If there is one thing I have learnt over the years, it is that nothing brings families together quite like a good game, especially over the Christmas period! As a former teacher, a lifelong lover of games and now a mum of two very enthusiastic little players, I have spent a huge part of my life dreaming up activities that get everyone involved – from toddlers to grandparents. I have even turned that passion into a career as a bestselling author, creating game idea books for every season, party and family gathering at home.
Note that all the games and activity ideas in this post are taken from my jam-packed book: Christmas Games: 100+ Fun Ideas for Festive and New Year Celebrations!
This blog brings together some of my favourite festive games for kids and families — playful ideas designed to get everyone moving, guessing, giggling and joining in. Whether you are hosting a big family celebration or enjoying a quiet Christmas Eve at home, these activities are made for creating memories you will treasure long after the decorations come down.
Let the family fun begin!
1. Wrap Up War
Number of players: Minimum of 4
Equipment needed: A winter coat, gloves, Santa hat, scarf, knife and fork, large chocolate bar, two dice
Gather everyone in a circle on the floor and place all the clothing items, the utensils and the still-wrapped chocolate bar in the centre. The youngest player begins by rolling the two dice into the middle. If they roll anything other than double six, they simply pass the dice to the person on their left, and the circle continues in the same fashion.
Whenever someone rolls a double six, the game suddenly becomes rather frantic. That player must throw on the hat, scarf, gloves and coat as quickly as possible, grab the knife and fork, and begin cutting open the chocolate bar. Using only the utensils, they must cut off and eat one square at a time — speed is everything.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group continues rolling the dice. The moment another player rolls a double six, the chocolate-eater must stop immediately, remove all the clothing items and pass them on to the new “winner”, who then takes over the task. If the dice make a full lap back to the person currently eating, they simply skip their turn until someone else rolls double six.
The game ends only when the entire chocolate bar has been eaten. Expect loud reactions, frantic fumbling with winter layers and plenty of laughter — particularly if the adults have enjoyed a glass of wine beforehand.
2. Present Jumble
Number of players: 2
Equipment needed: Blindfolds, previously opened presents
Two players sit opposite one another — either on the floor or across a table — and both are blindfolded. A selection of presents that were unwrapped earlier in the day is placed between them in a mixed pile.
A judge (or the watching group, taking turns) calls out a challenge linked to one of the items in the pile. Examples might include:
“Find the first present Dad opened this morning”,
“Find the edible present Gran unwrapped”,
“Find the blue and white present John received”,
or “Find the gift Alice was most excited about”.
The blindfolded players immediately begin feeling around for the correct object. When a player believes they have the right one, they hold it in the air. Observers confirm whether it is correct.
A correct answer wins the round. An incorrect answer eliminates that player for the round, allowing the remaining competitor to keep searching until they wish to make their own guess.
You can play best-of-three with the same two players, or divide into larger teams who rotate through turns, collecting points as they go.
3. Guess How Much Sugar the Elves Need to Make Your Presents
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: A jar, plenty of sweets and chocolates
Fill a jar with a mixture of sweets and chocolates, and make sure at least one adult knows the exact number inside. Choose smaller sweets such as jelly babies if you want to make the guessing more challenging.
Ask the children to guess how many sweets the elves “need to make their presents” — in other words, the total number in the jar. If someone guesses precisely correctly, they immediately win the entire jar (a wonderfully dramatic but usually unlikely outcome).
If no one is correct, the game continues throughout the day. Before each new guess, each child must answer one Christmas trivia question privately so that the others cannot overhear. Anyone who answers correctly earns the right to make another guess when the group gathers together again. If they all continue to guess wildly, you can begin offering “cold, warm, hot” clues to steer them towards the answer.
Example trivia to use:
• What colour suit does Santa Claus wear? (Red)
• What is usually placed on top of a Christmas tree? (A star or an angel)
• What snack is often left out for Santa on Christmas Eve? (Biscuits or cookies)
• How many reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh? (Nine, including Rudolph)
• What type of calendar counts down the days until Christmas? (An advent calendar)
• What toy-filled item is pulled at Christmas dinner? (A Christmas cracker)
• What vegetable is sometimes left for the reindeer? (Carrots)
• In “Jingle Bells”, what is fun to ride in? (A one-horse open sleigh)
• What drink is sometimes left for Santa in the UK? (Sherry or juice)
The game ends once someone finally guesses the correct number and wins the jar!
4. Reindeer Poo
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: A box of Oreo cookies
This simple but hilarious challenge can be played one-on-one or as a free-for-all group competition. Line everyone up facing a judge who will watch carefully for cheating.
Each person takes an Oreo, a cookie or a square of chocolate (chocolate is the messiest/funniest choice). At the judge’s command, players place it on their forehead, put their hands firmly behind their backs and attempt to manoeuvre it down their face and into their mouth using nothing but facial movements.
The first player to successfully eat their biscuit or chocolate wins. If someone drops theirs, they may pick it up and place it back on their forehead to try again. If a player touches it with their hands (other than picking it up after a drop), they are disqualified.
A group photo at the end is essential — the chocolate smears on everyone’s faces are part of the fun!
If you want to make Christmas extra special, make sure you grab a copy of my book Christmas Games: 100+ Fun Ideas for Festive and New Year Celebrations!
5. Bow Blaster
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: Christmas wrapping bows (self-adhesive type)
Give each player the same number of sticky gift bows and attach them securely to their backs. Form a large circle with plenty of space, and have everyone face inwards.
When you call “Go”, players must try to snatch the bows from other people’s backs while protecting their own. Any tactic is allowed as long as it is safe and hands do not make contact with faces or hair.
Once all but one player has lost their bows, the remaining player is crowned the champion.
6. Far-ba Christ-mas
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: Marshmallows
One player begins by placing a marshmallow in their mouth and clearly attempting to say the phrase “Farther Christmas” without the marshmallow falling out. The rest of the group follows, each adding their first marshmallow and attempting the same phrase.
Round by round, everyone adds an additional marshmallow and tries to repeat “Farther Christmas”. Anyone who can no longer speak the phrase intelligibly or drops their marshmallows is eliminated.
Continue adding marshmallows each round until only one player remains.
7. Santa Limbo
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: A limbo stick, pillows (to create “Santa bellies”)
Players tuck a pillow under their shirt to mimic a large Santa stomach. Set up a limbo stick at a comfortable height and form a queue.
One by one, players attempt to pass under the limbo stick with their Santa belly. Those who succeed progress to the next round, where the bar is lowered slightly. Continue lowering the bar after each round until only one flexible Santa remains.
8. Walking in the Air
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: Christmas music
Choose a festive song and open the lyrics on a phone or tablet. Wlaking in the Air is a good song to start with!
Taking turns, each player tries to sing as far into the chorus as possible using just one deep breath. The winner is the person who reaches the furthest point before needing to breathe again. Now try it again with a different song.
9. Reindeer Reins
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: Shoe boxes or similar, lots of long liquorice strings
Tie several liquorice ropes together until each player has a line roughly two metres long. Attach one end securely to an empty shoe box to create a miniature “sleigh”. Each player needs their own sleigh and liquorice line, all cut to identical lengths.
Players kneel on the floor, place the end of the liquorice string in their mouth and put their hands behind their backs. They aren’t allowed to move from their position. When the game starts, they must eat the liquorice as quickly as possible, drawing the sleigh closer and closer.
The first player to pull their sleigh all the way to their nose wins.
10. North Pole Pop
Number of players: Minimum 2
Equipment needed: A large pack of balloons in various colours, thick winter gloves
Assign each player a colour. Blow up ten balloons per player in their chosen colour and scatter them randomly around the room. Everyone puts on a pair of thick winter gloves.
When the music begins, players rush around trying to pop all ten of their own balloons as quickly as possible. The gloves make this far more challenging than it sounds. When someone pops their final balloon, they shout “NORTH POLE POP” to signal their victory.
11. Christmas Carol Pictionary
Number of players: Any number
Equipment needed: Flash cards with carol titles, paper and pens
Write a list of well-known Christmas carols on separate cards. Split players into teams. One team member draws a card, then has one minute to sketch clues (no words or letters allowed) to help their team guess the carol.
If the team guesses correctly, they earn a point. Rotate the drawing role each round. Continue until one team reaches twenty points or until everyone has had several turns.
Don’t forget to check out my book, Christmas Games: 100+ Fun Ideas for Festive and New Year Celebrations!
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