Christmas games for ages 2 to 4, each with a job for the grown-up: press Pick 3 new games.
Christmas Party Games for Toddlers
Three Pillows Make a Snowman1. Put out three white pillows or cushions: one large, one medium and one small. 2. The children carry them to the middle and stack them, biggest at the bottom. An adult steadies the stack. 3. One child puts a winter hat on top. 4. Everyone gives the snowman a gentle push, watches him tumble, and builds him again with a new hat. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 4 min. Props: three white pillows and a winter hat.
Ten Slow Snow Angel Sweeps on the Carpet1. Everyone lies down on the carpet with room to stretch out. 2. An adult lies down too and shows the move: arms and legs sweep slowly out and in. 3. Sweep ten times while the adult counts in a whisper. 4. Lie still for a moment, then sit up slowly and look at where your angel was. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
Roll, Roll, Roll the Snow1. Sit in a ring. The adult sings to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat": "Roll, roll, roll the snow, roll it big and round." 2. Everyone rolls their arms, tiny at first. 3. Each time through, the snowball grows: bigger arms, then standing up, then the biggest roll of all. 4. At the end the adult pats an invisible snowman into shape and asks the children what he needs on his head. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: none.
These Christmas party games for toddlers are written for ages 2 to 4. Each lasts about five minutes or less, nobody wins or goes out, and every entry says what the adult does.
Read the full guide
Two year olds, or a whole class
The All games menu has two sets by crowd. Easy enough for 2 year olds keeps the games with one action at a time. A preschool class of 12 to 20 keeps the games one teacher can lead for every child at once.
What is left out
No game uses a latex balloon, a blindfold, candy or a loose object smaller than a child's fist. Shakers are plastic bottles with the lid taped shut by an adult. The songs use tunes old enough to be in the public domain, with new words.
Run a loud game, then a quiet one: the calm set is last in the All games menu.
Sing each song twice. The second time is the one the children join.
Questions and answers
What are good Christmas party games for 3 year olds?
Games with one job at a time and no losing. Up on the Housetop: Tiptoe, Pat and Click and Find the Other Paper Mitten are written for threes and up. Most other games on this page start at age two.
Which are preschool Christmas party games for a whole class?
The set A preschool class of 12 to 20 in the All games menu, such as Elves Carry Every Box to the Tree and Reindeer Trot, Reindeer Rest. Every child plays at once and one adult can lead.
Do these games have winners or prizes?
No. Nobody wins, nobody is out and no prize is handed out. A child who would rather watch from a lap is still playing.
A Merry Christmas Verse for Every Child's Name1. Sit in a ring. The adult sings "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and puts a child's name where "you" goes. 2. Everyone waves at that child for the whole line. 3. The child may wave back, stand up or hide behind a grown-up. All three count as joining in. 4. Sing every child's name, and finish with one verse for the grown-ups. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Fa-La-La, Arms Up High1. Stand in a ring. The adult sings "Deck the Halls" slowly. 2. Hands stay on knees for the words. 3. On every "fa la la" both arms shoot up and wiggle. 4. The second time, the adult stops just before a "fa la la" and waits for the children to sing it alone. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
Roll, Roll, Roll the Snow1. Sit in a ring. The adult sings to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat": "Roll, roll, roll the snow, roll it big and round." 2. Everyone rolls their arms, tiny at first. 3. Each time through, the snowball grows: bigger arms, then standing up, then the biggest roll of all. 4. At the end the adult pats an invisible snowman into shape and asks the children what he needs on his head. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: none.
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Circle songs and action rhymes, continued
Shake for the Chorus, Still for the Verse1. An adult makes a shaker for each child beforehand: a small plastic bottle with dry pasta inside and the lid taped shut. 2. Sit in a ring. The adult sings the chorus of "Jingle Bells" and everyone shakes. 3. The adult hums the verse quietly, and all the shakers rest on knees. 4. Sing the chorus three times: fast, then slow, then as quietly as the group can. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: a taped-shut bottle shaker for each child.
This Is the Way We Trim the Tree: Hang, Wind, Reach1. Stand in a ring around a small tree or a picture of one. The adult sings to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" and shows each action first. 2. Verse one: "This is the way we hang the balls", reaching forward with both hands. 3. Verse two: "wind the lights", turning around on the spot. Verse three: "put on the star", stretching up on tiptoe. 4. Ask a child for the next thing to put on the tree, and sing whatever they say. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: none.
Twinkle Hands, Lighthouse Hands: A Star Song1. Sit or stand in a ring. The adult sings to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with new words: "Twinkle, twinkle, star on top, shine all night and never stop." 2. Open and close both hands for "twinkle". 3. Point up high for "star on top", and turn your hands like a lighthouse for "shine all night". 4. Sing it once more in a whisper, with the smallest twinkles the children can make. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
Up on the Housetop: Tiptoe, Pat and Click1. Hold hands in a ring. The adult sings "Up on the Housetop", a song from 1864. 2. Tiptoe around for the verse, as quietly as reindeer on a roof. 3. On "Ho, ho, ho" stop and pat your tummy three times. On "click, click, click" clap three times. 4. Go around the other way for the second verse. A child who would rather watch claps from a lap. Ages: 3 to 5. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 4 min. Props: none.
Music and movement 6
Follow the Sleigh Shaker Around the Furniture1. An adult holds a taped-shut bottle shaker and walks a slow path around the sofa and under a table. 2. The children follow in a line and keep close enough to hear the shaker. 3. When the shaker goes quiet, everyone sits down right where they are. 4. A child who wants to lead holds the adult's hand at the front for the next lap. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 4 min. Props: a taped-shut bottle shaker.
Paper Wreath in Your Hands: High, Low, Look Through1. An adult cuts the middle out of a paper plate for each child to make a wreath. 2. Play gentle music. The adult calls and shows one move at a time: hold it high, hold it low, look through it, steer it like a wheel. 3. The children copy each move with their own wreath. 4. Finish by hanging every wreath on one grown-up's arms. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: a paper plate ring for each child and music.
Reindeer Trot, Reindeer Rest1. Lay a rug in the middle of the room for the stable. 2. When the music plays, everyone trots around the rug with hands up as antlers. 3. When an adult stops the music, every reindeer walks to the stable and kneels down to rest. 4. Nobody is out. Start the music again, and change the trot to a tiptoe or a high step. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: music and a rug.
Shake the Tambourine, the Children Are the Snow1. Tape a big circle on the floor. Everyone stands inside it: the children are the snow. 2. An adult rattles a tambourine, and the globe is shaken. Whirl, hop and wave your arms. 3. When the tambourine stops, the snow drifts down slowly until every child is sitting. 4. Shake the globe three or four times, with a shorter shake each time. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: a tambourine and tape.
Tissue Snow Falls, Catch It in Your Arms1. Cut white tissue paper into squares as big as an adult's hand. 2. The adult stands still and lets a few squares fall from above head height. 3. The children catch them in open arms or pick them up from the floor and carry them to a basket. 4. When the basket is full, the adult tips it out over everyone for one last snowfall. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 4 min. Props: white tissue paper squares and a basket.
Wrap the Grown-Up in Streamers1. One adult sits on a low stool in the middle of the room and holds the ends of four crepe paper streamers. 2. Each child, or a pair of children, takes a roll and walks around and around the stool. 3. A second adult keeps everyone walking the same way. 4. When the rolls run out, the wrapped grown-up counts to three and bursts out, and everyone picks up the paper. Ages: 3 to 5. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: four rolls of crepe paper streamer and a stool.
Hunts and finding games 6
A Big Paper Star for Every Child1. An adult cuts one star for each child, as big as a hand, and lays the stars around the room in plain sight: on a chair, on a windowsill, beside a shoe. 2. Each child looks for one star. 3. An adult puts a loop of tape on the back, and the child presses it onto a paper tree on the wall. 4. A child who finds a second star gives it to a friend who is still looking. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: a hand-size paper star for each child, tape and a paper tree.
Find the Other Paper Mitten1. An adult cuts pairs of paper mittens as long as a forearm, each pair with its own color or pattern. 2. Clip one of each pair to a string at the children's shoulder height and lay the others around the room. 3. Each child finds a mitten on the floor and carries it to the one that looks the same. 4. An adult clips the two together. Play until every mitten on the line has its partner. Ages: 3 to 5. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: paper mitten pairs, a string and clothespins that an adult handles.
Reach Into the Stocking and Tell1. An adult fills a large stocking with six soft toys, each one bigger than a child's fist. 2. Sit in a ring. The stocking comes to one child, who reaches in and pulls out a toy. 3. Everyone says what it is and makes its sound or its action. 4. The toy sits in the middle, and the stocking moves on until it is empty. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: a large stocking and six soft toys.
Shake Three Parcels, Find the One That Rattles1. An adult wraps three boxes alike. One holds a taped-shut bottle shaker and two are empty. 2. Pass the boxes around the ring. Every child shakes each one. 3. On "three" everyone points at the box they think made the noise. 4. An adult opens it with the children. Wrap it again later with a different surprise, such as a squeaky toy. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 4 min. Props: three wrapped boxes and a taped-shut bottle shaker.
Six Cardboard Doors, an Action Behind Each1. An adult cuts six flaps in a large sheet of cardboard and tapes a picture behind each one: a bell, a star, a snowflake, a reindeer, a drum, a candle. 2. One child opens a door. 3. Everyone does the action for the picture: shake for the bell, twinkle hands for the star, drift down for the snowflake. 4. The next child chooses the next door, until all six are open. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: a cardboard sheet with six flaps and six pictures.
Under Which Blanket Is the Reindeer?1. Lay three small blankets on the floor. While the children watch, an adult tucks a soft toy reindeer under one of them. 2. The adult slides the blankets around slowly, twice. 3. Everyone walks to the blanket they think is right, and the group lifts it together. 4. A child chooses the hiding blanket for the next round and the adult does the sliding. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 4 min. Props: three small blankets and a soft toy reindeer.
Toss, roll and stack with soft things 6
Elves Carry Every Box to the Tree1. Pile empty boxes of different sizes at one side of the room, each light enough for a two year old. 2. Every child carries one box at a time to the tree and puts it down. 3. An adult at the tree helps stack them. Big boxes go underneath. 4. When the pile has moved, count the boxes aloud together. There is no race and no team. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: a dozen or more light empty boxes.
Everyone Pushes the Big Snowball1. Use the largest soft ball you have, such as a beach ball or an exercise ball. 2. All the children put two hands on it and push it together across the room to a grown-up. 3. The grown-up rolls it gently back. 4. Next, push it all the way around the tree or around a chair. An adult walks beside the ball the whole time. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 4 min. Props: one very large soft ball.
Paper Snowballs Over the Bedsheet Wall1. Two adults hold a bedsheet between them at the height of the children's chests. 2. Half the children stand on each side with snowballs made from whole sheets of crumpled white paper. 3. Throw them over the wall, pick up the ones that land and throw those back. 4. When an adult calls "snow day is over", everyone carries the snowballs to one basket. Ages: 3 to 5. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 4 min. Props: a bedsheet, a basket and paper snowballs made from whole sheets.
Roll It Through the Chimney Box1. An adult opens both ends of a large cardboard box and draws bricks on it. 2. One child sits at each end with an adult. 3. Roll a soft ball through the chimney to the child at the other side, who rolls it back. 4. After five rolls two new children take the ends. Everyone else calls "down the chimney" for each roll. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 4 min. Props: a large cardboard box and a soft ball.
Soft Balls Into the Wreath on the Floor1. Lay a plastic hoop on the floor and tuck green paper around it to make a wreath. 2. Give each child a soft ball or a pair of rolled socks, bigger than a fist. 3. Stand one step back and drop or toss it into the wreath. Every ball that lands inside gets a cheer. 4. An adult tips the balls out and moves the line back one small step for anyone who wants it. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 4 min. Props: a plastic hoop, green paper and soft balls or rolled socks.
Three Pillows Make a Snowman1. Put out three white pillows or cushions: one large, one medium and one small. 2. The children carry them to the middle and stack them, biggest at the bottom. An adult steadies the stack. 3. One child puts a winter hat on top. 4. Everyone gives the snowman a gentle push, watches him tumble, and builds him again with a new hat. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 4 min. Props: three white pillows and a winter hat.
Calm-down and pretend play 7
A Hug for the Bear, Passed Around1. Sit in a ring with one big soft bear. 2. An adult gives the bear a hug and says "Merry Christmas, Bear", then passes it on. 3. Each child hugs the bear, pats it or just passes it along. Any of the three is fine. 4. When the bear comes back, the adult tucks it up and says it is tired. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 3 min. Props: one large soft bear.
Eyes Covered: Where Did the Sleigh Shaker Go?1. The children sit in the middle of the room and cover their eyes with their own hands. 2. An adult tiptoes to a spot and shakes a taped-shut bottle shaker softly. 3. Still with eyes covered, everyone points to where the sound is. Then look. 4. The adult moves and shakes again, more quietly each time. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 3 min. Props: a taped-shut bottle shaker.
Feed the Reindeer Oats With a Spoon1. Set a tray on the floor with dry oats in it, a big spoon for each child and one bowl beside a toy reindeer. 2. The children spoon oats from the tray into the reindeer's bowl. 3. An adult sits at the tray the whole time and talks about what the reindeer is eating. 4. When the bowl is full, tip it back into the tray and start again. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 4 at each tray. Time: 5 min. Props: a tray, dry oats, big spoons, a bowl and a toy reindeer.
Pretend Cocoa for Everyone1. Give each child an empty cup and a spoon. 2. An adult pretends to pour from a pitcher, cup by cup. 3. Stir, blow on it because it is hot, and take a pretend sip together. 4. Ask each child what they would like on top, and pretend to add it. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 4 min. Props: an empty cup and a spoon for each child, and a pitcher.
Ten Slow Snow Angel Sweeps on the Carpet1. Everyone lies down on the carpet with room to stretch out. 2. An adult lies down too and shows the move: arms and legs sweep slowly out and in. 3. Sweep ten times while the adult counts in a whisper. 4. Lie still for a moment, then sit up slowly and look at where your angel was. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 3 min. Props: none.
Tuck In the Dolls, Whisper Good Night1. Lay out dolls or soft toys and a small blanket for each one. 2. An adult dims the lights and says in a whisper that it is Christmas Eve and time for bed. 3. Each child tucks one toy under a blanket and pats it. 4. Everyone whispers good night and tiptoes away to sit with a grown-up. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 4 min. Props: a doll or soft toy and a small blanket for each child.
Wrap Teddy's Present1. Give each child a soft toy and a tea towel or a cloth napkin. 2. An adult shows how to lay the toy down, fold the cloth over it and pat it flat. 3. Each child carries the parcel to a grown-up, who unwraps it slowly and acts very surprised. 4. Swap toys and wrap again. No tape, ribbon or paper is needed. Ages: 2 to 4. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a soft toy and a tea towel for each child.
How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-03 for a Christmas party of two to four year olds and for a preschool class, in our own words; the new song words are ours. Ages, player counts and minutes are our estimates. Every game lasts about five minutes or less, nobody wins and nobody is out, and each entry says what the adult does. No game uses a latex balloon, a blindfold, candy or a loose object smaller than a child's fist. This is party planning, not safety advice for your child: read the age label on every toy, and keep an adult within reach of every child. The size rule follows the federal small parts regulation for children under 3, 16 CFR part 1501, read on 2026-10-03 at https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/part-1501. The seven tunes are old enough to be in the public domain; their dates were checked on 2026-10-03 on English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the name): Jingle_Bells (1857), Up_on_the_Housetop (1864), Deck_the_Halls (a sixteenth-century Welsh melody, English words of 1862), We_Wish_You_a_Merry_Christmas, Here_We_Go_Round_the_Mulberry_Bush, and the articles on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (1806) and Row, Row, Row Your Boat (1852). Licence: own work