There are two Christmas packs here. The picture sudoku has 12 small puzzles where a tree, a star, a bell and a gift box take the place of the digits 1 to 4, so children who cannot read numbers yet can still play. The advent calendar has a cover page with a name line, 24 daily puzzles for December 1 to December 24, and a New Year's Eve bonus puzzle for December 31.
Both files have an answer key at the back and a US Letter and an A4 version. Every puzzle was checked by computer and has exactly one solution.
Prefer to play on a screen? Try mini sudoku, a 6x6 grid that takes a few minutes, or the guided first puzzle if you are brand new to sudoku.
Christmas Picture Sudoku 4x4
12 puzzles for ages 4 to 7. Tree, star, bell and gift symbols instead of digits, plus cut-out tiles.
Free to print and share for classroom, library and care-home use. Read the one-paragraph license.
Sudoku Advent Calendar 2026
Cover page with a name line, 24 daily puzzles and a New Year's Eve bonus. A new puzzle is printed for each day.
Free to print and share for classroom, library and care-home use. Read the one-paragraph license.
How the picture sudoku works for young children
The rule is the same as in a number sudoku, only with pictures: each row, each column and each of the four small boxes holds the tree, the star, the bell and the gift once. A symbol key sits at the top of every puzzle page, and the four shapes are different enough that they still read apart on a black and white printer.
The last page of the PDF is a sheet of cut-out tiles, 24 of each symbol. Children who are not ready to draw the pictures can cut the tiles out and glue one into each empty square. Two puzzles fit on a page, and the Name and Date line at the top of each sheet makes it usable as a classroom worksheet. The pack is meant for ages 4 to 7. Do the first puzzle together and talk through which symbol is missing from a row.
How to use the advent calendar
Print the file and give out one page a day, starting on December 1. The first page is a cover with a name line for the solver. Each puzzle page has the date in large type at the top, a small symbol, and a Done box to tick when it is finished, so the sheets can be handed out in order or pinned up as a countdown at home or in class. The puzzles get harder as Christmas gets closer: December 1 to 6 are 4x4 grids, December 7 to 14 are 6x6, December 15 to 20 are easy 9x9 puzzles you can finish with singles alone, and December 21 to 24 are medium 9x9. A hard 9x9 labeled December 31 comes last, as a New Year's Eve bonus.
The answer key is at the back, so you can print the whole file for a class and keep the last three pages for yourself.
If you get stuck
The guided first puzzle explains each move as you make it, which helps if you or your child are new to sudoku. For a quick game on a screen, the mini sudoku is a small grid you can play online in a few minutes.
Get next month's pack by email
One email on the 1st of each month, when the new printable pack goes live. Nothing else. Reply to any email to unsubscribe.
Frequently asked questions
The picture sudoku is for ages 4 to 7. The advent calendar starts with 4x4 grids and moves to 6x6 and 9x9, so it suits children from about 6 and adults alike. The December 31 bonus is a hard 9x9.
Yes. Each PDF ends with an answer key, one small grid per puzzle, numbered or dated to match the puzzle pages.
US Letter if you print in the United States or Canada, A4 everywhere else. Both files have the same puzzles.
Yes. You can print and copy them for your classroom, library or club. The details are on the license page.