Christmas parties are the biggest party season of the year — school fairs, family gatherings, nursery parties, and at-home celebrations. The best Christmas party games for kids need three things: festive atmosphere, movement to burn off the mince-pie energy, and something memorable enough that they talk about it after the holidays.
Here are 20+ Christmas party games for kids, sorted by energy level and age. Most are free. The snowy magic mirror at the top is our favourite — it turns your TV into a winter wonderland.
The snowy magic mirror (our top Christmas pick)
Turn your TV into a festive mirror. Open Magic Mirror on a laptop, plug it into the TV with HDMI, press "Show on TV," and choose wintery effects. Kids see themselves on the big screen in real time:
- Snow Catch — a game where falling snow fills the screen. Catch flakes, don't let the snowdrift pile up. Gentle and wintery.
- Thermal — see body heat as colour. Cold blue hands, warm red faces. A festive science demo.
- Kaleidoscope — multiply every face into a snowflake pattern.
- Neon glow — edges light up in festive greens and reds. Beautiful in a dim room with Christmas lights.
- Ghost — translucent afterimages trail behind every movement, like a winter spirit.
Three effects are free. The full set of 71 effects and 12 games (including Snow Catch, musical statues, and dance-off) is £6.99 one-time. Set it up in a corner with the Christmas tree visible and it becomes the party centrepiece.
Active Christmas party games
Festive musical statues
The classic with Christmas music. Play "Frosty the Snowman," "Jingle Bells," "All I Want for Christmas Is You." When the music stops, kids freeze as a Christmas statue — a star, a tree, a reindeer. Magic Mirror's Statues game does this automatically and is free to play. See our full musical statues guide.
Reindeer race
Kids race from one side of the room to the other, but they have to gallop like reindeer. First reindeer to cross the line wins. Works for ages 3–7.
Snowball toss
Crumple white paper into "snowballs." Set up targets — a bucket, a drawn snowman on a box, or cups. Kids throw snowballs at the targets. Score points for hits. £1 worth of paper, 15 minutes of fun.
Pass the parcel (festive)
Wrap a gift in Christmas paper with multiple layers. Pass it around while Christmas music plays. When the music stops, the holder unwraps one layer. Put a chocolate coin in every layer.
Pin the nose on Rudolph
Draw a reindeer face on a large piece of paper, minus the nose. Blindfold kids, spin them, and have them stick a red pompom where the nose should be. Hilarious results. Costs £2 for materials.
Christmas dance-off
Two kids face the TV and dance to a Christmas song. The rest cheer. Magic Mirror's Dance-Off game scores movement energy and picks a winner. Play "Last Christmas" or "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."
Christmas games with a screen or TV
Snow Catch
Magic Mirror's Snow Catch game: stand under falling snow on the TV and catch as many flakes as you can. Don't let the snowdrift pile up. Gentle, wintery, and perfect for younger kids.
Pass the bomb (festive edition)
A hot-potato game with a Christmas twist. The bomb chases the busiest player on the TV. When the 20-second fuse runs out, it explodes. Play it with Christmas music in the background for maximum chaos.
Festive effects station
Beyond the games, the magic mirror running in a corner with Christmas lights is a continuous activity. Kids drift over, pull festive faces, and the snapshots save automatically. The neon effect with Christmas tree lights in the background makes beautiful photos.
Calm Christmas activities
Decoration station
Set up a table with plain biscuits, icing, sprinkles, and small toppings. Kids decorate their own Christmas biscuits. Activity and party food in one. £8 for 15 kids.
Snowflake cutting
Give kids white paper and scissors. Fold and cut snowflakes. Hang them on the wall or in the window. Simple, cheap, and produces decorations you can keep. Perfect wind-down activity.
Christmas card making
Folded card, crayons, stickers, glitter (if you're brave). Each child makes a card for someone in their family. Costs £3 for materials and doubles as a party favour.
Christmas story circle
Dim the lights, give one child a torch, and read "The Night Before Christmas" — or make up a story where each child adds one sentence. Perfect end-of-party wind-down.
Christmas party games by age
- Ages 3–5: Snowball toss, snowflake cutting, reindeer race, decoration station, the magic mirror with gentle effects (kaleidoscope, snow catch). Short rounds, no elimination.
- Ages 6–8: All of the above plus festive musical statues, pass the parcel, pin the nose on Rudolph, Christmas dance-off, snowball toss with targets.
- Ages 9–10: Christmas dance-off, pass the bomb, snowball toss with scoring, the magic mirror with thermal/neon effects, story circle with spooky Christmas tales.
How to set the Christmas atmosphere
- Christmas lights everywhere. Dim the overheads, turn on the tree. The magic mirror's neon effect looks stunning against fairy lights.
- Festive playlist. Mariah Carey, Slade, Wizzard, Michael Buble, The Pogues. Keep it upbeat for games, soft for wind-downs.
- Use the TV. The snowy magic mirror running in a corner with the Christmas tree visible is atmosphere and entertainment in one.
- Paper snowflakes. Have the kids make them at the start — they become the decorations for the rest of the party.
For more party ideas, see our guides to birthday party entertainment ideas, indoor party games for kids, and our Halloween party games guide (equally useful for any spooky-themed winter party).