As we always say here at Yuletide Wishes, children are the VIPs at Christmas. Being able to sense their excitement as the Big Bus gets closer is one of the festive season highlights. But maybe you got a little caught up in all the excitement yourself and, for some crazy reason, agreed to host a children’s Christmas party? It seemed like a great idea at the time. Now, as the days get closer, you are starting to wonder whatever possessed you to say yes in the first place. The thought of a house full of children leaving handprints on your walls and crumbs all over your carpet no longer feels as appealing as it did a few months ago. What will you do, and how will you ever keep them occupied? The good news is that we have some great suggestions for some entertaining children’s Christmas party activities.
The good news is that the majority of games and activities you play at any other time of the year will work just as well at Christmas. All you need to do is add a little festive twist, and you’ll have some activities that the whole family can enjoy!
1. Gingerbread house making
Making a gingerbread house is a popular choice for a children’s party, but then there is a good reason for this. It is a tremendous amount of fun! You can either make one big house where everyone contributes a specific part. Or you can allow each child can make their miniature version on their own. If you decide to go for a group house, then it’ll only really work is there are not too many children (ideally less than six). Things can become quite chaotic otherwise! Whichever option you choose; you can purchase kits from Amazon to make life a lot easier for you.
2. Make a festive decoration
Not only will this keep them quiet as they concentrate, but it’ll also mean they can create a Christmas memory to take home with them. If you have space, we suggest that you make three or four stations with different items at each one. The children can then work their way through them to create their decorations. You can buy some plain baubles for them to decorate. Or let them create their festive shape to decorate from felt or cardboard.
3. Have a festive singalong
Children love to sing! So why not have a festive singalong? It can be anything from traditional Christmas carols to more recent festive chart music. Rather than relying on their own, probably limited knowledge of the lyrics, we suggest you print them off beforehand. Everyone can then singalong through the entire song and not just the parts they know (or think they know!). You can also display the lyrics for them to follow along on-screen like in karaoke. YouTube is a great place to find festive karaoke songs. Just search for ‘Christmas karaoke,’ and you’ll find plenty. Doing it this way also means you don’t need to guess the songs you think they want to sing like you do when you are pre-printing the lyrics. Out of all our suggestions for children’s Christmas party activities, this one has to be the most fun!
4. Festive pajama party
Of course, you can host a children’s pajama party at any time of the year, but having one at Christmas will make it even more special. As soon as they arrive, everyone should put their pajamas on to help them get into the festive spirit. Get everyone settled down to watch your favorite Christmas movie. Turn down the lights, fill their mugs with hot chocolate, and make sure there are plenty of blankets to snuggle up underneath. Watching a festive movie can be a great activity to calm them all down just before bedtime.
6. Hold a festive cookie or sweet exchange
Asking all the children you invite to make some cookies to bring with them will give them all something exciting to do with their own family before they arrive. However, this is only a good idea if you are sure it will not put too much pressure on their parents! Plenty of us becomes a little bit frazzled in the run-up to Christmas. Having the extra burden of having to spend time baking may not go down too well with everyone. If you have any doubts, how about asking each child to bring a small packet of sweets or treats instead?
5. Party with a purpose (bring charity donations, etc.)
We tell children that Christmas is all about giving, but how often do we demonstrate this to them? Of course, they’ll all get lots of gifts from friends, family, and people they know. But when do we show them that it is also essential to do things for people we don’t know? Why don’t you ask every child to bring something to give to someone else? This could be old toys that you can donate to charity. Or it could be some homemade treats that you can give to an elderly neighbor. Why not walk all the children to your local charity store so they can hand over their donations themselves? Or you can collect them and distribute them yourself.
6. Christmas from around the globe
There are a considerable number of countries from around the globe that celebrate Christmas. Why not introduce the children to some of the festivities that happen elsewhere for once? This can be as simple as trying some different food, or it can involve everyone trying to sing a festive song in a foreign language (this is a lot of fun!). If you have children with family from another part of the world, why not ask their parents for ideas or suggestions?
7. Festive scavenger hunt
Every child loves a scavenger hunt! You can hide something big and special (we like to use an Elf or a Santa toy), or you can hide lots of smaller things. Sweets and treats are great as small items. You can create a map of your home, garden, or neighborhood, or you can use some riddles for them to use as clues (search online for ‘house riddles’ for some examples). Or, if you are too busy, then don’t give them any clues. Just give them a rough idea of where something is hidden (it/they are in the garden) and let them loose. This can be a lot of fun, especially for younger children who might struggle with clues, but it is likely to be a little more chaotic.
8. Christmas stocking guessing game
This activity is straightforward but also a lot of fun. Put something into a Christmas stocking, hand it to a child and get them to try and guess what it is without looking inside. If they get it right, they get to keep it. If they get it wrong, the stocking is passed to the next child, so they can take a turn at having a guess. Some items should be simple and obvious, whereas others should be more challenging. Why not try and disguise the shape of an item somehow? For example, if the thing is a doll, then why not tape the legs together to make it less easy to guess what it is?
9. Santa says
This activity is the festive version of Simon says. The game involves Santa issuing instructions that the children then have to follow. For example, ‘put your hands on your head’ or ‘moo like a cow.’ The children should only carry out the instruction if prefaced with the words ‘Santa says’. If they follow the instruction and Santa has not said ‘Santa says,’ then that child is out of the game. Similarly, if they don’t follow an instruction prefaced with the words ‘Santa says’, they are also out of the game.
An adult can perform the role of Santa, or different children can do it for each game that you play. Ideally, though, it should be done by Santa himself! Imagine him turning up during the party, handing out a few presents, and then inviting everyone to play a festive game of ‘Santa says’ with him. It sounds like a Christmas miracle to me!
10. Gloves games
Children can have a lot of fun with something as simple as a pair of gloves. Make a big fuss of saying that now it is winter they should wear their gloves all the time, even when inside your home. Then ask them to do some simple tasks while wearing them. Eating food and unwrapping presents is a great one (although eating can get quite messy!). The key is to make things a little bit challenging for them. It should be fun rather than impossible!
Children’s Christmas party activities are a must if you want to retain your sanity during the festive season. Hopefully, our list has helped to give you some ideas. If you have any better suggestions, then please comment below.