25 Christmas Word Problems Year 3

Keep maths skills sharp and spirits merry with these 25 Christmas Word Problems for Year 3 — festive fun that's secretly rigorous maths practice!

The lead-up to Christmas doesn't have to mean switching off mathematically. 25 Christmas Word Problems Year 3 gives your students 25 festive, contextually rich problems right up to the last day of term — addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, money, duration and multi-step thinking, every one pitched at Year 3 and mapped to the Australian Curriculum v9.

Each problem is a task card with the story on the left and a generous WORKING OUT panel on the right, so students show their thinking instead of just writing a number. Two identical A5 landscape cards print on each A4 page — cut them apart for a maths rotation, or give every student their own.

A guaranteed hit in every Year 3 classroom every December!

Why teachers love it:

• The whole thing is done for you — 33 pages of cover options, a learning intention page, 25 task cards and a full answer key
• Curriculum-linked, not curriculum-adjacent — a tick-box success criteria page with "I can" statements against ACARA v9 codes AC9M3N03, N04, N06, A03 and M03
• Students have to show their working — a dedicated working out panel and a number sentence line on every single card
• 25 problems = 25 days of Christmas maths — perfect for an advent-style countdown activity
• Ten cover options — pick the artwork your class will love, or let them choose
• Photocopier friendly — clean black and white, no heavy ink, no grey fills

Perfect for:

• Year 3 maths lessons in Term 4 and during the Christmas period
• Daily problem-of-the-day countdown to the holidays
• Maths rotations, centres and independent practice
• Fast finisher and extension tasks
• Relief teacher folders
• End-of-year revision and consolidation

What's included — 33 printable A4 pages:

• 5 pages of cover options — ten designs, two per page, so students can choose their own
• 1 learning intention and success criteria page — tick-box "I can" statements linked to the Australian Curriculum v9
• 25 task card pages — two identical A5 landscape cards per page, ready to cut apart
• 1 answer key — every answer with its number sentence, so marking takes a minute
• 1 terms of use page

Make the most of every learning day — these Christmas word problems prove maths can be magical!

HOW TO USE IT IN YOUR CLASSROOM

We've written a full guide to teaching word problems in the last weeks of term — including the four different things that get called "bad at word problems", and why only one of them is actually a maths problem.

📖 Read: Word problems in December, when nobody wants to do word problems

Inside you'll find how to teach into the working-out panel so it stops being decoration, why "altogether means add" is a rule that quietly breaks, twelve ways to run 25 cards that aren't a worksheet, and four ways to differentiate a single problem without printing a second version.

Planning your Christmas classroom?
Our Ultimate Christmas guide has more activity ideas, display tips and freebies to use alongside this resource.

SPECIFICATIONS

Our digital resources are primarily available in PDF format, optimised for A4 standard paper size to ensure easy printing. Here's what you can expect:

File Format:
This digital download is not editable.

Instructions:
Detailed instructions are included with digital teacher resources that require them, ensuring ease of use and printing.

Compatibility:
Digital teacher files can be accessed on any device, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. For the best experience, we recommend using a free PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Printing:
PDFs are set to A4 size for high-quality printing. For optimal results, we recommend using high-quality paper.

Licence:
All files are for personal use only. Redistribution, reselling, or commercial use is prohibited unless otherwise stated.

Need help or have further questions? Don't hesitate to contact us!

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you're having trouble downloading or opening this file, don't worry! Here are a few things you can check:

Ensure you have a PDF Reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, installed on your device for the best experience.

For editable files, you will need Adobe Acrobat (free version) to add your own text. Remember, only the text is editable, while images, layouts, and colour palettes remain fixed.

If you're attempting to print, ensure that your printer settings match the A4 standard paper size for optimal results.

For additional troubleshooting, check out our FAQs in the tab below. If issues persist, feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to assist you. We're here to ensure everything runs smoothly!

OUR HAPPINESS GUARANTEE

We want nothing but the best for our incredible teaching community, and that extends to our digital resources too! If you're not 100% satisfied with your digital purchase, please reach out to us within 30 days, and we'll be happy to offer a full refund or exchange.

Please note: Due to the nature of digital products, we cannot accept returns on files that have been downloaded. However, we are committed to ensuring you have an excellent experience with our resources, and we will work with you to resolve any issues you encounter.

Visit our Returns Policy to learn more.

FAQS

What if my file isn't printing correctly?

ZIP FILES:
If you're experiencing issues with printing, first check the file type. If it's a ZIP file, you'll need to unzip or extract the contents before printing.

How to Open a ZIP File:

1. On a Windows Computer:
   • Right-click on the ZIP file.
   • Select "Extract All..." from the dropdown menu.
   • Choose the location where you'd like the extracted files to be saved.
   • Click "Extract" to uncompress the files.
2. On a Mac:
   • Double-click the ZIP file.
   • The contents will be automatically unzipped into the same folder as the ZIP file.

Once unzipped, you'll be able to access all the files contained within the ZIP archive.

PDF FILES:

For PDF files, especially those with many graphics, the file may display correctly on your screen but not print as expected. To resolve this, make sure you're using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and print your PDF.

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Click "Print."
3. In the "Page Sizing & Handling" section, select "Shrink oversized pages" if needed.
4. Click "Advanced."
5. Check the "Print As Image" box.
6. Proceed to print your document.

What if I can't download a file?
If you're having trouble downloading a file, it's usually a temporary issue caused by an unstable network or a browser connection problem. Try refreshing your browser and attempt the download again after a few minutes.

If you're using a school computer, keep in mind that some schools have restrictions on downloading files. Try downloading the file at home and then transfer it via a USB drive or email it to yourself.

You can also try right-clicking (on a PC) or control-clicking (on a Mac) the download link and selecting "Save target as" or "Save link as" to download the file directly to your desktop.

Need help or have further questions? Don't hesitate to contact us!