What better way to welcome the winter holiday spirit than with a few creative crafts and heart warming group activities? Deck the halls with some handmade décor projects or invoke a spirit of friendly competition filled with games and activities to try with a group of kids this holiday season. Read on to find directions, example images, and more.
Simple Winter Holiday Crafts for Kids
Snowman Bookmarks
Bookmarks do what their name implies, which is to hold your place in a book. Creating a fun and personalized bookmark might be the encouragement your kids need to do a little extra reading this winter. Beads, construction paper, yarn, and a little holiday spirit make these quick and easy bookmarks a fun and friendly addition to any winter reading experience.
Bright Holiday Ornaments
Recycling has never been so easy! Use old CDs to create personalized, colorful ornaments to decorate a tree or add some color to the winter holiday season. Put together some festive creativity and use construction paper, glue sticks, markers, and more to create these bright and cheerful holiday ornaments.
Holiday Handprint Banner
Handprint projects are the perfect way to take a holiday-themed snapshot of a moment in time. Why not create a decorative piece of winter cheer with a little paint, construction paper, colored pencils, and ribbon? Send students home with a memory for their loved ones, and a cheerful décor item to hang at home.
Make Holiday Handprint Banners
Low Preparation Winter Holiday Group Activities
The Grinch
Students are elves with presents (a ball), attempting to keep it away from the Grinch with their feet. The Grinch, one designated student, is attempting to steal a gift from an elf, and when successful becomes an elf. The student who lost the ball is the new Grinch. This game requires a ball for each student (except for the designated Grinch), and four quadrants of a playing area made from cones.
Snowball Bowling
You’ll need a flat playing area, bowling pins, and foam balls. Scatter the bowling pins within the playing field and have one student stand beside each one. The rest of the students grab a ball and stand along the sideline. At the signal, the snowball bowlers enter the playing field and begin to use their ball to attempt to knock over pins being protected.
Reindeer Games
This game of tag requires a competitive spirit, cones to mark a playing area, and some scarves or fluff balls to signal who is “it.” The elves with the flags are “it” and must try to tag and freeze the other students or “reindeer.” When a reindeer is frozen, they must stand with their legs apart and can only be unfrozen when another reindeer crawls between their legs.
Snowball Hoop Blaster
For this activity, pair up students and give each pair one hoop and 4-6 yarn or foam balls. Students stand between 5 and 7 feet apart, or at a distance appropriate for their developmental level. One student holds the hoop, and the other aims to toss the “snowballs” through it, earning a point for each successful throw.
Battle of the Poles Tag
Create four grids or use a basketball court and place tossables in the center, which is called the “Workshop Area.” Divide the students evenly between the four areas. Have two students from each grid wear pinnies and act as the “Protector Elves.” They will guard the tossables in the middle by tagging anyone who tries to steal them. Drop off successfully stolen tossables outside the playing area.
More Ideas for Kids Games and Activities
If you’re interested in more winter holiday fun, check out other craft and activity ideas from the Schoolyard. Also, be sure to stop by the School Specialty online store for convenient one-stop shopping for arts & crafts and team-building game tools!
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