Christmas games for 1st graders

Paulina

A short description of Christmas games for first graders (optionally for one class divided into 4 groups: 5members in each)

Materials you will need:

  • Colourful paper stripes (to make paper chains)
  • 4 sets of Christmas stockings with numbers from 1 to 24, xmas socks task 1
  • 4 strings or rope
  • Clothes pegs 4 x 24 = 96 pieces
  • 4 Jumping sacks
  • 4 Santa’s picture lists of presents (a yellow bag, etc.) gifts to find
  • 4 instructions to make a paper chain (different for each group)
  • 4 labels to stick to SS’s back: The leader, The Instruction Reader
  • 12 labels: The Chain Makers
  • MP3 player and speaker/ radio with USB and a set of Christmas songs

The beginning of the game:

Divide children into groups, preferably 4 with 5 members in each (it depends on the number of students in one class).

Groups can think of funny names, like ‘running reindeer’ or ‘Santa’s helpers’.

Before entering the classroom get your kids together and explain them rules:

- I’ll pay close attention to their cooperation
- All disagreements and arguments have to be solved within the group – the teacher is not involved!
- Don’t disturb other teams
- For each task you can either gain or lose points (cheating and unfair behaviour will be punished)
- Don’t lose the track of time

Task 1. Hanging Christmas stockings

  1. Before the game put the ropes somewhere where kids can easily reach from any side.
  2. Ask teams to come to their ropes, where they can find a set of stockings and pegs.
  3. When you say ‘go’, children hang socks from the smallest to the biggest number. When they
    finish, they sit with their legs crossed and wait.

Time for this task: 2 Christmas songs (12th day of Xmas, Deck the Halls)

Task 2. Paper chains making

  1. Each team chooses leaders and instruction readers. Chosen pupils get the label with role
    and put them on their back. The remaining members of teams get ‘Chain Maker’ labels.
  2. Each team gets instructions and some strips of colourful paper with glue.
  3. On your mark, students start making chains according to the instructions.
  4. When they finish, they have to sit with their legs crossed and the leader of each team should keep their chain.
  5. Each group need to present its chain by naming all colours in the correct order.

Time for this task: 2 Christmas songs (Rocking around, Let it snow)

Task 3. Filling Santa’s sack

  1. The leaders from previous task get lists of presents which they need to find and put to their team’s sack.
  2. Each participant has to know the items on the list. One by one members run and find right gifts.
  3. When sacks are full, children count and name all the presents. (They need to use grammar structure ‘It’s a…’ and adjectives such as size or colour)
  4. Each team presents their bags’ content.
  5. For the right use of structure, adjectives and nouns teams can score 3 points.
Time for this task: 2 Christmas songs (Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Santa Claus is coming to town)

In my Christmas games each child got a small Christmas sticker as a reward. The winning team received 3D snowman cards from Flying Tiger 😊.

Have you got your favourite Christmas games with students? Have you ever tried combining English with PE?
Share your experience in a comment!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!