Christmas party games for kids

[chanelfreak]

Hi everyone!

I would love to pick your brains about ideas to keep smallies entertained during a Christmas party myself and DH are hosting in a couple of weeks. We have no kids ourselves, but we have invited the DS/DDs of our friends, so I reckon we will have maybe 20 kids in total, ages ranging from 12 down to toddlers.

I don't want to just stick the kiddies upstairs with a DVD, I'd like them to have a good time too, so I was hoping some of you could help me out with ideas to keep them happy

Would water-based painting activities be totally off the cards? I don't want to make work for the mum/dads, but I was thinking it might be a good idea?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions/advice [santa]

[allisbrightandshiney]

Sounds great.

I would steer clear of anything water /paint related. It'll probably get spilt over clothes/floor etc. Also constant need of fresh water.

I would stick to colouring/craft.

Poundland/wilkos have some great Christmas crafts in for very cheap. The older kids will probably enjoy helping the little ones too.

There are some great kids Christmas activities on pinterest too.

Christmas dvd and kids treat snacks would be appreciated by parents too.

Have fun

[allisbrightandshiney]

I didn't mean to keep saying too at the end of every sentence!

[Partybugs]

Home bargains have a Santa piñata for £5.. I've filled it with Xmas erasers from The Works, 12 for £1.

Pass the stocking (forfeits maybe)

[chanelfreak]

Thanks a mil for those ideas and for the warnings on the painting! I'm not in the UK, but I will take a look in the shops over the weekend and hopefully find something similar

[LauraChant]

I have been thinking about this too - we will have a range of boys and girls from 13 down to 4, and I was trying to think of some ways to stop them just sitting in a row on the sofa staring at various tablets and game consoles. So I am trying to think of games everyone including adults can play, if they want, as we used to when I were a lass.

I thought of charades/ Give Us A Clue, but not in teams, so people can wander in and out. And maybe the name game where you have to guess who you are, but I might make some cards with pictures on for the ones who can't read. Still pondering other options...

[2anddone]

I have a Christmas party every year, along with the normal musical bumps/statues we also play pass the parcel, pin the nose on Rudolph and make your mummy a snowman (wrap adult in toilet roll, add hat, scarf etc). I also get in craft (colouring, stickers, scratch art etc no paint or glitter) this all usually takes around 2 hours then we have a cinema with festive DVD (usually Elf, nativity, polar express) popcorn etc so adults can then chill out and relax :)

[chanelfreak]

2anddone you are a genius. I will be copying ALL of that thank you!

[2anddone]

never been called that before copy away!! 20 years of childcare comes in handy every now and then!! Just remember not too many sweets as prizes or the relaxing cinema part doesn't happen! Have fun

[OSETmum]

We're having a Christmas Eve party and there will be the usual party games plus the corner game ( when the music stops children run to a festively named corner and whoever is in the corner that is shouted out by the adult in charge of the music is out/ we play it the opposite way and they get a sweet/ prize). We also play the chocolate game where you sit in a circle and roll a dice then whoever gets a 6 has to put in a hat, scarf and gloves then eat from a chocolate bar using a knife and fork.

Or how about a Christmas quiz played in family teams?

[Partybugs]

I've upgraded this year. I've hired the local hall, a Christmas themed bouncy castle and an actress to come and be Santas elf and she'll hand each child a gift.

Beyond excited 🎅🏻

[recklessgran]

Two teams.Provide each team with some green crepe paper,a couple of metres of tinsel,some baubles and a silver star.Give them 10 minutes to dress one member of the team as a Christmas tree. [You could give them sellotape and scissors to help them.]
Again,two teams with a pair of tights and eight red balloons each.Blow up the balloons and stuff into the legs of the tights to form antlers [Four in each leg] Winner is the first team to achieve this and put the body of the tights on the head of one team member and sing Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.
Both games great fun for all ages and stages of inebriation!

[recklessgran]

Oops forgot this one-
Give each person a plain paper plate and a felt pen.
Put paper plate flat on your head .[Little ones just draw on the plate normally.]
Now instruct like this;
Draw a line for the floor.
Draw a Christmas tree.
Draw a star on top of the tree.
Draw six baubles on tree.
Draw a fireplace next to the tree.
Draw a stocking hanging from the mantle.
Draw a present under the tree.
Score like this- 2 points if tree touches floor, 1 point if star touches tree, 1 point if star is above tree, 1 point for each ornament on the tree, 1 point if fireplace doesn't touch the tree [Fire hazard!] 1 point if stocking is hanging from the mantle, 5 points if present is under the tree.

[Fresh01]

Games, my SIL has heaps of them.

• Get an empty cardboard cereal box. Each person takes a turn standing with legs shoulder width apart, hands behind back and you have to bend over and pick up the top edge with your teeth. Keep repeating reducing the height of the box. Funny to see who wins as very unpredictable - if a mum does yoga she goes well or the older kid who does gymnastics or the little kid cos they have such a low centre of gravity.
  

• in teams you each get a toilet roll. Race to make one team member a snowman!
  

• get a dice, hat, scarf, gloves, a mars bar and blunt knife. All sit round in a circle. Throw a 6 and you put on hat, scarf, gloves and can cut off small bits of mars bar till next person gets a 6 and swaps with you.
  

• in 2 teams give everyone a cocktail stick that they out in their mouth. Thread a polo mint on the first cocktail stick and you have to pass the polo mint down the line from cocktail stick to cocktail stick.
  

• similar thing but passing an orange tucked under your chin down the line.
  

• tie a balloon on a piece of string round each persons ankle. Put on Xmas music. When the music stops you have to try to protect your balloon whilst trying to jump on other peoples to burst them! Last left with their balloon wins.
  

• print out a Rudolph picture and get a big red nose. Blind fold each person in turn and see who can put the nearest nose on Rudolph.

[janaus]

Yes, love the "pin the nose" on Rudulph game. Or Santa, I am sure Pinterest has some printables.

[Katieweasel]

happyhomefairy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Christmas-With-the-Right-Family.docx

The left right game. Lots of versions on line.

[Katieweasel]

Posted too early. You sit in a circle. Someone has a parcel. You pass left, right or across each time the word comes up in the story. A bit like pass the parcel but with a difference.