The Christmas season offers a special opportunity to create joyful memories for kids, and games are a great way to bring that joy to life. In kids ministry, Christmas games can be more than just a source of fun—they can foster meaningful connections, teach biblical truths, and help kids experience the season’s wonder. Here are 10 interactive and creative Christmas games to incorporate into your ministry activities this year. Each of these games has options for various age groups and can be adapted to fit any group size or setting.
10 Engaging Christmas Games for Kids Ministry This Season
1. Christmas Bingo
Setup: Prepare Bingo cards with Christmas-themed images such as stars, angels, gifts, a manger, and baby Jesus. You can download Christmas-themed Bingo templates online or create custom cards. Print out enough for each child and have some small prizes ready.
How to Play: Call out each item as kids mark them on their cards. The first child to complete a row, column, or diagonal shouts “Merry Christmas!” and wins a prize. For added excitement, include fun ways for kids to say “Bingo,” like “Hallelujah!” or “Glory!” to make it feel extra festive.
Variations: For older kids, add in “challenge squares” that might require them to answer a Christmas trivia question or recite part of the Christmas story to earn the mark. For younger kids, you might use pictures instead of words for a simpler version.
Why It Works: Christmas Bingo is simple, engaging, and appeals to kids of all ages. It also makes for an excellent icebreaker activity to get everyone involved and ready to participate in the fun.
2. Shepherd’s Relay Race
Setup: Divide kids into two or more teams and set up an obstacle course with cones, chairs, or other objects. Each child will need a stick (or toy shepherd’s staff) and a small ball or stuffed “sheep.”
How to Play: Each child must guide their “sheep” around the course using only their shepherd’s staff. They’ll need to go through obstacles, around cones, or through hoops as they try to keep their sheep on track. The first team to have all players complete the course wins.
Variations: Add a twist by making it a timed race, or create a different path for each age group to ensure it’s challenging yet doable.
Why It Works: This game lets kids engage with the nativity story and feel like shepherds on their journey to find Jesus. It encourages teamwork, patience, and laughter—especially when sheep go astray!
3. Christmas Cookie Decorating Contest
Setup: Have plain sugar cookies, bowls of icing in different colors, sprinkles, and other decorating supplies set out on a table. Set a timer to give structure to the decorating, and prepare categories for judging, like “Most Festive,” “Most Creative,” or “Best Nativity Scene.”
How to Play: Give each child a cookie and some decorating materials. Set a timer (about 5–10 minutes), and then let the kids show off their finished creations. Winners in each category get a small prize, and everyone gets to keep (or eat!) their decorated cookie.
Variations: For a more budget-friendly option, consider decorating paper cookies instead, using markers, stickers, and glitter. You can also turn this into a group activity where kids collaborate to decorate a large paper cookie.
Why It Works: This activity allows kids to express creativity and get hands-on with a Christmas tradition. The chance to take their cookie home—or eat it on the spot—makes it feel even more rewarding.
4. Wise Men’s Treasure Hunt
Setup: Hide small treasures around the room or building. Treasures can include gold foil-wrapped chocolates, star-shaped candies, or small toys. You can create simple maps or clues for kids to follow.
How to Play: Divide kids into teams and give each team a map or set of clues. The goal is for each team to find as many treasures as possible, just like the Wise Men followed the star to find Jesus. The team that collects the most treasures wins.
Variations: For younger kids, provide picture-based maps with simple visual clues. Older kids can use riddles or Bible verse references as clues. You could even create a “mega treasure” that represents baby Jesus, offering extra points for finding it.
Why It Works: This game engages kids’ problem-solving skills, encourages teamwork, and reminds them of the Wise Men’s journey. It’s also easily adaptable for different group sizes and settings.
5. Pin the Halo on the Angel
Setup: Draw or print a large image of an angel on poster board and hang it at kid-level on a wall. Cut out small paper halos for each child and add double-sided tape.
How to Play: Blindfold each child, spin them gently, and have them try to place the halo on the angel’s head. The child who gets closest wins a small prize.
Variations: You could adapt this to “Pin the Star on the Manger” or “Pin the Gift on the Wise Man.” For very young kids, you could forgo the blindfold to make it simpler.
Why It Works: This classic game is easy to set up, fun to play, and familiar to kids. Adding a Christmas twist makes it even more memorable and adds to the holiday spirit.
6. Christmas Carol Freeze Dance
Setup: Make a playlist of upbeat Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Joy to the World.”
How to Play: Play music and let the kids dance freely. When the music stops, everyone has to freeze in place. If someone moves, they’re out. The last child remaining wins.
Variations: To make it more inclusive, instead of eliminating kids, you can give them small “freeze tickets” or points and let them keep dancing.
Why It Works: Dancing gets kids moving, and familiar carols help them sing along, spreading cheer and excitement.
7. Nativity Dress-Up Relay
Setup: Gather costumes (or simple props) for nativity characters like shepherds, angels, wise men, and Mary and Joseph. Lay these out in two piles—one for each team.
How to Play: Divide kids into teams. One at a time, each child puts on a costume piece, runs to the other side of the room, and returns before the next child goes. The first team with everyone dressed wins.
Variations: For added fun, have each team pose for a “Nativity Scene” photo at the end. You could also encourage kids to say a line as their character before they return.
Why It Works: Kids get to embody the Christmas story, creating a deeper connection to it. The relay format makes it active, energetic, and exciting.
8. The Gift-Wrapping Challenge
Setup: Provide small boxes, wrapping paper, tape, bows, and ribbons.
How to Play: In teams of two or three, kids must work together to wrap a gift within a set time limit. They can be judged on creativity, speed, or neatness.
Variations: To add more complexity, give each team odd-shaped items to wrap or let them wrap a teammate!
Why It Works: Wrapping a gift may seem simple, but it requires teamwork and creativity. It’s a practical, hands-on activity that celebrates the spirit of giving.
9. Snowball Toss
Setup: Use white beanbags or soft balls as “snowballs.” Set up large containers or buckets at different distances and assign point values to each.
How to Play: Kids take turns tossing “snowballs” into the containers. They get points based on which bucket they make it into, and the player with the most points wins.
Variations: You could also create “snowman faces” on the buckets or add lights to the containers for a wintery glow.
Why It Works: This game lets kids experience a snowball fight indoors in a controlled way. It’s also easily adaptable for different age groups and levels.
10. Guess the Christmas Smell
Setup: Fill small containers with holiday scents like cinnamon, peppermint, gingerbread, pine, and orange.
How to Play: Blindfold each child and have them sniff each container, writing down their guesses. The child with the most correct guesses wins.
Variations: Consider adding harder-to-guess scents like cocoa powder or nutmeg. For younger kids, you might let them try with their eyes open to make it simpler.
Why It Works: This sensory game taps into a unique way to experience Christmas. It’s memorable and engaging, helping kids connect to the season through their senses.
That’s a Wrap with Ideas for Christmas Games for Kids Ministry (no pun intended.) 😉
These games provide a wonderful way to capture the magic of Christmas while focusing on its deeper meaning. From active games to creative crafts, there’s something here to engage every child in your ministry, no matter their age. Try a mix of these ideas this Christmas season, and watch as the kids in your ministry experience the joy, wonder, and connection of this special time of year. With these games, you’ll be creating memories that go beyond the Christmas season, instilling values and stories that will stay with them for years to come. If you try any of these Christmas games in your kids ministry let us know how they go – we’d love to hear.
A Free Family Experience for You to Use this Christmas Season
Looking to host a merry event for families this Christmas? Download the Jingle Jam free event kit and get the tools needed to plan, promote, and host a family experience this season. This free event kit includes planning files, marketing materials, games, graphics, production files, and more. This is a complete kit to simplify your Christmas programming and allow the community to come together, create memories, and celebrate the birth of Jesus. With Jingle Jam, hosting a family-inclusive Christmas event has never been easier.
