Christmas in Eight Languages: Free Flashcards, Bingo and Countdowns

When does your countdown end?

The paper chain and the take home sheet follow the last day of school for government schools in your state or territory in 2026. Catholic and independent schools sometimes finish a few days earlier, so the paper chain lets you choose your own start date.

How to use the pack

Start with the flashcards. Show each card, say the word and have the class repeat it with an action. Twelve words is plenty, and the funny characters do the remembering for you. Santa is a koala, the sun wears sunglasses, and there is a trip to the beach, because Christmas in Australia happens in summer.

Play bingo once they know the words. Hand out the boards and some counters. Call each word in your language, or put the bingo caller on the board and let it pick the words at random. Hide the picture so students have to listen, then reveal it to check. The first full board wins. In Italy, a version of bingo called tombola is a real Christmas tradition, which makes a lovely culture link for any class.

Hang the paper chain. Students cut out the strips and glue them into a chain, biggest number at the bottom. Every morning someone tears off a link, reads the number in your language and the class does the mission. The last link is always the last day of school.

Send the countdown home. On the last day, every child takes home a calendar that starts on the first day of the holidays. Each day has a picture to colour and a word to say, so the language keeps going right up to Christmas morning.