Christmas Games for the Classroom

The holiday season kids get really excited and…well, let’s say… energized. Revisiting classroom community building activities is a good idea. The days leading up to the holiday break are a time to implement some fun team building Christmas games for the classroom.

First, you will want to make groups of about three students for each of these activities.

Play just for fun or make it more of a competition and keep score for each event.

You can assign different point values for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place groups in each event. For example, the group that comes in first place gets two points, and the group that comes in second place gets one point.

At the end, you can tally up the points to see which group is the winner.

In order to avoid having to spend your own money on supplies, you may want to create a donation list or an Amazon wishlist to share with parents and community members.

(This post contains Amazon Affiliate links which means that if you decide to purchase something through a link, Amazon will throw a few pennies my way at no additional cost to you.)

Classroom Christmas Game #1: Build a Christmas Tree Challenge

The object of the Christmas Tree Challenge is to make the tallest tree.

Materials Needed:

• Dots Gumdrops Candy
• rounded toothpicks
• yardstick

1. Make sure to give every group the same amount of gumdrops and rounded toothpicks.
2. Set a timer for as long as you’d like to give them.
3. Once the timer is up, have students place their hands behind their backs. Walk around and measure each group’s tree.

Any tree that topple over are disqualified. The group with the tallest tree wins.

Classroom Christmas Game #2: No Hands, Stacking Cups Christmas Tree Challenge

The object is to see which group can stack all the cups into a pyramid formation first, creating the look of a Christmas Tree.

Materials Needed:

• green plastic or paper cups
• rubberbands
• yarn or string

1. Tie three strings of the same length to a rubber band as in the picture.
2. Then, give each group 6 cups and the rubber band device.
3. Next, explain to the students that they are to stack the cups into a pyramid with three cups on the bottom, two in the middle, and one on top. They are not to touch the cups with any of their body parts. They can only use the device to maneuver the cups.
4. The first group to create the pyramid wins.

You can watch this YouTube video for a better understanding of how the challenge works.

Classroom Christmas Game #3: Snow Shoveling Challenge

The object is to transfer all the ping pong balls to the bucket using a spoon.

Materials Needed:

• ping pong balls
• plastic container
• plastic spoons

1. Start by placing the plastic containers against the walls in the classroom or take them outside.
2. Next, mark a line on the ground about 10 – 12 feet away from the plastic container. Make sure every group has the same distance and the same amount of balls.
3. Have the students in each group take turns transferring the ping pong balls from one container to another using only a spoon. The first group to successfully get all their ping pong balls in wins the challenge.

Christmas Game #4: Trim the Tree with Garland

The object is to wrap a team member up with a streamer in the fastest time.

Materials Needed:

• streamer

1. To begin, give each group one streamer.
2. Next, explain to the students that they are to wrap one of the students with the streamer as if they were trimming a tree with garland. Explain that they are to work as quickly as possible without ripping the streamer.
3. Once everyone understands, count to three and have them begin.

See which group can wrap their team member up the fastest. Want to make it even more challenging? Tell groups that the toilet paper can not rip as they mummify their partner. If it does, they will be disqualified.

Christmas Game #5: Build a Candy Cane

The object of this challenge is to see which group can thread the most beads through a pipe cleaner alternating red and white beads.

Materials Needed:

• pipe cleaners
• white beads
• red beads

1. Give each group a pipe cleaner, white beads, and red beads.
2. Set a timer to one minute.
3. Have the groups thread the pipe cleaner alternating the red and white beads.
4. When the timer goes off, have students stop and count how many beads they were able to incorporate into their “candy cane.” The group that used the most beads wins.

Christmas Game #6: Puzzle Challenges

The object of this challenge is to see which group can complete a Christmas-themed puzzle the fastest.

Materials Needed:

• Christmas Word Search or Crossword Puzzle (find some ready-made here: Christmas Puzzles)
• pencils

Begin by giving each group a different Christmas-themed puzzle, such as a word search or crossword. You can use a resource that provides both, allowing you to mix and match activities.

Set a timer and have each group race to solve their puzzle. For an added challenge, consider setting a rule that each student in the group must solve at least one word or clue.

The first group to complete their puzzle correctly wins!

Wrapping It Up

Hopefully these fun, team building Christmas games for the classroom help you and your students enjoy the day while also helping foster classroom community. If you are looking for ELA Christmas Activities for the Classroom, you can find several ideas on the blog too.