Eight countries, eight very different Christmases - a geography and festivals topic for KS1 and KS2, with a travel passport to stamp at every stop.

Children compare each country with how their own family or class celebrates, so the learning lands close to home as well as far away.

What children will explore

• Place and location - eight countries across five continents, north and south
• Festivals and celebrations - why the date, the food and the gift-giver change
• Comparison - each country set beside the children’s own traditions
• Maths and literacy - counting, timelines, symmetry, word tracing in eight languages

The eight countries

• Japan - Christmas means fried chicken and strawberry sponge cake
• Australia - a summer Christmas, with Santa arriving at the beach
• Mexico - Las Posadas, lanterns and pinatas
• Sweden - Saint Lucia, candlelight and saffron buns
• Germany - where the printed Advent calendar began
• Ethiopia - Ganna, celebrated on 7 January
• Philippines - the longest Christmas season in the world
• Iceland - the thirteen Yule Lads and the Christmas Book Flood

What’s inside - 42 pages

• Eight illustrated country spotlight pages and a passport to stamp
• A Christmas date timeline from September to January
• Pinata counting, Advent calendar maths and a global counting challenge
• Saint Lucia crown and Parol lantern to design and make
• Ethiopian cross symmetry pattern and a Yule Lad countdown chart
• Food sorting, odd one out, true or myth, spot the difference
• Christmas words traced in eight languages, plus a colouring scene
• Design your perfect Christmas page, explorer certificate and answer key

Why teachers and parents love this pack

• One topic covers geography, culture, maths and literacy in December
• Cultural rather than devotional - the focus is how families celebrate
• Every country page ends with a comparison to the children’s own Christmas
• Watercolour illustrations throughout, with a penguin guide on every page

Instant PDF download, 42 pages. A4 and US Letter. Print as many copies as you need for your class or family.