Christmas Party Ideas for Kids: 30 Games, Crafts and Treats That Work

Pick the shape of the party first

Decide three things before you choose any game: the age range, the length and whether parents stay. Three- to five-year-olds need a parent in the room and about 90 minutes. Six- to nine-year-olds can be dropped off for two hours. Ten and up want fewer organized games and more time to just be together.

A December party competes with school concerts, travel and other parties, so a weekend afternoon in the first half of the month gets the best turnout. Invite about a third more children than you want, because December RSVPs come in slower than usual.

Games (10)

• Pin the nose on the snowman. A paper snowman on the wall, a blindfold and a paper carrot per child.
• Freeze dance to Christmas songs. When the music stops, freeze like a statue, an elf or a reindeer, as called.
• Present pass. A gift wrapped in ten layers goes around the circle while music plays. Whoever holds it when the music stops removes one layer.
• Snowball toss. Rolled white socks and a laundry basket. Move the basket further away each round.
• Reindeer antler ring toss. Paper antlers on a headband, worn by a parent, and soft rings or rolled tape.
• Candy cane hunt. Hide wrapped candy canes around one room, then let the kids loose with a count to find.
• Elf relay. Two teams carry a wrapped gift on a spoon or between two sticks to the finish line.
• Christmas bingo. Print cards with pictures instead of numbers for children who cannot read yet.
• Wrap the snowman. Teams of three wrap one child in white crepe paper, then add a paper hat and scarf. Fastest team wins.
• Jingle bell scoop. Move bells from one bowl to another with a spoon, one minute per child, no hands.

Crafts (7)

One craft is enough for a 90-minute party, two for a longer one. Set the table before guests arrive and keep the glue sticks in a bowl, not loose.

• Paper plate wreaths. Cut out the center, paint green, glue on tissue paper and a bow.
• Salt dough ornaments. Mix the dough beforehand, let children cut shapes with cookie cutters, and send them home to bake.
• Pipe cleaner candy canes. Twist a red and a white pipe cleaner together and bend the top.
• Handprint reindeer cards. A brown handprint, googly eyes and a red pom-pom nose.
• Pinecone trees. Pinecones painted green with glitter and small beads pressed in as ornaments.
• Decorate-your-own stocking. Felt stockings, fabric glue and a tray of sequins and pom-poms.
• Paper snowflakes. Fold, cut, unfold and tape to the window as the party goes on.

Food and treats (8)

• A cookie decorating station. Plain sugar cookies, three colors of icing in squeeze bottles and sprinkles in cups.
• Hot chocolate bar. Cocoa in a thermos, marshmallows, candy canes to stir and whipped cream from a can.
• Reindeer sandwiches. Cut sandwiches into triangles, add pretzel antlers and a cherry tomato nose.
• Fruit Christmas trees. Grapes and strawberries on skewers, stacked into a tree shape on the plate.
• Snowman pizzas. English muffins, mozzarella rounds and olive slices for buttons.
• Popcorn cones. Paper cones filled with popcorn mixed with red and green candies.
• Melted snowman cookies. A round cookie, white icing spread flat and a marshmallow head.
• Marshmallow snowmen on sticks. Three marshmallows on a skewer, with icing dots for eyes and buttons.

Five themes to build around

A theme makes the invitation, the food and the games fit together, and it tells parents what to send their child in.

• Cookie decorating party. The craft and the treat are the same thing, which saves an hour of planning.
• Pajama party. Everyone comes in pajamas, watches a short Christmas film and drinks hot chocolate.
• Elf workshop. Children make a simple gift for a parent at stations around the room.
• North Pole breakfast. A morning party with pancakes, which keeps younger children fresh and leaves the afternoon free.
• Ugly sweater party for kids. The sweater is the costume, and the silliest one wins a small prize.

A two-hour schedule to copy

• 0:00. Arrival, name stickers and a quiet activity on the table, such as coloring sheets.
• 0:15. Two active games to burn off the first energy.
• 0:40. Craft, while the first batch of hot chocolate cools.
• 1:05. Food.
• 1:25. One calm game, such as bingo, or a short film for younger children.
• 1:45. Cookie decorating, which doubles as the goodie bag.
• 2:00. Pick-up. Say the end time in the invitation and stick to it.

What to tell parents in the invitation

Parents reply faster when the invitation answers their questions up front. Put these in the note, not in a later message.

• Drop-off or stay. For children under six, say that a parent stays.
• The end time, so parents can plan pick-up.
• What to wear, if there is a theme or a craft that stains.
• Gifts. Most kids' Christmas parties are no-gift events, and saying so removes an awkward question.
• Allergies. Ask parents to tell you, and say whether nuts, dairy or gluten will be present.
• Siblings. Welcome or not, and whether they count for the head count.

Invitation wording to copy

• "Noah's Christmas party! Saturday, December 12, from 2 to 4 pm at 14 Pine Street. Games, a craft and cookie decorating. Please drop off and pick up at 4. No gifts, just come. RSVP by December 5."
• "Pajamas and hot chocolate: a Christmas party for Mia's friends. Sunday, December 6, 10 am to 11:30 am, at our place. Parents welcome to stay. Tell us about allergies when you reply. RSVP by November 29."

Send it as a video and keep the count

Children like an invitation they can watch, and parents like one they can answer in a tap. Blast makes an animated video invitation with music, sent as a link by text, WhatsApp or email, and guests RSVP from the invite without an account, so the replies land on your private dashboard instead of in a group chat. It runs in the browser, there is no app, and it is free to create and send. The Christmas designs include Claymation Santa, DJ Reindeer, Dance Cookie, Cookie Bakers and Santa Classics, which all suit a children's party.