Christmas party games for 5th graders can be tricky to plan since ten-year-olds are often stuck between wanting silly fun and thinking things are too childish. I put this list together after struggling to find activities that actually keep a classroom engaged without causing chaos.
If you are managing a holiday event, these options balance competitive energy with simple setups. You will find ideas that require minimal prep and keep every student laughing.
1. Wrap the Human Snowman
Kids at this age love any excuse to be a little rebellious with everyday items. Turning their classmates into a massive paper snowman gives them a chance to work as a fast-paced team.
Materials Needed
- Multiple rolls of cheap toilet paper
- Orange construction paper cut into carrot shapes
- Clear tape
How to Play
Divide the class into small groups and have them select one volunteer to be the snowman. Set a timer for two minutes and let them race to wrap their classmate completely. The team with the most creative and fully covered snowman wins.
2. The Oven Mitt Candy Unwrap
Watching someone struggle with basic tasks never fails to get huge laughs from this age group. It adds an awkward, hilarious physical challenge to a simple reward.
Materials Needed
- Thick winter gloves or thick oven mitts
- Individually wrapped candies (like Hershey Kisses)
How to Play
Have students stand in a circle and pass a pair of oven mitts along with a wrapped candy. When the music stops, the person holding the mitts must put them on and try to unwrap the candy. They only have ten seconds to pull it off before the music starts again!
3. Jingle Bell Cup Stacking
Bring out their competitive side with a fast-paced physical challenge that requires focus. The added noise of the bells makes the whole room feel instantly festive and active.
Materials Needed
- Large pack of red and green plastic cups
- Small metal jingle bells
How to Play
Give each player ten cups and one jingle bell. They must build a pyramid of cups using one hand, and the jingle bell must balance perfectly on the very top cup. If the tower falls, they have to start completely over from the bottom.
4. Draw on Your Head Pictionary
Drawing on a whiteboard is standard, but making them sketch objects blindly changes the dynamic completely. You will get incredibly weird drawings that the whole class will find hilarious.
Materials Needed
- Sturdy paper plates
- Thick markers
How to Play
Players place a paper plate on top of their own heads and hold it steady with one hand. The host calls out a holiday item like a reindeer or a stocking. They must draw the item without looking, and the most accurate sketch wins a point.
5. Snowman Toilet Paper Bowling
Getting active indoors usually means broken supplies, but this soft setup is completely safe for a classroom. It gives them the satisfaction of knocking things down without the risk.
Materials Needed
- 6 to 10 rolls of toilet paper
- Black and orange markers to draw snowman faces
- A soft indoor ball
How to Play
Stack the decorated toilet paper rolls in a standard bowling pin formation at the end of the room. Line the kids up and let them roll the ball to knock down the snowmen. Keep a running tally on the chalkboard to crown the ultimate bowling champion.
6. Candy Cane Hook Relay
Fine motor skills meet intense racing in this incredibly quiet but tense activity. It forces them to slow their breathing while their friends cheer loudly behind them.
Materials Needed
- Two large boxes of standard candy canes
- Two bowls
How to Play
Place a pile of candy canes in a bowl at one end of the room. A player puts one candy cane in their mouth with the hook facing out. They must hook another candy cane from the bowl and carry it back to their team without using their hands at all.
7. Blindfolded Ornament Sorting
When you remove their sight, even the easiest sorting tasks become an entertaining group spectacle. This relies entirely on touch, which levels the playing field for everyone.
Materials Needed
- Plastic shatterproof ornaments in different shapes (round, star, teardrop)
- Blindfolds or winter scarves
- Sorting bins
How to Play
Mix all the ornament shapes into one giant pile on a central table. Blindfold two players and set a timer for one minute. They have to sort the ornaments into the correct bins using only their hands, while their teammates shout confusing directions!
8. Two Truths and a Holiday Lie
Older elementary students really enjoy trying to outsmart their friends with clever stories. This requires zero setup and is a great way to calm the room down after a loud activity.
Materials Needed
- Just their imaginations!
How to Play
Have each student think of three holiday-related statements about themselves. Two must be completely true, and one must be a believable lie. The rest of the class votes on which statement is the fake one, testing how well they really know their peers.
9. Reindeer Antler Ring Toss
Turning a student into a moving target always guarantees high participation rates. It gets them out of their seats and working together to score points.
Materials Needed
- Inflatable reindeer antlers (easily found online)
- Inflatable rings
How to Play
One student wears the giant inflatable antlers and stands at a designated mark. Their teammates stand a few feet away and try to toss the rings onto the antlers. Make the reindeer move side to side to make the tossing challenge even harder!
10. Giant Snowflake Paper Chain Race
Group collaboration works best when there is a tight time limit attached to the project. This activity also leaves you with great handmade decor to hang up afterward.
Materials Needed
- Pre-cut strips of green, red, and white paper
- Staplers or glue sticks
How to Play
Split the class into groups of four or five. Give each group an equal stack of paper strips. They have exactly five minutes to build the longest continuous paper chain. The team with the most linked loops wins the round.
11. Guess the Christmas Smell
Sensory activities break up the usual running and shouting with something surprisingly calm. It challenges their memory and sparks conversations about their favorite holiday meals.
Materials Needed
- Small paper cups covered with foil (poke holes in the top)
- Scent items: cinnamon, pine needles, peppermint, hot cocoa powder
How to Play
Pass the sealed smell cups around the room one by one. Students write down their best guess for what is hidden inside each numbered cup. The person who correctly identifies the most mystery smells gets a prize.
12. Rudolph’s Red Nose Transfer
Moving objects without using hands is a classic party trick that tests their patience. It usually ends with a lot of dropped items and roaring laughter.
Materials Needed
- Small red pom-poms
- Petroleum jelly
- Two paper plates per team
How to Play
Put a small dab of petroleum jelly on a player’s nose. They must dip their nose into a plate of red pom-poms to pick one up, then transfer it to an empty plate across the room without using their hands.
13. The Saran Wrap Coal Ball
Uncovering hidden prizes builds massive anticipation, especially when the clock is ticking against them. The bulky gloves make tearing the plastic incredibly frustrating in the best way possible.
Materials Needed
- One large roll of plastic wrap
- Small prizes (stickers, erasers, candy) layered inside
- Thick winter gloves
- A pair of dice
How to Play
One person wears the gloves and tries to unroll the giant plastic wrap ball to reach the prizes inside. Meanwhile, the person next to them rolls the dice. Once the roller hits doubles, the gloves and the ball pass to the left!
14. Holiday Charades Relay
Acting out winter themes gets a lot funnier when the whole team has to guess at once. Adding a relay race element prevents the game from dragging on too long.
Materials Needed
- Index cards with holiday actions written on them (e.g., “building a snowman,” “decorating a tree,” “slipping on ice”)
How to Play
Line the teams up. The first person runs to the board, reads their action card, and acts it out silently. As soon as their team guesses correctly, the next person runs up to grab a new card.
15. Freeze Dance: Blizzard Edition
Burning off sugar from the snack table requires a high-energy outlet before you send them home. This is the easiest way to exhaust them while keeping them in one designated space.
Materials Needed
- A playlist of upbeat holiday music
- A speaker
How to Play
Turn the holiday music up loud and let the kids dance around the room. When you randomly pause the music, everyone must freeze instantly like solid ice sculptures. Anyone caught moving is out until the next round.
16. Snowball Toss (Marshmallow Edition)
Throwing food in the classroom is usually strictly forbidden, which makes this highly appealing to older kids. It tests their throwing accuracy and creates a hilarious mess that is easy to sweep up.
Materials Needed
- A large bag of jumbo marshmallows
- Holiday-themed buckets or large plastic bowls
How to Play
Set the buckets against the back wall and mark a throwing line with tape. Give each student a handful of jumbo marshmallows. They must try to sink as many marshmallows into the buckets as possible in one minute.
17. The Great Ornament Spoon Race
Balancing tasks force them to slow down and concentrate amid the loud holiday excitement. It is a great test of coordination that looks much easier than it actually is.
Materials Needed
- Plastic shatterproof ornaments
- Wooden or plastic serving spoons
How to Play
Each racer places the handle of a spoon in their mouth and balances a plastic ornament on the bowl of the spoon. They must walk across the room and back without dropping the ornament. If it falls, they have to start over from the beginning!
FAQs
How much time should I plan for classroom christmas party games 5th grade?
You should aim for about 45 to 60 minutes of active gameplay. Ten-year-olds lose interest quickly, so keeping the activities fast-paced and rotating games every 10 to 15 minutes works best.
Should I offer prizes for the winners?
Yes, but keep it incredibly simple! Fifth graders are easily motivated by small rewards.
| Prize Idea | Cost Level | Appeal |
| Homework Pass | Free | Very High |
| Candy Canes | Low | High |
| Festive Pencils | Low | Medium |
| Extra Recess Time | Free | Very High |
What are the best cheap supplies for these activities?
Dollar stores are your best friend. Stock up on plastic cups, cheap toilet paper, shatterproof ornaments, and paper plates. You can run almost an entire party using just those basic items without going over budget.
It takes a bit of planning to keep an older elementary class entertained, but these activities hit the right balance of silly and competitive. Once you gather your simple supplies, the kids basically run the fun themselves.
If you found these ideas helpful, be sure to save this post to your favorite holiday board on Pinterest! That way, you will have these games ready to go the next time you need a quick classroom activity.