20 Christmas Party Games for Kids (Easy, Printable Ideas)

By Cedar & Ledger

A kids' Christmas party runs best with short games, a few prizes and one adult keeping time. Here are 20 games that need little more than paper, a timer and things you already have, sorted by how much energy they burn. Most take 5 to 15 minutes, so plan about 4 to 6 games for a 90-minute party.

Active games (get the wiggles out)

1. Freeze dance to carols. Play holiday music and stop it at random. Anyone still moving sits out for one round, then rejoins, so no one waits long.
2. Snowball toss. Crumple white paper into "snowballs" and toss them into a laundry basket from a taped line. Step back after every round.
3. Reindeer relay. Teams race to a chair and back holding a paper "antler" headband on with one hand.
4. Pass the present. Wrap a small prize in many layers. Pass it while music plays; whoever holds it when the music stops unwraps one layer.
5. Pin the nose on the snowman. Draw a big snowman, blindfold players, and give them a paper carrot with tape.
6. Candy cane hunt. Hide candy canes or paper candy canes around a room. Give each child a color to find so everyone gets some.
7. Jingle bell walk. Players carry a bell on a spoon across the room without it ringing.

Table games (calm and seated)

1. Christmas trivia. Read multiple-choice questions aloud and let teams circle A, B or C. See our free Christmas trivia questions for kids with answers.
2. Fill-in-the-blank stories. Collect silly words (a food, an animal, something you shout) without telling the story, then read the result aloud. Our Christmas Silly Stories printable has 10 ready to go.
3. Christmas bingo. Great for big groups because everyone plays at once. Try our Christmas Bingo printable.
4. Emoji picture puzzles. Guess the holiday word or song from a row of emoji. Our Christmas Emoji Game has 60 clues with answer keys.
5. Categories race. Call a letter and set a timer; kids write a holiday food, toy and animal starting with it. See the Christmas Categories Game.
6. Riddles. Read one riddle at a time and give the answer after three guesses. Our free list of Christmas riddles for kids works well here.
7. Would you rather. Ask one question and have kids move to one side of the room or the other. Free list: Christmas would you rather questions.

Team games (best with 8 or more kids)

1. Charades. Act out "building a snowman" or "wrapping a present" with no words. See our Christmas charades ideas.
2. Drawing game. One child draws "candy cane" or "sleigh" with no letters while their team guesses. Free word list: Christmas drawing game words.
3. Left right gift game. Everyone holds a small wrapped gift and passes it left or right each time a story says "left" or "right." Our Left Right Gift Games printable has 5 stories.
4. Wrap the snowman. Teams wrap one teammate in toilet paper. Most snowman-like in 2 minutes wins.
5. Scavenger hunt. Give each team a list of clues that lead around the house. See our Christmas scavenger hunt clues.
6. Gingerbread decorating contest. Not really a game, but a quiet way to end the party while parents arrive.

A simple 90-minute plan

Tips: give every child a small prize at the end so no one goes home without one, keep teams mixed by age, and have one quiet game ready in case energy gets too high.

Want it all printed and ready?

Our Christmas Party Games Mega Pack bundles five printable game sets (Left Right, Emoji, Categories, Silly Stories and party games for grown-ups) in one download. For kids' trivia, see Christmas Trivia for Kids & Families, and for team games, the Christmas Charades & Drawing Game.

Related template: Christmas Party Games Mega Pack. Also see: Christmas Trivia for Kids & Families · Christmas Charades & Drawing Game · Christmas Silly Stories

See all Cedar & Ledger templates

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