Christmas games for kids, from toddlers to tweens
Eight games that turn a room of excited children into a party, each with a Christmas version you can set up from things already in the house.
Updated October 9, 2026
Choosing by age
Ages 3 to 5. Short, simple and nobody is out. Freeze Dance, the reindeer’s nose and a scavenger hunt with things hidden in plain sight. Keep each game to five or ten minutes and expect to repeat the favorite.
Ages 6 to 9. They want rules and a winner. The wrapped parcel, Musical Chairs and the memory tray all suit this age. They will also police the rules for you.
Ages 10 to 12. Too old for the reindeer’s nose, or so they say. Give them Charades, a harder scavenger hunt list with things to photograph, and a job running a game for the little ones.
For a mixed party, the trick is to pair children up across ages and let the older one read, count or keep time.
A running order for a two-hour party
- Arrivals: the scavenger hunt. It needs no start signal, so it does not matter who is late.
- First game together: something loud with music, while they are fresh.
- Before food: the memory tray, sitting down, to settle the room.
- After food: the wrapped parcel, sitting in a circle. Full stomachs and running do not mix.
- Last twenty minutes: balloons, or Charades for an older group.
Leave ten minutes clear at the end for coats, bags and finding the other shoe.
Balloons and small prizes
If you are using balloons with young children, an adult should blow them up, spares should stay out of reach, and burst pieces should be picked up at once. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission advises keeping deflated balloons away from children younger than eight.
For prizes and parcel layers, avoid anything small enough to be swallowed when under-threes are at the party, and check with parents about allergies before using candy or chocolate.
What to have ready
- Music you can pause, and a speaker
- A drawing of a reindeer with no nose, and tape or reusable adhesive
- One small present wrapped in many layers
- A tray, a cloth and a dozen Christmas objects
- Balloons, already inflated
- Paper candy canes or decorations to hide, and a bag for each child
The games
-
Scavenger Hunt
Start here. Hide paper candy canes or small decorations before the children arrive and hand each one a bag. It soaks up the first burst of energy and gives late arrivals something to join.
- 2+ players
- 30 min
- Ages 5+
- Lively
- Needs a printed or written list per team, pens, a bag or box per team, a timer
-
Pin the Tail
Pin the nose on the reindeer needs one drawing and some tape. It works for the youngest children in the room, and everyone gets a turn without anyone being out.
- 3–20 players
- 15 min
- Ages 3+
- Lively
- Needs a large picture with the tail missing, one paper tail per player, reusable adhesive or tape, a blindfold, a pen
-
Freeze Dance
Christmas songs, a pause button and nothing else. Ask them to freeze as a snowman, a reindeer or a Christmas tree. It is the one game that works from age three.
- 3+ players
- 10 min
- Ages 3+
- Rowdy
- Needs music you can pause
- Ad position: inContent
-
Hot Potato
Play the wrapped-parcel version: a small present under many layers of paper, one layer off each time the music stops. Put a piece of candy or a sticker between layers so more than one child wins something.
- 5–25 players
- 10 min
- Ages 4+
- Lively
- Needs a soft ball or beanbag, music you can pause
-
Musical Chairs
For five-to-nines who like a contest. Use cushions as islands if chairs are short, and play the no-elimination version when the group is mostly under six.
- 5–25 players
- 10 min
- Ages 4+
- Rowdy
- Needs one chair per player minus one, music you can pause
-
Balloon Keep Up
Call the balloons snowballs and the floor lava. Ten minutes of flat-out movement in a small room, which is what a wet December afternoon needs.
- 2+ players
- 10 min
- Ages 4+
- Rowdy
- Needs balloons, a timer
-
Memory Tray
The calm one. Fill a tray with Christmas things, such as an ornament, a bell, a candy cane and a ribbon, cover it, and see who remembers most. Use it to bring the noise down before food.
- 2+ players
- 10 min
- Ages 5+
- Calm
- Needs a tray, 12 to 20 small objects, a cloth to cover the tray, paper and pens, a timer
- Ad position: inContentSecondary
-
Charades
For the older children, or as an all-ages game with grown-ups on each team. The Christmas deck in the charades generator has prompts a six-year-old can act.
- 4+ players
- 20 min
- Ages 6+
- Lively
- Needs paper slips, a pen, a bowl, a timer
Questions people ask
What is a good Christmas game for a mixed group of ages?
Freeze Dance and a scavenger hunt both work from three to twelve at once. For team games, put one older child on each team and let them be the reader.
How many games do you need for a kids' Christmas party?
For a two-hour party, plan five and expect to play four. Alternate a lively game with a calm one, and keep each to about ten minutes.
What Christmas games can kids play with no preparation?
Freeze Dance, Musical Chairs and Charades need only music or a phone. Balloon Keep Up needs balloons. The others on this list take a few minutes of set-up before guests arrive.
How do you stop little ones getting upset when they are out?
Play versions where nobody is out, give eliminated players a job such as judge or music helper, and hand out small prizes for more than just winning.
Sources
- Holiday Safety, US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Written October 9, 2026. Last checked October 9, 2026. How we write these.