Christmas Party Activities for Kids

Gathering families together for a Christmas party often brings kids of different ages together. Plan some activities to keep them all engaged and having fun.

Not all Christmas parties have to be centered around gift giving. Plan a youth Christmas party that allows everyone to participate regardless of finances. Set up inexpensive activities with easy-to-find items. The focus of the Christmas party can be getting friends together over the holidays. Take it a step further and bring the youth to a local children's home or shelter so that they can share the fun with underprivileged kids.

Christmas Party Games

Play a Christmas Stocking relay with two stockings, two spoons and a bowl of candy for each team. Divide the party guests into two teams. Hang the stockings on the other side of the room. Have the first person on each use their spoon to pick up candy and race to put it in their stocking. The team with the most candy in their stocking at the end of the relay wins.

Gather 15-18 small Christmas-themed items for the Christmas Memories game. Place them all on a cookie sheet or tray. Show the guests the items for 30 seconds and then cover the tray and take it out of the room. Secretly remove one of the items. Show them again and see who can figure out which item is missing. Alternately, after showing the kids the tray of items, remove it from view and let them write a list of all the items on the tray. The most correct answers wins.

Have everyone sit in a circle to play Rudolph, Rudolph Where's Your Nose. You will also need a red clown nose, or red pom pom, a chair and stereo. Choose one person to be Rudolph and let them sit in the chair that is facing away from the circle. Slip the red pom pom in one child's hand and start the music. Everyone passes it around until the music stops. Then they all chant, "Rudolph, Rudolph where's your nose? Someone right here has it. Who do you suppose?" Rudolph has three guesses to figure out who is holding the red nose. If they guess correctly, they win a prize and the person holding the nose becomes Rudolph next.

Make Christmas Crafts
Make a batch of simple Christmas crafts. Set out supplies so that they can embellish papier mache boxes with silk flowers, Christmas-colored ribbons and pom poms or make containers for Christmas gifts, like taffy.

Make Christmas-themed party hats from craft foam and plastic head bands or create antlers with pipe cleaners or elf hats with felt and bells. Once done, the kids can plan a impromptu performance using their costumes.

Decorate a Christmas Tree
Gather kids to decorate a Christmas tree. Plan a party around making ornaments and garlands. Paper ornaments can be made by tracing cookie cutters onto card stock. Color with markers or add glue and glitter. String popcorn and cranberries, or paper shapes. The tree can be in someone's home, the school or church, or the youth can donate their time to a nursing home or a floor of the local hospital.
Alternately, you can decorate an outdoor tree for wildlife. Cover pine cones or mini bagels with peanut butter, then roll in birdseed and hang with ribbon. Drape the tree branches with extra curling ribbon, tinsel and other scraps that birds can use for their nests.

Make Christmas Cookies
Use sugar cookie dough, either homemade or store bought to make cookie candy canes. Split the batch of cookie dough into two pieces. Dye one batch red the other green or leave one natural. Roll small balls of dough into two long ropes. Twist two different colors together, pinching at both ends to hold in place. Form a hook at the top and carefully place on a cookie sheet. Bake according to recipe instructions, approximately 10 minutes or until lightly browned.