Fun Family Games to Play at Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, you’re probably beginning to plan your family get-to-together. Christmas is a lovely time of year, but it can certainly get quite stressful. Most people feel some degree of stress surrounding their families at Christmas time, which rest assured is a very normal thing to feel and not something you should feel guilty about. Having some Fun Family Games to Play at Christmas can mean things are a little more structured, and a time to relax. Here are some ideas that suit even if you have little ones, and suitable for the whole family.

outdoor ice skating rink with Christmas tree in the middle, a skater in red and buildings in the background

Our Favourite Family Games to Play at Christmas

Candy Canes

For this one, you’ll need a deck of cards and at least three players sat around a pile of candy canes which contain one less than the number of players in the circle. Everyone takes turns drawing cards with the goal to be the first to draw four of a kind, e.g. four Queens or four Kings. Once a player manages this, they take a candy cane from the pile as quickly as possible, and the other players must then race to grab one of the remaining candy canes. The player who doesn’t get one is eliminated, and the game continues in the same way until only one winning player remains.

Fun Family Games to Play at Christmas includes the Candy Canes game
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Christmas Bingo

Why not make your own Christmas Bingo game or download the bingo cards online and print them out in paper copy. Keep is simple and traditional; or the cards could feature mini festive challenges, such as “sneak a quote from a Christmas film into a normal conversation” and “Put Elf On The Shelf into the most hilarious situation you can think of”. Players check these challenges off as and when they complete them, and the first to do so wins!

Fun Family Games to Play at Christmas - Christmas Bingo

Family Games of Charades

Charades is a classic game for Christmas day, and one that is perfect for all age groups. Get your family and friends into two teams, and take turns acting out words or phrases written on a slip of paper.

Typically, there are six common categories in charades: book titles, films, TV programmes, song titles, plays, and well-known quotes / phrases. The purpose of the game is to get your team to guess what’s on their selected slip of paper using only gestures. When your team gets the answer correct, or the timer runs out, your round is up and it’s the other team’s go. The team that manages to guess the answers most efficiently throughout the game wins.

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Board Games

An easy way to keep the little ones happy and to mix up your Christmas Day malaise is with some classic board game fun. Monopoly, Scrabble, Ludo, and Trivial Pursuit are all great fun, and most people probably have at least ones of these board games already tucked away in their cupboards somewhere.

Alternatively, for a bit extra or as they get older why not discover some new ones. We love Lost Ruins of Arnak; Great Western Trail; Terraforming Mars and Ticket to Ride Europe.

playing board games

Stocking Guessing Game

For this game, simply fill up a stocking with different objects, such as toy cars, candy canes, pinecones or a bouncy ball. Let the players feel inside the stocking and try to identify its contents. The player with the most correct guesses is the winner! You can make the game easier or trickier depending on age range, by popping more obscure objects into the stocking if your players are older, and simpler objects if they’re younger.

Father Christmas Limbo

This game is pretty silly, and definitely one that the kids will enjoy. Have the players put a pillow underneath their shirts as a “Father Christmas belly”. Next, place a limbo stick at a starting height and have the players one by one try to limbo underneath. Once each player has had a go, lower the stick again, and after every time to see who have make it underneath the lowest. Anyone who fails to make it underneath the stick with their Father Christmas belly still in place at any point in the game is eliminated.

Photo by Brigitta Schneiter on Unsplash

Christmas Memory Game

To play this game you need to first pick eight Christmas themed images, such as Father Christmas, a Snowman, a Reindeer, etc. Draw or print out two of each of these images, so you end up with a total of sixteen cards. Place the cards face down on a table or the floor in a 4 x 4 layout. Then, take it in turns to pick out a card and then try to find its partner in one go. The first player to match up the most pairs wins. You could also do this with objects – cover them up and then see how many you can remember.

Having a handful of preplanned games for the kids to play at Christmas should make the day run much more smoothly while allowing you to enjoy the grown-up parts of Christmas in much-needed peace and quiet! (…or joining in and getting very competitive yourself!)

What do you like doing as a family at Christmas?

52 thoughts on “Fun Family Games to Play at Christmas”

  1. Board games are ideal at getting the family all together which is so important when technolgy rules our kids so much.Good old fashioned games will always create bonding time and precious family memories.

    Reply
  2. Love all these ideas! I’ll 100% be making some Christmas bingo for my nephew! Thanks so much for putting this together ♥️

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  3. Some really lovely ideas for amusing little ones there – who I think are always the hardest. It’s so much easier when kids get a bit older and can loose themselves in a book, computer game, new mobile or whatever…

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  4. Its a Christmas family tradition that we all play games after the massive Christmas feast! Thank you for all the new ideas!

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  5. These are such great ideas! I especially love the Santa limbo and Christmas bingo. Definitely going to be playing these on Christmas day!

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  6. We like to play games; usually something new the kids got for Xmas. Then, later, when the kids have gone to bed the adults play drinking games.

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  7. I love Christmas games! it’s a great way to connect with the family away from technology!
    Christmas bingo sounds like a must this year, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Me and my 4 year old grandson change things up each time we play a game – we play our own made up versions and take turns in making up new rules. Its much more fun and it is a good way of getting him to use his imagination – not that he needs any encouragement

    Reply

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