You’re probably
thinking, “Here she goes again with more holiday ideas.” Well, these games can certainly be
played at a holiday party you might be having, but they are just as much fun
for a birthday party or any other celebration. They are also easy to adapt. For example, instead of playing pin the red nose on Rudolph you could play pin the carrot on Frosty's nose. Rather than using sweet treats you could use pencils, stickers, or another prize.
Pass the Parcel
This is actually a
game a student from England taught me.
Thus, “parcel” instead of “present.” My students LOVED this! Fill a box with sugarless bubblegum, pencils, small toys, or
stickers. There should be enough
for everyone in the group. Next,
wrap the present over and over again with wrapping paper, tissue paper, or
funny pages from the newspaper.
Children sit in a circle and begin passing the “parcel” around as music
is played. When the music stops
that child gets to open one layer on the package. (If the package lands on someone who has already had a turn
they pass it on to the person sitting next to them.) Continue the game until the gift is reached. That child then passes out the goodies
to the rest of the group.
Children love to
hunt for things, so if the weather is nice you can hide jingle bells,
snowballs (cotton balls), chocolate gold coins, small toys, etc. on the
playground for the children to find.
*Divide the class
in half. Let one group hide the
objects for the others to find and then reverse roles.
Magic Number
Fill a clear jar or container with candy, cotton balls, or jingle bells. The person who guesses the closest amount is the winner.
Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Draw a reindeer on a poster or chalk board. Cut out red circles and have each child write her name on a circle. Put tape on the back of each circle. One at a time, blindfold each child and spin them around gently three times. Face them towards the reindeer and challenge them to put the nose on Rudolph. Who can get the closest?
Magic Number
Fill a clear jar or container with candy, cotton balls, or jingle bells. The person who guesses the closest amount is the winner.
Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Draw a reindeer on a poster or chalk board. Cut out red circles and have each child write her name on a circle. Put tape on the back of each circle. One at a time, blindfold each child and spin them around gently three times. Face them towards the reindeer and challenge them to put the nose on Rudolph. Who can get the closest?
Puzzle Pairs
Take old greeting
cards and cut them in half like a puzzle.
Give each child one half.
Have them close their eyes while the other half is hidden in the room. Children tiptoe around the room until
they find their matching puzzle piece and sit down.
Pantomime and
Name That Tune
Children love to
perform, so they always enjoy playing “Guess who I am?” with seasonal objects
or toys. They can also take turns
humming seasonal songs for their friends to identify.
Word Games
Write a seasonal
word on the board. How many words
can they create using the letters in the seasonal word?
Hint! Pair children for this activity to
enable all children to feel successful.
Holiday Four
Corners
You will need four
seasonal pictures to tape in each corner of the classroom. For example, a snowman, bell, candy
cane, and candle. One child is “it.”
“It” hides her eyes and counts to
ten as the rest of the class tiptoes to a corner. “It” then calls out one of the objects. The students in that corner are out and
must sit in the “stew pot” (center of the room). “It” counts to ten again as the students tiptoe to a new
corner. The game continues until
one child is left. That child
becomes the new “it.”
