Deputy First Minister’s Christmas Maths Challenge 2018

If you’re looking for a fun activity you can do with your child this Christmas break, why not give the Deputy First Minister’s Christmas Maths Challenge a go? Its full of fun festive puzzles you can pick and choose from to keep them busy.

Christmas sudoku

Can you complete the grid?

Image of a Christmas sudoku puzzle.

You have a star, a snowman, a present and Christmas tree. You can only have one of each item a column and row. Can you complete the grid?

Santa's workshop

Santa's label machine

Image of a Christmas maths puzzle involving times tables and additions.

Santa's busy at work getting ready to deliver his presents to all the little boys and girls across Scotland.

Each sack of presents holds 4 presents. Each present gets a name label and each sack has one extra label so Santa doesn't get lost.

How many labels will be needed for

(a) 3 sacks (b) 5 sacks (c) 8 sacks?

How many filled sacks could be delivered with

(d) 17 labels (e) 29 labels (f) 41 labels?

Challenge: Play against someone else!

Image of Christmas name tags for gifts.

Why not play against someone else and work out the answers for different numbers of sacks of your choice, or even tricker, numbers of sacks for different numbers of labels.

Can you see the formula that helps to solve these questions?

Calling all carol singers

Extra Christmas cheer

Image of an illustration of carol singers.

Yuletide Street has 90 houses. A group of Primary 4 carol singers visit every 4th house. A group of Primary 6 carol singers visit every 6th house.

How many houses are visited by both groups?

P3 and P7 join in, stopping at every 3rd house every 7th house respectively.

Is there a house that is visited by all 4 classes? If so, what is the house number?

Christmas cheer for all

Image of an illustration of carol singers.

If the whole school from P1 to P7 went carol singing following the same rules:

How many more houses in Yuletide Street would there need to be so that all classes visit the same house?

HINT - Make sure that the number of the class matches the number of the house they first visit. For example, P3 first visit the 3rd house, P7 first visit the 7th house.

Santa and the twelve elves

Meeting, eating and greeting

Image of an illustration of a child wearing an elf hat next to two glasses of juice.

After delivering all of the presents, Santa and his team of twelves elves meet up for CHristmas dinner. They sit down at a round table and each person is given a glass of fizzy drink. They clink glasses with the person next to them on their right and the person next to them on their left.

How many clinks of glasses are there?

Christmas crackers

Before the food is served, Santa and elves get to pull a cracker with everyone else at the table. Crackers are sold in boxes of 12.

How many boxes of crackers are required?

Where can I find the answers?

All will be revealed on January 4th!

Image of an illustration of two rows of Christmas elves holding gifts.

You'll find all the answers and workings at blogs.gov.scot/making-maths-count on 4 January 2019.

Deputy First Minister’s Christmas Maths Challenge 2018

Explore this article's topics:

Christmas sudoku

Can you complete the grid?

Santa's workshop

Santa's label machine

Challenge: Play against someone else!

Calling all carol singers

Extra Christmas cheer

Christmas cheer for all

Santa and the twelve elves

Meeting, eating and greeting

Christmas crackers

Where can I find the answers?

All will be revealed on January 4th!

Download the challenge

Get the English version here

Get the Gaelic version here

Join the club

Get social with us

Deputy First Minister’s Christmas Maths Challenge 2018

Explore this article's topics:

Christmas sudoku

Can you complete the grid?

Santa's workshop

Santa's label machine

Challenge: Play against someone else!

Calling all carol singers

Extra Christmas cheer

Christmas cheer for all

Santa and the twelve elves

Meeting, eating and greeting

Christmas crackers

Where can I find the answers?

All will be revealed on January 4th!

Download the challenge

Get the English version here

Get the Gaelic version here

Past maths challenges

Join the club

Get social with us