15 Christmas party games & activities for kids

Printable games are perfect for a winter classroom party. Print as many pages as you need for any or all of the worksheets: winter-themed sudoku puzzles (both an easy and a hard version), two word-search puzzles and a word scramble. And don’t forget to print an answer key—it has the answers to all of the games.

This game will limber up those arms for a snowball fight!

Directions: Use about 6 white Styrofoam balls (or wadded sheets of printer paper) for the snowballs and an 18-inch Christmas wreath. Hold or hang up the wreath in the air so it’s about 6 feet from the ground and about 10 feet from your throw line. Have kids take turns throwing the snowballs through the wreath. The kids who can throw all 6 snowballs through the wreath win! (If you want to make this game harder, move the wreath up and down as the kids throw.)

Some people might say snowball soup is just water. But those people just lack imagination.

Directions: Place 2 buckets of cotton balls (snowballs) on 1 side of the room and 2 empty buckets on the other. Divide the kids into 2 teams and give the first person on each team a plastic spoon. They’ll each use a spoon to get as many cotton balls as they can to the empty bucket and then come back to their team. But if a snowball falls, it can’t be picked up. When the first kids are done, the next kids in line take a turn, and so on. The team with the most snowballs in their bucket when the game ends wins.

Recycle old Christmas cards and greeting cards into origami boxes or fun ornaments.

Download the origami instructions

Download the ornament instructions

The writing’s on the wall, or not, with this fun game of speed-drawing.

Directions: Have the kids draw a Santa (or a Christmas tree or a snowman) on a blank sheet of paper behind their backs or on top of their heads. The artist with the most recognizable art wins!

Cut paper snowflakes from flattened coffee filters to decorate your room. Simply fold one filter in half. Then fold the half circle into thirds, so it looks like a wedge of pie. Cut out pieces from all sides (see illustrations), but be careful not to cut completely through from one side to the other or it will fall apart. When your cutting is complete, carefully unfold the snowflake. Then, you can paint them with watercolors or glue and glitter and hang them up.

You can use a small drawstring bag or a Christmas stocking for this game.

Directions: Fill a bag with small items before the party. During the party, let kids reach in and try to figure out what’s in the bag. They can each take a turn feeling all the items and then writing down their guesses. After all the kids have taken a turn, the person who’s guessed the most items correctly wins. Suggestions for filling the bag: candy cane, pinecone, Christmas bow, a velvet ribbon, a ball ornament, tinsel, an apple, an orange and small toys.

Find some festive music to play during this chilly twist on musical chairs.

Directions: Draw and cut some ice-cube shapes from printer paper. Make as many cubes as there are kids, and then subtract one cube. Tape the cubes (to keep them from slipping) to the floor in a big circle. Play music and have the kids walk around the ice cubes. When the music stops, they need to sit on an ice cube and “shiver.” Whoever doesn’t have an ice cube to sit on “falls through the ice” and is out. Keep removing ice cubes as you play to make the circle smaller and smaller. The last person on the ice wins.

Fun and learnin’ all mixed up together. (Shhh, don’t tell.)

Directions: Spell out some Christmas words or phrases on blank paper and cut them apart at the syllables. Mix them all up, and then give one syllable out to each child, facedown, until all have been passed out. No peeking. Then have them find the rest of their mates to form their words or common Christmas phrases. Here are some good words to use: Christ-mas-tree, car-ol-ing, snow-mo-bile, sil-ver-bells, gin-ger-bread, can-dy-cane, or-na-ment, corn-cob-pipe, but-ton-nose, san-ta-hat, and mis-tle-toe.

Oh no! Santa hit a bump and has lost all the presents off his sleigh! Lucky for him, he has some reindeer friends who can help reload it!

Directions: Use our printable presents and cut out a present for each person of the class. Divide the kids into 2 teams, and divide the presents into 2 piles at one end of the room. Give every kid on each team a straw. The first person on each team has to suck up one of the presents with his straw and carry it to a “sleigh” (bowl or tray) at the other end of the room using only suction power—no hands. If a kid drops the gift, he has to start at the beginning again. When he’s done, the next kid in line takes a turn, and so on. The first team that transfers all their gifts to their sleigh wins.

Download the relay printables

Bring several pairs of mittens and some wrapped candy for this relay.

Directions: Divide the kids into 2 or 3 teams. The first person on each team races to the other end of the room, puts on a pair of mittens, and takes a piece of candy out of a bowl to unwrap. After he’s unwrapped the candy, he then races back to give the next kid in line the mittens. The first team that finishes wins. Suggestions for candy you can use: Hershey’s Kisses, peppermints or butterscotch disks, or fun-size candy bars.

A brave adult makes a great reindeer for this game. Use red and green glow-in-the-dark necklaces for the rings.

Directions: Have an adult wear a set of headband antlers to be the reindeer. Sit the honorary reindeer in the middle of the room, on the floor or in a chair. Give kids 6 necklace “rings.” Place a line of tape about 6 feet from the reindeer (or farther away for older kids) for kids to stand behind. Then, kids can try throwing the rings around the reindeer’s antlers. The kid who throws the most rings around the antlers wins!

With some green plastic cups, green tissue paper and some small toys or candy, you can create a “smashing” party finale.

Directions: Find a large, very sturdy piece of cardboard or foam core board for the base. Make sure you have a cup for each guest at the party. Fill each of the plastic cups with a toy or some candy, so there’s an equal amount of “goodies” in every cup. Cut the tissue paper into squares about double the size of the diameter of the cup. Cover the top of each cup with 2 tissue paper squares (use 2 sheets so there’s no peeking). Wrap a rubber band around the top of the cup to secure the tissue paper. Tape or glue the bottoms of the cups to the cardboard or foam core base in a Christmas tree shape. Let the kids punch through a cup of their choice as they leave the party and take home their prize.