Last year, we spent Christmas with my husband's parents and his sister's family. We decided it would be fun to play some festive reindeer games...but not just ANY reindeer games. Allow me to introduce you to the Christmas Eve Reindeer Games...a perfect mix of interactive games for kids and adults! Gather the family where they can all see the game board (pictured below) and read this lil' four line poem to kick things off...
Make sure everyone "dons" their antlers before you take a fun group photo! These came from the Dollar Tree last year.
Here's the game board: (nothing fancy..just a piece of foam board with scrapbook paper)
You will reveal (turn over) each game title one by one...so it'll look like the picture above at first,
then slowly turn into the picture below! (I don't know why I did it that way...maybe for the anticipation...?)
Once the game title has been revealed on the game board, read the game description and play each game one at at time!
Scrambled Reindeer - Unlike scrambled eggs, scrambled reindeerisn't very tasty. Kids, team up with an adult as you hurry and unscramble thesefamous reindeer names. The first person to be done with correct answers or theperson with the most correct reindeer names in this one minute race wins! *handout sheet for each pair; Answer Sheet(in order): Donner, Comet, Blitzen, Dancer, Rudolf, Prancer, Dasher, Cupid,Vixen
Dasher- asreDh
Dancer - cneraD
Prancer - nacPrer
Vixen - xiVne
Comet - meCot
Cupid - iduCp
Donner - noDren
Blitzen - zitnBle
Rudolf - oldRuf
Oh , Deer! - The North Pole is not a safe place to get lostwith all that snow...but every now and then, Santa and his elves must golooking for a lost reindeer. Kids, there are 9 lost reindeer for you to find.Clues will help guide you. You must find each one in order! If you find onealong your way, leave it there until the specific clue leads you to it. If youneed help with a clue, ask the adults! When you find the lost reindeer, shout "Oh, Deer!"
Theyall work together and receive small prizes after finding all 9 reindeer.
Here's how our clues looked... (attached to chipboard reindeer from Michael's last year)
Deer in the Headlights- Couple's Questionnaire. Give each adult a questionnaire handout and have them fill out. Give 5-10 minutes then go through each question and have each couple give their answers and compare.(
Note:EACH person gets a questionnaire. The left column is what you say. The right column is what you THINK your spouse would say about youto that same question.) clear as mud, right? ;)
ReignDeer Bubble Blowing Contest
Reindeer Poop - Reindeer sometimes can be a bit messy, it'strue. It's the elves only complaint, having to pick up the reindeer poop! YUCK!But, it has to be done. Kids, grab a spoon and head out to the backyard tundraand let's have a race to see who can scoop up the most reindeer poop!
(This is a timed racegame in the backyard (or garage, or wherever!) where the kids pick up cocoa puffs (aka: reindeer poop) with a spoon and carry back to a designated spot to fill up their container.
Rain-DeerHomes - In the North Pole, it's sure to rain and snow, and that is whyreindeer must have a safe place to go! Kids & Adults, team up and get readyto build a Reindeer home out of marshmallows and toothpicks. You'll only have 5minutes to build! (provideenough toothpicks and mini marshmallows for all groups)
ReindeerGear - Reindeer have some heavy duty gear to wear every day, not juston Christmas Eve. The antlers of reindeer can get up to 39inches in width and 53inches in length! That'squite the load to carry on your head! Let's give it a try, shall we? Kids, graban adult partner and line up for further instructions.
You will be making antlers to go oneach of the kid's heads. Blow up your balloons, and stuff them into the legs ofthe pantyhose. There should be 4 on each side. Then, the top part of thepantyhose should be worn on your head to complete your Reindeer Antlers!
(pantyhose bought from walmartfor less than a dollar; balloons from dollar tree)
Deer John - In their free time, reindeer love to write lettersand re-write songs... Their favorite oneto rewrite and sing is "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Let'srewrite the song ourselves and sing it loud for all to hear!
This is a MadLib game - fill out the madlib on the poster board with the group's shoutouts as you ask for each kind of word. Thenreveal it at the end for everyone to read and sing.
Endeer to the End! - Reindeer have quite the job...flying allaround the world in just one night! This is the last reindeer game and you must"enDEER" to the end! Remember,reindeer are all tied together when they fly, but they work together to deliverall the toys. Kids, you must work together to pick up all these chocolates onthe floor and put them in the bucket in 15 seconds. Any leftovers go toGrandpa!
Reindeer Snacks - After a long night of flight, reindeer love goingback to the north pole for a cool, refreshing Root-Deer....along with somesalty reindeer chex!
Oooh...if you can't tell, we had a lotof fun! Here are the printables you'll need if you'd like to host the Reindeer Games this Christmas Eve!
Game Board - Game Titles 1
Game Board - Game Titles 2
Game Board - Game Titles 3
Treat Table Labels
Reindeer Scramble Cards
Oh Deer!Reindeer Scavenger Hunt Clues
Deer in the Headlights - Couples Questionnaire
Full Reindeer Games Instruction Sheet (with game descriptions)
