Christmas parties are often grand affairs filled with fancy new dresses and handsome suits. Set your kids free from all the stuffiness of the holidays with a list of games. Use these games to occupy antsy kids and their friends at a holiday party. Christmas games also educate and entertain kids in classrooms or in afterschool programs.
Weather
Even if it is frightful, the weather may bring a great opportunity to play games that celebrates the holiday. If you have mounds of snow, you can play needle in haystack games, hiding jingle bells or ornaments in the snow. Don’t use anything breakable or potentially dangerous. Snow angels and snowball fights are well-loved during holiday parties. Be sure to invite guests to bring their snow suits and heavy coats.
Theme
Christmas is a highly branded holiday with colors and items particular to the season. Incorporate these items into your games. You can have stations of games, such as checkers, tic tac toe or Connect 4. Use green holly or mistletoe and red ornaments as the markers. Play a matching game with ornaments, stockings, poinsettias, nativities, stars and other items associated with the holidays.
Characters
The songs and stories of Christmas offer a variety of characters that can show up in Christmas games. Instead of pinning a tail on a donkey, you can place Mary on a donkey or stick a red nose on Rudolph the reindeer. Have a relay race to see who can dress up like Santa or his elves the fastest. You can even create an obstacle course that ends with a T-ball stand covered in tinsel to look like the North Pole.
Teaching
Help your kids and guests learn the importance and joy of giving during a holiday game. Early in the season, choose a charity or other group for your donations. Through the holidays or at your party, invite kids to gather pennies, toys, socks or other donations. The winner is the one who can gather the most. You can also give awards to the most creative donation. You can also ask kids to bring a gift to exchange at the party.
Prizes
Christmas is a time of much gift giving. Give kids some useful prizes when they win. Stockings and ornaments are memorable gifts. Thank you notes and stationary sets remind kids to show their appreciation for the gifts they receive.
Photo Credit
- kids ready for christmas image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
