If you're planning a Christmas party for a group of elementary-age children, there are many really
fun games you can include. Be sure to have lots of prizes and take lots of pictures because some of the games can be silly!
1.) To get the kids moving around,
start with the "fill the stocking" Christmas game. In this game, create teams so there are at least 3 people and no more than
perhaps 6 people on each team. Have a stocking for
each team.
Place the stockings on the wall and have also a bowl
of candy and spoons. The first person on each team will put the spoon in their mouth (backwards, so the bowl of the spoon
is sticking out) and get some candy out of the bowl.
Still holding their spoon in their mouth, they must walk or run to the stocking on the wall and get the candy
in the stocking. They run back to the line and the next child has a turn (each child should have his or her on spoon).
The game continues until the candy bowl is empty. The obvious prize for the stocking game is a big bowl of
candy!
2.) Another active Christmas game is an "unwrap the gift" relay.
Provide two piles presents at one end of the room (these can be presents with real teats inside, or "dummy" wrapped presents).
The children are divided into two teams and a relay
is created.
One person runs to the stack of gifts, chooses one and unwraps it, then throws away the wrapping paper and
runs back. Then the next child in line runs up, unwraps a gift, throws away the paper and runs back.
If the paper lands outside the trash can, the child must run back and put it back in the trash can before
returning to the line and allowing another person to take a turn.
3.) If these two games are played first, the kids might then want
a little rest. Now's the time to play a sit-down Christmas party game, like "Remember This."
Get a large cookie sheet or baking tray and fill it with Christmas-themed items. You might include an ornament,
a candy cane, a Santa hat, garland, ribbon, etc. There should be at least 20 items on the tray.
Give each child about 20 seconds to look at the items, then cover the tray and remove it from sight. Give
the children another 20-30 seconds to remember everything they saw on the tray.
Have them quickly write down their guesses. The prize is for whoever remembers the most items!
Another good sit down game and one that's also a learning game is a word find Christmas game. Provide children
with a list of Christmas words and have them find other words within those words.
For example, if one word is "reindeer" they might find within it the following words: deer, red, den, and
so on.
Longer words are best, so think of words like Christmas, snowballs, poinsettia, holly berry, and the like).
4.) Children love games that involve sitting in a circle and having
fun that way. Here's a "circle" Christmas game children are sure to love.
This tests their ability to remember little details about other people, like their voice. Have handy a sleigh
-- either one cut out of cardboard or a small one purchased a gift or dollar store.
Blindfold one child and have another child hold the sleigh. The child with the sleigh calls out to the blindfolded
child something like this:
Santa, where's your sleigh?
Someone's come and taken it away.
Who has it? Who?
The blindfolded child has to guess who has the sleigh. Give the child 3 chances to get it right before giving
the sleigh and blindfold to other children.
5.) For another sit down Christmas game, give each child a piece
of paper and a pencil. Tell them to close their eyes and then tell them what to draw. Tell them the shapes, but don't
tell them exactly what they are trying to draw (though most children will figure it out).
So, first tell them to draw three circles, with the largest being on the bottom and the smallest on the top.
Then tell them to draw dots for eyes, and buttons for a coat. Keep going until you have described a snowman.
Then have the children open their eyes to see what they have actually drawn. Award a prize for the drawing
that most closely resembles a snowman.
6.) Outdoor Fun: Have a lively game
of "toss the hat". Fill Santa's hat with some candy or other small items and try to toss the hat around without the items
falling out.
7.) You can have a relay with Santa's hat where everyone wears Santa's hat,
then hands it to the next person, who has to put it on and then take if off and then hand it to the next person.
8.) How about a rousing game of football, where the goal line is made of discarded
Christmas ribbon? Or a game of soccer where the soccer ball is a rolled up ball of discarded Christmas paper?
With all these great ideas, you're sure to throw a Christmas party that will be a huge hit and remembered fondly for
a long time....
