How to Organize a Christmas Party for the Class: Games and Contests
A Christmas party is an important event for kids of all ages. In the absence of adult-oriented entertainment, children eagerly anticipate school celebrations, where they get to interact more than during regular breaks.
How do you create the perfect environment for kids to enjoy themselves at school, engage students of any age, and make their school years memorable? Let's dive into these insights.
Key Rules for a Successful School Party
Here’s what to consider before planning a children's event and decorating the classroom. Six helpful tips for organizing a universally successful school party:
- Plan the Agenda. Children, especially younger ones, need guidance and supervision. As the organizer, plan out the contests to host, the snacks to serve, and how the event will conclude. Leave room for improvisation for contests that are particularly popular, so the kids can enjoy them longer.
- Offer Inclusive Contests. Don't prepare contests with clear winners. For instance, if you have a prize for the longest jump, only the tallest kids will win. Ensure everyone has a fair chance at victory.
- Prepare Gifts for Everyone. Avoid highlighting winners and losers in a distinct way. Make sure everyone gets equivalent prizes to prevent the fun event from becoming a distressing experience for those who don't win.
- Develop Diverse Activities. Games and contests should be varied. Some kids love running and testing strength, while others prefer drawing.
- Decorate the Space. Plan the theme of the party in advance. Choose a universal theme to avoid making parents spend on themed costumes: magical lands, a Santa's workshop, a fairy ball, etc.
- Capture Memories with Photos and Videos. As they grow, the kids will want to look back on their school years. Take plenty of photos for future yearbooks, and record videos to compile into a film covering the most memorable moments of their school life.
Games and Contests for Younger Schoolchildren
Activities for children in elementary school. These are universal contests that can be adapted for older students by increasing the difficulty.
When organizing games for the youngest, you can skip the need to declare winners and losers and make everyone equal.
Tip
Divide the children into several teams. If only two groups are participating, the distinction between winners and losers will be too apparent, and it might upset the kids from the latter team.
Intellectual Games
Engaging and fun logic games that everyone will enjoy.
Biggest and Smallest Number
The teacher writes a sequence of numbers on the board, such as 123. Students are tasked with creating the biggest and smallest numbers using all the given digits. The winner can be determined by how quickly they solve the puzzle or the variety of number combinations they propose.
Number Hunt
Draw several 5x5 grids on the board and fill them with numbers from 1 to 20 in random order. Divide the students into teams. Their goal is to find and cross off numbers in order from 1 to 20. The fastest team wins.
Holiday Math
Prepare problems for students whose answers are numbers associated with the holiday season. For example: 12 could relate to "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and 25 represents the special date of December 25th. The team discovering the most holiday connections wins.
Physical Contests
Active and more subdued games requiring agility, strength, or speed.
Advice
Avoid encouraging children to participate in overly strenuous physical activities when they are not ready. If the kids are dressed in their best outfits, skip races in sacks — they might ruin their clothes. Instead, ask parents to provide a change of clothing, giving room for more adventurous activities.
Polar Ice Cream
Kids form a chain to pass a wad of cotton or paper, simulating a snowball. Participants can use any part of their body except the palms. The team that passes the ball down the line fastest or without dropping it wins.
Jolly Snowman
Gather sets of winter clothes: hats, coats, gloves, scarves, etc. Play lively, rhythmic children's music, which is crucial for this game. No teams are formed; kids pass clothing items down the line. There should be enough for everyone. As the music stops, children put on the items they hold, getting bundled up like decked-out snowmen. There are no winners or losers in this contest.
Creative Contests
Contests that everybody will love. Younger students enjoy drawing, crafting, and creating.
Draw Santa Blindfolded
Kids must draw Santa (or another fairy-tale character) while blindfolded. The main point is to prevent them from drawing different fairy-tale figures. You can pick a winner for the best drawing or declare everyone a winner by displaying their drawings on a board in the school hall or main corridor. Students can write short descriptions for their work.
Make Cards for Parents
Provide students with all the materials they need for creativity, give them freedom of choice, and allow 30 minutes. Let them think about what kind of card would make adults happy and appreciated. Once the projects are finished, ask students to explain why they made specific cards for their parents and if their choices were related to the preferences or hobbies of the grown-ups.
Gifts for Younger Students
To avoid disappointing your students, prepare gifts that hold equal value. Distribute them among the kids after the contest program using a simple number lottery.
Surprise Doll
A surprise toy encased in a brightly colored ball, perfect for girls. This is an exciting multi-layered gift where the child delights in unwrapping the beautiful package, revealing the ball, and discovering what’s inside.
Transformer Toy
A cool mini-car that transforms into a robot. A compact toy perfect to bring along, even if the backpack is packed with textbooks, pens, and notebooks. Gifting different little robots to all the boys in the class allows for exchanges year-round without repetition.
Colored Pencil Set
An ideal gift for younger students. Pay attention to the number of pencils in the set — the more and brighter, the better — and the softness of the lead. Too hard pencils break, while those too soft don’t sharpen well. Choose the golden mean for stress-free creativity.
Games and Contests for Older Students
Students in grades 5–8 are teenagers, not little kids. At their age, leadership qualities, logical thinking, and creative skills begin to flourish, so the contests should be engaging, with elements of excitement and humor. Group work is preferred, as teenagers are not always keen to compete individually.
Intellectual Games
Challenging yet fun mathematical tests. Who knows, maybe these games will spark a newfound passion for the sciences in your students.
Place the Signs
Sequences of identical numbers are written on the board for the teams. An equality sign and the number 1 are placed at the end. Students must insert operation signs and, if necessary, parentheses to create a true equation. For instance, from 5555=1 to (5+5)/(5+5)=1. Compete for fun or let the team that solves three given examples the quickest win.
Number Snake
The facilitator calls out a starting number, like 5. The first player must name a number that is a multiple of 5. In this case, it will be 10. Another player names the next multiple number, 15, and so on. Players who make mistakes drop out. The team with more players left at the end wins.
Math Bingo
Teachers and parents prepare name-tagged cards with numbers ahead of time. During the game, the facilitator presents the class with mathematical challenges, such as 4*7, and the children cover the answer on their card. The winner is whoever completes a row or covers all spots first.
Physical Contests
Unique physical activities that emphasize innovation and agility, valued across all disciplines.
School Gift Hunt
Place gifts throughout different school areas. Use veiled clues related to classrooms — each high school class typically has its own subject, creating associations for students. With correct preparation and student input when making clues, you can create an engaging team game that captivates students for a long time.
Elf Dance
Create a few elf names — say, Bob, Stevie, and Glint — and match them with specific actions. Bob might indicate jumping, Stevie squatting, and so forth. The leader calls out elf names randomly, and players must instantly perform the associated action. It’s a reflex-testing game with no winners.
Creative Contests
Creative contests for students in grades 5–8 should provide opportunities for personal expression.
Bake Holiday Treats
Host a day in the home economics room, usually reserved for making pancakes under the teacher's watchful eye. If no kitchen is available, suggest students decorate pre-baked cookies with food colors. Winners can be chosen in categories like "most colorful decoration," "most unique dessert," or "neatest work."
Handmade Ornaments
Prepare various materials: colored paper, glue, glitter, markers, ribbons, cotton, pine cones, and other natural materials. For a challenge, use clear plastic baubles that participants can paint with acrylics or fill with tinsel and glitter. The contest can be solo or team-based, with tabletop mini trees for decoration. Host a mini-exhibit where students present their ornaments. Display all works on a large school tree in the auditorium.
Gifts for Middle School Students
Select presents that are slightly pricier, reflecting the preferences of this age group. Middle school students develop more complex tastes. They appreciate gadgets or expressive items.
Graffiti Paint
Tired of brushes and markers? A spray paint can is a brilliant way to brighten the world. Encourage students to start painting on canvases. The paint mists, preventing mess, and dries quickly.
Om Nom Figure
A character from a 2010s animated series regaining popularity in 2025. A fast-food chain announced a themed collection that students snapped up in two weeks. The Om Nom figure is a collectible item for American tweens.
3D Phone Stickers
A fantastic, safe form of self-expression. These stickers, with their textured finish, give phones a unique look. Made from safe materials that don't damage the phone surface, they're easy to remove without a trace. With various designs from funny and cute to sleek and stylish, there's something for every mood or preference.
Activities for Students of All Ages
Games appreciated by the youngest school kids and even suitable for older, more independent classes.
Secret Santa
A traditional Christmas exchange game where participants swap gifts anonymously. The recipient doesn’t find out their Santa until the giver chooses to reveal themselves.
Traditional Secret Santa isn’t always ideal due to preparation challenges. Creating name cards manually and ensuring seamless exchanges demand attention.
However, playing Secret Santa online through MySanta is suitable for all ages. Here's why:
- Ease of Organization. To start exchanging gifts on MySanta, simply register and set up a participant list. The platform will automatically pair players with a "Santa-recipient" match. It’s straightforward, even for grades 1-8.
- Simple Rules. Each participant receives the name of the person they're meant to gift. Users can specify preferences, simplifying gift selection. A wishlist section is available, and links from external sources can be added.
- Automatic Anonymity. There's no need to worry about keeping identities secret. Thanks to anonymous chats, identity is revealed only when participants decide to introduce themselves within the message window. Follow the rules, and only the organizer, using premium features, will know who prepares gifts for whom.
- Convenience of Control. The organizer can easily manage the gift exchange, inviting everyone or setting exceptions for those who prefer not to participate. This is possible through premium features often available for free or at a discount to students and schools.
School Advent Calendar
Create an advent calendar with equal-value gifts for the whole class — a cardboard or paper box with interactive compartments. Randomly distribute the month's dates among students, allowing them to open compartments in sequence according to their numbers. The number of students aligns with the game's duration.
Letter to Santa
Invite students to bring childhood letters they wrote to Santa. For younger students, offer an alternative, like bringing drawings depicting how they envisioned the Christmas season.
Have students read their letters or show their drawings. Each story will be uniquely touching or amusing. This exchange of childhood memories will bring warmth and nostalgia to everyone.
Plan your school party, using our ideas for universal games and contests. Prepare a festive playlist for the evening, and don't forget the gifts. An ideal dance party for students is ready!