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Classroom Holiday Party Games

Celebrating holidays with classroom games will not only help students feel more motivated in the classroom, but is an opportune way to educate students about the history of a holiday. Teach children about the important figures who played a role in why that holiday is celebrated, as well. There are several activities for students to do in the classroom that can be tailored to any holiday.

Design Ornaments
- Most kids love to be creative, especially if the craft they are creating has a holiday theme. Have students create their own Christmas tree ornaments. For example, students can turn pieces of pipe cleaners into decorative candy canes. Give each student a pipe cleaner and have him bend it into an arch at the top until it is shaped into a cane. Have students decorate the pipe cleaners by sticking on holiday-colored or themed beads. Gently fold the tips of the pipe cleaners inward to keep beads from slipping off the ends. These can easily be placed on Christmas trees without requiring any sharp hooks.
Holiday Jeopardy
- This game can be tailored to any holiday season. The easiest way to play this game is by creating a PowerPoint. On each slide, ask a specific question about the holiday you are celebrating. For instance, a classroom in a Catholic institution might focus its questions based on historical figures who played a role in Jesus's birth at Christmas. Other possible questions may focus on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. or even Saint Patrick. The student who correctly guesses the most answers may win a small treat fashioned for the celebrated holiday.
Costume Contest
- In this game, inform students a day or two in advance to dress up for class in a holiday theme. For example, if you are celebrating Halloween, host a costume contest for the most creative costume. Perhaps ask them to dress us as a historical figure they learned about over the semester. Have students vote for their favorite costume by anonymously writing the name of the other student on an index card and placing it in a hat. Ask students not to vote for their own costumes. The student with the most votes wins.
Role Playing
- Students can recreate the history of specific holidays by dressing up at figures important to that event and creating scripts. One example might be recreating the roles of important figures for Black History Month in February. Students can role play specific events of memorable people, such as Rosa Parks on the bus or Martin Luther King, Jr's famous speech Lincoln Memorial. Not only is this a great way to get students to research people who played such a large role in American history, but will also help them better understand these events by becoming the characters.

Party Games