Encouraging the Christmas spirit is fun & easy when kids can play with our Christmas Cootie Catcher!
Christmas is definitely my family’s holiday. My kids and I are all about making ridiculous amounts of cookies, buying (and making) gifts for each other, and seeing Christmas decorations that there really is no shortage of the holiday spirit in our home
As wonderful as the Christmas season can be, making sure to incorporate our regular homeschooling plans along with Christmas festivities throughout the month of December…well, it can be a little bit overwhelming for me. My kids are only young once and I just want to do what I can to make the holidays as memorable as possible for them.
Lucky for you (and me!), though, I’m always working on filling up the Printable Playground with a ton of free & educational printables for homeschooling families with kids of all ages! Life is stressful enough with everything going on & homeschooling shouldn’t add to those stresses.
Not only is my Christmas Cootie Catcher printable totally free, it also requires mere minutes of prep time, allowing you & the kids to create some pretty meaningful memories together this Christmas.
Wondering how to get access to the printable? Don’t worry! In this article, I’ll be sharing about cootie catchers, how to make the Christmas cootie catcher, how it can help spread Christmas spirit in your home and…drumroll, please…how to get your hands (quite literally) on my free Christmas printable!
Let’s go!
What’s a Cootie Catcher?
Honestly, when I first saw cootie catchers popping up everywhere on social media, I was clueless. I mean, aren’t cooties germs? Why would anyone want to catch them? Ew, gross!
Guys, cootie catchers are those folded paper fortune tellers we played with as kids. At least, that’s what we called them in South Jersey back in the ’90s. Did you have a different name for them? I’m genuinely curious about this, so please leave a comment if you called them something different.
The term “cootie catcher” actually dates back to World War I. If you’re squeamish, you might want to skip ahead. It refers to using a pincer-like grip to snag germs or bugs. Another “ew, gross!”
Today, these cootie catchers are fun for kids, involving finger movements (great for fine motor skills!), along with counting or spelling, and a fun challenge or fortune.
My Christmas Cootie Catcher printable is similar. It gets kids using their hands, counting, and spelling, while completing eight different Christmas-Spirt-themed challenges in just 5-10 minutes each. Give it a try!
Spreading Holiday Spirit
There are many ways spread and enjoy the holiday spirit every December. After all, we’re doing our best to raise well-rounded & compassionate kids, right? Spreading holiday spirit is a part of just that.
Some ways the kids can help to spread the Christmas spirit this holiday season are:
- Write a Note to a Loved One: Consider it a 2-for-1 way to incorporate some writing and kindness into the holidays. I even have some cute printable Christmas-Themed Lined Paper you may want to have the kids use.
- Create DIY Ornaments: Hello, art class! The kids could learn how to make paper snowflakes, make salt-dough ornaments, or even craft like it’s 1988 and make some beaded candy cane ornaments
- Participate in a Food Drive: Collect & donate non-perishable food items for local families in need. I bet you could even make it a group activity for your homeschool co-op, too!
- Adopt a Child or Family’s Christmas Needs List: If you’re able to, consider easing some of the stresses of the holiday by helping out a local family with their list of needs this Christmas. Such opportunities can often be found at local churches, libraries, and even shopping malls.
- Help a Neighbor: Offer to help in-need neighbors with tasks like shoveling or decorating their homes!
Making a Christmas Cootie Catcher
Including my Christmas Cootie Catcher in your holiday plans this year is super easy. The printable comes with step-by-step instructions for crafting and using the cootie catcher, but I always think it’s smart to know all the details before jumping into an activity.
It makes sense, right?
Keep reading to learn how to make and use the cootie catcher, or scroll down to the next section to have the Christmas Cootie Catcher printable sent right to your inbox.
Assembling the Cootie Catcher
To make the Christmas Spirit Cootie Catcher, you’ll just need a printer capable of printing in color, standard printer paper (no need to use cardstock for this project!), and a pair of scissors.
- Print and Cut out the Cootie Catcher Square
- Fold in Half Diagonally (Both Ways):
- Fold the square diagonally corner-to-corner, then unfold.
- Repeat with the other diagonal. You should now have a square with two crease lines that cross in the center.
- Fold Each Corner to the Center:
- Bring each corner of the square to the center point, creating a smaller square with four triangular flaps meeting in the middle.
- Flip the Paper Over:
- Just like before, fold each of the four corners to the center. This creates an even smaller square.
- Fold Each Corner to the Center Again:
- Just like before, fold each of the four corners to the center. This creates an even smaller square.
- Fold the Square in Half Horizontally and Vertically:
- Fold the smaller square in half to make a rectangle, then unfold.
- Rotate the paper and fold it in half the other way, then unfold again.
- Open the Pockets:
- With the folded side facing up, gently slip your fingers under each of the four flaps on the underside of the cootie catcher.
- Pinch the flaps together with your thumbs and forefingers, and your cootie catcher will pop up into shape.
Using the Cootie Catcher
- Hold the Cootie Catcher:
- Place your thumbs and forefingers inside the four pockets of the cootie catcher.
- Move your fingers to open and close it vertically and horizontally.
- Pick a Color:
- Ask the person using the cootie catcher to pick one of the images on the top flaps (ornaments, presents, tree, and gingerbread)
- Open and close the cootie catcher once for each letter in the image they chose (e.g., T-R-E-E would be four movements).
- Pick a Number:
- Show the inside of the cootie catcher where numbers are written on the flaps.
- Ask them to pick one of these numbers.
- Open and close the cootie catcher again for each count of the number chosen.
- Pick Another Number:
- With the cootie catcher open, show the inside numbers again.
- Ask them to pick one final number.
- Reveal the Challenge:
- Lift the flap under the final number to reveal the Christmas Spirit Challenge hidden inside.
For example, a Christmas Cootie Catcher sequence might go like this:
- The person picks “Tree.” You spell out “T-R-E-E” while moving the cootie catcher in and out for each letter
- They see the new numbers inside and pick “4.” You move the cootie catcher 4 times.
- Finally, they pick “2.” You open up the flap for “2” and reveal the Christmas Spirit Challenge inside
Get the Christmas Cootie Catcher Printable
The moment you’ve been waiting for! I’ve made it super easy to get access to all of my printables! To get the Christmas cootie catcher printable you can either:
- Fill out the form below: Doing so will send the printable PDF straight to your inbox where you can save or print at your convenience.
- Request Access to the Printable Playground:You’ll get access to my ever-growing collection of free printables (Christmas Cootie Catcher included) when you request the monthly password to thePrintable Playground.
It’s totally up to you! Either way, I have a pretty good feeling you and the kids will really enjoy the Christmas Spirit Cootie Catcher!
Spreading the Christmas Spirit!
Christmas is more than “just” a morning of opening gifts; it’s a celebration of compassion, kindness, and magic! I’ve shared a few ways to help spread the Christmas spirit and even a super fun free printable you can use with the kids this Christmas and next!
The goal is to encourage the spirit of Christmas all year long! Even after the decorations are back up in the attic and the gifts have been played with over and over again, encourage the kids to spread kindness throughout the year. What may seem like a few minutes of playing a silly cootie catcher game are really a lifetime worth of valuable lessons.
How do you spread the Christmas spirit with your family? Go ahead and share your tips and traditions in the comments!
Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,
Elizabeth Dukart is a proud Georgia-based born and raised Jersey Girl, wife, and mom of 2 human boys & 1 canine boy.
Created in 2021, Elizabeth owns and publishesThat Homeschool Family: a free resource for homeschooling parents and beyond! A seasoned blogger, Elizabeth previously published a popular location-specific family resource blog, but decided to “Pivot!” her blogging focus after she started homeschooling her two boys in 2020. In addition to this blog, you can follow Elizabeth’s homeschooling and family adventures on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She can also be found in her Facebook Group: That Homeschool Family Hangout.
When she’s not busy taking over the world or homeschooling, Elizabeth can be found listening to music (especially The Beatles & Harry Styles!), being silly with her boys, watching movies with family, shopping, or traveling!
Have a question or want to work with Elizabeth? Send her an email!
