15 Christmas Party Relay Games to Get Teams Racing

If you are planning a kids’ holiday bash and need games that actually burn off that candy cane sugar rush, you have landed in exactly the right place.

These 15 christmas party relay games are built for teams, courses, hand-offs, and full-speed holiday chaos — no sitting still required. Every single one is a genuine relay: split into teams, race the clock or each other, and crown a champion.

Whether you are hosting a classroom party, a neighbourhood get-together, or just need to wrangle twenty kids in your living room, this lineup has you covered from warm-up to final sprint.

And hey, if you are still sorting out what the winners take home, the 2025 Christmas Gift Guide has a ton of fun, affordable ideas that double as perfect party prizes.

The beauty of christmas party relay games is that they do not need a huge budget or a gym full of equipment — most of these use stuff you probably already have tucked in a closet.

The key is keeping teams small (3–6 kids per team is the sweet spot), clearing a good runway of at least 15–20 feet, and having a loud, enthusiastic adult on hand to referee the inevitable ‘I was totally faster!’ debates.

Grab some candy canes, dig out a wooden spoon, and let’s get the races started!

1. Wrap the Present Relay

This is the gift-wrapping chaos you never knew you needed at a kids’ party.

Divide players into teams of 3–5 and set up a wrapping station at one end of the room for each team, loaded with a small empty box, a sheet of wrapping paper, tape, and a sticky bow.

On ‘Go!’, the first runner sprints to the station, wraps the box as best they can, sticks on the bow, then sprints back and tags the next teammate.

But here’s the twist: the next runner has to unwrap that gift before the third runner re-wraps it, and so on down the line. The team that completes the most wrap-and-unwrap cycles in 90 seconds wins.

You will need: one small box per team (a shoebox works perfectly), pre-cut sheets of wrapping paper (cut them in advance so you’re not handing kids scissors mid-race), a tape dispenser per station, and a pile of stick-on bows.

Set the stations at least 15 feet from the starting line so there is a real sprint involved.

Pro tip: use paper that is slightly too big for the box — the fumbling with excess paper is comedy gold and keeps the race genuinely competitive regardless of wrapping skill.

This game works brilliantly as an opener because the wrapping-paper carnage doubles as party décor and it is loud and visual enough to pull everyone’s attention right away.

For a fun variation, have kids wear oven mitts while wrapping — the slow-motion finger struggles are absolutely priceless and level the playing field between older and younger kids. Need 20 feet of clear floor space and 3–5 players per team.

2. Ornament Spoon Relay

Think egg-and-spoon race, but make it festive — this is the holiday glow-up your party needs. Each team gets one wooden spoon and a pile of small plastic ornaments.

The first runner balances an ornament on the spoon, races to a turnaround cone at the far end of the room, comes back, and uses only the spoon to transfer the ornament to the next runner’s spoon.

No hands on the ornament at any point — if it drops, the runner must pick it up using only the spoon and continue from where they dropped it. First team to get every player through the course wins.

You will need plastic ornaments (the cheap shatterproof ones from a dollar store pack are ideal), one wooden spoon per team, and a cone or chair as the turnaround marker about 15–20 feet away.

Keep the ornament roughly golf-ball sized for the best wobble-to-difficulty ratio — too small and it is impossible for younger kids, too large and it is too easy.

If you want to dial up the drama, place a few ‘obstacle’ chairs between the start and the cone that runners must weave around.

What makes this one such a crowd-pleaser is the universal moment of suspense when an ornament starts wobbling at full tilt — everyone gasps, every time, without fail.

For a great variation suited to mixed ages, let little kids use a bigger ladle while older kids use a teaspoon, so everyone is genuinely challenged.

You only need about 15 feet of clear floor space, and teams of 3–5 players keep the wait between turns short and the energy high.

3. Candy Cane Pass Relay

This one looks simple and is absolutely diabolical in practice — in the best possible way. Each team lines up single-file, and the first player hooks a full-size candy cane over their index finger.

The goal is to pass that candy cane down the entire line, person to person, using index fingers only. No thumbs, no other fingers, no palms — just two index fingers meeting in the middle and a gentle slide.

The team whose candy cane reaches the last person in line first wins the round. Run it best-of-three so teams get the hang of it and the competition really heats up.

You will need at least two candy canes per team (grab a box — breakage happens, and it happens dramatically). Standard full-size canes work best because the curve gives fingers a natural hook to work with.

Have players stand about arm’s length apart in their line, which keeps the pass achievable for smaller hands.

Remind kids before the start: no steadying with the other hand, and if a cane hits the floor, the last pair who touched it must start that hand-off over from scratch.

The reason this relay is so great for a party is that it requires zero running space — you can play it in a single classroom row or even a hallway.

It is also hilariously suspenseful: the closer the cane gets to the last person, the more the whole team holds their breath.

Host tip: run two teams simultaneously side by side so everyone can see the rival team’s cane progressing, which cranks the tension up to eleven. Minimum space needed: just enough for players to stand in a line, arm-width apart.

4. Christmas Relay Race Scorecard

Keep the competitive fires burning all party long with a printable scorecard that tracks every team’s wins across all the relay races you run. Each team gets their own row on the sheet, with columns for each game played.

After every relay, the winning team circles their point, and by the end of the party you have an undisputed Overall Champion — no arguments, no ‘but we tied that one’, just cold hard tally marks.

Hand one sheet to a designated scorekeeper (a grown-up, or an older kid who takes the job extremely seriously) and let the rivalry build across the whole event.

Print one scorecard per session — or one per team if you want every player to track along. The sheet has space for up to 6 teams and 15 rounds, with a row at the bottom for the grand total tally.

No prep beyond printing is needed: just grab a pencil or crayon at game time.

Consider laminating a master copy and using a dry-erase marker so you can reuse it year after year (because once you play these christmas party relay games, you will absolutely run them every December).

The scorecard does something sneaky: it makes kids care more about every individual relay, because now every single race has stakes attached to it.

Even a team that loses the first few rounds stays engaged because they can see on paper that a comeback is mathematically possible.

Host tip: announce the current standings out loud between games for maximum drama — kids love a villain arc and a redemption story, even if it lasts only forty-five minutes.

5. Elf Shoe Shuffle Relay

Elf shoes are notoriously impractical for running — which is exactly what makes this relay so brilliantly chaotic.

Before the party, grab two or three pairs of oversized, curly-toed elf slippers (party stores and dollar bins carry them every December, or DIY with stuffed socks safety-pinned to the front of flip-flops).

On ‘Go!’, the first player from each team steps into the elf shoes, shuffles as fast as they can to the turnaround cone at the far end of the room, shuffles back, steps out of the shoes, and the next teammate steps in.

The team that gets all players through the course first wins. Watching kids try to run in floppy curly shoes is genuinely one of the funniest things you will ever witness at a holiday party.

You will need one pair of oversized elf shoes per team and a clear runway of about 15–20 feet.

If you cannot find elf slippers, stuff the toes of old adult-size sneakers with newspaper to create the same comical flop effect — honestly just as funny.

Make sure the floor surface is safe for shuffling: carpet or gym floors work well, but hardwood or tile may need non-slip mats along the route for safety.

Have an adult at each turnaround cone to help with any tumbles and to confirm players made it all the way around.

This game has a fantastic natural leveler built in: bigger, faster kids are actually disadvantaged by the shoe shuffle because their stride is longer and the shoe-flop is more dramatic.

Younger kids with shorter, shuffling steps often do surprisingly well, which keeps the competition genuinely unpredictable.

Variation: add a rule that players must also ring a jingle bell at the turnaround cone before heading back — it adds one more fumbly step and a ton of festive noise. Needs 15–20 feet of clear floor space; teams of 4–6 work best.

6. Snowball Scoop Relay

Every team starts with a pile of white pom-poms (their ‘snowballs’) at the starting line and an empty bucket placed 15–20 feet away.

The first runner balances one snowball on a wooden spoon, walks or runs to the bucket, drops the snowball in, and sprints back to hand the spoon to the next teammate.

If the snowball falls off the spoon at any point, the runner must stop, reload it using only the spoon (no hands touching the ball), and continue from the drop point — not from the start.

First team to transfer all their snowballs into the bucket wins the round.

You will need large white pom-poms (craft store bags of 1.5-inch pom-poms are perfect and cheap), one wooden spoon per team, and a small bucket or bowl per team.

Count out an equal number of pom-poms per team before the race starts — ten pom-poms per team is a good number for a 3–5 player relay.

Set up each team’s bucket in a straight line from their start pile so lanes are clearly defined and there is no confusion about whose bucket is whose mid-race.

What gives this game its staying power is the fork in the road every runner faces: go fast and risk dropping it, or slow down and watch the other team pull ahead.

It is a tiny real-time risk-management challenge wrapped in a holiday costume, and kids take it extremely seriously.

For a fun winter variation, play it outside in actual snow and use real snowballs on a plastic spatula — the melt factor adds a ticking clock that no timer can replicate.

Recommended for teams of 3–5; needs at least 15 feet of running space per lane.

7. Christmas Relay Rules Cheat Sheet

Before the first race even starts, hand every kid a printable Rules Cheat Sheet so everyone knows the relay ground rules and no one can claim ignorance mid-game (you know there is always one kid who ‘didn’t hear the rules’).

The sheet covers the universal relay laws: stay behind the start line until tagged, one player on the course at a time, dropped objects must be recovered before continuing, no using hands when the rules say spoon-only, and good sportsmanship required at all times.

It is also just fun to have something in kids’ hands when they arrive — it signals that things are about to get seriously competitive.

Print one per player or one per team — both work. The sheet is designed to be kid-friendly with large, bold text and simple illustrated icons for each rule (a running figure, a spoon, a crossed-out hand, a handshake).

It doubles as a bookmark or a take-home souvenir from the party. No extra supplies needed beyond printing; just make sure you have enough copies ready before guests arrive so the party can kick off smoothly without a rules-explanation delay.

The real reason this sheet earns its place in the lineup is that it eliminates the single biggest time-waster at any kids’ relay party: stopping to re-explain the rules every single game.

Once kids have read (or been read) the cheat sheet, you can reference it instantly — ‘check your cheat sheet, rule number three!’ — and keep the energy moving without lengthy explanations between games.

Host tip: laminate a large poster-size version and tape it to the wall at the front of the room for the whole party to see.

8. Reindeer Antler Pass Relay

Picture this: a team of kids shuffling sideways down a hallway, each one wearing reindeer antler headbands, trying to pass a gift bag from antler to antler without using their hands.

That is the Reindeer Antler Pass Relay, and it is every bit as glorious as it sounds. Teams line up shoulder-to-shoulder (not single-file — side by side in a row), each player wearing a reindeer antler headband.

A lightweight gift bag is balanced on the first player’s antlers. Without using hands, they must tilt their head to transfer the bag to the next player’s antlers, and so on down the line.

The team that gets the bag to the last player first wins.

You will need one set of reindeer antler headbands per player — these are everywhere in dollar stores every Christmas season, so stock up.

Use a lightweight paper gift bag (not a heavy one stuffed with items); an empty bag with a little crinkle paper inside works perfectly.

Teams work best at 5–8 players per row, since longer lines mean more dramatic hand-offs and more opportunities for catastrophic antler collisions. Set up teams parallel to each other so you can see both simultaneously.

This relay works in basically zero floor space — teams can play it standing in a line without anyone moving more than a step or two.

That makes it a perfect game for tight spaces or as a change of pace between the more physically demanding running relays. The comedy of antlers clinking together and bags sliding off at the worst moment is absolutely peak holiday party content.

Variation: use a star-shaped tree topper as the object to pass — it is harder to balance and adds a satisfying ‘we just passed a Christmas star!’ moment when the team succeeds.

9. Gift Stack Carry Relay

Stack ’em high, carry ’em fast, try not to watch the whole thing topple in slow motion — welcome to the Gift Stack Carry Relay.

Each team has a set of three to five wrapped boxes of different sizes (wrap some old shoeboxes or cereal boxes before the party).

The first runner must carry the entire stack — no dropping, no rearranging mid-course — from the starting line to a drop zone 15 feet away, set them down without knocking them over, then run back.

The next runner runs to the drop zone, picks the stack back up, carries it to a second zone another 10 feet further, sets them down, and runs back. The relay continues until the stack has traveled the full course and returned.

Any collapsed stack must be re-stacked before the runner continues.

You will need three to five wrapped boxes per team in graduated sizes (biggest on the bottom when stacked), a clear straight course of 20–25 feet, and a masking tape mark on the floor for each drop zone.

Wrap boxes in festive paper before the party — it adds to the visual and makes the ‘gifts’ feel real.

For younger kids, reduce the stack to three boxes and shorten the course; for older or competitive groups, go up to six boxes and add a zig-zag cone course between drop zones.

The genius of this relay is that it rewards a completely different skill set from the spoon games: it is about arm strength, balance, and the very specific panic of feeling the top box starting to slide at full speed.

Teammates coaching from the sidelines (‘lean left! LEAN LEFT!’) is one of those genuinely joyful party moments that kids will be talking about on the drive home.

For an extra challenge, require runners to walk backwards from the second drop zone onward — suddenly the fastest kids are very much not winning anymore. Space needed: 20–25 feet; teams of 3–5.

10. Jingle Bell Bucket Relay

Loud, fast, and impossible not to laugh at — the Jingle Bell Bucket Relay is basically the audio experience of Christmas crammed into a 90-second race.

Each team has a bucket of jingle bells at the starting line and an empty bucket at the far end.

The first runner scoops up a big handful of jingle bells, sprints to the far bucket, dumps them in, and runs back to tag the next player.

Here’s the rule that makes it hilarious: runners must hold their handful of bells with both hands cupped together — no bag, no container — so bells are inevitably jingling and falling the entire way.

The team with the most bells in the far bucket after everyone has run wins.

You will need a big bag of assorted jingle bells (craft stores sell them by the pound around the holidays), two buckets or mixing bowls per team, and about 15 feet of running space.

Spread a bedsheet or tablecloth under the course to catch dropped bells — trust the process on this one, you will need it.

Count the bells in each team’s far bucket at the end rather than racing to completion, since the ‘most transferred’ mechanic means even the last runner matters and no team is ever truly out of it.

This relay has the best soundtrack of any game on this list — the constant jingling as kids sprint across the room is genuinely festive and exciting.

It also builds slowly in tension because you cannot tell who is winning until the final count, which keeps every single runner motivated all the way to the last person.

Host tip: do two rounds and let the first-round winner choose whether to go first or second in the championship round — a little strategy layered on top of the chaos never hurts. Teams of 4–6; 15–20 feet of clear space.

11. Christmas Relay Team Baton Card

Every great relay needs a baton, and these printable Relay Team Baton Cards are the festive, zero-cost version. Each card is a thick, lamination-ready strip printed with the team’s name and a bold ‘PASS IT ON!’

graphic — kids hold it, run with it, and hand it off to the next teammate as the official tag for any relay where you do not have a physical prop.

It sounds simple, but having a physical card to pass creates a surprisingly real sense of ceremony around each hand-off, and kids take the tag much more seriously when there is a card involved.

Use these for any game on the list where the ‘tag’ moment feels a bit ambiguous.

Print on cardstock for best durability, then laminate if you can (a home laminator is only about fifteen dollars and honestly earns its keep at kid parties). You will get four cards per printed sheet — enough for four teams per printout.

Each card has a blank line for the team name and a row of checkboxes, one per player, so kids can tick off their turn as they go.

This also doubles as a handy way to make sure every player on the team actually gets a turn, which any parent who has hosted a kids’ relay knows is not always guaranteed without some kind of tracking system.

The baton card works especially well early in the party when kids are still learning relay etiquette and the excitement of holding the official card helps them remember to wait their turn.

Slip the cards into a small envelope and add them to each child’s party favor bag at the end as a keepsake — it is the kind of tiny detail that makes a party feel thoughtfully put together.

And since you are already thinking about what else goes in those goodie bags, the Christmas wish list ideas over on the blog are full of stocking stuffer inspiration that doubles beautifully as party prizes.

12. Santa Sack Hop Relay

This one is a potato-sack race wearing a Santa costume, and yes, it is exactly as wonderful as that description implies.

Each team gets one large burlap or canvas sack (you can find them at craft stores, or use a large pillowcase decorated with a Santa face drawn in Sharpie for a last-minute DIY version).

The first runner climbs into the sack, grips the sides, and hops from the starting line to the turnaround cone and back. They step out, and the next teammate climbs in and goes. First team to get every player through the hop course wins.

Kids who are particularly competitive will discover that small, rapid hops are faster than big dramatic leaps — a lesson in physics delivered via holiday silliness.

You will need one large sack or pillowcase per team (make sure it is big enough for the largest kid on the team to stand in comfortably up to their waist), a cone or marker at each turnaround point set 12–18 feet away, and a clear, flat surface.

Carpet and grass both work well for hopping; avoid hardwood or tile without non-slip mats for safety.

Keep the course on the shorter side for very young players — 10 feet out and back is plenty for ages 4–6, while older kids can handle a full 20-foot course.

The Santa Sack Hop is one of those timeless relay formats that has been making kids laugh for generations, and the Christmas theme just makes it even better.

It is also one of the most accessible games on this list: no fine motor skills required, no balancing a fragile object — just pure, joyful hopping.

For a fun variation, stick a Santa hat on every runner before they step into the sack; keeping the hat on while hopping is basically impossible and adds an entire extra layer of comic chaos. Space needed: 12–20 feet; teams of 3–6.

13. Cotton Ball Spoon Relay

Cotton Ball Spoon Relay is the sneakiest game on this list because it looks easy until the moment it is very much not.

Each team’s first runner balances a single large cotton ball on a wooden spoon, walks or runs to the turnaround point, and comes back to hand off to the next player — again, spoon to spoon only, no hands touching the cotton ball at any point.

The cotton ball’s near-weightlessness means it will fly off the spoon the moment anyone moves faster than a brisk walk, and the aerodynamics of a fluffy cotton ball behaving like a tiny tumbleweed mid-sprint is the kind of thing that makes a whole room erupt in laughter.

You will need large cotton balls (the bigger the better — jumbo cotton balls from a beauty supply section work perfectly), one wooden spoon per team, and a turnaround point 15 feet away. The optional villain move: aim a small desk fan at the course.

The puff of air makes the cotton balls behave completely unpredictably and levels any skill advantage older kids might have. Teams of 3–5 work best; the short wait between turns keeps energy up.

This relay pairs beautifully with the Snowball Scoop Relay earlier in the party — both use a spoon format, but the cotton ball’s physics are so different from a pom-pom that it feels like a completely new challenge.

If you are doing a Santa-themed version of the party, you can frame the cotton balls as ‘Santa’s beard fur’ that must be delivered urgently to the workshop, which lands much better with younger kids than just ‘cotton ball on a spoon.’

Needs 15 feet of clear floor; works brilliantly indoors even in smaller rooms.

And if you are still planning the gift situation for your holiday gathering, this guide on what to give colleagues for Christmas is genuinely helpful for the grown-up gift exchange happening after the kids’ party.

14. Decorate the Tree Relay

This one delivers the most visually satisfying payoff of any game on the list: by the time it is over, you have an actual decorated Christmas tree standing in your party room.

Set up one small tabletop Christmas tree per team at the far end of the room, and place a basket of plastic ornaments at the starting line.

The first runner picks up an ornament, races to the tree, hangs it on a branch, and races back to tag the next player, who grabs another ornament and goes. The team that hangs all their ornaments on their tree first wins.

Simple, fast, and the resulting decorated trees become instant party decorations.

You will need one small pre-lit or unlit tabletop tree per team (the 18-inch dollar store trees are perfect), a basket of 10–15 plastic ornaments per team, and about 15–20 feet between the starting line and the trees.

Ornament hooks can be fiddly for young kids, so either pre-bend the hooks open slightly before the party or switch to slip-on ornament hangers that are faster and frustration-free.

For the relay version that adds a dexterity challenge, use the Ornament Spoon Relay mechanic — runners must carry the ornament on a spoon all the way to the tree, then hang it with one hand while keeping the spoon steady with the other.

The Decorate the Tree Relay is one of those rare games that is genuinely useful beyond the competition itself — when the race is over, the trees stay up as party décor and kids feel a lovely sense of having contributed to the festive atmosphere.

It is also incredibly easy to adapt: for younger groups, skip the running entirely and let teams decorate in a relay hand-off pattern without a course; for older kids, add a rule that ornaments must be spread evenly around the tree or they do not count, which introduces a strategy element.

Teams of 4–6; space needed: 15–20 feet per lane.

15. Sleigh Pull Team Relay

This is the most teamwork-intensive relay on the list, and it is absolutely spectacular to watch.

Two players form a ‘sleigh team’: one is the reindeer (the puller) and one is the passenger seated on a small flat sled, a piece of cardboard, or a wheeled office chair — whatever you have available.

The reindeer pulls or pushes the passenger from the start line to the turnaround point and back. Then both players switch roles for the return trip — wait, no: they swap the reindeer and passenger roles with the next pair of teammates.

Every pair on the team must complete one full out-and-back trip as both reindeer and passenger before the relay is done. First sleigh team to finish wins.

You will need: a smooth, flat surface (hallway floors, gym floors, and smooth tile all work); a flat-bottomed sled, a sturdy piece of cardboard, or a wheeled chair per team; and enough space for a 15–20 foot course.

If using cardboard, tape the edges so they do not fold under load. Have adult spotters at each turnaround point. Teams work in pairs, so an even number of players per team (4, 6, or 8) keeps the rotation clean.

Alternatively, play it outdoors in the snow with actual sleds for the full North Pole experience.

The Sleigh Pull Team Relay builds a completely different kind of energy from the solo-runner games: it is inherently cooperative and requires communication between partners mid-race, which is exactly the kind of active teamwork that makes a party feel like more than just individual competitions.

It is also the one game that parents watching from the sidelines inevitably want to join, which is your cue to run an Adults vs. Kids bonus round and make your reputation as the best party host in the neighbourhood.

Space needed: 15–20 feet; works best with pairs (4–8 players per team). If you are the kind of host who sweats every detail, these smart Christmas budgeting tips can help you plan an epic party without stressing the December bank account.

16. Stocking Stuffer Sort Relay

This relay brings a printable twist to the physical race: before running, each player must solve a quick sorting puzzle on their team’s sheet to find out which item they are assigned to ‘stuff’ into the stocking.

The sheet lists 10 jumbled stocking stuffers — things like ‘candy cane, jingle bell, eraser, mini book, hair clip, bouncy ball, sticker sheet, pencil, yo-yo, stamp’ — scrambled up and mixed with 5 holiday items that do NOT belong in a stocking (things like ‘Christmas tree, antlers, wrapping paper, star topper, tinsel’).

Each runner checks off one item from the ‘yes’ column, grabs that prop from the team’s supply pile, runs it to the stocking at the far end, drops it in, and sprints back.

First team to correctly fill their stocking with all 10 right items wins.

Print one sheet per team and tape it to the table at the starting line.

Prep a supply pile of 15 small props per team — 10 correct stocking stuffers and 5 decoys mixed together — so runners have to physically sort through the pile to find their assigned item.

The printable sheet doubles as the answer key during setup so you know exactly what to include in each pile.

Use a large Christmas stocking hung from a hook or chair back at the far end as the ‘drop zone’ — it needs to be big enough to fit all 10 items.

What makes the Stocking Stuffer Sort Relay so effective is that it combines a reading and sorting challenge with the physical relay race, which is perfect for school-age kids who love feeling like they are solving something while also being allowed to sprint across a room.

The decoy items create satisfying moments of hesitation (‘wait, does tinsel go in a stocking?!’) that slow overconfident runners just enough to keep the race competitive.

No two runners are sorting the same item, so there is no bottleneck at the supply pile, and the stocking-stuffing theme is about as Christmas as it gets.

17. Snowman Dress-Up Relay

The Snowman Dress-Up Relay is the christmas party relay games equivalent of a fashion emergency, and it is an absolute riot.

Set up a ‘snowman costume station’ at the far end of the room for each team, stocked with a set of snowman accessories: a top hat, a scarf, a carrot nose (you can use an orange party horn or a paper cone), stick-arm props (garden stakes or paper tubes), and a big round pillow stuffed under a white t-shirt to complete the snowman belly look.

The first runner sprints to the station, puts on ALL the accessories as fast as possible, strikes a snowman pose for a count of three, then removes everything and sprints back. The next teammate goes. First team done wins.

You will need one full set of snowman costume props per team — you can buy a holiday dress-up kit from a party store or assemble your own from thrift store finds and dollar bin accessories.

Make a checklist at each station (taped to the table) of every item that must be worn so runners cannot skip any piece.

The carrot nose is the wildcard: kids universally struggle most with keeping it on while running back, which is both frustrating and tremendously funny to watch from the sidelines.

This relay is the most theatrical game on the list, and it works especially well toward the middle of the party when energy starts to plateau — the costume element reinjects a huge burst of silliness and gets the whole room laughing again.

For an amazing variation, have a designated ‘photographer’ (another kid with an adult’s phone) snap a photo of each fully-assembled snowman before they are allowed to remove the costume — at the end of the party, you have a hilarious gallery of snowman portraits to send to parents.

Space needed: 15–20 feet; teams of 3–5 players.

18. Carol Line-Up Relay

This is the finale game — the one that brings every team together for one last glorious competitive sprint with a musical twist.

Each team gets a printable sheet listing 10 popular Christmas carols, but the titles are scrambled: letters are jumbled within each word, and the carols are listed completely out of order from the melody clue given.

The relay works like this: the starting runner reads clue number one on the sheet, unscrambles the carol title, writes the correct answer on the blank line, then sprints to the far end to deposit the sheet at the ‘answer station’ before sprinting back.

The next runner picks up the returned sheet, solves clue two, and goes. First team to correctly solve all 10 scrambles and have them deposited at the answer station wins.

Print one sheet per team on cardstock so it survives the repeated handling. You will also need a pencil per team at the starting line, and a flat surface (a clipboard works perfectly) to write on while running.

Keep the scramble difficulty appropriate for your age group: shorter, well-known carols like ‘JLGNEI SLBEL’ (Jingle Bells) work for ages 6–8, while longer titles like ‘O MECO LAL EY IFTHLAUF’ (O Come All Ye Faithful) are great for older kids.

A small answer key at the bottom of the sheet in tiny light-grey italic confirms correct answers so the host can quickly verify the winning team’s sheet.

The Carol Line-Up Relay is the perfect game to end the party because it channels all that built-up competitive energy into one final brain-plus-body challenge, and the carol theme gives you a natural excuse to play Christmas music loudly in the background while the race happens — which is both fun and a very subtle hint to parents that it might be time to collect their little sprinters.

The scramble format also means slower runners can make up time by being the fastest solver, so every kid has a genuine chance at glory in the final moment.

This is the game your guests will be asking about when they are planning next year’s holiday party before the decorations are even down.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many kids do you need to play Christmas party relay games?

Most christmas party relay games work best with at least 6 kids total — enough for two teams of 3. Many games on this list scale beautifully up to 30 or even 40 kids by simply adding more teams. The sweet spot for keeping wait times short and energy high is 3–6 players per team.

What space do you need for indoor Christmas relay races?

Most relay games here need a clear runway of 15–20 feet — a typical living room pushed to the edges, a school hallway, or a classroom with desks moved works perfectly. The Reindeer Antler Pass and Candy Cane Pass relays need almost no running space at all, making them great options for very small venues.

What age group are these Christmas relay games best for?

The majority of games on this list are designed for ages 5–12. Simpler relays like the Santa Sack Hop and Reindeer Antler Pass work well for ages 4 and up with minor rule adjustments, while games like the Carol Line-Up Relay and Stocking Stuffer Sort Relay are better suited to ages 7 and up since they involve reading and problem-solving.

How do you keep Christmas relay games fair for mixed-age groups?

The easiest fix is to build teams with a mix of ages rather than splitting kids into ‘big kids vs. little kids.’

You can also adjust equipment: let younger players use larger spoons and shorter course distances while older kids use teaspoons and the full course length. Games like the Elf Shoe Shuffle naturally level the playing field since larger kids are actually slower in oversized shoes.

How many relay games should I plan for a one-hour kids’ Christmas party?

Plan for 5–7 games for a one-hour party, allowing 8–10 minutes per game including setup and explanation time. Build in a 5-minute buffer between games for transition and water breaks. Running games in a best-of-three format extends playtime naturally without needing extra game preparation.

Can these Christmas relay games be played outside?

Yes! Most of these games adapt easily for outdoor play. The Sleigh Pull Team Relay is actually better in real snow, the Snowball Scoop Relay becomes even more fun with real snowballs, and the Santa Sack Hop works on any flat grass surface.

Just make sure kids wear appropriate footwear for outdoor surfaces, and avoid the spoon-balance games on windy days.

There you have it — 15 christmas party relay games that will have kids sprinting, giggling, and begging for one more round all the way through December.

Whether you run all 15 or pick your favourite six, the key is to keep teams small, the courses clear, and the energy loud. Print the scorecards and baton cards ahead of time, prep your props the night before, and you are golden.

Pin this list so you can find it again next year (because you will absolutely be running these again), and if you are still sorting out the prize situation, check out our full 2025 Christmas Gift Guide for budget-friendly goodies that make perfect winner’s prizes.

Happy racing!

📌 Save These for Later

Loved these? Pin your favorite image below so you can find this list again when you’re planning.