter to keep working on shapes.
“This will be a perfect activity for my daughter to keep working on shapes!”
Recently tried
Read all 5 comments
Marshall · Mar 2025
Hello! 😊 This Christmas tree puzzle is such a creative and fun holiday activity! I love how it encourages hands-on learning while bringing festive joy to little ones. Your step-by-step guide makes it easy to follow, and it’s a wonderful way to combine play with problem-solving. Thanks for sharing this delightful idea!
Katie · Nov 2012
This will be a perfect activity for my daughter to keep working on shapes!
TurkeyMomAuthor · Nov 2012 · replying to Katie
Oh yes, I repeated the names of the shapes many times while the kids were making their trees hahaha
Mud Hut Mama · Nov 2012
I love this idea - I think we'll be doing it for our math lesson next week.
Read all 5 comments
Marshall · Mar 2025
Hello! 😊 This Christmas tree puzzle is such a creative and fun holiday activity! I love how it encourages hands-on learning while bringing festive joy to little ones. Your step-by-step guide makes it easy to follow, and it’s a wonderful way to combine play with problem-solving. Thanks for sharing this delightful idea!
Katie · Nov 2012
This will be a perfect activity for my daughter to keep working on shapes!
TurkeyMomAuthor · Nov 2012 · replying to Katie
Oh yes, I repeated the names of the shapes many times while the kids were making their trees hahaha
Mud Hut Mama · Nov 2012
I love this idea - I think we'll be doing it for our math lesson next week.