There’s no doubt about it: Christmas is a huge hit for kids. While the presents are certainly a big reason for this, one way to amp up the holiday spirit is to play some Christmas games. If you’re tired of playing the same old games every year, we’ve got you covered with these 45 Christmas games for kids that children of all ages will enjoy. We’ve got everything from classic Christmas-themed games to board games and funny Christmas games that’ll get everyone laughing out loud.
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CLASSIC CHRISTMAS GAMES FOR KIDS
Let’s start off with some classic Christmas games for kids that everyone loves. Many of these games are popular games for kids with a Christmas twist to keep everything in the holiday spirit.
1. PIN THE NOSE ON RUDOLPH
Everyone’s played Pin the Tail on the Donkey at some point. But to turn this fun activity into something Christmas-themed, play Pin the Nose on Rudolph instead. Blindfolded players take turns trying to pin the nose on Rudolph. The player who pins the red nose closest to where it’s supposed to go wins!
2. CHRISTMAS BINGO
A nice sit-down game that everyone can play is Christmas bingo. While you play this game like you would play your standard bingo, make sure to provide bingo cards with Christmas images and or words, such as:
- Christmas tree
- Rudolph
- Santa
- Mrs. Claus
The first player to get five in a row, whether it be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, wins.
3. CHRISTMAS CHARADES
There’s no party without a round of charades! This is one of the easiest games to play, even if you don’t have anything prepared beforehand. But, of course, in keeping with the holiday spirit, you should act out holiday-themed words, like:
- Elf
- Snowman
- Santa
Give each child that comes up front one Christmas-themed word to act out in front of their friends. Whoever guesses first is the next person to act!
4. CANDY CANE HUNT
Before the party, hide some candy canes around a designated playing area. Make some of the hiding places easy and others difficult. Then, have the kids find as many candy canes as they can. The player to find the most candy canes wins!
5. CHRISTMAS FREEZE DANCE
Freeze dance is a very simple game you can play to expel some energy early on during the kids’ Christmas party. Simply play some music and have everyone dance their hearts out! But when the music stops, everyone must freeze in place. Whoever is caught moving when the music stops is out.
6. CHRISTMAS MUSICAL CHAIRS
Another musical game to play is musical chairs, one of the best indoor games for kids to play this Christmas. But instead of playing any song. Play some Christmas music while the kids walk and dance around the chairs. Just like standard musical chairs, the players must find a seat to sit on as soon as the music pauses! Whoever cannot find a seat is out.
7. DECORATE A MINI TREE
This is a super fun Christmas activity to do with kids. To do this activity, you’ll need to buy some mini Christmas trees and ornaments beforehand. Then, give each child a mini Christmas tree to decorate to their heart’s content!
8. PASS THE PRESENT
Hot potato is one of our favorite back to school games. But you can play this game with a holiday twist by playing Pass the Present instead. Just like hot potato, you pass a present around a circle. But whoever is caught holding the present when the music stops gets to keep the present! Keep playing until everyone has a present.
9. STOCKING STUFFER RELAY
Who doesn’t love a good relay race? In this game, divide everyone into teams. Then, have the teams race to fill stockings with small items by carrying one item at a time from one end of the race to the other, where the stocking is. The first team to finish filling their stocking wins!
10. DECORATE GINGERBREAD MEN
Instead of decorating a mini Christmas tree, all the kids will decorate gingerbread men with icing and candy in this activity! If you want, you can turn this into a competition. Have everyone vote for their favorite gingerbread man.
11. SANTA SAYS
Here’s a variation of Simon says that you can play for Christmas. Instead of saying “Simon says” before every action that must be performed, say “Santa says.” If you’re feeling creative enough, have all the actions be some kind of Christmas variation as well. Examples include:
- Hang an ornament
- Wave to Santa
- Dance like an elf
12. ORNAMENT RACE
Have you played the egg and spoon race during a kid’s field day? Play the Christmas version of this game, the Ornament Race, in which kids race while balancing an ornament on a spoon instead of your classic egg.
CHRISTMAS BOARD GAMES FOR KIDS
Did you know that you can buy Christmas-themed board games? You can play these board games with your kids the entire month of December to get everyone in the Christmas spirit before the big day arrives. These board games also make great Christmas gifts.
13. CHIP ‘N’ DALE CHRISTMAS TREASURES GAME
- An easy-to-learn, fast-paced game that plays in 20 minutes!
- Gain points by collecting sets of treasures: Ornaments, Candy Canes, Popcorn,...
- Colorful illustrations inspired by the classic 1950’s Disney Christmas...
Chip and Dale need to collect treasures and treats for the winter, but make sure they don’t get caught by Pluto! On each turn, flip over cards to discover what is hidden in the Christmas tree and add them to your collection, but if Pluto catches you, you can only collect one. The player with the most points wins the game.
14. SANTA CLAUS CHARADES
- Christmas Charades: Santa Claus Charades is a delightful game for both kids and...
- No Reading Required: With 45 adorable images, children can easily identify and...
- So Much Fun!: This Christmas charades game is a fantastic way to bring...
Play some charades with the help of Santa Claus Charades, a Christmas game the entire family will enjoy. This box contains 45 Christmas-themed cards with 2 options per card. And don’t worry if your kids can’t read yet. With cute drawings on the cards, your kids will be able to act out the card without a parent’s help.
15. CHRISTMAS TRIVIA GAME
- CHRISTMAS TRIVIA GAME: This game is for those looking to test everyone’s...
- GAME CONTENTS: For 2 or more players ages 12 years and up, game includes 70...
- INCLUDE EVERYONE: Besides having the benefits of improving and expanding your...
Want to test your Christmas knowledge? There’s no better way to do this than to play the Christmas Trivia Game. This game is best suited to older kids and adults. There are four categories in the game: Christmas carols, holiday traditions, Christmas entertainment, and the North Pole. Whoever gets the most points wins. You can easily play this as a team game as well.
16. MERRY MADNESS
- This will be the spookiest Christmas ever, and Jack Skellington’s instructions...
- Set up and gameplay are easy - in the first variation, place Sandy Claws’...
- In another variation, you must roll the dice and gather Christmas toys from...
If you’re a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, this is the Christmas board game for you. In this super fast-paced simultaneous play game, you’ll need to throw gifts into Sandy Claws’ Christmas bag. Players roll dice to figure out what items, and how many of said item, to fling and where to send them. This results in some pretty chaotic gameplay that’ll have everyone screaming and laughing out loud!
17. THE SANTA CLAUS GAME
- HOLIDAY GAME TEACHES KIDS ITS FUN TO GIVE! Be transported into the wonder of...
- PERFECT FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES! Each player chooses a sleigh full of teddy...
- A CHRISTMAS HIT THAT’S FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! When the holidays come...
This is the perfect Christmas board game for 3+ year-olds. In this game, the players act as Santa and must choose a sleigh full of gifts that they must deliver by singing Christmas songs and yelling out their best “Ho Ho Ho!” as they move their game piece on the board.
18. CHRISTMAS-OPOLY
- For 2-6 Players
- Player pieces include: candy cane, train, teddy bear, reindeer, scrooge and a...
- Includes directions for traditional play and 1 hour play
A great way to introduce the classic board game Monopoly to your children this holiday season is through Christmas-opoly. Just like the standard game, players must collect (Christmas-themed) properties and increase their value. However, since this game is holiday-themed, you can buy presents or get a Christmas tree.
19. CLUE: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
- SOLVE THE MYSTERY: Investigate a timeless holiday theft in Whoville with this...
- PLAY AS WHO-VILLE FAVORITES: Step into the shoes of Cindy-Lou, Papa Who, and...
- DISCOVER ICONIC OBJECTS: Use tokens like the Roast Beast, Can of Who Hash, and...
Clue is one of our favorite board games for kids, and we’re glad there’s a Christmas version of this game! However, instead of solving a murder, you must solve how the Grinch stole Christmas by discovering who caught the Grinch, what the Grinch stole, and where the Grinch stole the item.
20. CHARLIE BROWN TRIM THE TREE GAME
- Cooperative gameplay brings your family together for a lively holiday game...
- Charlie Brown’s iconic Christmas tree takes center stage! Play as a team to...
- Featuring 18 ornaments to hang on the tree, with art in the classic Peanuts...
This is a team game that will require some dexterity. Players take turns decorating a tree. But try hard to keep things balanced as you don’t want to lose the big red ornament and let it fall.
21. SANTA COOKIE ELF CANDY SNOWMAN
- YOUR FAVORITE GAME, NOW WITH HOLIDAY THEME: Dive into the festive season with...
- MAKE MEMORIES WITH UNFORGETTABLE FAMILY FUN: Create memories that will last for...
- PERFECT STOCKING STUFFER: Not sure what to fill in those stockings? Everyone...
Have you played the popular card game Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza? Well, you can play the Christmas version of the game. In this game, all the players will take turns saying, “Santa, Cookie, Elf, Candy, Snowman,” one by one as they lay down a card on the table. As soon as what is said matches the card, slap the pile! The last one to slap must take all the cards. The first player to get rid of all of their cards wins.
22. NOT SO SECRET SANTA
- TREE-mendous Challenges: Bring everyone together with fun challenges and...
- Stir Up Competition:Have fun Not-So-Secretly gifting Challenge cards to other...
- Great For All Occasions:An ideal Christmas party game for groups, you'll laugh...
Secret Santa is a classic gift exchange activity, but put a little twist on this and play Not So Secret Santa. In this game, instead of gifting each other actual presents, players will gift each other challenges that the players must complete! Throughout the game, you’ll have to complete challenges like dancing or doing a Grinch impression.
23. PENGUIN PANIC
- A Penguin-Powered, Blurt out the First Word You Can Think of Card Game. Quick...
- Takes Seconds to Set Up and Just 2 Minutes to Learn. Perfect for all occasions,...
- Easy Game Play - flip a card, blurt out a winning word and you just got a point....
While not necessarily a Christmas-themed game, we still had to add this one since it’s a pretty fun word game that both kids and adults love to play and involve penguins! In this game, players flip a card, and according to the red or blue circled letter, players must race to come up with a qualifying word before the other players. Remember: no names, numbers, or repeats!
24. SANTA CLAUS CARD GAMES
- Ho Ho Ho!: Enjoy an adorable Christmas version of classic kids' games—Go Fish,...
- Holiday Magic: Bring the magic of Christmas into your home with these fun-filled...
- Kid-Friendly Fun: Illustrated with iconic Christmas images, children can play by...
If you’d like to stick to the Santa Claus theme when you play some games, you’ve got to get this Santa Claus card games deck. This deck is just your standard card deck, except with Christmas illustration, like candy cane, Santa, and stockings. With this deck, you can play a huge variety of kids card games, including Old Maid, Go Fish, and Spoons.
25. SANTA’S FACTORY
- Santa's sleigh is spinning out of control! Be Santa's elf and save Christmas...
- You must use timing and focus so the present lands in Santa's AUTO-ROTATING...
- BECOME SANTA'S HELPER! Santa's Factory is an excellent gift for boys and girls....
With younger kids, there’s no better Christmas board game to play than Santa’s Factory. Set up the game so that Santa’s sleigh spins at the bottom. The players must then try to time their gift boxes to land in Santa’s sleigh. The first player to get all of their gifts into Santa’s sleigh wins!
FUNNY CHRISTMAS GAMES FOR KIDS
Some games make you laugh out loud. These Christmas games for kids are the best for getting everyone in the holiday spirit while having fun.
26. SANTA BELLY RACE
Santa famously has a belly, so imitate that by using pillows as bellies and race from one end of a designated playing field to the other. But if you drop your belly, you must put it back in your shirt before you can continue the race!
27. CHRISTMAS LIMBO
One of the easiest games to play that is still a lot of fun is Limbo. But to make this game more holiday-themed, use a tinsel garland instead of a stick. Then, start some Christmas music and see how low everyone can go!
28. CHRISTMAS WRAPPING CHALLENGE
The most basic of tasks can get difficult if you have a pair of mittens on. In this game, everyone must race to wrap a simple gift, but the challenge is that you must have mittens on the whole time. Even the most talented gift wrapper is going to be stumped on this one!
29. PENGUIN WADDLE
Another Christmas-themed race you can organize for kids is a penguin waddle. Players must race from the start line to the finish line, waddling the entire way with a balloon between the knees. If you drop your balloon at any point, you must stop and put it back in place before you can continue the race!
30. TOILET PAPER SNOWMAN
Divide the group into small teams of around three players each. Then, give each team a roll of toilet paper and other decorations to create a snowman, such as a scarf, carrot, and a hat. The players must build a snowman with the given ingredients. The best snowman wins!
31. CANDY CANE HOOK RELAY
Divide the kids into two teams. Then, line them up and have the first player from each team race to the other end of the room with a candy cane in their mouth. They must then hook another candy cane from a bowl on the other end of the room and successfully transport it back to their team before the second player can do the same. The first team to transport all of the candy canes wins.
32. CHRISTMAS BALLOON STOMP
Balloon Stomp is one of our favorite birthday party games for kids. But you can easily make this game more suited for Christmas by playing some Christmas music in the background. Don’t forget to hide some small Christmas prizes within the balloons as well to really bring on some holiday cheer!
33. PASS THE ORNAMENT
This is another Christmas team game perfect for kids. Kids must pass an ornament down the line without using their hands. To do this successfully, the kids must rely on teamwork and a bit of balance. This game is a lot more difficult than it seems!
34. CHRISTMAS CAROL KARAOKE
Do you have a few budding singers in the group? Why not do some karaoke? Play some Christmas carols on YouTube and have everyone sing along, or turn it into a singing competition.
35. SANTA’S COOKIE CHALLENGE
This is one of our favorite minute to win it games for kids and one of our top Christmas minute to win it games. In this challenge, players must put a cookie on their forehead and try to wiggle it down their face and into their mouth without using their hands! This game will for sure get everyone laughing out loud in no time.
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