Paper Chain Snowman Countdown (English, Chinese, Korean)

This trilingual Paper Chain Snowman Christmas Countdown has been a family tradition for years! We love paper chain activities because they are a visual way for kids to countdown the days until Christmas. Not to mention, ripping off each chain is very satisfying…ha!

To simplify this Christmas craft for kids, I made a printable template for the paper chain snowmen. The dotted lines are a helpful guide for cutting each chain.

And don’t worry about being “late.” You can start the countdown any time in December!

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What’s the best age for the paper chain snowman activity?

Many teachers and parents have shared that they made this snowman Christmas countdown with toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and elementary school kids.

When we started this Christmas tradition, my youngest child was a baby; now he’s seven. My oldest child has been counting down to Christmas with the paper chain snowmen for nearly a decade. Time flies!

Download printable paper chain snowman countdown for Christmas

• English paper chain snowman template
• Chinese paper chain snowman template
• Korean paper chain snowman template

Other supplies for the Christmas countdown

1. White paper
2. Orange marker
3. Scissors and/or paper cutter
4. Tape

How to set up Paper Chain Christmas Countdown

Make the paper chain snowman

1. Print the template on white paper.
2. Cut paper along dotted lines.
3. Use an orange marker to draw a carrot nose for the snowman’s face.
4. Loop and tape the rings together with links attached below each snowman’s face.
5. Optional: If you prefer to make one long paper chain snowman instead of a snowman family of 5 paper chains, recycle the extra smiley faces and connect all the numbers!

Make a top hat

1. Print the hat template (instructions page) on white paper.
2. Cut out the black top hat shape.
3. Tape on top of the snowman’s head.

Decorate your kids’ room or classroom for Christmas with paper chain snowmen!

1. Hang paper chains with tape.
2. Starting on December 1, remove one paper ring each day. (A later date is okay, too! Life happens!)

Here’s how we hung the paper chain snowman on our wall last year. I taped them up with painter’s tape. Now, we are ready for our trilingual Christmas countdown to begin!

Ways to learn with a paper chain Christmas countdown

A paper chain countdown is perfect for any home or classroom to build up anticipation for a special occasion. The English, Chinese, and Korean numbers are great for learning math and language.

Eager for Christmas, my children constantly ask, “How long until December 25? 到十二月二十五日要多久？(Dào shí’èr yuè èrshíwǔ rì yào duōjiǔ? ).”

They know the day is special because we can spend quality family time together. And of course, presents! Here are some fun lessons that beloved paper chain snowmen can teach.

Recommended: 10 Best Chinese Christmas Activities and Crafts

Fine motor skills

Cutting and ripping practice are some of the best ways to strengthen little hands!

Math

This activity is perfect for learning to count each loop and recognizing number symbols. It also teaches measurement and comparison.

Every year, my son has a blast comparing how tall his body was compared to the “super duper” long Christmas snowman chain. Meanwhile, my daughter checks the length with measuring tape!

Time

When children learn how to tell time, the paper chain Christmas countdown gives them a concrete sense of the days in December.

Language

Even if your family speaks one language fluently, printing out the other versions is a simple way to expose kids to new languages.

If you’re raising multilingual children, make new memories by speaking the minority language while making this snowman craft!

Recommended: 8 Fun Korean Christmas Activities and Crafts

Christmas countdown translations for kids

Since my kids have been learning Chinese and Korean as minority languages, I took some notes on the translations. To help other non-fluent parents, the translations are listed in English, Simplified Chinese/Traditional Chinese, Pinyin, and Korean.

• Christmas = 圣诞节 / 聖誕節 (Shèngdàn jié); 크리스마스
• Start the countdown = 开始倒数 / 開始倒數 (Kāishǐ dàoshǔ); 카운트 타운 시작
• Numbers = 数字 / 數字 (Shùzì); 숫자
• Snowmen = 雪人 (Xuěrén); 눈사람

Have you tried the Paper Chain Snowman Christmas Countdown activity?

If you try this activity, please let us know in the comments below! What age(s) are your kid(s), and how did it go? We’d love to hear about your learning experience!

Share this educational Christmas countdown activity with friends and teachers!

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