35 Christmas Party Games for Kids That Bring Joy, Laughter and Holiday Fun

Kids don’t just enjoy Christmas parties — they turn into turbocharged elves the moment the first jingle bell rings. Whether you’re hosting a classroom celebration, a family party, or a community holiday event, these Christmas party games for kids deliver giggles, wiggles, and a whole lot of festive fun.

From high-energy relays to silly challenges and creative games that spark imagination, this list keeps kids busy, happy, and cheerfully tired (you’re welcome 😆). Grab some snacks, cue the holiday playlist, and let the merry mayhem begin! 🎅✨ Between high-energy relays, you can pause for a few playful Christmas jokes for kids that keep everyone laughing while they recharge.

1. Candy Cane Pickup

What You Need: Candy canes.
How It Works: Kids use one candy cane (held like a hook) to pick up as many others as possible from the pile — no hands allowed! They’ll look like tiny reindeer trying to grab treats.

2. Jingle Bell Toss

What You Need: Cups, jingle bells.
How It Works: Kids try to toss jingle bells into cups from a distance. Different cups can have different point values. It’s like basketball, but jinglier.

3. Pin the Nose on Rudolph

What You Need: Rudolph poster, red noses, blindfold.
How It Works: Spin each child gently, then let them try to stick Rudolph’s nose in the right place. Results range from adorable to “Rudolph might need medical attention.” 😆

4. Snowball Spoon Race

What You Need: Cotton balls, spoons.

To keep everyone entertained while they wait or celebrate the results, share a few Reindeer and rudolph jokes and let the giggles carry into the next game.
How It Works: Kids balance a cotton ball on a spoon and race to the finish. Drop it? Go back to the start. Bonus chaos: have them walk backwards! ❄️

5. Santa Says

What You Need: Nothing.
How It Works: A festive twist on Simon Says — but Santa is the boss. If “Santa says,” kids follow. If not, they freeze or sit out. Great for energy control before snacks.

6. Christmas Freeze Dance

What You Need: Holiday music.
How It Works: Kids dance like wild elves until the music stops. When it does — FREEZE! Anyone who moves after the stop is out. Works for big groups.

7. Snowball Toss

What You Need: White socks rolled into balls, buckets.
How It Works: Kids throw “snowballs” into buckets at different distances. Make harder buckets worth more points. It’s soft, safe, and super fun.

8. Ring Toss on the Reindeer

What You Need: Inflatable antlers, rings.
How It Works: One child wears antlers while the others try to toss rings onto them. Switch roles so everyone gets a chance to be the reindeer ⭐.

9. Holiday Musical Chairs

What You Need: Chairs, music.
How It Works: Kids walk around the chairs to music and scramble for a seat when it stops. Remove one chair each round. Last elf standing wins.

10. Christmas Charades (Kids Edition)

What You Need: Prompt cards.
How It Works: Kids act out prompts like snowman building, wrapping gifts, or ice skating. Their teammates guess before time runs out. Big laughs guaranteed.

11. Snowman Bowling

What You Need: Plastic cups decorated as snowmen, soft ball.
How It Works: Stack cups into a snowman tower and let kids try to knock them down. The tower falls in the most dramatic ways possible.

12. Gingerbread Man Hunt

What You Need: Paper gingerbread cutouts.
How It Works: Hide gingerbread men around the room for kids to find. Some can have bonus points or silly prizes. It’s like an indoor treasure hunt.

13. Wrap the Present Relay

What You Need: Boxes, wrapping paper, tape.
How It Works: Kids race to wrap a box as neatly as possible in under one minute. Teams can tag out for new wrappers. Spoiler: no box will end up actually neat.

14. Christmas Limbo

What You Need: Pole or scarf.
How It Works: Decorate a limbo stick and play holiday music while kids shuffle under. Lower the bar each round. Bendy kids are unstoppable.

15. Guess the Christmas Smell

What You Need: Jars with scents (pine, cinnamon, cocoa).
How It Works: Kids sniff jars and try to guess the holiday scent. Bonus points for hilarious guesses like “grandma’s cookies” or “reindeer breath.” 😄

16. Elf Hat Tower

What You Need: Paper cups, elf hats.
How It Works: Kids stack cups while wearing a floppy elf hat that keeps falling over. The struggle is the entertainment. While you’re resetting the cups or swapping turns, toss in a couple of Elf jokes to keep the laughs rolling even when kids are waiting their turn.

17. Snowflake Toss

What You Need: Paper snowflakes, fan.
How It Works: Turn on a fan and let kids toss snowflakes, trying to get them to land in a box. The air makes their path unpredictable — and hilarious.

18. Christmas Pictionary

What You Need: Whiteboard, markers.
How It Works: Kids draw holiday prompts while teammates guess. Add silly prompts like “elf stuck in chimney” or “Santa surfing.”

19. Pass the Parcel

What You Need: Wrapped multi-layer gift, music.
How It Works: Kids pass a gift around a circle. When the music stops, the child holding it unwraps one layer. The final layer reveals the prize.

20. Hot Cocoa Relay

What You Need: Cups, cotton balls.
How It Works: Kids “carry cocoa” (cotton balls) from one table to another using a spoon. Trips, spills, and laughs guaranteed.

21. Build-a-Snowman Contest

What You Need: Toilet paper, scarves, hats.
How It Works: Teams wrap one child as a “snowman” with toilet paper, then accessorize. Judge on creativity… and stability.

22. North Pole Dash

What You Need: Cones or markers.
How It Works: Set up a small obstacle course. Kids dash through as fast as they can while doing silly movements like “reindeer prance” or “elf tiptoe.”

23. Ornament Spoon Balance

What You Need: Plastic ornaments, spoons.
How It Works: Kids balance an ornament on a spoon and speed-walk across the room. If it drops, go back to start. Great for team races.

24. Freeze Like a Snowman

What You Need: Music.
How It Works: Instead of regular freeze dance, kids must freeze in snowman poses. Funniest pose wins a prize.

25. Christmas Tic-Tac-Toe Relay

What You Need: Tape grid, X and O pieces.
How It Works: Kids race to place their team’s pieces on the grid. First team to get three in a row wins. Fast-paced and competitive!

26. Snowball Roll Race

What You Need: White pom-poms or cotton balls.
How It Works: Kids blow snowballs across a track using a straw. First snowball to the finish line wins.

27. Christmas Memory Tray

What You Need: Holiday items on tray.
How It Works: Show kids a tray of small Christmas items for 10 seconds. Remove it and have them write or shout what they remember.

28. Holiday Sticker Tag

What You Need: Stickers.
How It Works: Kids try to stick as many stickers on each other as possible within a time limit — but no face stickers allowed.

29. Pin the Star on the Tree

What You Need: Poster tree, paper stars.
How It Works: Blindfolded kids must place the star at the top. Most kids will end up decorating the wall instead 🎄😂.

30. Jingle Bell Balance

What You Need: Jingle bells, spoon.
How It Works: Kids carry a jingle bell on a spoon across a finish line. The bell’s rattling makes it extra challenging.

31. Reindeer Races

What You Need: Brown bags, reindeer antlers.
How It Works: Kids hop in bags wearing antlers and race like reindeer. It’s chaos, and it’s amazing.

32. Holiday Guess Who?

What You Need: Character cards.
How It Works: Kids guess holiday characters by asking yes/no questions. Use characters like elves, Frosty, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and more.

33. Snowball Toss at Santa

What You Need: Santa cutout, cotton balls.
How It Works: Throw snowballs at the target. Give different point zones like beard, hat, and boots.

34. Deck the Halls Relay

What You Need: Ornaments, small tree.
How It Works: Kids race to decorate a tiny tree with ornaments. Fastest team wins… and the tree will absolutely look wild. 🌟

35. Elf Freeze Tag

What You Need: Nothing.
How It Works: One child is Santa and must freeze the “elves.” Other players tag frozen elves to unfreeze them. Great for big rooms or gyms.

Christmas parties with kids aren’t just fun, they’re full-speed, giggle-filled holiday magic wrapped in glitter, stickers, and snack crumbs. For quieter moments between big games, keep a list of Christmas knock knock jokes ready so kids can share silly punchlines while they catch their breath. These Christmas party games keep kids moving, laughing, imagining, and making memories you’ll hear about all winter long. Whether you’re running a classroom bash, a family gathering, or a community celebration, these games bring the cheer without the stress.

Mix your favorites, add your own twists, and let the tiny holiday chaos elves (a.k.a. kids) enjoy the most wonderful time of the year. Now go spread the fun, and may your cocoa stay warm and your glitter stay… mostly contained. 😄✨🎄