Celebrate the holidays with

this beloved classic!

The Polar Express Party Kit

This kit is filled with fun activities and everything you need to have a
Polar Express celebration! Included in the kit are materials for children ages 3 and up.

• Party ideas • Reproducible games

• Invitations and activity sheets
• Nametags • Temporary tattoos
• CD with read-aloud • Polar Express ornament
Party Kit ISBN: 978-0-547-33476-9

by Liam Neeson

We hope you enjoy this kit. Have a great party!

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • www.polarexpress.com • www.hmhbooks.com
 Polar Express Party Ideas

What to do:

• When guests arrive, pass out the enclosed Polar Express nametags with
each child’s name written on them.
• Make a paper or popcorn Christmas tree garland (instructions enclosed).
• Copy and pass out the attached drawing sheets, puzzles, and mazes.
• Have children guess at the number of items in a jar to win a
Polar Express bell.
• Play a round of “The Conductor Says.”
• Turn the lights down low and have a reading of The Polar Express.
• Send your guests home with recipes to try as a memento of your special
Polar Express party.

Other suggestions:

• Turn your Polar Express party into a pajama party! Consider having your party
in the evening and invite children to come in their cozy pajamas.
• Decorate your store with lights, snowflakes, bells, and crafts.
• Have the children make gifts or cards to donate to a local children’s hospital.

For more details, visit www.polarexpress.com.

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

 All Aboard the Polar Express
Come to our Polar Express party. We’ll have games, crafts, and, of course, a reading
of The Polar Express. Bring your holiday cheer, and welcome aboard!

Date:
Time:
Place:
For more information:

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 Polar Express Party Nametags

Polar Express Party Polar Express Party Polar Express Party Polar Express Party
Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is

Polar Express Party Polar Express Party Polar Express Party Polar Express Party
Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is

Polar Express Party Polar Express Party Polar Express Party Polar Express Party
Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is Hello, my name is

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A Polar Express Drawing Sheet
What kinds of gifts do you think are inside Santa’s giant bag?
Draw its contents in the box below.

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A Polar Express Drawing Sheet
Draw your best-decorated Christmas tree in the box below!

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 Polar Express Crossword
Can you solve the crossword puzzle?

Across
2. A holiday in December
5. What the boy wants to hear
8. The first gift of Christmas is a
9. Where is the Polar Express going? _____ Pole
10. What you wear to bed

Down
1. Be careful, don’t slip on the
3. Santa rides in a
4. This comes from the smokestack
6. They help Santa make toys
7. The Polar Express is a

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 Polar Express Crossword
Answer Key

ANSWERS:
ACROSS DOWN
2. CHRISTMAS 1. ICE
5. RING 3. SLEIGH
8. BELL 4. SMOKE
9. NORTH 6. ELVES
10. PAJAMAS 7. TRAIN

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 The Polar Express Party
Make Your Own Paper Tree Garland (all ages)

• Select the papers you wish to use and cut strips of varying widths.
• Place some glue on one end of the first strip . . .
• . . . and overlap it over the other end forming a loop.
• Place glue on the second strip and insert it through the first loop,
and also create a loop just like the first one.
• Continue adding new loops until the length you need is completed.

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

 The Polar Express Party
Make Your Own Popcorn Tree Garland (ages 8+)

1. Make some popcorn. At least one large bowl is needed, but that
will depend on the size of your tree. Be sure to let the popcorn cool
before you continue on to the next step.
2. Thread a needle, but do not cut the thread from the spool. It will
take a lot of thread for the popcorn garland to cover an entire tree.
3. Start stringing one popcorn piece at a time by inserting the tip
of the needle into the center of each piece. Keep sliding it further down
on the thread making room for more popcorn. It’s best to slide the
popcorn to the end of the thread to prevent knots.
4. Once you feel that you have enough garland for the size of your
tree, tie off the end of the thread by looping it, pulling tightly,
and going under the loops a few times. Make sure that it is well
secured so that popcorn won’t fall off, and then gently cut the thread.
5. Carefully hang the garland on your Christmas tree!

Some tips:
1. Letting the popcorn sit out for a while to get stale will make it easier
to string, because it won’t be as crisp and likely to break when you stick
the needle in it.
2. It is best to have a needle with a large eye, for easier threading.
3. Waxed dental floss is stronger than thread and it is easier to slide
the popcorn down. Silk quilting thread will also work well.
4. For a different look, string popcorn with cranberries. Use unbuttered
and unsalted popcorn, and for this the popcorn is best when air popped.
Buy a bag of raw cranberries from the grocery store. They do not need to
be cooked. Just add several pieces of popcorn in between each cranberry.

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

 A Polar Express
Word Search
Can you find the following words from the word
vault below? They can go forward, backwards, up,
down, and diagonally.

POLAR BELL COCOA BELIEVE

EXPRESS CHRISTMAS PAJAMAS MIDNIGHT
TRAIN SLEIGH FROZEN BATHROBE
CONDUCTOR NORTH GIFT RING
STEAM POLE ELVES ICE
SANTA SNOWFLAKES WOLVES

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

 A Polar Express
Word Search
Answer Key

POLAR BELL COCOA BELIEVE

EXPRESS CHRISTMAS PAJAMAS MIDNIGHT
TRAIN SLEIGH FROZEN BATHROBE
CONDUCTOR NORTH GIFT RING
STEAM POLE ELVES ICE
SANTA SNOWFLAKES WOLVES

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

A Polar Express Maze
Can you help find the bell?

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 All Aboard
the Polar Express!

A Train Track Reading Log: Chugga-chugga READ!

Help the POLAR EXPRESS reach the North Pole—
advance along the train tracks by reading or being read
to for twenty or more minutes every day!

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

Letter to Santa From:
456 Christmas Lane
North Pole, USA 12345

Dear Santa:

Sincerely,

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

 Let’s Play
“The Conductor Says!”
That’s right!
The Conductor Says, NOT Simon!

1. Choose one person to be the Conductor. He or she will make up things for
the rest of the group to do.

2. The Conductor will instruct the group to do things in two different ways:

He or she will say “The Conductor says” before the command.

For instance:
The Conductor says, “Touch your toes.”
The Conductor says, “Raise your hand.”
The Conductor says, “Close your eyes.”
The Conductor says, “Rub your tummy.”
The Conductor says, “Blow a kiss.”
The Conductor says, “Chuckle Ho, Ho, Ho.”

This is when the group should do just what the Conductor does and perform
the action.

BUT WATCH OUT! THE CONDUCTOR MAY TRY TO TRICK YOU . . .

Sometimes he or she will NOT say “The Conductor says” before the command.
For instance:
“Touch your nose.”
“Raise your hand.”
“Close your eyes.”
“Rub your tummy.”

This is when the group should NOT do what the Conductor says. Whoever
performs the action when the Conductor has not said “The Conductor says” is out.

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

 The Polar Express Party Recipes

Hot Chocolate Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

(makes 4 cups) Ingredients:
1/2 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar
Combine in a small pot: cookie dough, softened
1/3 cup water 3 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 pinches salt 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Stir and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes Directions

until smooth. 1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cookie
dough, flour, and peppermint extract until
Add to the pot and stir: smooth. Divide the dough in half and mix
2 tablespoons honey the food coloring in to one portion.
3 cups milk 2. Shape 1 teaspoon of each color dough into
6-inch ropes. Place the ropes side by side,
When the mixture is very hot but before it press together, and lightly twist.
boils, remove from the heat and serve. 3. Place on an ungreased baking sheet; curve
into a candy cane shape. Repeat with remain-
ing dough, placing cookies 2 inches apart on
the baking sheets.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 8–10 minutes or
until set. Cool for 2 minutes before carefully
removing to wire racks.
5. ENJOY with your homemade hot cocoa!

www.hmhbooks.com • Copyright © 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • All rights reserved

CHRIS VAN ALLSBURG—MORE BEST-SELLING BOOKS!

The Polar Express

(25th Anniversary Edition)
978-0-395-38949-2 • $18.95

• Caldecott Medal winner, 1986

• 7 million+ copies sold worldwide
• New York Times Best Illustrated Book
• New York Times bestseller

The Garden of Abdul

Gasazi (1979)
•Caldecott Honor Book
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978-0-395-27804-8 • $18.95
Jumanji (1981)
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Illustrated Book
978-0-395-30448-8 • $18.95
Ben’s Dream (1982)
978-0-395-32084-6 • $16.95
The Wreck of the Zephyr
(1983)
•A New York Times Best
Illustrated Book
978-0-395-33075-3 • $17.95
The Mysteries of Harris The Z Was Zapped (1987)
Burdick (1984) 978-0-395-44612-6 • $18.95
•A New York Times Best
Illustrated Book
978-0-395-35393-6 • $18.95
(hardcover)
Two Bad Ants (1988)
978-0-395-82784-0 • $24.95 978-0-395-48668-9 • $18.95
(portfolio edition)
Just a Dream (1990)
The Stranger (1986) 978-0-395-53308-6 • $18.95
•A New York Times Best
Illustrated Book
978-0-395-42331-8 • $18.00

The Wretched Stone The Sweetest Fig (1993) Zathura (2002) Queen of the Falls (2011)
(1991) 978-0-395-67346-1 • $18.95 •New York Times bestseller 978-0-547-31581-2 • $18.99
978-0-395-53307-9 • $18.95 978-0-618-25396-8 • $18.00
Bad Day at Riverbend The Chronicles of
The Widow’s Broom (1995) Probuditi! (2006) Harris Burdick (2012)
(1992) 978-0-395-67347-8 • $19.95 978-0-618-75502-8 • $18.95 978-0-547-54810-4 • $24.99
978-0-395-64051-7 • $18.95

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