Christmas phonics worksheets — free printable

A free, printable Christmas-themed phonics worksheet. Uses festive vocabulary — tree, star, snow, gift, bell, sleigh — to combine seasonal joy with reading practice. One page, three activities, ready to print.

What's on the worksheet

A single page with three activities, all themed around Christmas:

Activity 1 — Find the Christmas words. Twelve words shown in a grid. Some are Christmas words (tree, star, snow, gift, bell, sleigh, elf, red, green, cookie, reindeer, angel). Some aren't (cat, bat, sun, fish, duck). The child circles the Christmas words.

Activity 2 — Read each Christmas word aloud. Five words across the page (tree, star, gift, snow, bell), each with a colorable dot beneath. Read, color, repeat.

Activity 3 — Trace the word STAR. Three rows of tracing — first solid, then two light gray. The child writes STAR three times while sounding it out (/s/ /t/ /ar/).

A 10-15 minute session of Christmas-themed phonics practice. Works for a quiet morning before school, a December homeschool activity, or a classroom warm-up in the days before holiday break.

Why themed phonics works

Kids work harder on words they care about. A child who's lukewarm on "find the words with /s/" will happily search for star, snow, sleigh if those words connect to something they're excited about.

But the underlying phonics work is the same. Christmas vocabulary uses the full range of phonics skills your child has been learning:

• CVC patterns: gift, bell, red
• Consonant blends: star, sleigh, snow, tree
• Digraphs: cookie (oo), angel (g/j sound), sleigh (eigh)
• Longer words: reindeer, Christmas, present

So this isn't easier phonics — it's the same phonics with motivating vocabulary.

For more focused practice on a single phonics skill, see the full library of phonics worksheets.

When to use this sheet

Use this worksheet if:

• Your child can read short words and CVC patterns
• It's December (or any time, really — kids enjoy Christmas vocabulary year-round)
• You want to weave seasonal themes into regular practice
• They're 5-7 years old

Skip this worksheet if:

• Your child is brand new to phonics — start with the Magic 7 sounds
• Your family doesn't celebrate Christmas — pick a different seasonal sheet from the collection

A few tips

Talk about the words. Christmas vocabulary is rich — sleigh, reindeer, angel, cookie all have stories. Reading practice paired with vocabulary conversation is reading at its best.

Make it festive. Print on red or green paper if you have it. Color in the answers with seasonal colors. Small touches turn a worksheet into a holiday activity.

Save the activity for a quiet moment. Christmas is busy. A 10-minute phonics session is best done in a calm part of the day — early morning, after lunch, just before bed.

Related resources

Part of the free phonics worksheets library — specifically the seasonal collection.

Other seasonal phonics worksheets in the same style:

• Halloween phonics worksheets
• Easter phonics worksheets
• Valentine's Day phonics worksheets
• Thanksgiving phonics worksheets
• Summer phonics worksheets

For everyday phonics practice:

• Magic 7 Phonics Flashcards
• CVC Word Pack
• Reading Bingo

Common questions

What age is this Christmas phonics worksheet for?

Best for ages 5-7. The Christmas vocabulary spans easy to harder words, so the sheet works for kids at different stages — focus on the easier words for younger kids, the trickier ones for older.

Can I use this for a Sunday school class?

Yes. The sheet works equally well in classroom, homeschool, or church-based settings. Print as many copies as you need.

What about December but not Christmas — winter generally?

Use this sheet anyway, or pair it with the Summer phonics worksheets for a seasons-of-the-year comparison. The vocabulary is festive but most words (star, snow, gift, bell) apply to general winter celebrations.

Will my child be ready for these words?

The reading-strip words (tree, star, gift, snow, bell) are mostly CVC + blends, which most kindergartners-end-of-year can manage. The find-and-circle includes harder words (sleigh, reindeer, angel) which a 5-year-old can read aloud with help — perfect for parent-child reading time.

Is this really free?

Yes. Free for personal, classroom, and tutor use. Print as many copies as you need.