With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to share with you some of the fun ideas I have used over the years for Christmas games at family parties, ward parties, school parties and just for fun! When choosing games to play I look at some of the old favorite games we used to play all the time and turn them into unique and fun Christmas style games. Here are some of our favorites!
1) Christmas "Taboo": If you can't remember how "taboo" is played... you divide the group into two teams. They pick someone from their team to come up and are given 30 seconds (or maybe a minute) to get their team to say as many of the words on their cards as they can without using the five words below the main word on the card. For example: Get your team to say "Santa" without using the words "Presents", "Jolly", "Fat", "Red", "Man". Create your own cards on green or red card stock. Think of different Christmas words and then write below the five words you might use to describe this word. The cards are easy to make and they love to play!
2) "All I want for Christmas...": This is a fun pencil and paper game. I run of a sheet of paper with some Christmas clip art on it and the words "All I want for Christmas..." Written across the top. I also write..."If money was no object, what would you like for Christmas?" Each player writes something they would really like and then hands in their paper without putting their name on it. After all the papers are collected, the leader reads each Christmas wish and the group tries to guess who's Christmas wish it is! It's fun and pretty interesting to find out the deep wishes of the people at your party. Young children can play this by having an adult help them write what their wish is.
4) If you have an old "Gestures" game, use the plastic timer that you put cards in and make some of your own using the original cards as you master for the correct size. Write Christmas words on them that the player needs to get his team to guess before it drops through the slot! Christmas words might be: Santa, Reindeer, Tree, Lights, Presents, Candy Cane, Elf, Stocking, Ribbon, Wrapping Paper, Egg Nog, Ornaments, Etc.
5) Bingo and Concentration Games always are a hit. . . especially with younger children. We have some fun ones on the website, but you can make your own using small pictures from coloring books, magazines, or clip art from the internet.
6) We love to make up our own "Christmas Minute-To-Win-It!" Think of some fun tasks they can do in one minute. Players come up in front of the group and just try to accomplish the task to entertain everyone else! Ideas might include: 1) Christmas Junk in the Trunk! - (Get a large tissue box and fill with a dozen large circle bells or ping pong balls. Run a small twine or rope through the box so it can be tied around the player's waist. Place the box behind them and then they shake and jump and do whatever they can to get the bells to jump out and fall out of the box. 2) Stack Attack! - Use 49 Red Solo Cups and one green one in a vertical stack. They must remove the cups one at a time placing the top cup to the bottom using one hand and trading from left to right hand each switch. Once the green cup has gone from the top clear through the stack and back to the top, the game is over. 3) Face the Cookie! - Use a small Christmas cookie and place it on your forehead. When the leader says "Go", everyone starts moving their eyebrows and facial skin to move the cookie down their face and into their mouth. If the cookie falls off, they replace it on heir forehead. . . everyone plays this at the same time. . . young and old love this.
Use your imagination and create some fun activities for your group to do. . . it was a real hit with our group last year!
Check out your Christmas section on the webstie to find some more fun game ideas for the whole family! Have a great holiday!
