Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Christmas Lights Walk Checklist: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 1
- ForYear 1
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Christmas Lights Walk Checklist is a free printable worksheet for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6). Children take it on a winter evening walk and tick off the festive things they spot, from houses with white or coloured lights to wreaths, stars and a Father Christmas figure. It is screen free and needs only a pencil and a grown up to walk with.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages. Give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Page 1 is a checklist for children to tick off on a winter evening walk. They look for houses with white lights and houses with coloured lights, a tree in a window, a wreath on a door, and decorations such as a star, a snowman and a reindeer. They also hunt for a flashing light, a heart shaped light, a candy cane, a red bow and a Father Christmas figure.
- A house with white lights
- A house with coloured lights
- A Christmas tree in a window
- A wreath on a door
- A star decoration
- A snowman decoration
- A reindeer decoration
- A flashing light
- A light shaped like a heart
- A candy cane
- A red bow
- A Father Christmas figure
How to get the most from the walk
Read the list first
Before you leave, read every item aloud together. Children find things more easily when they know the words and can picture what they are hunting for.
Walk slowly and look high and low
Lights can be on rooftops, in windows, on doors and in gardens. Ask your child to look up, then down, then side to side.
Let your child lead the looking
Stop when they spot something. Ask them to point, say what it is and tick it themselves. Your job is to keep them safe and to ask questions.
Talk about it afterwards
Back home, look at the ticked list together. Ask what they enjoyed most and what they would like to find next time.
Why go on a lights walk?
In winter the days are short in the UK, so it gets dark early. That makes an evening walk in December feel special. Many families decorate their homes and gardens at this time of year, and a short walk around the streets can turn into a treasure hunt. Children see their own neighbourhood in a new way when it is lit up.
A checklist gives a walk a clear purpose. Children look carefully, match words to real things and tick them off as they go. It also gives you something to talk about. They name colours and shapes, describe what they see and tell you about their favourite find. All of this builds general knowledge and language in a relaxed way.
Walking in the dark needs care. Keep hold of a grown up's hand near roads and stay on the pavement. Wear bright or reflective clothes if you can. Point the torch at the ground, never at drivers or into anyone's eyes. Look at lights from the pavement. Do not go into gardens, and do not touch lights, cables or plugs. Grown ups put up and handle all electrical decorations.
Did you know?
- A wreath is shaped like a ring, so it has no start and no end.
- Evergreen trees keep their leaves in winter, which is one reason people use them to decorate at Christmas.
- A candy cane is a stick of sweet that is bent at one end, a bit like a hook.
- In the UK, winter evenings get dark early, so lights show up well after school.
- Many people hang a star on or near their tree. Stars are a popular festive shape.
Skills and curriculum link
- Observing
- Noticing detail
- Counting
- Using festive vocabulary
- Speaking and listening
- Following a checklist
What children will be able to do
- I can look carefully on a walk.
- I can spot festive things and tick them off.
- I can tell someone what I saw.
Ideas to help on the walk
- Use colour wordsAsk what colour the lights are. Words like white, red, gold and blue help children describe what they see and tell one house from another.
- Look for shapesStars, hearts, circles and bows are all shapes. Ask your child to say the shape before they tick it.
- Scan in orderShow your child how to look from left to right along a street, then upwards. A steady scan helps them miss less.
- Count as you goWhen there are lots of lights, count a few together. Point to each one and say the numbers aloud.
Key words
- ChecklistA list where you tick each thing when you find it.
- SpotTo see something by looking carefully.
- DecorationSomething added to make a place look pretty.
- WreathA ring of leaves or other things, often hung on a door at Christmas.
- FlashingGoing on and off again and again.
- FestiveTo do with a celebration, such as Christmas.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2 for the grown up.
- Read the checklist aloud together before you leave. Talk about anything your child does not know yet.
- Take a torch and keep hold of a grown up's hand near roads. Walk slowly and let your child do the looking.
- Tick each item when your child spots it. Ask them to tell you what it looks like and where it was.
- Check page 2 together at home. Come back to the sheet on another walk. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Read each item on the list aloud before you set off, so your child knows what to look for. Choose just a few items to hunt for first. Point to the word or picture, then look along the street together. Tick each one as soon as it is found.
To stretch confident children
Count how many of each item you see and write the number beside it. Then compare. Which did you see most often? Which did you see least? Or invent a new item for the list and hunt for it on your next walk.
Make it a game
Make a game of who spots the first one. Take turns to call out what you see and point to it. Everyone agrees before it is ticked. See who can be first to spot a wreath, then a star, then a flashing light.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child ticks items quickly without really looking.
Try thisSlow down. Ask them to point to the item and tell you one thing about it before they tick it.
Watch forA child gets distracted and runs ahead.
Try thisAgree the rule before you leave. They stay beside you and hold a hand near roads. Make stopping to look a shared moment.
Watch forA child cannot find some items and feels upset.
Try thisExplain that no one will see everything. Tick what you find, and keep the rest for another walk or a different street.
Talk about it
- What was the most interesting thing you spotted?
- Which lights were your favourite, and why?
- How did you know where to look?
- What colours did you see most?
- Did anything look different in the dark?
- What would you look for on a different walk?
Take it off the page
Draw the walk from memory
Back home, ask your child to draw one house they saw. They add the lights and decorations they remember and tell you about them.
Paper stars for the window
Fold and tear paper into star shapes, or draw round a star template. An adult does any cutting. Stick the stars in a window and count them.
Describe and guess
One person describes a decoration without naming it. They give its colour, shape and where it was seen. The other person guesses what it is.
Who it is for
Parents
Walk with your child and let them lead the looking. Keep hold of their hand near roads and carry a torch. Praise careful looking and good descriptions, not just ticks. Take the sheet again on another evening.
Teachers
Use it as a December starter, a plenary, a homework task or a speaking and listening prompt. Children can bring their ticked sheets back to share what they noticed. It needs no preparation beyond printing.
Home educators
Pair the walk with winter books and talk about why it gets dark early. Children can draw or write about their favourite sight afterwards. The sheet can be reused for siblings or for another walk.
Where this fits in learning
Before this sheet, children learn to look closely at the world around them and to name everyday things. They practise talking about what they see and listening to others. These early habits of noticing are the base for all later learning.
After this, children can move on to sorting, comparing and recording what they find in more detail. They might count and compare how many of each item they spot, or describe places and seasons in fuller sentences. Short observation tasks like this keep curiosity going.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- What was the most interesting thing you spotted?
- How did you know where to look?
- What would you look for on a different walk?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Christmas Lights Walk Checklist for?
It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Younger or older children can enjoy it too with a bit of adjusting. A grown up reads the list aloud for those who are not yet confident readers.
- Is it safe to do in the dark?
Yes, with care. A grown up holds the child's hand near roads, you stay on the pavement and you carry a torch. Look at lights from the pavement. Never go into gardens or touch lights or cables.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can colour parts in afterwards if they like, but it is not needed to use the sheet.
- What if we cannot find everything on the list?
That is fine. Tick what you find and talk about what you did not see. Not every street has every decoration. You can try another route or another evening to find the rest.
- What is on page 2?
Page 2 is for the grown up. It has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, a stretch idea and the answers. Keep it separate from page 1.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. Children can also share their ticked sheets in a talking circle. It needs no preparation beyond printing.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or another walk, and it needs only paper, a pencil and a torch.
More like this
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.