The Best Christmas Math Movies For Kids
The holiday season is the perfect time to combine the magic of Christmas with a sprinkle of educational fun! If you want to keep your little ones entertained while sneaking in math lessons, this list of Christmas math movies for kids will benefit you.
Whether it’s the classics like The Polar Express or modern hits like Jingle Jangle, these films are more than just holiday movies—they’re enjoyable opportunities to reinforce math skills. Here’s a roundup of the best Christmas math movies for kids, with some ideas for incorporating them into your lesson plans.
1. The Polar Express: A Magical Journey to the North Pole
This timeless Christmas movie isn’t just about the journey to the North Pole—it’s also a great way to explore math concepts. The story, featuring a young boy’s magical train ride on Christmas Eve, can be paired with activities that delve into concepts like time, distance, and probability. Teachers can create fun word problems based on the movie’s plot or ask students to calculate how fast the train would travel to reach the North Pole by morning.
2. A Muppet Christmas Carol: Counting With Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens’s classic tale gets a fun twist with the Muppets in this holiday movie. The story of A Christmas Carol is ideal for teaching math through literature. High school students can explore the economic principles of Scrooge’s money-saving habits, while younger kids might focus on simple counting exercises or 1st-grade math problems related to the characters and their actions. It’s also a great way to discuss the concept of the golden ratio in graphic arts and how it applies to the movie’s cinematography.
3. October Sky: The True Story of Homer Hickam
Though not a traditional Christmas movie, October Sky is a heartwarming tale that fits perfectly into the winter break movie list. The movie highlights the power of a growth mindset and how creative engineering solutions can lead to incredible discoveries. Math teachers can use this film to teach algebraic equations, space travel, and even cross-curricular activities involving social studies and the impact of Native Americans in STEM fields. It’s a great way to inspire middle school students, especially those interested in science fiction and real-life applications of math.
4. A Beautiful Mind: The Life of a Math Genius
This Oscar-winning film, starring Russell Crowe as John Nash, is a compelling way to introduce math’s role in solving complex problems. The storyline of A Beautiful Mind can serve as a discussion starter for middle and high school students on topics such as whole numbers, algebraic equations, and independent work. It’s also an excellent choice for explaining how math plays a vital role in video games, space travel, and creative engineering solutions. Plus, it’s a beautiful film for teaching 7th-grade math and beyond.
5. Jingle Jangle: A Musical Christmas Movie with Math Magic
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a festive film that beautifully blends math with the spirit of Christmas. The movie’s storyline, which revolves around a young girl who helps her grandfather rediscover his Christmas magic, offers plenty of opportunities to explore math concepts like sequences, patterns, and problem-solving. Teachers can develop math movie questions that align with the film’s plot, making it an exciting reward day activity for students during the Christmas season.
6. Arthur Christmas: Santa’s High-Tech Operation
Arthur Christmas takes a fun look at Santa Claus’s high-tech North Pole operation. The film’s creative use of technology and logistics offers a great way to discuss math-related topics such as time management, geometry, and even STEM fields.
This movie is particularly engaging for elementary students, who can work on 2nd and 3rd-grade math problems based on the film’s events. It’s also a great option for 4th and 5th-grade math tasks, including task cards and easy grading answer keys that focus on the movie’s plot.
7. Classic Christmas Cartoons and Short Films
Remember classic cartoons and short Christmas movies like Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. These films are perfect for quick math lessons that can be incorporated into early intervention strategies.
For instance, you can create math movie questions that align with the movie’s themes, use them as independent work tasks, or even develop an advent calendar full of math challenges based on the movies.
Bring Christmas magic into your classroom this holiday season with these Christmas math movies for kids. Not only will they keep your students engaged during the festive season, but they’ll also help reinforce essential math skills in a fun and creative way. Whether through full movies, short films, or classic cartoons, these films will make math class feel like a holiday treat!
