Christmas games and activities for ESL kids lessons

Teaching Christmas in an ESL kids lesson

Merry Christmas!

This page has a selection of Christmas games and activities that can be used in an ESL Kids classroom. Some have specific teaching functions, others are just fun games (good for parties!). At the end of each game is a Teaching Point (TP) Section.

All games and activities are listed in alphabetical order.

Christmas games & activities:

Candy cane hockey

Make 2 goals on a table (using jellybeans as goal posts). Take another jellybean and use candy canes to shoot it into the goals.
(TP: V: candy cane, shoot, goal, win, lose, winner, loser, jellybean. F: giving instructions to play a game)

Candy cane horseshoes

This game is similar to the throwing horseshoes game. Put up a pole/stick/cone in the classroom. Students take turns throwing candy canes at it. The object of the game is to get your candy cane closest, and only throwing underarm.

Extra points for getting the hook around the pole. The winner’s prize? To eat all the candy canes!
(TP: V: candy cane, throw, underarm, points, prize)

Candy cane pass (relay race)

Supplies: 4 candy canes per team (have a few extras due to breakage).

How to play: The first player holds 4 candy canes between his/her fingers and passes them down the line, teammate to teammate, without dropping any.
(TP: None)

Christmas cards

Supplies: card, [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] pens/pencils, glitter. Students make cards for other students in the class.
(TP: V: Christmas card. F: writing messages)

Christmas stocking relay

Supplies: one stocking for each team, one spoon for each team, one bowl for each team, some wrapped candy.

How to play: Divide students into teams. Have each team line up at one end of the room. At the other end, hang a Christmas stocking for each team. Place a bowl of candy and a spoon in front of each team. Each student takes a turn carrying a candy from the bowl with the spoon across the room to the stocking. They drop the candy in the stocking and race back to the next person in line and give them the spoon.

First team to fill the stocking wins!.
(TP: V: stocking, candy, spoon, bowl. AA: Before the game you can get the students to decorate their stockings with stars, bells, glitter, etc.)

Christmas tree decorate

Cut out a large tree shape (a triangle with rounded corners) from poster board and pin to a wall in the classroom. Students create decorations, ornaments and wrapped presents from craft paper, and then glue them to the tree.
(TP: V: decorations (star, bells, etc.), cut, glue)

Freeze

Supplies. Christmas music (see bottom of this page).

How to play: Begin playing music, everyone moves and dances until the music stops then they must “freeze” in whatever position they happen to be in.
(TP: None)

Limbo

Based on the classic beach game of “limbo”. Try using a string of twinkle lights, or a strand of sparkly garland for your limbo stick.

For a fun variation on the game, make it a little more challenging by adding a Santa stomach to each student as they take their turn. Have a couple of oversized shirts, and some fluffy pillows on hand.
(TP: None)

Pass the Christmas ornament

Supplies: one straw for each child / ornaments cut out of tissue paper (tree, bell, star, etc.).

How to play: Divide the class into 2 teams and line up each team. Students pass the ornaments down the line, teammate to teammate, by inhaling and exhaling on the straw to hang onto or release the ornament. No hands!

The first team to successfully pass the ornaments up and down the line wins!.
(TP: V: ornament, decoration, tree, bell, star, line up, pass. AA: Before the game you can get the students to make the tissue ornaments)

Pin the nose on Rudolph

This is a take on ‘pin the tail on the donkey’. Put a picture of a nose-less Rudolf on the wall, blindfold the students, spin them around and see if they can pin a red nose in the right place.
(TP: V: Rudolph, reindeer, nose, pin, blindfold, spin. F : parts of the body. AA: Song ‘Rudolph the red nose reindeer’, ‘Rudolph dash’ game)

Rudolph dash

Supplies: Circles cut out of red construction paper, vaseline.

How to play: Using vaseline, have each student put a red circle on their nose. In teams, relay race to the finish with each new person adding their red nose. If the nose falls off the student must go back to the bowl and add more vaseline to reapply their nose.
(TP: V: circle, red, nose, run, stick. F: shapes, [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us], parts of the body. AA: Song ‘Rudolph the red nose reindeer’, ‘Pin the nose on Rudolph’ game)

Santa says

Same as the ‘Simon says’ game: the student up is “Santa”. The student says, “Santa says hop”. All students hop. The student says, “Stop”. Students should continue hopping on until “Santa” says, “Santa says stop”.

Repeat for other actions such as jump, run, turn around, sit down, stand up, hands up/down, star jump, etc.
(TP: F: actions, commands)

Scramble Christmas words

Supplies: index cards, paper bags.

How to play: Choose a Christmas word such as: Christmas, candy cane, Santa Claus, reindeer, etc. Write each letter of a word on individual index cards. Put the set of cards in a paper bag.

Divide the students into teams. Give each team a bag. The first team to decipher what the word in the bag wins.

A variation of the game would be to divide into teams with the same number of students as there are letters in the word. Each student gets a letter and the team must arrange themselves in the right order to spell the word.
(TP: F: Spelling)

Secret Santa gift exchange

Set this up 2-3 weeks before the class party – write each person’s name on a slip of paper, then have students draw a name from a hat. They can’t get their own name. Students must buy a present for the person whose name they chose, but set a (low) price limit.

Students bring the wrapped present, with the recipients name on it, to the party (have a few extra presents on hand if anyone forgets, or in case of other emergencies so everyone can get one). The teacher (or Santa!) draws the names from a hat, and the recipient has to guess who gave them the present.
(TP: None)

Snowball Frosty the snowman

Draw a snowman on the board with target points (e.g. 10 pts head, 5 pts stomach, etc.). Make wet balls of using tissue. Students throw the wet ‘snowballs’ which stick to the snowman (who also slowly melts!). Ask questions for extra points.
(TP: V: snowman, snowball, throw, points. F: ‘wh’ / ‘yes,no’ questions. AA: Song ‘Frosty the snowman’)

Snowflakes

Fold a piece of paper until it is quite small. Then cut small holes in the folded paper. Open up – a snowflake!
(TP: V: Snowflake, paper, fold, cut. F: weather)

Spelling banner

Prepare two banners that say whatever you want them to say, i.e. Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings, etc. Also prepare a set of letters for the same words cut out in two different [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] hidden randomly around the room.

Divide the class into 2 teams with two captains – the captains sit and wait for their teammates to bring the letters for their banner. If a student is on the “red” team and sees a letter for the “green” team he/she just leaves it alone. The first team to cover their banner letters wins.
(TP: F: spelling)

Who am I Santa?

Blindfold one student. The other students stand in circle around the blindfolded student. Spin the student around and then stop him/her facing another student. The student says, “Ho ho ho. Who am I?”. The blindfolded student must guess who that student is and call out his/her name.
(TP: F: asking people to identify themselves)

Word find

Supplies: timer, paper, pens.

Divide students into teams. Take a Christmas related word such as Christmas, candy cane, Santa Claus, etc. and find as many words as possible using the letters of that word. Give a time limit (e.g. 2 mins). The team with the most words wins!

Example 1: Christmas: (sit, is, his, miss, rat, tar, this, math, chair, rim…)
Example 2: Candy cane (candy, cane, and, dance, day, nay, can, dye, an, any…)
(TP: F: Spelling)

Christmas lesson plans

Free Christmas lesson plans

Check out our wonderful Christmas lesson plans which are tailor-made to use in your kids ESL classroom. The lesson plans include downloadable flashcards, worksheets, songs and a classroom reader.

Christmas songs

• ESL Kids Christmas carols to download – We have two great carols which you can download and use in your lessons: “We wish you a merry Christmas” and “Jingle bells“. Each song has been adapted so that the words are easier for kids learning English.