Submitted by Suzanne DeVene, Willard, Ohio
Idea posted February 12, 2002
How about a game of Musical Christmas Outburst? Divide the class into two teams. Each team gets a minute to try to name the ten items in the category they draw. They get one point for every item they name. You can play this for as long as you like, as long as you give each team the same amount of turns.
I made up my own cards... my family helped me while riding in the car, and the teachers at lunch time came up with ideas, too. I put the ten items on the cards and laminated them. To mark off the answers, you can use water-based markers or crayons. Also, these are just MY ten items... I'm sure you've got some better or different ideas - feel free to substitute. These are just to help you get started.
SACRED CHRISTMAS SONGS:
Silent Night; Joy To The World; Hark, The Herald Angels Sing; The First Noel; It Came Upon A Midnight Clear; O, Come All Ye Faithful; What Child Is This?; O Little Town Of Bethlehem; We Three Kings; Away In A Manger.
SECULAR CHRISTMAS SONGS:
Jingle Bells; The Twelve Days Of Christmas; Up On The Housetop; We Wish You A Merry Christmas; Santa Claus Is Coming To Town; Frosty, The Snowman; Winter Wonderland; Silver Bells; Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer; Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree.
THINGS MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME:
a partridge...; five golden rings; four calling birds; eight maids a-milking; eleven pipers piping; twelve drummers...; seven swans a-swimming; ten lords a-leaping; two turtle doves; nine ladies waiting.
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES:
Christmas caroling; decorating the tree; Christmas Eve church; exchanging gifts; shopping; baking cookies; wrapping gifts; visiting relatives; writing letters to Santa; sending Christmas cards.
THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH REINDEER:
Rudolph; Santa Claus; Cupid; Vixen; Dasher; sleigh; Donner; Blitzen; Prancer; Comet.
NUTCRACKER SUITE:
ballet; Dr. Drosselmeyer; Mouse King; Russian Dance; Tchaikovsky; Sugar Plum Fairy; Nutcracker; Chinese Dance; Clara/Maria; soldiers.
THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NATIVITY:
baby Jesus; Joseph; Mary; star; Wise Men/Kings; animals; stable; shepherds; manger; angels.
THINGS FOUND IN THE HOUSE ASSOCIATED WITH CHRISTMAS:
wreath; Christmas tree; food; Christmas cards; mistletoe; Nativity; stockings; gifts/presents; Christmas lights; evergreens/greenery.
THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH A CHRISTMAS TREE:
star; ornaments; angel; lights; tree stand; tinsel/icicles; garland; candy canes; tree skirt; gifts.
10 WORDS SPELLED WITH THE LETTERS FROM CHRISTMAS:
hat; cat; rat; ram; car; star; mist; mass; ham; stir. (This is actually hard to get many points because of the many possibilities.)
SONG TITLES WITH THE WORD 'CHRISTMAS' IN THEM:
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas; The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting...); The Twelve Days Of Christmas; O Christmas Tree; We Wish You A Merry Christmas; Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree; All I Want For Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth; I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day; Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; I'll Be Home For Christmas.
Or, try a game of Christmas Pictionary/Win-Lose-Draw. Make up Christmas song titles that they have to draw on the board and their team tries to guess. They get a minute to guess. A point is given for every correct answer. Or, if you don't want song titles, just write up names of Christmas items to draw.
PICTIONARY SONG TITLES TO DRAW:
We Three Kings; Jingle Bells; Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow; Sleigh Ride; Joy To The World; Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree; Winter Wonderland; Up On The Housetop; Santa Claus Is Coming To Town; What Child Is This?; O Little Town Of Bethlehem; Silver Bells; Away In A Manger; All I Want For Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth; The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Remember, no letters of numbers can be used!!); Rudolph; Silent Night; Deck The Halls; Frosty, The Snowman; etc.