Every December I’m organized right up to about the 23rd. The advent calendar is ticking along, the cookies are made, the kids are thrilled. Then Christmas Eve arrives and it’s the longest day in history. And the week after Christmas? Everyone’s home, the new toys have lost their shine by lunchtime on the 26th, and nobody’s quite sure what day it is.
So these Christmas activities for kids are for exactly those days: Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, the slump on Christmas afternoon, and the strange, lovely week between Christmas and New Year. There are car games and school party games too, and a free printable pack with a Santa tracker log, Christmas Day bingo and more.
December 1 to 24: The Advent Calendar Has You Covered
For the run-up to Christmas, our printable advent calendar has 72 activities, 24 for each age group: lights walks, cookie baking, movie nights, letters to grandparents and lots more. Print that for the first part of December; it’ll carry you to the 24th. This page picks up where it stops.
Christmas Eve Activities
1. A Christmas Eve Box
Put a few small things in a box for the kids to open in the afternoon: new pajamas, a Christmas book, a mug and some hot chocolate. It doesn’t need to cost much. The point’s the ritual, and it takes the edge off the waiting.
2. Track Santa
NORAD has run its free Santa tracker every Christmas Eve for decades, at noradsanta.org. Check the site for this year’s start time. Kids love following the map. They’ll want to check it every ten minutes, and our printable log has space to write down where Santa is each hour before bed.
3. Reindeer Food (Oats Only)
Mix a handful of rolled oats in a paper bag, tie it with our printable tag, and sprinkle it on the lawn before bed. Skip the glitter you’ll see in a lot of recipes; it’s bad for birds and wildlife. Plain oats look just as good in the dark, and the birds will thank you.
4. A Magic Key for Santa
If your home doesn’t have a chimney, kids will worry. A lot. Hang an old key on a ribbon outside the front door with our “Magic key for Santa” tag, and that’s one less question at bedtime.
5. Read “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”
The poem’s from 1823, so it’s free to read and easy to find. Read it in pajamas with the tree lights on, then it’s bed. Older kids can take turns reading a verse each.
Christmas Morning
6. Stockings First
A simple rule that saves everyone’s sanity: stockings can be opened as soon as anyone’s awake, but the big presents wait until the grown-ups have had coffee. Everyone wins. Mostly the grown-ups.
7. A Present Scavenger Hunt
For one special gift, hide it and give kids the first clue card from our pack. Each clue leads to the next one, and the last leads to the present. It turns two minutes of unwrapping into twenty minutes of running around, which is a good trade on a day full of sitting.
8. Christmas Day Bingo
Our bingo cards have things that happen every Christmas Day: someone wears a paper hat, someone falls asleep on the couch, the dog steals something, a grown-up says “careful, that’s fragile.” Hand them out in the morning and mark them off all day. The first full line wins the last chocolate.
The Christmas Day Afternoon Slump
9. The Box Challenge
Every year the best toy is the box something came in. Lean into it: give kids the biggest box from the morning, some tape and markers, and challenge them to make a rocket, a car or a house before the light goes.
10. A Walk Before Dark
Get everyone outside for twenty minutes, even if it’s cold and gray. New bikes and scooters get a first ride, and you’ll all come back in better moods. I’ve never once regretted the Christmas walk. I’ve regretted skipping it.
11. A Family Talent Show
After dinner, everyone does one thing: a joke, a song, a card trick, a dance, a poem. Grandparents count. It’s silly and it’s lovely, and it gets kids off screens for half an hour.
The Week After Christmas
12. Thank-You Notes
Do them on the 26th or 27th while everyone still remembers who gave what. Our printable notes have space to write or draw, so even little ones can join in. Grandparents keep these for years.
13. My Best Bits of the Year
Our memory page asks kids for their best day, funniest moment, favorite food and one thing they learned this year. Fill it in on a slow afternoon and date it. You’ll be very glad you did when you find it later.
14. A Boredom Jar
Write 20 small ideas on slips of paper (build a fort, bake something, a puzzle, a board game, call a cousin) and put them in a jar. When someone says “I’m bored,” they pick one. No arguing with the jar.
15. Wrapping Paper Art
Don’t throw away the nicest wrapping paper. Cut it into shapes and make collages, bookmarks or next year’s gift tags. It’s crafty without needing anything new.
16. A New Year Time Capsule
Put this year’s memory page, a drawing, a photo and a letter to future-them into an envelope. Seal it, write “Open on December 31, 2027,” and hide it somewhere safe.
Car Games on the Way to Grandma’s
17. Christmas I-Spy Bingo
Our car bingo cards have things to spot from the window: a wreath on a door, an inflatable snowman, a reindeer decoration, a house with blue lights. Clip them to a book and hand out a pencil each.
18. The Christmas Alphabet Game
Go through the alphabet naming something Christmassy for each letter: angel, bells, candy cane. Q and X are the fun ones. It costs nothing and it’s surprisingly competitive.
School Christmas Party Games
19. Pass the Present
Wrap a small prize in lots of layers of paper, with a forfeit card from our pack between some layers (“sing Jingle Bells,” “do your best reindeer”). Pass it round while the music plays; whoever’s holding it when the music stops unwraps one layer.
20. Snowman Relay
Teams of three: one person stands still while the other two wrap them in toilet paper to make a snowman. The first team to finish wins. It’s chaotic, it’s loud, and the clean-up takes about two minutes.
Download the Free Christmas Activity Pack
The free pack has everything for these Christmas activities for kids: a Santa tracker log, reindeer food tags, a magic key tag, present scavenger hunt clues, four Christmas Day bingo cards, thank-you notes, a best-bits-of-the-year page, car I-spy bingo cards and pass-the-present forfeit cards. It prints on US Letter and A4.
Download the Free Printable
⬇ Download PDF (Free)More Christmas Printables
- Printable advent calendar (72 activities for December 1 to 24)
- Christmas crafts for kids
- Christmas coloring pages
- Letter to Santa template
- Printable Christmas gift tags
FAQs
What are good Christmas activities for kids?
The best Christmas activities for kids depend on the day. In early December, a daily advent activity keeps things fun without much planning. On Christmas Eve, a small Eve box, tracking Santa and reindeer food make the waiting easier. After Christmas, thank-you notes, a boredom jar and getting outside every day help the most.
What can kids do on Christmas Eve?
Open a Christmas Eve box, track Santa on NORAD’s free website, sprinkle oats as reindeer food and read “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” before bed. Keep the afternoon busy so the evening’s calmer. A walk outside helps too.
How do you keep kids busy on Christmas Day?
Spread things out. A present scavenger hunt in the morning, Christmas Day bingo all day, a walk before dark, and a family talent show after dinner. Don’t plan everything; new toys need time too, and so do you.
What can kids do in the week after Christmas?
Write thank-you notes early, fill in a best-of-the-year memory page, make a time capsule and keep a boredom jar of small ideas. Try to get outside once a day, even when it’s cold. You won’t regret it. Inviting a friend over for an afternoon helps everyone.
What are good games for a school Christmas party?
Pass the present with forfeit cards and the snowman relay with toilet paper are classics for a reason. Both need almost no setup and work for a big group. Christmas bingo and charades are good quieter options.
Is the Christmas activity pack free?
Yes. The whole pack is one free PDF with no sign-up and no email form. Print as many copies as you need. It works on US Letter and A4 paper.
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