The right Christmas party games can turn your classroom celebration from a chaotic sugar rush into something students actually remember. Here are teacher-tested ideas for Christmas classroom party games that are simple to run in an elementary setting during December.
These activities keep students busy while reinforcing creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking.
Christmas Party Games for All Elementary Students
Candy Cane Hunt
This classroom-friendly game adds a festive twist to a traditional scavenger hunt.
- What You’ll Need: Candy canes (or mini ones) and a timer.
- How to Play: Hide candy canes around the room in creative spots like inside desks, under chairs, or on the edge of bulletin boards. Students have a set time (5–10 minutes) to find as many as they can.
- Why It Works: It’s simple to set up and keeps students actively engaged. To incorporate learning, hide clues with vocabulary words or math problems for students to solve before claiming a candy cane.
Christmas Charades
A fun and active game to get students moving and laughing.
- What You’ll Need: Slips of paper with Christmas-themed words or phrases.
- How to Play: Write words like “snowman,” “reindeer,” or “Jingle Bells” on slips of paper. Students take turns acting them out without speaking while their classmates guess. Divide the class into teams for a friendly competition.
- Why It Works: Charades encourage creativity and communication, making it an ideal game for building classroom camaraderie.
Cookie Decorating Contest
Combine creativity with a delicious treat.
- What You’ll Need: Plain sugar cookies, icing, sprinkles, and other edible decorations.
- How to Play: Provide students with a cookie and decorating supplies. Set a timer for 15 minutes and let their imaginations run wild. Afterward, students can present their cookies and share their designs.
- Why It Works: This activity fosters creativity and provides a sweet takeaway. Make it allergy-friendly by using safe ingredients or substituting non-food items, like paper cookie templates.
Snowflake Making Contest
Channel your students’ artistic skills into this winter-themed craft.
- What You’ll Need: Paper and safety scissors.
- How to Play: Show students how to fold and cut paper to make snowflakes. Allow 10–15 minutes for creating unique designs. Display the snowflakes around the room as decorations.
- Why It Works: This activity is quiet, creative, and doubles as classroom décor.
Snowball Toss
Bring winter fun indoors with this lively game.
- What You’ll Need: A bucket (or hoop) and “snowballs” (paper balls or white beanbags).
- How to Play: Set a target and let students take turns tossing snowballs. Adjust the distance for different age groups to ensure everyone feels successful. Keep track of how many times teams hit the target to add a competitive edge.
- Why It Works: It encourages teamwork and develops hand-eye coordination in a lively, seasonal way.
Christmas Simon Says
A seasonal twist on a timeless classroom favorite.
- What You’ll Need: No materials are required.
- How to Play: Incorporate holiday-themed actions like “Simon says pretend to hang ornaments” or “Simon says be a snowman.” Use non-holiday commands occasionally to keep students alert.
- Why It Works: It burns off energy while improving listening skills.
Cooperative Storytelling Circle
Ignite imagination and collaboration with this interactive storytelling activity that brings the magic of Christmas to life.
- What You’ll Need: A spot for students to sit in a circle and a little holiday inspiration.
- How to Play: Gather students in a circle and explain that they’ll create a group Christmas story. One student begins with a festive-themed opening (e.g., “Once upon a time, a tiny elf lost Santa’s sleigh keys…”). After a few sentences, they pass the story to the next student, who continues it. This pattern continues until everyone has added their twist to the tale.
- Why It Works: This activity encourages creativity, active listening, and teamwork. It’s adaptable for any age group: keep it light and relaxed for younger students, or challenge older ones to include a plot twist or rhyme in their contribution.
- Optional Twist: Use story prompts or holiday-themed items (like a toy reindeer or candy cane) to inspire students who might need a little extra help getting started.
This storytelling game is a delightful way to build classroom community while celebrating the joy of the season.
Christmas Story Writing Relay
Combine creativity with writing practice in this collaborative Christmas story activity that lets students create a unique holiday tale together.
- What You’ll Need: Lined paper, pencils or pens, and a timer.
- How to Play:
- Each student starts with a blank piece of paper and writes the opening few sentences of a Christmas-themed story. You might provide a fun prompt to spark ideas, such as “Santa’s reindeer discovered a magical candy cane forest…” or “An elf accidentally wrapped himself in a gift box!”
- Set a timer (3–5 minutes works well, depending on your students’ age). When the timer goes off, students stop writing, fold down what they wrote to hide it, and pass their paper to the next person.
- The next student reads only the last sentence written (to keep some continuity) and continues the story from there.
- Repeat this process for several rounds, allowing each story to grow with contributions from multiple writers.
- At the end, return each story to its original author to read aloud or share with the group.
- Why It Works: This activity promotes creativity, quick thinking, and collaboration. It’s also a great way to practice sentence structure and storytelling in a low-pressure, relaxed environment.
- Optional Twist: For a festive touch, use holiday-themed paper or encourage students to add a drawing at the end to illustrate their story.
This activity is perfect for building classroom camaraderie and bringing a little extra holiday cheer to writing practice.
Christmas Bingo
Put a holiday twist on a classic favorite with Christmas Bingo, a game that’s perfect for students of all ages.
- What You’ll Need: Bingo cards customized with Christmas words or images (e.g., Santa, snowman, candy cane) and markers or chips for players. Or provide students with a grid and have them create their own bingo cards from a set of Christmas words.
- How to Play: Call out the Christmas-themed words or show pictures, and students mark their cards. The first player to complete a row (or another pattern you set) wins. For younger students, use pictures; for older ones, try holiday-related vocabulary words.
- Why It Works: Christmas Bingo is easy to adapt for different age groups and abilities. It’s inclusive, easy to set up, and a good choice for winding down after more active games.
Christmas Movie Trivia
Test your students’ holiday movie knowledge while building teamwork.
- What You’ll Need: A list of trivia questions from classic and modern Christmas movies.
- How to Play: Divide the class into teams and quiz them on movies like Home Alone or Elf. Add bonus questions for tie-breakers.
- Why It Works: It’s engaging and a great way to introduce students to cultural references.
Christmas Alphabet Game
A word game that challenges quick thinking.
- What You’ll Need: A board or chart to track responses.
- How to Play: Students must name something Christmas-related starting with each letter of the alphabet, taking turns around the room. For a challenge, give them a time limit for each letter.
- Why It Works: It reinforces vocabulary and critical thinking in a fun, seasonal format.
Christmas M&M Challenge
Get ready for a fast-paced, laughter-filled game that tests coordination and speed with a holiday twist.
- What You’ll Need: Straws, a bowl of M&Ms (or similar candy), and an empty plate for each player.
- How to Play: Students use a straw to suck up M&Ms and transfer them to their plate within a set time (1–2 minutes works well). Add a Christmas spin by allowing only green and red M&Ms to count toward their score.
- Why It Works: This game encourages focus and fine motor skills while adding an exciting competitive edge. It’s a lively way to include holiday colors and sweets into your celebration.
Ugly Sweater Contest
Celebrate the quirky and fun side of Christmas with an Ugly Sweater Contest that gets everyone in the festive spirit.
- What You’ll Need: Participants wearing their most outrageous holiday sweaters, a voting system (judges or ballots), and optional prizes.
- How to Play: Invite students to wear their wildest, most over-the-top Christmas sweaters to school. Set up a “runway” moment for each participant to showcase their sweater. A panel or anonymous peer voting can do the judging. Include categories like “Most Creative,” “Most Festive,” or “Most Likely to Blind Santa.”
- Why It Works: This lighthearted activity creates a cheerful atmosphere and serves as an instant icebreaker. It’s a fantastic way to encourage self-expression and creativity.
Incorporating Christmas-themed games and activities into your classroom celebration is a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer while keeping students engaged.
From creative storytelling to lively contests, these festive ideas will create lasting memories and strengthen your classroom community. Whether your goal is to inspire creativity, foster teamwork, or bring holiday fun to your students, you can tailor these activities to your group’s needs.
Jessica BOschen
Jessica is a teacher, homeschool parent, and entrepreneur. She shares her passion for teaching and education on What I Have Learned. Jessica has 16 years of experience teaching elementary school and currently homeschools her two middle and high school boys. She enjoys scaffolding learning for students, focusing on helping our most challenging learners achieve success in all academic areas.