The best Christmas games for kids fit the age in the room. A two-year-old wants to find things and hear a cheer. A five-year-old wants to race. A nine-year-old wants to win, and wants the grown-ups to play too. So these 30 games are sorted by age, each with its setup time and noise level, plus a free pack of printable Christmas games you can have on the table in five minutes.
Quick answer: for toddlers (2–3), play hide the reindeer, feed the snowman and elf stop and go. For preschoolers (4–5), try Santa says, Christmas picture bingo and pass the present. For big kids (6–10), go for Christmas charades, trivia and the left right Christmas game. All 30 are below, plus free printable Christmas games to print tonight.
Free printable Printable Christmas Games
Christmas games at a glance
Short on time? These ten cover every age and need almost nothing you don’t already own.
| Game | Ages | Setup | Noise | You need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hide the reindeer | 2–4 | 1 min | Low | A stuffed toy |
| Feed the snowman | 2–5 | 5 min | Medium | Box, rolled socks |
| Santa says | 3–8 | 0 min | Medium | Nothing |
| Christmas picture bingo | 3–10 | 5 min (print) | Low | Free printable |
| Pass the present | 3–10 | 5 min | Medium | A wrapped box, music |
| Christmas charades | 5–adult | 5 min (print) | Loud | Free printable |
| Left right Christmas game | 6–adult | 2 min (print) | Loud | A small gift each |
| Christmas trivia | 6–adult | 2 min (print) | Medium | Free printable |
| Snowman wrap race | 6–10 | 2 min | Loud | Toilet paper |
| Jingle bell shake | 6–adult | 10 min | Loud | Tissue box, bells, belt |
Christmas games for kids ages 2–3 (toddlers)
Toddlers don’t need winners. They need a short game, one simple rule and a big reaction when they get it right. Play two or three of these, five minutes each, then move on before anyone melts down.
1. Hide the reindeer
Hide a stuffed reindeer (or any soft toy) somewhere easy to spot. Sing “Rudolph” louder as your toddler gets closer and softer as they wander away. Once they get it, let them hide it for you. It works with one child or five.
2. Feed the snowman
Draw a snowman face on a cardboard box and cut a wide mouth hole. Toddlers “feed” him rolled-up white socks from a basket. Step the throwing line back as they get better. No balls to roll under the couch, and the socks go back in the drawer after.
3. Elf stop and go
Red light, green light with a Christmas twist. Hold up something red and everyone freezes like an elf caught by Santa. Hold up something green and they march. Three-year-olds love catching the grown-up moving on red.
4. Ornament color sort
Put out three baskets and a pile of big shatterproof ornaments. Call a color, and your toddler finds one and drops it in the right basket. Count them together at the end. Stick to ornaments too big to fit in a mouth. A common rule of thumb: if it slides through a toilet paper tube, it’s too small for a toddler.
5. What’s in Santa’s sack?
Put five familiar things in a pillowcase: a sock, a spoon, a toy car, a ball, a mitten. Your toddler reaches in, feels one and guesses before pulling it out. Older siblings can play blindfolded with trickier objects.
6. Reindeer, reindeer, Santa
Duck, duck, goose, holiday edition. Everyone sits in a circle; the walker taps heads saying “reindeer, reindeer…” and then “Santa!” Santa chases the walker around the circle. At two, let them walk the chase holding a grown-up’s hand.
For crafts, sensory play and quiet activities to fill the rest of the day, see our Christmas activities for toddlers.
Christmas games for kids ages 4–5 (preschoolers)
Four- and five-year-olds can follow rules, take turns (mostly) and handle losing a round if the next one starts fast. Keep teams mixed so nobody is out for long.
7. Santa says
Simon says, but only Santa gets obeyed. “Santa says pat your belly and say ho ho ho.” “Santa says fly like a reindeer.” “Wrap a present!” Anyone who wraps loses a turn, then jumps right back in on the next round. Zero setup, and it works for a whole classroom.
8. Christmas picture bingo
Picture bingo works for kids who can’t read yet: the caller holds up a gingerbread man and says the word, and everyone covers it. Our free pack has six different 3×3 cards and the calling cards to cut out. Three in a row wins. For under-4s, use stickers or crayon dabs as markers.
9. Pass the present
Wrap a small prize in several layers of paper, with a sticker or a silly job (“sing jingle bells like a robot”) tucked in each layer. Pass it around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, whoever holds it peels one layer. The last layer holds the prize.
10. Pin the nose on Rudolph
Draw a big reindeer on poster paper, tape it to the wall at kid height, and use a red sticker or a red paper circle with tape for the nose. At this age, skip the spinning: close eyes, take three steps and stick. Closest nose wins, and every nose stays on for the photo.
11. Candy cane hunt
Hide wrapped candy canes around one room (or paper candy canes for younger siblings). Give each child a color so everyone finds the same number. Hard candy is a choking risk for little kids, so the candy canes are eaten later, sitting at the table, by kids 4 and up.
12. Ornament spoon race
Balance a shatterproof ornament on a big spoon and walk it to the finish line. Drop it, go back to start. Add a zigzag of tape for older kids, or a hand behind the back.
13. Christmas memory match
Print the bingo calling cards twice, mix both sets face down and take turns flipping two. A match keeps the pair. Start with five pairs for four-year-olds and use all ten once they’re winning.
Christmas party games for kids ages 6–10
School-age kids want real competition, a scoreboard and games the adults join. These hold attention at a party or a classroom celebration.
14. Christmas charades
Our printable has 24 cards, from “build a snowman” to “fall asleep waiting for Santa.” Split into two teams, set a one-minute timer and act it out with no words. Readers can pull their own cards; younger players get theirs whispered.
15. Christmas trivia
Twenty questions kids can actually answer: how many points a snowflake has, what a baby reindeer is called, the name of the Grinch’s dog. Read them to two teams and keep score. The answers are on the last page of the pack.
16. The left right Christmas game
Everyone holds a small wrapped gift in a circle while one person reads a story full of the words LEFT and RIGHT. Pass on every one. The gift you hold at the end is yours. Full rules and our original story are further down.
17. Christmas word search race
Hand out the 12×12 word search face down. On “go,” everyone flips it and races to find all 14 words (they run across, down and diagonally). First to finish shouts “Ho ho ho!” Play in pairs if reading levels differ.
18. Christmas Pictionary
Use the charades cards as drawing prompts. One player draws on a whiteboard or paper, their team guesses, 60 seconds per card. “Santa going down the chimney” is harder to draw than it sounds.
19. Snowman wrap race
Teams of two or three get one roll of toilet paper each and two minutes to wrap one teammate into a snowman. Add a paper carrot nose and a scarf for style points. Keep wrapping off the face.
20. Christmas tree bowling
Stack ten paper or plastic cups into a pyramid “tree” at the end of a hallway. Roll a soft ball to knock it down. Two rolls per turn, and each player restacks for the next.
Family Christmas games everyone can play
The best family Christmas games give grandparents and toddlers the same shot at winning. These work after dinner, with mixed ages around one table or one rug.
21. Who am I? sticky notes
A grown-up writes Christmas characters on sticky notes: Santa, Rudolph, a gingerbread man, Frosty, an elf, the Grinch. Each player wears one on their forehead without looking and asks yes-or-no questions until they guess it.
22. Hum that carol
One player hums the first line of a carol; first to name it scores. Kids can pick easy ones (“Jingle Bells”), grown-ups pick harder ones. Little kids can play by joining in on the singing.
23. The plastic wrap ball game
Wrap small treats and trinkets into a big ball of plastic wrap, layer by layer. Players sit in a circle; one unwraps as fast as they can while the next player rolls a pair of dice. Doubles means the ball moves on. You keep whatever falls out. It’s for kids 6 and up: plastic wrap is a suffocation risk for babies and toddlers, so clear every scrap away after.
24. Gift swap dice game
Everyone brings one cheap wrapped gift to a pile. Take turns rolling one die: a 6 lets you take a gift from the pile. When the pile is gone, set a timer for three minutes and roll again. Now a 6 lets you steal from anyone. Open everything when the timer ends.
25. Christmas story chain
Start a story with one line: “On Christmas Eve, the reindeer got the hiccups.” Go around the circle, each player adding one sentence. The funnier it gets, the better. Write it down; it’s a keepsake next year.
Minute to win it Christmas games for kids
Minute to win it Christmas games give each player 60 seconds to finish a silly challenge. Use them for ages 6 and up, run them one at a time with everyone watching, and cheer loudly.
26. Jingle bell shake
Put a few jingle bells in an empty tissue box and tie it to a player’s waist with a belt or ribbon. They have one minute to shake every bell out with no hands. Keep the bells away from babies and toddlers: they’re small enough to swallow.
27. Candy cane hook
Lay ten candy canes on a table. Holding one candy cane, players hook the others up by their curves one at a time and drop them in a cup. Most in a minute wins.
28. Blizzard blow
Each player gets a straw and five cotton balls. Blow the “snowballs” across the table and over a tape finish line. No hands, and no blowing on someone else’s snowballs.
29. Cup stack Christmas tree
Stack ten cups into a 4-3-2-1 pyramid tree, then unstack them back into a single tower. Fastest time wins. Green cups make it look festive, any cups work.
30. Cookie face
Put a small cookie on the player’s forehead. Using only face muscles, they wiggle it down to their mouth. Funny for the audience and possible in under a minute. Big kids only, and sitting down.
Printable Christmas games for kids (free pack)
Printable Christmas games save you from inventing everything on the day. Our free printable Christmas games pack is a 10-page PDF, US Letter, no email needed:
- Christmas picture bingo: six different 3×3 cards, two to a page, for ages 3 and up.
- Bingo calling cards: ten picture cards to cut out (print twice for a memory game).
- Christmas charades: 24 cards for ages 5 and up.
- Christmas trivia: 20 kid-friendly questions with an answer key.
- Christmas word search: 14 words across, down and diagonally, for ages 8 and up.
- The left right Christmas game: an original read-aloud story.
Want an easier word search, a maze and a letter to Santa too? They’re in our Christmas activity pages. And for a calm game that needs no supplies at all, try our Christmas would you rather questions.
How to play the left right Christmas game
The left right Christmas game is a gift-passing game. Players sit in a circle, each holding one small wrapped gift, while one person reads a story aloud. Every time the reader says “left,” everyone passes their gift to the left. Every time they say “right,” gifts go to the right. When the story ends, you keep the gift in your hands.
- Pick gifts: one small wrapped gift per player, about the same value, like a candy bar, a book or a pair of fuzzy socks.
- Sit in a circle on the floor or around the table.
- Read slowly the first time. Our story, “The Mixed-Up Christmas Morning,” says LEFT 9 times and RIGHT 7 times, including a few sneaky ones like “there were none left.”
- Open the gifts when the story ends.
Read it faster in round two. Kids under 6 can play on a grown-up’s lap and pass together.
How to run a Christmas party game hour
Mixing quiet games with loud ones keeps a party from boiling over. This plan works for a classroom party or six to twelve kids at home, ages 4 to 10.
| Time | Game | Why here |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Christmas word search or coloring at the table | Something to do while guests arrive |
| 10–20 min | Santa says, then reindeer, reindeer, Santa | Burns energy, no setup |
| 20–35 min | Christmas picture bingo | Everyone sits down again |
| 35–45 min | Minute to win it challenges | Loud and funny, one at a time |
| 45–55 min | Charades or trivia in two teams | Big kids and adults join in |
| 55–60 min | The left right Christmas game | Ends with a gift for everyone |
Prizes don’t need to be big. Stickers, a candy cane for kids 4 and up, or first pick of the cookies all work. And to keep the fun going all month, our advent calendar ideas for kids give you something small to do on each day of December.
Keeping Christmas games for kids safe
A few holiday staples are riskier for young kids than they look. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists these:
- Hard candy and marshmallows: keep them from children until at least age 4. That includes candy canes, peppermints and marshmallow games.
- Balloons: a choking risk up to age 8. Skip balloon games at a party with younger kids, and pick up broken pieces right away.
- Small objects: jingle bells, small ornaments, coins and button batteries (in light-up toys and cards) stay out of reach of babies and toddlers.
Also use shatterproof ornaments in every game, keep blindfold spins gentle (or skip them) for under-6s, and clear plastic wrap and ribbon away once the gift games end.
Christmas games for kids FAQ
What are some fun Christmas games for kids?
Fun Christmas games for kids include Santa says, Christmas picture bingo, pass the present, charades, the left right Christmas game and minute to win it challenges like the jingle bell shake. Pick by age: toddlers like finding and feeding games, big kids like teams and timers.
What are good Christmas games for a classroom party?
Classroom parties need games that work for 20 or more kids at once and fit in under an hour. Santa says, picture bingo, a word search race and charades in two teams all work. The party plan above fills 60 minutes.
What Christmas games can you play with no supplies?
Santa says, elf stop and go, reindeer reindeer Santa, hum that carol and the Christmas story chain need nothing at all. Christmas would you rather questions work too, even in the car.
What are good family Christmas games for all ages?
Who am I? sticky notes, hum that carol, the gift swap dice game and the left right Christmas game give everyone from age 4 to 84 a fair chance. Pair little kids with a grown-up for the reading and dice games.
How do you play Christmas bingo with kids who can’t read?
Use picture bingo: the caller says the word and holds up the picture, and kids cover the matching square. Our free cards have a picture and a word in every square, so pre-readers learn the words as they play.
How many games do you need for a Christmas party?
Plan five or six games for an hour, about ten minutes each, and keep one extra ready. Alternate a loud game with a quiet one so the energy stays manageable.
