6 Fun Games to Share the Story of Christmas

Christmas is such a special time of the year. Everywhere we go, we see beautifully decorated Christmas trees and hear the jingling of bells and singing of familiar Christmas carols. Homes are perfumed with the sweet aroma of Christmas cookies, building up the anticipation of a sumptuous Christmas meal of roast turkey and ham.  And, of course, we all look forward to giving and receiving Christmas presents!

Even as we go about preparing for the festivities, let us remember Christmas is named after Christ, and that the reason we celebrate Christmas is to remember the birth of Jesus.

Christmas is a wonderful time for parties and get-togethers. And playing Christmas themed games during these gatherings is a perfect way to share the Biblical story of Jesus’ birth in a fun, non-threatening way.

One of our favorites is The Story of Christmas Minute To Win It. Each of the six games in this special collection of low-prep Minute To Win It games is linked to a small part of the Biblical Christmas story. While playing, you can tell the true story of Christmas in a fun and memorable way. And if your guests want to know more, there’s a simple Bible lesson at the end to help you share about God’s perfect Christmas gift to us, Jesus Christ. Here are the six games in this collection.

J is for Jesus!

The candy cane looks like a shepherd’s staff when you hold it upright. But when you turn it over, it looks like the letter J. J is for Jesus! Who is Jesus?

Luke 1: 28-33

The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.” But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

How to play: Players must use a “fishing pole” held in their mouths to pick up 4 small candy canes off the edge of a table. The “fishing pole” is made using a chopstick, a length of string, and a candy cane “hook”.

Home Again

Luke 2:1-4

At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order that all people in the countries under Roman rule must list their names in a register. This was the first registration; it was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to their own towns to be registered. So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David.

How to play: 6 different colored candies are used. These represent people from 6 different hometowns. There are also 6 matching colored bowls that represent their respective hometowns. Players have 60 seconds to “return” each candy to its respective “hometown”.

All Wrapped Up

Luke 2:6-7

While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby, and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough.

 How to play: This is a two-player game. One player must wrap another player with an entire roll of toilet paper.

Nighty Night Sheep

Luke 2:8-13

That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel, praising God.

How to play: Players are shepherds who must herd all their sheep back into the sheep pen. Players fan 12 marshmallow “sheep” using an empty pizza box across the floor into the “sheep pen”.

Follow the Star

Matthew 2:1-2; 9-11

When Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

How to play: Players must roll a tennis ball from behind a foul line onto a star 5 placed feet away. The ball must come to a complete stop while touching any part of the star.

The Greatest Gift

The wise men went in search of Jesus because they knew Jesus was special. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Son of God. God sent Jesus to be born on earth because he loves us very much. Jesus is God’s special Christmas gift to all of us!

How to play: Players must wear clumsy oven mitts and try to unwrap a gift-wrapped present in 60 seconds..

 

For the full script and instructions, as well as how to adapt The Story of Christmas Minute To Win It Games for younger players, click here.

For a less energetic game you can play after a heavy Christmas dinner, consider a game of Christmas Trivia. In this Christmas Trivia game, everyone is involved at the same time. As players take turns to answer questions, other players can also score points by correctly guessing whether the answer is right or wrong. The Christmas Trivia questions in this game are divided into 5 categories: (1) From the Bible, (2) Christmas Carols, (3) Christmas Movies and Books, (4) Christmas Foods and (5) Random Facts. Free printable Christmas Trivia Questions Cards and a Christmas Trivia Board are provided.

 

Author – Alvin Gan

Alvin Gan is the father of three noisy (but lovely) teenagers and founder of 2 websites that provide creative evangelism and discipleship resources.

www.LetTheLittleChildrenCome.com  specializes in unique child evangelism tools and resources to help convey the plan of salvation for kids effectively.

www.BibleGamesCentral.com develops Bible games for youths, kids and even adults to teach spiritual truths.