5 Preschool Christmas Games for Church

Preschoolers are crazy for Christmas and crazy for games!  Whether you are a Christian school teacher, a room mom desperate for last minute party ideas, or a Sunday School teacher, these preschool games will help you control the chaos that is inevitable after one too many a Christmas cookie.  In addition, there are simple suggestions for devotional ideas as well.  Have fun and enjoy the energy of those little ones!
We’d love to hear your ideas. Click here to leave a comment. Tell use about your favorite Christmas games for preschoolers. 
Happy, Happy Birthday!  Ask the students why we celebrate Christmas.  Remind them that it is Jesus’ birthday!  It’s time to celebrate! 
Play this game just like the traditional Duck, Duck Goose.  Have students sit in a circle.  Select one child to go around the outside of the circle and tap heads.  Each time a head is tapped, have them say, “Happy” till they choose a child to run after them by saying, “Birthday!”  The selected runner chases the other student until they sit down in the empty space. 
Christmas Hide and Seek :  Ask the students about the preparations that are made for Christmas (decorations, gifts, food, lights, etc.)  Tell them that the most important part of the season is Jesus.  Sometimes He gets lost in our preparations!  Encourage them to put Jesus first. 
Prior to student arrival (or while students are elsewhere), hide each piece of a Nativity scene around the room.  I used Fisher Prices’ Little People Nativity Scene, but any non-breakable figurines would work.  Have students search the room for each component.  Upon finding a piece, the child places it in the stable and either continues to search or takes a seat. 
Christmas Treasure Hunt:  Remind the students that Jesus is the greatest treasure that this world has ever known.  He came to save this world from our sins!  Let’s search for Him as a treasure today. 
This is a variation of the Christmas Hide and Seek Game.  Instead of looking for all of the pieces at the same time, have students search for each piece individually.  Start off with a clue as to where the first piece is found.  With each piece thereafter, have an index card there with a clue for the next piece.  Clues can be things like:  Look under something warm (under a coat); Look for me on a tree (hiding as an ornament); I will be near a good book (in the library).   Place the piece into the stable upon its discovery.  Continue until all pieces are found.  (This game is perfect for a small class.  If there are more than eight students, consider doing two rounds.) 
Christmas Musical Chairs:  Describe how Mary and Joseph looked for a place to have baby Jesus, but there was no place to be found but a stable.  Imagine their discouragement when they realized there was, “No room in the Inn!”  The Son of God was born in a very simple, humble barn for animals. 
Play traditional Christmas music or children’s Christmas music (we love the  Cedarmont Kids Christmas CD, but anything will do) while you play musical chairs.  (If you do not have access to a CD player, sing a song yourself.)  Start with one less chair than there are students.  Have the chairs formed into a circle, facing outwards.  When the music starts, have students move around the chairs in a circle.  When the music stops, students must find a chair to sit in.  One of the students will not find a chair.  When this happens, say, “No room in the inn!” Invite that child to cheer on the others while he/she awaits her turn to play again.  After each round, remove one chair. 
Unwrap the Gift:  James 1:17 says that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”  Tell the students that they may be getting a lot of Christmas gifts this year, but the best gift is Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins. 
For this game, have students sit in a circle facing each other.  Ahead of time, wrap one gift A LOT of times (like 10-12).  Play Christmas music as the gift is passed around the circle.  Every time the music stops, the student holding the gift can unwrap it one time.  When the music continues, the gift is passed again and unwrapped at a pause in the music.  The student who unwraps the gift last can keep the particular item.