Family Activities

Maths inspired arts & crafts, games, puzzles, baking and more!

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Sierpinski Christmas Tree

  • Age groups
  • 8-11
  • 12-15
  • 16+

Get stuck in to some maths themed seasonal crafts with our Sierpinski Christmas tree! The Sierpinski triangle is a pattern of equilateral triangles that repeats again and again at different scales. This kind of pattern is called a 'fractal'. Our tree is a large pyramid made of smaller pyramids. Since a fractal can repeat endlessly, you can keep adding layers to build a tree as large as you want!

>> Download tetrahedron template

>> Download Sierpinski tree tutorial

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Design a Festive Jumper

  • Age groups
  • 5-7
  • 8-11
  • 12-15

Happy (belated) Christmas Jumper Day! If, like us, you didn’t get the memo that Christmas Jumper Day was a day early this year, you can have some festive jumper fun with today’s activity. Download our free activity sheet and design your own jumper. Can you give it a mathematical twist? How about adding some shapes, repeating patterns, tessellation or symmetry!

>> Download Festive Jumper Template

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Geometric Christmas Doodles

  • Age groups
  • 5-7
  • 8-11
  • 12-15
  • 16+

In this fun Christmas art activity, you need to create pictures just by colouring in squares - no extra diagonal or rounded lines allowed! Try our suggestions or create your own!

Bonus suggestion: If you are into cross stitch, you could also use these doodles as cross stitch patterns, with each square equalling one stitch.

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Tessellating Trees

  • Age groups
  • 0-4
  • 5-7
  • 8-11
  • 12-15
  • 16+

A tessellation is an arrangement of shapes fitting together in a repeating pattern without gaps or overlapping. Download our template and fit together the tessellating trees to make one giant tree! The template includes three sizes of tree to choose from. This is a great activity to do with a group or class, or at a family gathering.

Tip: It’s easier to colour the trees in first and then cut them out.

>> Download Tessellating Trees Template

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Fraction Snowflakes

  • Age groups
  • 0-4
  • 5-7
  • 8-11

A calming art puzzle activity for the weekend. Cut out circles of different sizes from white paper, then cut some in to halves, quarters and eighths. Use the circle fractions to lay out snowflake patterns. Remember, snowflakes are symmetrical!

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Binary Code Ornaments

  • Age groups
  • 8-11
  • 12-15
  • 16+

Today we’re making seasonal decorations with a mathematical twist – using binary code! Download our chart and create ornaments with festive words written in binary code. Binary code is a way to write numbers, letters and symbols using only 0 and 1. It is used in computer coding.

>> Download Binary Code Chart

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Christmas Number Doodles

  • Age groups
  • 5-7
  • 8-11
  • 12-15
  • 16+

Some Christmas fun doodling with numbers! Try our suggestions, or make up your own. And don't forget to share pictures of your artworks with us!