7. Do You See What I See? – Have two children sit in front of the group, back to back. Give one child a holiday object (like an ornament), and give the other child a piece of paper and something to draw with. The child with the object cannot say what the object is, but he or she must describe the object so that his or her partner can attempt to draw it. The quality of the final picture obviously depends on how well it was (or was not) described. An alternate version of this game would be to give the two children two trays with the same objects. The goal would then be for the players to identically arrange their trays without looking at the other person’s tray or naming any of the objects.
6.
Santa Doesn’t Say – Purchase enough Santa hats for all of the children at your party. Before they arrive, pin the name of a holiday character to the top of each one. Put a hat on each child’s head—without letting them see the name on the hat. Have the children move throughout the room, talking to one another, and asking questions to try to guess their identity. The first person to guess who he or she is wins the game.
5. Santa in Style – For this game, you will need several rolls of streamers in red, white, and black, a bag of cotton balls, and some masking tape. Divide the children into teams of 3 or 4 kids per team. Each team will choose one person to be Santa and use their given materials to create Santa’s costume. Do not supply the teams with scissors—it’s more fun to see how they make do without them. Let the Santas walk down the runway of your living room, and judge which one looks the best. An alternate version of this game would be to give each team a bag of items (suitable for either Santa or Frosty) and race to dress one member of their team.
4. Name that Holiday Tune – It’s the classic game with a holiday twist. Play a few notes of a Christmas song, and let the children guess the name of the tune. If you want to up the ante, you can ask them to guess the name of the artist as well. It’s best to find old versions of the classics, so the answers are not so obvious. After all, how many 10 year olds do you know who have heard of Bing Crosby?
3.
Limbo with a Belly – This is one game where everyone really does enjoy being “in limbo.” Put a holiday twist on an old favorite by using a set of Christmas lights or a strand of garland instead of a limbo stick. Add a “Santa stomach” to each child for a little extra challenge. Then play some Christmas music. You just need a couple of large shirts, some pillows, and maybe a belt. The kid’s bellies will be shaking like a bowl full of jelly as they laugh in limbo!
2. Twelve Days of Christmas Relay – Everyone loves a relay race—especially when it centers on Christmas. Gather a collection of items to represent those named in the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” You can find pictures on the Internet and recycled Christmas cards, or grab some items from around the house (i.e. a plastic bird to represent the partridge). Just make sure that the kids all understand which lyric matches each item (and label them if necessary). Divide the children up into two teams (you’ll need a complete set of items for each team). Give each team an empty bucket, and place two buckets with the items at the other end of the room. At the word “go,” the race will begin, with each team gathering the items in the order of the lyrics—the first child grabs the partridge in the pear tree and brings it back to the team, the second child collects two turtle doves, and the game continues from there. The winning team is the first to collect all twelve items inside their bucket.
1. Gift Unwrap Relay – For this game, you will need several empty boxes and plenty of time to wrap the gift beforehand. Place a variety of holiday treats inside one box (enough for all of the children at the party) and wrap the box. Place the wrapped box inside a bigger box and wrap that one. Continue wrapping the box, layer upon layer, for as long as you can stand it. When the children arrive, have them sit in a circle. Play holiday music, intermittently stopping it and letting the child holding the gift unwrap a single layer at a time, until all of the layers are unwrapped and the treats are handed out. If you are short on boxes, you can wrap one box in several layers of paper. Also, you may want to consider having the children unwrap the boxes with mittens on their hands for an added extra challenge!
