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Every child loves the magic and excitement of Christmas, and hosting a party for kids that captures the holiday spirit is a wonderful way to celebrate the season. With careful party planning, you can create an event filled with fun activities, delicious treats, and festive decorations that will keep the holiday spirit alive.
From setting up a photo booth decked out in red and green to organizing games that delight and entertain, here are the best Christmas party ideas for kids.
Christmas Party Themes for Kids
Transforming your space into a holiday wonderland is easy with the right theme. Here are Christmas party themes for kids
Polar Express Theme
A Polar Express party theme invites children to embark on a magical train journey without leaving your home. Begin with sending out golden ticket invitations that set the tone for an adventure to the North Pole.
Encourage little guests to come in their coziest pajamas, mirroring the movie’s nighttime train ride. As they arrive, greet them with the warmth of hot cocoa, setting the stage for a viewing of the Polar Express movie, and bringing the enchanting story to life right in your living room. Activities can include making train-themed crafts or setting up a mini train track.
Frozen Theme
A Frozen-themed party brings the enchantment of Arendelle into your home, delighting fans of the beloved movie. Decorate your space with hues of blue, purple, and white, creating a winter wonderland that Elsa and Anna would be proud of. Fake snow and snowflakes hanging from the ceiling add to the magical ambiance, making children feel as though they’ve stepped into the movie.
To elevate the experience, consider inviting characters from the film, such as Elsa, Anna, or even Sven lookalikes, to make an appearance. This not only brings the theme to life but also gives children the thrilling opportunity to meet their favorite characters. A face painter can transform partygoers into Arendelle’s residents, adding an extra touch of magic to your Frozen theme.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Theme
Embrace the playful mischief of How the Grinch Stole Christmas with a party theme dedicated to the classic tale. Decorate with bright, whimsical colors and lights to recreate the whimsy of Whoville.
A visit from the Grinch himself, possibly through hiring a local costumed character, can be the highlight, delighting children and encouraging them to engage in Grinch-themed activities. Set up a Whobilation station where kids can make Grinch-themed crafts or enjoy storytelling sessions of Dr. Seuss’s famous book.
Santa’s Workshop Theme
Transform your party space into Santa’s workshop, a place of wonder where children can immerse themselves in the joy of making gifts and toys. Provide materials like cardboard, colorful paper, glue, and markers, and let kids’ imaginations run wild as they create presents for their families.
This hands-on activity not only keeps them engaged but also teaches the value of giving.
Reindeer Games Galore
Incorporating reindeer games into your party ensures laughter and excitement among the young guests. From healthy snacks shaped like reindeer to creative activities like making reindeer water bottles, there’s no shortage of ways to bring the theme to life. Watching a holiday movie like “Elf” while engaging in these activities adds to the festive atmosphere, making every moment of the party enjoyable.
These reindeer-themed activities not only entertain but also spark children’s imaginations, allowing them to dive deeper into the holiday spirit.
Winter Wonderland
Transform your space into a snowy paradise. Use white decorations like cotton balls, paper snowflakes, and sparkly tinsel. Set up a DIY snow globe station where kids can create their own miniature winter scenes.
Create a cozy area with fluffy pillows and blankets for storytelling. Serve hot chocolate and snowflake-shaped cookies to complete the wintry atmosphere.
Gingerbread House Party
Celebrate with a sweet gingerbread theme. Set up stations for kids to decorate their own gingerbread houses. Use brown and white colors to mimic gingerbread and frosting.
Decorate walls with oversized candy cutouts and hang peppermint-striped streamers. Create a photo booth with a giant gingerbread house backdrop for fun memories.
Elf Training Camp
Design an elf-themed party where kids become Santa’s helpers. Set up activity stations for wrapping presents, making toys, and practicing elf skills. Use green and red colors for an authentic North Pole feel.
Decorate with pointy elf hats, oversized candy canes, and festive signs. Create an obstacle course with holiday-themed challenges for the little elves to complete.
Fun-Filled Christmas Games and Activities
Bringing together classic games with a holiday twist is a great way to keep the party lively and fun. These festive Christmas party games and ideas keep the kids engaged and excited throughout the celebration.
Candy Cane Scavenger Hunt
A candy cane scavenger hunt adds a dash of excitement to any Christmas party. Hide candy canes throughout your home or garden and watch as children rush to find them. This game not only provides sweet treats but also encourages exploration and fun, keeping the spirit of adventure alive.
This game is a delightful way to incorporate sweet treats into the party, ensuring kids have a memorable time hunting for their festive goodies.
A Jingle Bell Jam Session
Host a jingle bell jam session for a fun and festive musical experience. Give each child a box wrapped in holiday paper, containing a mystery number of jingle bells. They shake the boxes and guess the number of bells inside.
This activity not only entertains but also stimulates children’s curiosity and listening skills. The child who guesses correctly wins a festive gift, making the game even more exciting. It’s a wonderful way to blend music and play, creating a joyful holiday atmosphere.
Human Christmas Tree Game
Divide the children into teams and provide them with green tissue paper and decorations to engage in the human Christmas tree game. Each team selects one member to be the “tree,” and they race against time to decorate them. This game is filled with laughter and creativity, as kids work together to create the best-looking Christmas tree.
Reindeer Ring Toss
The reindeer ring toss game is a hilarious addition to any kids Christmas party. With inflatable antlers and rings, kids take turns trying to ring the antlers, sparking competitive fun and laughter. This game can easily be set up as a DIY project, adding a personal touch to the festive activities.
Whether they nail the toss or miss hilariously, the game brings joy and excitement, making it a beloved part of holiday celebrations.
Winter Wonderland with DIY Snow Jars
Creating a winter wonderland with DIY snow jars allows children to bring a piece of the magical holiday spirit home. Provide the kids with glitter, fake snow, miniature holiday figures and jars to create their snow jar.
This craft activity not only adds to the fun of the party but also encourages kids to use their imagination and creativity. By designing their own snow jars, they can capture the essence of a winter wonderland in a jar, creating a keepsake that reminds them of the joyous celebration.
Musical Games
Christmas parties come alive with musical games. Kids will love playing musical chairs, play some holiday tunes and let kids dance around chairs. When the music stops, everyone scrambles for a seat. The last one standing is out.
You can also add limbo to the activities for the Christmas party. Kids take turns bending backward to pass under a lowering bar. The bar gets lower each round until only the most flexible remain.
Gift Exchanges
If you want a gift exchange activity, secret Santa gift exchanges build anticipation. Kids draw names and buy a small gift for their chosen person. At the party, everyone opens their surprise present.
Pass the Parcel is another classic gift exchange game. Wrap a gift in many layers of paper. Kids pass it around as music plays. When the music stops, the child holding it unwraps one layer.
Christmas Storytelling and Reading
Let the kids have fun by reading Christmas stories. Choose classic tales like “The Night Before Christmas” or funny modern stories.
Kids Christmas Party Food and Treats
Kids love tasty snacks and treats at Christmas parties. Fun and festive options can make the event extra special. Here are some delicious Christmas party food ideas that are sure to be a hit with kids.
Festive Mini Pizzas in Snowman and Reindeer Shapes
Transforming pizza dough into festive shapes adds a sprinkle of magic to any kids’ Christmas gathering. Begin with rolling out your pizza dough, then use cookie cutters to shape individual-sized circles. Pre-bake the dough circles as directed to get them ready for decoration.
For snowmen, use shredded mozzarella cheese for the snow, sliced olives for eyes, mini pepperonis to design a smile, and a carrot nose to complete the look. Reindeer shapes come to life with a similar process, using different toppings for the antlers and face. Once decorated, bake until the cheese melts.
Reindeer Sloppy Joe Sliders
For a savory treat, Reindeer Sloppy Joe Sliders offers a savory flavor that’s sure to be a hit during the holiday season. These mini sandwiches pack all the flavorful punch of traditional sloppy joes, but with a whimsical twist that aligns perfectly with Christmas party food themes for kids.
The sliders are assembled with a meaty filling on small buns, then decorated to look like reindeers using pretzels for antlers, olives for eyes, and a cherry tomato for the nose. This delightful presentation not only makes them irresistible to kids but also adds a creative touch to the party menu.
Melted Snowman Oreo Balls
Making Melted Snowman Oreo Balls is a delightful way to bring some edible joy to a Christmas party for kids. Start by crushing Oreos into fine crumbs and blending them with softened cream cheese to create a moldable mixture. This mixture is then shaped into balls, representing the snowman’s body, ready for the next fun step.
Each ball is dipped in vanilla candy melts, which serves as the snowman’s snowy exterior. After setting on wax paper, use mini Oreos, pretzel pieces, and decorative icing to bring the snowmen to life with faces and arms.
Hot Cocoa Bombs
Hot Cocoa Bombs are a mesmerizing treat that brings warmth and excitement to a kids Christmas party. These spherical chocolate delights are filled with cocoa powder and marshmallows, waiting to explode into a warm, chocolaty drink.
To make it, melt chocolate to form the bomb shells, then fill one half with hot cocoa mix and marshmallows before sealing it with another chocolate half. When these bombs are dropped into hot milk, they melt away, much to the delight of the kids.
Christmas Party Favor Ideas for Kids
Kids love taking home special treats from Christmas parties. Fun favors and DIY crafts create lasting memories of the festive celebration. Here are the best Christmas party favor ideas for kids
Mini Stocking Stuffers
Fill small stockings with a mix of holiday-themed items such as mini candy canes, stickers, small toys, and holiday-themed pencils or erasers.
DIY Ornament Kits
Provide small kits that include plain ornaments, glitter glue, stickers, and markers so kids can create their own personalized Christmas tree decorations.
Hot Chocolate Mix Jars
Fill small jars or bags with layers of hot chocolate mix, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Add a cute tag with instructions on how to make the perfect cup of hot chocolate.
Holiday Cookie Decorating Kits
Fill a bag with a few plain sugar cookies, small packets of icing, and sprinkles so kids can have fun decorating their own cookies at home.
Christmas Craft Kits
Put together simple craft kits with items like foam shapes, googly eyes, and glue sticks for making fun holiday characters like reindeer, snowmen, or Santa Claus.
