Kids' Christmas Party Games

It's time for games that bring fun and holiday cheer. Christmas party games are an essential to a children's Christmas party. Some games are good for small groups, while others are better for larger groups. There are enough choices here to help you find a game that will help you spread holiday cheer.

Be sure to have small prizes on-hand for individual game winners. Candy canes, Christmas suckers, or chocolate Santa candy are perfect small gifts for game winners. The thrill of winning group games often eliminates the need for prizes for individual players.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Snowflake Catch

This party game must be played in a room where nothing is breakable and nothing can be ruined. This is a high energy game. It is best played outdoors or in a gym. Kids love to play Snow Flake Catch. I admit it isn't a parent favorite, but when you see how much fun the kids have you'll find a way to include this game in every child's Christmas party.

This game requires a minimum of twelve ping-pong balls per child. Ping-pong balls can be bought by the dozen very inexpensively. Check Big Lots first. If you don't find them there check a sporting goods store or discount department store with a sporting goods department like WalMart or Target.

Each child must also have a Santa's hat. These can be purchased at the dollar store. Christmas stockings can also be used. If you can't find either, or you want to save money, allow kids to decorate and use white lunch bags.

The fun begins when you and another adult begin to pop ping-pong balls in the air. Throw half a dozen in the air at the time. Kids must catch them from the air and cannot pick them up from the floor. That's your helper's job. Continue play until all "snowflakes" have been caught, or until you grow weary of tossing them in the air.

Children will love running around to chase "snowflakes." The child who catches the most snow-flakes is the winner.

It has been my experience that there will usually be multiple requests to play this game again.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Diggin' in Santa's Sack

Diggin' in Santa's Sack is a simple variation on a traditional festival or party fishing game. Instead of having kids toss a line, with a clothes pin attached, into a "pond" have them toss their line into a cleverly crafted Santa's Sack. The sack has to be big enough for someone to hide behind, but can be as simple as a red cloth draped over a line between two chairs.

Each child "catches" a small Christmas party prize on their line. Kids may even retrieve a small red sack of their own filled with Christmas goodies. This is a good way to distribute goody bags before the party is over.

Make sure the kids hear an occasional "Ho, ho, ho," from behind Santa's Sack. This, of course, is more effective with little kids.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Bean Bag Toss

I'm a big fan of bean bag toss games for kids because I've watched kids play them time and time again. They never seem to tire of the challenge. It's easy to make a Christmas themed bean bag toss. A 4"x4" board is a good start for sketching out a Christmas scene. Sketch and paint a Santa with holes in his bag, a snowman with hollow eyes and mouth, a gingerbread house with holes where large pieces of candy should be. Cut out the holes with a jig-saw or scroll saw. The holes need to be a little larger than your bean bags. Bean bags can be easily made with Christmas colored fabric and dried beans.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Wrap It Up

A more common version of this game requires players to unwrap a gift wearing mittens or oven mitts. Change the game up a little. Kids can work with a partner, but both must wear gloves. Give them a small or large gift box to wrap. The team who does the best job wrapping their gift, including finishing against a time and adding a Christmas bow, wins.

Remember, you can play the game in reverse having individual kids unwrap small gifts. The first one finished wins, but everyone who plays is a winner because they get to keep their novelty party gift.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Snowball War

Don't worry, the game, Snow Ball War, is not as violent as it sounds. There are two ways to play the game, both are fun. How you play depends on your resources. Divide the group into two teams. Try to make the teams equal in terms of size and physical ability. Anyone can play, but if the teams are unevenly balanced one team will get trounced.

Draw or tape a court in which to play the game. As with some of the other games, this is best played outdoors, in a large playroom, or gym. Each side needs about 10"x10" in which to play. The size can be adjusted depending on your space.

Used paper works well to make snow balls. Make hundreds ahead of time. Each team will begin with the same number of snowballs. Teams play against the clock to clear their side of the court, or yard, of snowballs. It isn't as easy as it sounds. Every time they throw a snowball to the other side, one is coming right back at them.

The quickest team should win. Snow balls must be thrown individually. No picking up a huge quantity and dumping them over the line. Call time after 3 to five minutes, or less depending on the age of players. Count the snowballs on each side. The team with fewer snowballs is the winner.

An alternative, and much messier, way to play this game is to use rolls of toilet paper. This is also more expensive and wasteful. I have only played this way with teenagers who needed a little more impetus to throw something at the other team. Paper has always worked perfectly well for kids from preschool through older elementary.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Bobbing for Marshmallows

Bobbing for Marshmallows is an extremely messy, but extremely fun Christmas party game for kids. It requires a little advance preparation, but it is well worth it.

Make sure you have old shirts or over-sized bibs to use with this party game. Participants will get messy.

Make 3 or 4 packages of vanilla pudding ahead of time. Color it with a dash of red or green food coloring to give it a festive touch. Toss in 8 to 10 marshmallows, depending on the age and size of the kids and the bowls you are using. Shallow pasta bowls work well, but plastic bowls are much safer for kids.

Allow three or four kids to compete against each other to "bob for marshmallows." The first one to retrieve all the marshmallows wins. Remind children that when their face is in the pudding they cannot breath.

You may want to prepare enough pudding for extra rounds. There are usually kids who didn't get to play the first time who want their turn.

As with all successful party games remember the number one rule, always leave them wanting more. Never wear the kids out on any one game. It will give them something to look forward to at your next holiday party.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Oh Christmas Tree

Divide kids into teams. "Oh Christmas Tree" takes a lot of cooperation, although it can be played with as few as four children. It requires a roll of green streamer for each team, a dozen plastic Christmas ornaments, and red streamer to use for tying bows on the Christmas tree.

One child is wrapped in green streamers to be the tree. The other children race to create and decorate the Christmas tree. Be sure to take pictures. This is one of the silliest Christmas games you can play.

Complicate the game a little by requiring the "Christmas tree" to race to a specific place to stand. Require their arms to be held straight out from their body the entire time, or require more than one child be completed as a Christmas tree. Feel free to tweak the game to fit your group.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Creative Christmas Ornament Contest

This game combines a craft and a little bit of competition. It isn't designed to be a race, as much as it is an opportunity for children to let their creativity shine. Provide pre-cut foam pieces, craft sticks, glitter, glue, and construction paper. Instruct the kids to be as creative as they like in creating a Christmas ornament.

Designate several categories for winners, or don't even use this as a competition. If you award prizes be sure to reward not just ability, but creativity and effort, as well. You may award a prize for the best ornament, the ornament with the most Christmas spirit, most colorful ornament, etc.

The object of this activity is for everyone to have fun and get creative.

Children's Christmas Party Games: Live Candy Land

Prior to the party create a human-sized mock-up of the popular children's game Candy Land. If children are old enough to understand number concepts use oversized dice instead of colored cards to move. For the most part, follow the rules of Candy Land. The difference is that the children themselves are the tokens. If using dice, children must role a six to begin their movement along the life-sized Candy Land board. They are responsible for their own movements. If someone else lands on their space, they have to go back to the beginning. If they land in the sticky swamp, they are stuck until they roll a six.

The most important thing is that you and the children have fun at your Christmas Party. Adjust games to fit the personality and age of your group and everyone will leave with a happy dose of holiday cheer.