24 Energetic Christmas Youth Group Games

Looking for exciting ways to make your church’s youth group Christmas party unforgettable; these 24 energetic Christmas youth group games are packed with fun, laughter, and just the right amount of friendly competition. Perfect for bringing teens together to celebrate the season, these games are designed to keep everyone moving, laughing, and fully engaged in the holiday spirit.

From creative relays to fast-paced team challenges, this list has everything you need to create a memorable and festive event. Whether you’re hosting a small gathering or a large youth group celebration, these games are easy to organize and full of Christmas cheer.  Get ready to make your Christmas event the highlight of the year!

Okay Let’s get to the 24 Energetic Christmas Youth Group Games!

24 Energetic Christmas Youth Group Games

1. Christmas Tree Tower Challenge

• Supplies: Green plastic cups, small ornaments, star toppers.
• Instructions:
  • Each team must stack cups into the shape of a Christmas tree and top it with a star (or small ornament).
  • If the tree collapses, they must start over.
  • First team to successfully build their tree wins!

2. Candy Cane Scramble

• Supplies: Candy canes, ribbon, a bucket.
• Instructions:
  • Scatter candy canes on the floor.
  • One player uses a candy cane on a ribbon to “fish” for candy canes and deposit them into a bucket.
  • Most candy canes collected in a minute wins.

3. Christmas Balloon Pop

• Supplies: Balloons (green and red), slips of paper with challenges, and tape.
• Instructions:
  • Fill balloons with slips of paper containing Christmas-themed challenges (e.g., “Sing the first verse of ‘Jingle Bells,'” “Hop like a reindeer,” or “Do your best Santa laugh”).
  • Scatter the balloons. Players race to pop them (by sitting on them, stomping, etc.) and complete the challenge inside.
  • First team to finish all their challenges wins!
• Why It’s Fun: It’s high-energy, chaotic, and perfect for a lively group.

4. Christmas Relay Races

• Supplies: Oversized sweaters, Christmas decorations (bows, tinsel, garland), and a Santa hat.
• Instructions:
  • Divide the group into teams.
  • Set up a relay course where players race to put on an oversized Christmas sweater, run to the other side to grab decorations, and “decorate” themselves (adding tinsel, bows, or garland).
  • They return to tag the next teammate, who repeats the process.
  • The first fully decorated team wins!
• Why It’s Fun: It’s active, hilarious, and gets everyone involved in a festive frenzy.

5. Ornament Target Toss

• Supplies: Plastic ornaments, buckets or hula hoops, point markers (e.g., tape).
• Instructions:
  • Set up buckets or hula hoops at varying distances, each with a point value.
  • Players take turns tossing ornaments into the targets.
  • Add a fun twist: certain targets (like gold buckets) double the points!
  • The player or team with the most points wins.

6. Santa’s Sack Scramble

• Materials: Red pillowcases or sacks, small holiday items (like ornaments, bows, or candy canes).
• How to Play:
  • One player lies on their stomach and holds the sack open, while their partner pulls them across the floor to collect as many items as possible.
  • Team with the fullest sack at the end wins.

7. Snowball Catapult

• Supplies: Plastic spoons, marshmallows or cotton balls, buckets.
• Instructions:
  • Each player uses a plastic spoon to catapult “snowballs” (marshmallows or cotton balls) into a bucket placed a few feet away.
  • Players take turns launching as many snowballs as possible within one minute.
  • Most snowballs in the bucket wins.

8. Rudolph Nose Relay

• Materials: Red pom-poms, petroleum jelly, bowls.
• How to Play:
  • Apply a bit of petroleum jelly to players’ noses.
  • Players must pick up red pom-poms with their noses (no hands!) and transfer them to a bowl.
  • Team with the most pom-poms in the bowl wins.

9. Snow Plow Showdown

• Materials: Large cardboard pieces or poster board, fake snow (cotton balls or packing peanuts).
• How to Play:
  • One player sits on the floor with the cardboard “plow” in front of them, and their partner pushes them forward to gather snow into their zone.
  • Team with the most snow in their zone wins.

10. Gift Wrap Speed Challenge

• Materials: Wrapping paper, tape, scissors, small boxes.
• How to Play:
  • Players race to wrap a gift the fastest.
  • Judge based on both speed and neatness for added fun!

11. Ornament Balance Challenge

• Materials: Plastic ornaments, spoons.
• How to Play:
  • Players balance an ornament on a spoon and race to a finish line without dropping it.
  • Make it harder by creating an obstacle course!

12. Christmas Cookie Face Race

• Materials: Christmas cookies.
• How to Play:
  • Place a cookie on each player’s forehead.
  • Players must move the cookie to their mouth without using their hands.
  • First person to eat the cookie wins!

More Christmas Youth Group Games

13. Marshmallow Snowman Stack

• Materials: Marshmallows of different sizes, toothpicks, timer.
• How to Play:
  • Players have one minute to build the tallest marshmallow snowman using only marshmallows and toothpicks.
  • Tallest snowman wins!

14. Snowball Scoop

• Supplies: Cotton balls, plastic spoons, bowls.
• Instructions:
  • Players use spoons to scoop “snowballs” (cotton balls) into a bowl while blindfolded.
  • Most snowballs in the bowl wins.

15. Present Stacking Relay

• Materials: Empty boxes wrapped as gifts, flat surface.
• How to Play:
  • Players run to a designated spot, stack a set number of presents, and run back to tag the next teammate.
  • If the stack falls, they must restack it before continuing.
  • First team to complete wins.

16. Reindeer Antler Ring Toss

• Materials: Inflatable reindeer antlers (or headbands with pipe cleaners shaped into antlers), small rings.
• How to Play:
  • One player wears the antlers, while their teammate tosses rings from a distance.
  • Score points for each successful toss!
  • Variation: Use glow-in-the-dark rings for added excitement.

17. Tinsel Tug-of-War

• Supplies: Thick tinsel or rope.
• Instructions:
  • Divide into two teams.
  • Teams compete in a festive tug-of-war using tinsel or rope.
  • Add a Santa hat to the middle as the marker for extra holiday fun.

18. Santa Hat Stack-Off

• Supplies: Santa hats, boxes or bowls.
• Instructions:
  • Players stack Santa hats on top of each other to build the tallest hat tower possible in 60 seconds.
  • Hats must balance and not fall to count.
  • Tallest stack wins!

19. Stocking Stuffer Race

• Supplies: Large stockings, small holiday items (candy canes, bows, ornaments).
• Instructions:
  • Place a pile of items at one end of the room and an empty stocking at the other.
  • Players race to grab items one at a time and stuff them into the stocking.
  • Most items stuffed in a minute wins!

20. Elf on the Shelf Hide-and-Seek

• Supplies: Small elf figurine or plush toy.
• Instructions:
  • Hide the “Elf on the Shelf” somewhere in the room.
  • Players race to find it.
  • First to locate the elf wins.
• Variation: Have multiple elves hidden and assign points for each found.

21. Christmas Wreath Toss

• Supplies: Large wreaths, cones or people wearing Santa hats.
• Instructions:
  • Toss wreaths over cones or onto teammates’ heads as targets.
  • Score points for each successful toss.
  • Add a time limit for fast-paced fun!

22. Penguin Waddle Race

• Supplies: Balloons or beach balls.
• Instructions:
  • Players place a balloon or ball between their knees and waddle like a penguin across the room.
  • Drop the balloon? Start over!
  • First to cross the finish line wins.

23. Sleigh Ride Challenge

• Supplies: Large cardboard or sleds, cones for an obstacle course.
• Instructions:
  • One player sits on a sled or large piece of cardboard while their teammate pulls them through an obstacle course.
  • The sled must weave through cones and avoid knocking them over.
  • Switch roles halfway through.
  • Fastest team to complete the course wins!

24. Christmas Lights Untangling Race

• Supplies: Tangled strings of Christmas lights for each team.
• Instructions:
  • Teams race to untangle a string of Christmas lights.
  • The first team to untangle their lights completely wins.

Enjoy your youth group Christmas party with these super fun games!

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