Christmas Games for Families

Christmas is an exciting time of year! It is easy to get so caught up in decorating, cooking, shopping, housecleaning and other activities that we forget to spend quality time with our loved ones. One of the best ways to enjoy our families is to set aside time to play games, and Christmas-themed games will make this time extra special. In this article you will find ideas for Christmas games you can play with your family no matter where you are.

Many families travel during the holiday season, a potentially tedious process when children may get restless and bored. You can occupy your children with movies and toys, but why not take some of that time to connect with them by playing Christmas games? One game that can be played anywhere is "Name that Christmas Carol". It's very similar to "Name that Tune" - one family member thinks of a Christmas song and either hums or sings it (no words). Other family members try to guess what the song is, and the first one to guess correctly wins! You can have teams if you have a larger family, and give points each time a team guesses a song. Then total up the points at the end!

Word games are always popular when driving or riding. You can create Christmas games with variations on almost any word game. For example, instead of the Alphabet Game, in which you try to find each letter of the alphabet on road signs, play "Spell the Christmas Word." This game can be varied to suit your children's ages, from easy (bell, toy) to difficult (mistletoe, poinsettia). You can even practice phonics and the alphabet by having your young child look for just one letter ("find the letter that starts 'bell'"). Another word game that requires spelling skills is "End to Beginning." You start with a word (ex. angel) and ask your family members to name a word that begins with the last letter of your word (lamb, lights). The first person to stump the family gets a point!

Playing Christmas games with words may be easier with word lists, especially if you have younger children. You can find word lists by searching "Christmas word lists" using a search engine such as Yahoo! or Google. Or make up your own word lists to suit your children's ages and interests. Tuck a few copies in the glove compartment and they will be handy for road trips.

Other games are also easy to adapt for Christmas. For example, you can modify the categories of "Twenty Questions" from "animal, vegetable or mineral" to "decorations, people, or gifts". Or use the original categories but specify that the item must relate to Christmas. You may want to limit it to religious references, or expand it to include winter concepts, depending on your family's preferences. Again, a word list may be helpful if your family members have trouble thinking of ideas for this Christmas game.

One of my family's favorite Christmas games is "Round Robin Christmas Story." It's very easy and can be played without props, like the games above, although you may want to write it down for later reference. An adult or older child can start the story, introducing the setting and a character or two. At a crucial point in a sentence - for example, "Then I saw the..." - stop the story and let the next person continue. You will be amazed at the innovative (and sometimes hilarious!) narratives your family can create. If you have pencil and paper handy, your children can also illustrate the story. What a wonderful addition to a holiday scrapbook! One word of caution, however: remember, this is a time to have fun with your family and stir creativity. It's not the time to correct your child's grammar or storytelling skills. If you feel you must correct grammar, do it during your next turn as storyteller by giving a sentence that corrects the child's mistake.

Finally, my children's absolute favorite Christmas game has always been the treasure hunt. For many years I have added fun to Christmas morning by hiding gifts and leaving clues to their locations, instead of putting everything under the tree. My children love figuring out the sometimes enigmatic clues. It's nice to make them rhyme, if you can. I usually put one present under the tree along with the first clue. This leads them to a new location - a cabinet, closet, drawer, or similar place - where they find another gift and another clue. Laughter and excitement echo through the house while all the gifts are gathered and brought to the tree! You can play this game even before Christmas actually arrives. For example, if you plan to make crafts with your children, hide the supplies in various places and let them search from your clues. Or you may want to give one or two small gifts at different times during the holiday season. Use your imagination!

Christmas is a very special time of year already, but you can make it even better by taking the time to have fun with your children. These are just a few of my Christmas games for families. Remember, almost any game can be adapted for the Christmas season. Merry Christmas!