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HOLIDAY GAMES
(Jill Schreiber-Smith)

Have the children guess the answers to the following Christmas rhymes:

I rhyme with leopard and take care of sheep. What am I?......................Shepherd
I rhyme with shelf and am Santa’s helper. What am I?..........................Elf
I rhyme with ski and your decorate me. What am I?..............................Tree
I rhyme with drifts and am under the tree. What am I?...........................Gifts
I rhyme with toe and am on a package. What am I?................................Bow
I rhyme with teeth and hang on the door. What am I?.............................Wreath
I rhyme with barrel and am a Christmas song. What am I?......................Carol
I rhyme with day and travel over the snow. What am I?...........................Sleigh
I rhyme with car and shine at night. What am I?........................................Star

These games work well when kids are divided up into small groups and play them in rotation:

Candy Cane Relay:
Have the children hold candy canes in one finger and do the following in relay style.
Walking fast, walking backwards, hopping, walking sideways, galloping , skipping

Pin the Star on the Christmas Tree:
Put a poster board size Christmas tree on the wall, chalkboard or large easel. Have the kids blindfolded and give them each a cut out star to place on the tree.

Christmas Box Toss:
Have a large empty box wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. Leave the top of the box open and have children toss soft toys or bean bags into the box.

Christmas Holiday Crafts

Christmas Gift Bags
( Rachel Flentje)

Purchase red lunch size paper bags at any craft store. (Prior to the party, pre-punch holes along the top of each bag so that the kids can thread pipe cleaners around them.)

Have the children stick flat wooden Christmas tree cutouts onto the outside of each bag using double stick pads after they have colored the tree with green crayons. Give the kids green and red pipe cleaners and have them thread them through the holes at the top of the bag. Attach a little jingle bell and a “gift tag” at the end of the pipe cleaner before twisting and curling the pipe cleaner ends. Encourage the kids to take this bag home and use it as a gift bag for a small gift for their parents, sibling, or special friend !

Snack Ideas:

Reindeer Cupcakes:

(These cupcakes can be made up before the party or you can bring frosted or unfrosted cupcakes to the party and let the kids decorate them instead ).

Frost cupcake with chocolate frosting. Unwrap a round, red lollipop, trim the stem slightly, and stick it into the center of the cupcake for Rudolph’s very shiny nose. For eyes, set 2 M&M’s candies in place, then dot them with black decorators’ gel frosting. Carefully break large thin pretzels (the heart-shaped pretzels…break them once in half top to bottom) into “antler” shapes and insert them into the top of the cupcake. Finally, add a short piece of red shoestring licorice for a mouth.