Kids of all ages love the holidays, so this time of year is a great time to have a party. There are lots of kids Christmas party themes that can make your event extra special, whether you're hosting preschoolers, teenagers, or anyone in between.
Holiday Hot Chocolate Tasting
There's nothing quite as cozy and fun as a cup of cocoa or hot chocolate, and you can embrace this as the theme of your kids Christmas party. This works best for elementary-aged kids and up, but preschoolers can enjoy it with a bit of supervision. You'll need a few different kinds of hot chocolate and lots of toppings or fixings. Consider setting up a table with marshmallows in holiday colors, candy canes for stirring, whipped cream, red and green sprinkles, and anything else that sounds like fun. Try these fun decorations to embrace the theme:
- Make giant mugs out of holiday-colored paper and hang them from the ceiling.
- Create a banner of letters to hang from the hot chocolate table. It can say "hot chocolate," "happy holidays," or anything else you like.
- Hang white balloons for marshmallows and lots of white twinkle lights for some holiday fun.
- Use red and green streamers and add shades of light and dark brown crepe paper for chocolate.
Christmas Dress-Up Get-Together
Christmas is a fun time to dress up in crazy clothing and accessories, and kids of all ages will have fun at this type of party. Have tons of fun holiday dress-up items on hand, including crazy glasses with holiday elements, headbands with reindeer ears and other decorations, feather boas in holiday colors, capes, and more. Then decorate your home or party space to reflect the theme:
- Put up lots of mirrors, ideally decorated with twinkle lights or holiday garlands.
- Set up a photo booth area with a clear background and some nice light so you can snap photos of everyone in their finery.
- Hang costumes in designated areas with signs describing them, such as "become an angel" or "for Santa's elves."
- Suspend a curtain of white twinkle lights for an extra photo background and a fun decoration.
Kids Christmas Craft Party
A crafting party is a fun and creative way to celebrate the holidays. There are tons of wonderful Christmas crafts kids will love making, and you can scale the projects to the age range of the kids at the party. Have all the supplies for kids Christmas craft projects like ornaments, advent calendars, holiday placemats, and more. You can also embrace the Christmas craft party theme in your decorations:
- Dip inexpensive paintbrushes in red and green paint and allow to dry. Then hang them from the ceiling.
- Use red and green plastic tablecloths to protect your table while kids are working on their crafts.
- Decorate tables with bouquets of paintbrushes tied with Christmas ribbons.
- Make and hang up a banner that says "Have a very crafty Christmas!"
Scrumptious Christmas Cookie Baking Party
Everyone loves making Christmas cookies, from the youngest preschoolers to teens. You can choose a Christmas cookie recipe that works for a specific age range, or you can focus on decorating cookies that have already been baked. You can also make this part of a slumber party for school-aged kids. No matter what you choose, there are some fun ways to extend the baking theme in your decorations:
- Hand real or paper aprons from the edge of the counter or from your ceiling - bonus points if they're holiday-themed.
- Cut out giant red and green spoons from posterboard and paint "happy holidays" on them. Hang them near your baking area.
- Decorate with Christmas potholders and other kitchen items, hanging them from light fixtures and the edges of the counter.
- Buy gingerbread cookie-shaped balloons or cut out giant gingerbread people from brown cardstock and decorate with paint.
Gingerbread House Decorating Day
Decorating a gingerbread house is a great way to get creative and have fun with the holidays. This type of party works best for older elementary kids and teenagers. Buy pre-made gingerbread houses or use a gingerbread house pattern to make your own ahead of time before the party. Then have everyone bring several kinds of candy to use for decorations and mix up a giant batch of royal icing. There are lots of ways to decorate for a gingerbread house party:
- Use paint and colored paper to turn cardboard boxes into giant gingerbread houses. You can place these around your party area.
- Have Christmas-colored plastic tablecloths to protect your work area.
- Hang paper or cardboard gingerbread people from the windows or ceiling.
- Blow up balloons and wrap them in holiday colored tissue paper. Twist the ends so they look like candy, and scatter them around.
Kids Christmas Music Dance Party
Christmas music is a huge part of any holiday celebration, and kids can have an awesome Christmas music dance party with some of their favorite songs. Make a playlist of songs with a good beat, and let kids of any age enjoy this active and festive party. Have lots of drinks and treats on hand to help keep everyone's energy up, and try some of these cool decorations:
- Cut out music notes from red and green posterboard and hang them all over.
- Pick up some inflatable toy microphones and scatter them around to enhance the theme and for kids to use.
- Make or buy a banner with a line from a favorite Christmas song, such as "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."
- Hang glittering curtains of twinkle lights and mylar from doorways to add to the dance party theme.
Holiday Wreath-Making Party for Kids
Older kids and teens can really have a great time making holiday wreaths. You can have everything they need on hand, including pre-made greenery wreaths and lots of decorations to add for a festive look. You'll need Christmas ribbon for bows, plus lots of red berries, bells, and other fun elements. Then play Christmas music and set out some cookies and other treats for when the wreaths are done. You can play up the theme with these decorations:
- Buy wreath-shaped balloons or use wire and green balloons to make a giant wreath decoration.
- Make or purchase a banner that says "Deck the Halls."
- Make or buy giant red bows to decorate your party area.
- Purchase several small wreaths to string together as a banner.
Kids Christmas Sleepover
A sleepover is a great way to celebrate the holidays with friends, especially for older kids and teens. Have plenty of supplies for making midnight snacks, and a good selection of Christmas movies and music to keep everyone entertained. You can decorate for a Christmas slumber party with these fun ideas:
- If you have a Christmas quilt or blanket, use it as a starting point for a blanket fort to welcome everyone.
- Use red and green letter balloons to spell out "sleepover" or "slumber party."
- Cut out paper pajamas from holiday paper and hang them up as decorations.
- Use red and green pillowcases to decorate the beds and sleeping bags.
Candy Cane Party for Kids
A candy cane party is a sweet and fun way to celebrate the holiday season for kids of all ages. Start by asking kids to come in red and white clothing, and then serve lots of candy cane-themed foods. Think red and white tortilla chips, candy canes to stir hot chocolate, and cookies decorated in red and white frosting. Add in some great candy cane decorations, and you'll be all set:
- Blow up red and white balloons and scatter them around the area.
- Twist red and white pipe cleaners together to make mini candy canes. You can string these for a garland or scatter them on the table.
- Use red and white crepe paper streamers all over your party space.
- Make a candy cane wreath to decorate the front door or the food table.
Christmas Movie Night (or Afternoon)
Have all the kids get together for a movie - either as a movie night or as an afternoon even for younger kids. Either way, choose a movie that's appropriate for the age of the kids, and then make the rest of your party about that movie. For example, you could use the following decorations:
- For a Grinch-themed movie party, decorate with Grinch cut-outs.
- For an Elf-themed movie party, cut elf shoes and hats out of cardstock and hang them as decorations.
- If you're showing A Christmas Story, make or buy a picture of that iconic leg lamp.
- If you're playing Home Alone, make posters with quotes from the movie like "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal."
Kids Holiday Sledding Party
If you live somewhere that gets snow, a sledding party is a great way for kids of any age to celebrate the holidays. Have everyone bring their sleds and dress warmly, and hand out Santa hats for those who might want to wear them. Then decorate inside and out with these fun ideas:
- Lean a vintage sled outside with pretty holiday greenery attached to it.
- Inside, serve goodies on a miniature runner sled instead of a tray.
- Hang up pictures of sleds and Santa's sleigh.
- Decorate everyone's sled with holiday bows and garlands.
Gift Wrapping Party for Kids
Everyone has gifts to wrap during the holidays, including kids. Have everyone come with their unwrapped gifts and then offer supplies and wrapping help to get everything looking beautiful and ready for the big day. Have lots of options for wrapping paper, ribbons, and decorations, as well as plenty of tape and pairs of scissors. You can add to the theme with these decorations:
- Gift wrap your front door or the door to the room where the party will be held.
- Gift wrap large empty boxes as decorations.
- Use gift wrap to cover food tables, rather than standard table cloths.
- Decorate chairs with large bows.
Don't Forget the Christmas Games at Your Party
No matter what theme you choose or kids Christmas party decorations you put out, you can make your party even more fun by including some games. From Christmas charades to a wrapping race, there are lots of holiday-themed games that can add to the fun of any kids Christmas party.
