Enjoy these fun and easy Christmas team building activities and games for your next event or meeting.
Christmas is just around the corner, and you have an event, meeting, or setting where you are in need of some fun festive holiday team building games!
Well, I hope I can help you out! I have been a youth leader in the past and in leadership positions with adults so I know a good team building activity can really help set the mood with group events or meetings, and teach them something valuable about themselves and the team. Plus, some of these are downright fun!
Also, it’s been shown that team building can boost engagement levels in your team. So, it doesn’t matter if it’s kids, youth, or adults…team building is beneficial!
If you want to check out some non-Christmas team building activities and ice breaks, feel free to check out these two posts below:
- 6 Quick Team Building Games
- 7 Fun and Easy Ice Breakers
- Easy and Fun Youth Group Games They Will Love
- 9 Team Building Activities for the Classroom
- 8 Super Quick Ice Breakers for Meetings
Holiday Team Building Activities and Games
Below you will find 7 unique Christmas team building games. Some of these are quick and easy, needing little to no setup. Some may take more time to prepare and execute.
Also, keep in mind that you will probably have to change things around for your team if it’s really small or really large.
You will find some kind of team building activity to fit your needs.
The Christmas Stocking Race
( A great way to get your team up and going)
- Depending on its size, divide your team up into groups.
- On one side of the room, hang up empty stockings
- On the other side of the room, set up bowls of candy with spoons.
- Set a time and have each team try to put the most candy in their stocking using the spoons.
- The team with the most candy wins. (you can either weigh the stocking or do it by eye.
*Add a twist to teach the importance of planning and communication.
- Have them do this game without giving them any time to communicate before you start, or don’t allow any verbal communication throughout the activity. Then measure out the stocking once done.
- Then have them repeat the challenge giving them a few minutes before to create a game plan and allow them to communicate throughout the process. In the end, measure out the stocking.
- See if there was a difference in the candy.
- Ask questions about whether it was easier or harder with a plan and communication.
Raindeers, Elves, and Santas
( A fun way to energize your team before a meeting or event)
This game is very similar to the Bears, Cowboys, and Ninjas. Except we have switched out the characters for Christmas.
- This game is just like paper, rock, scissors. Each player must choose between three poses (makeup poses in advance). raindeers run over elves, elves hide cookies from Santas, and Santas rein in raindeers
- Have each person find a partner. Line up back to back with your partner and think about which character you will pose as. When you’re ready, count out and take three steps away from each other.
- On three, strike a pose!
Secret Santa Millionaires
( A creative and fun way for team members to interact and share with each other)
Sure, you can totally do a normal Secret Santa at your next gathering, but why not change it up? Check out how the millionaires’ version works.
- IN ADVANCE Have all your team members pull names out of a hat to have a Secret Santa ( a person they will purchase a gift for).
- Tell your team to think of what they would buy their secret Santa if they had to use up 1 million dollars for them. But give a price limit, for example… $10 or $20.
An example gift would be:
1 Million Dollar Gift – A Yacht to Travel the World
$10-$20 Gift – A passport sleeve and compass
- On the day of the exchange, ensure that the giver shares with everyone what the million-dollar gift idea was and how their little gift will help them get there.
Snowflake Challenge
( A great way for team members to learn the importance of following instructions )
- Pass out a piece of paper to each team member. (you can make this festive by passing out red and green paper)
- Have each team member close their eyes or blindfold them.
- Now out loud, go through the instruction on how to make a snowflake with the paper you have given to them.
Steps to Make a Snowflake
- Fold your paper in half.
- Fold it in half again.
- Tear off the top right corner.
- Fold your paper in half length-wise.
- Tear off the bottom left corner.
- Rotate your paper.
- Fold it in half again.
- Tear off a piece from the middle
- At the end of the instructions, have everyone open their eyes or take off their blindfolds.
- Have everyone show off their snowflakes and discuss how it was easy or hard to follow instructions. And how did this affect the outcome of your snowflake?
White Elephant Gift Exchange
( A very fun and creative way for team members to express their creativity)
White elephant gift exchanges are all-around fun. It may not seem like a team building activity, and in some ways, it’s not, but it does teach YOU as a leader and teaches your team members about each other.
You will see who is competitive, who strategizes to get the gift they want, who’s a sore loser, who’s content with whatever, and so on.
- IN ADVANCE – Tell your team members about the white elephant gift exchange.
- Each team member brings a gift (wrapped) at the event or meeting. (it’s advisable to set a price limit. Not fun to get a $3 gift and when you have given a $35)
- Then have each person draw a number from a hat. (put as many numbers as gifts/people)
- Have everyone place all the gifts in one big pile and sit around in a circle around the pile. To make things WAY easier, you can have them sit according to their number.
- The first player selects a gift from the pile and opens it in front of everyone.
- The following player can choose a new gift from the pile or steal the gift the first player opened.
- If the gift is stolen, then the person who lost the gift must go back to the pile to pick a new one or steal from another person.
- Then the following person either steals or picks a new gift.
- After everyone has had a turn, the first player gets a chance to steal a gift or keep the one they have. If they do steal, they swap with the gift they already have. The game is over.
Gift Stealing Limits and Rules
To keep the game moving and make it more interesting, here are some rules about stealing gifts.
- A gift can only be stolen once per turn, which means players who have a gift stolen from them have to wait to get it back.
- After a gift has been stolen three times, it becomes frozen, and no longer can it be stolen.
*Remember, you can make a white elephant exchange really creative. Set price limits or have a theme for the gifts!
The Toy Factory
(An interactive way for your team to practice communication, creative process, and planning)
- Prepare boxes or bags of random items with a hot glue gun and/or duct tape. Each box or bag can have different or the same items
- Have your team break up into groups. Hand them a box/bag
- Tell them they have 20min to create a toy or toys out of those random items given.
- Once the time is up, have each team share their toy creations. Have them answer the 5 Ws.
- Have the groups vote on who has the best toy/toys.
The 5 Ws
- Who is this toy geared towards?
- What is the purpose of the toy?
- When would a child want to play with it? Is it age-specific?
- Where would they play with this toy?
- Why is your toy the best?
Jingle All The Way Scavenger Hunt
(A great way for your team to use communication, problem-solving, time management, and strategizing skills.)
Scavenger hunts can be very simplistic or complicated. It all depends on what you are going for. They also can stay within the building you are in or have your team go outside (even into town)
Here is a simple version.
- Have your team break up into groups.
- Give each group Christmas stockings to fill up with their finds.
- Then hand them a list of items, challenges, or riddles that must be found or completed within a set amount of time (remember to make them Christmas themed.)
- The goal is to find all the items, or complete all the challenges, on the list.
- The team who found the most items is the winner.
I hope these Christmas team building activities and games have helped you plan your next team event. Please drop me a comment below and if you want to check out more team building games or leadership articles please visit my Leadership Page.
Need more Christmas inspirations? Check out these posts
Christmas Articles
Ready to dive into more Christmas reading? It has been an incredible joy to write some of these articles about the birth of Jesus. I hope they bless you as much as they have blessed me in writing them.
Learn the symbolic meaning behind the gifts the wise men gave Christ.
Have your mind blown as we study and look into the story of the magi (wise men) of the Bible.
Dig deeper into the Christmas story by learning these 17 facts about the birth of Christ.
Curl up with an amazing Christmas movie where Christ is at the heart of it.
What is Christmas without some carols, hymns, poems, and stories. These Christmas poems focus all on Jesus. The true reason behind the holidays.
Need the write words for a Christmas card or tag? Look no further! These Christmas blessings will work perfectly.
Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. She also enjoys family, cooking, and reading.
She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. Read More…