Nothing seems to have the magical power to release excitement in the air quite like Christmas. It’s impossible not to feel like a kid again, and this feeling is amplified when you’re surrounded by family, friends, and delicious food that reminds you of childhood.
Speaking of childhood, have you already thought of some Christmas games for the kids? With everything you need to prepare for your Christmas party — the presents, the menu, the decorations, the playlist, oh my god, cleaning the house! — it’s easy to forget we should find a way to keep the kids entertained. You know too well what happens when kids get bored, right? They get in trouble, start fighting, or even get all over you whining about their boredom. No, no, no. Not on Christmas day. Not during your party.
Time to prevent that! With all the hustle and bustle of the season, we thought of helping you and your little guests get into the holiday mood with a list of festive Christmas games that are sure to delight.
’Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way to get children into the holiday spirit than with some fun activities for kids? From classic Christmas party games like musical chairs and “pin the nose on Rudolph” to more creative holiday activities like DIY snow paint or snowman bowling, we found dozens of Christmas game ideas for every age and interest. So gather your little elves, put on some holiday tunes, and let the merriment begin with these fun Christmas games!
#21
Snowman Drawing Game
Give each participant a white paper plate and a pencil. Each participant should hold the paper plate over their head and be prepared to draw!
unknown
Report5points
#22
Christmas Bingo
Everyone brings a gift. Play Bingo and the player who calls out the first bingo wins a prize. They open it up for everyone to view before resuming the game and letting the kids try again.
unknown
Report5points
#23
Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Prepare a red cotton ball or paper circle. Blindfold each player and give each one a thumbtack. Have them turn around and put their thumbtack on Rudolph’s nose. The person who successfully pins it on the nose wins.
unknown
Report5points
#24
Snowman Bowling
Make your own indoor bowling alley with snowmen made of empty milk bottles.
unknown
Report5points
#25
Reindeer Games
Give each kid a pencil and a piece of paper with the word “reindeer” written across the top. Players are challenged to come up with as many words as they can using the letters that make up the word “reindeer” in three minutes. The one with the most words at the end wins.
unknown
Report5points
#26
DIY Snow Paint
Mix white school glue and shaving foam to make “snow paint.” A mixture of three-quarters of a cup of shaving foam and half a cup of glue works wonderfully.
unknown
Report5points
#27
Christmas Tree Ball Sort Game
Put balls from a ball pit in a container adjacent to the tree. Let your child spend some time putting the balls through the tree’s holes.
unknown
Report5points
#28
Snow Blower Game
All you need is a colorful straw and a few cotton balls for each child. On a big sheet of paper, mark the finish line or tape one to the table. The goal is to be the first to move a cotton ball past the finish line by blowing through the straw. It also works as a team game. The group that scores the most wins.
unknown
Report4points
#29
Christmas Maze
String yarn around the room, passing it under, over, around, and through the furniture. Attach one end of the yarn to a pencil. Make sure the yarn crosses the first yarn numerous times before cutting the string and starting over with another pencil. Continue doing this until you have a strand for every child. Give the kids a pencil when they come, and tell them to follow it while winding the yarn up.
unknown
Report4points
#30
“Lump of Coal” Saran Wrap Game
Children will enjoy removing the layers of this enormous ball to reveal what is stored inside.
unknown
Report4points
#31
Marshmallow Munch
Eat an entire bowl of mini marshmallows and down a cup of hot cocoa in a minute (or race to finish first).
unknown
Report4points
#32
Dear Santa
Place some crayons and blank Christmas letters on a table. The children will start working on persuading Santa of their good behavior that year.
unknown
Report4points
#33
“Santa Hats” Cup Stacking Game
Take turns to stack a red cup, a pom-pom, a red cup, and a pom-pom up until the tower topples. Let the next person take a turn. The winner is the one who piled the most cups and pom-poms.
unknown
Report4points
#34
Silver Bells Memory Game
Scribble letters on some stickers. Stick each letter to the bottom of a Hershey’s Kiss (or any wrapped candy you like). Arrange them on a table and let the kid start their round of memory game.
unknown
Report4points
#35
Pin the Nose on the Snowman
Create the shape of a snowman using white paper. Give your snowman a mouth, eyes, and a black top hat. Cut orange “carrot” noses for the kids to put on the snowman’s face. Each nose should be taped with double-sided tape.
unknown
Report3points
#36
Ringing Bells Memory Game
Use Hershey’s Kisses for a creative twist on the memory game. Attach dot stickers to the bottom of them, then use a Sharpie or pen to write the corresponding number pairs on the stickers. Children turn over the candies to create matching pairings and try to recall their locations. Adapt the number of candies based on the children’s age.
unknown
Report3points
#37
Santa Says
An adult can play Santa for the first round to demonstrate how to play the game, a variation of Simon Says. Give instructions like:
Santa says… touch your toes.
Santa says… jump on one leg.
Santa says… run in place.
Santa says… jump on one leg.
Santa says… run in place.
Give a command after that without saying “Santa says” beforehand. The next player to be Santa is the one who obeys the command. Continue doing this until every child has had a turn.
unknown
Report3points
#38
Christmas Mad Libs
A Christmas variation of the popular word game. One of the players prompts the others for a list of words to substitute for blanks in a story before reading it aloud.
unknown
Report3points
#39
Poke-A-Tree Game
You can play high-low cards where the player with the highest card gets to poke a paper cup and keep whatever prize is inside, or you can number the game and allow each player to choose a number.
unknown
Report3points
#40
Snowman Tissue Box Bowling
Ask your children to paint some tissue boxes white. Once they’re dry, stack them, and have the kids add a carrot-shaped nose made of orange cardstock, a black cardstock hat, and any buttons as decorations. Time to “melt” these snowmen by throwing a ball at them!
unknown
Report3points
