Are you having a Christmas Party? Here are a few cheap and easy ideas to keep the little ones amused and having fun.
Christmas Games
1) Pass the Parcel
Wrap a gift in several layers of wrapping paper. The number of layers depends on how long you want the game to last, plus the more people the more layers.
Have everyone sit in a circle and give your group a gift and tell them when you turn on the music to pass the gift in one direction and when you turn off the music who ever has the gift gets to take off ONE layer of wrapping paper, continue this until the last layer of paper is taken off and whoever has the gift unwrapped gets to keep it. Try to make the gifts between the layer Christmassy. For example, hide small ornaments or toys.
2) Find Santa’s Reindeer
This is a scavenger hunt type game. You’ll need to buy or print and colour reindeer. Enough for each guest. So 10 children? You hide 10 reindeer.
Tell your little ones that Santa’s Reindeer had a big party last night and now Santa doesn’t know where they are. He needs help to find his reindeer!
You’ll need to hide each reindeer somewhere in the room. Make some easy to find and some more difficult. Hide them amongst the presents under the tree, on the tree etc. The goal is for your guests to find Santa’s reindeer. The one they find they can take home.
3)Christmas Guessing Game
Fill a stocking with Christmas objects and pass it around and see how many your guests can identify.
Take a large Christmas stocking or sack and fill it with objects that you see or use around Christmas time. If you have more than one stocking make sure you put the same things in each one.
Ideas for items to include: holly, tinsel, scotch tape, tree ornaments, pine cones, etc. Make sure you put about 10 different objects in. Tie a ribbon or rope around the opening to prevent them peeping.
Give everyone a piece of paper and pass the Christmas stocking or stockings around at your party and tell them how many objects there are in the stocking and have them write down all they can feel. ( for younger guests, have a parent write down the items) Two stockings will make the game go a little faster. The person that correctly guesses the most objects in the sock is the winner.
4)Where are Santa Clothes?
Get a small dolls Santa outfit and hide the various pieces of clothing like jacket, pants, boots, cap, etc… throughout your holiday decorating.
Give everyone a pad and pen when they arrive and tell them to look throughout the decorating to find Santa’s clothes. When they find Santa’s clothes they need to write it down and prizes can be given to the first 5 people who get everything correct. This is a great way of getting everyone to see all your decorating and different stuff through out the party area.
*If you don’t have a Santa outfit, make a list of Holiday items that guests can search for and the first ones to find them wins an ornament or a small gift.
I am a preschool and primary school teacher and mum to 3 children. I have been involved in education since 1997 and have trained in a variety of educational specialist areas. It is with this expertise that I write articles to help parents and educators provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care.
