5 Fun Christmas Minute-to-Win-It Games for Your Children’s Ministry

Discover 5 exciting Christmas Minute-to-Win-It games perfect for your Children’s Ministry! Each game provides a list of supplies for an easy setup and is full of fun and festive cheer. We have created a list to cover games for kids of all ages!  

Christmas Minute-to-Win-It Games for Preschool Students

Create a Snowman

This is a great game for preschoolers or developmental special needs students because it may be less of a challenge for older kids. 

Supplies You Will Need:

• 2 regular large marshmallows
• 1 marshmallow with a snowman face*
• 1 large gum drop
• 1 cake pop stick
• 2 pretzels. 

* Create the snowman marshmallow faces ahead of time using black and orange icing and letting it dry or purchase premade snowman marshmallows.

How to Play

Each child will be given a baggie full of supplies to build a marshmallow snowman … but there is a catch. They only have 1-minute to win the challenge of completing their snowman.  

After the game, allow kids time to finish creating their snowman. Save time for them to eat their creation or send it home for later, instructing them to remove it from the stick before they eat!

Christmas Minute-to-Win-It Games for Elementary Students

Candy Cane Link

The Candy Cane Link Minute-to-Win-It is an exciting team challenge! Kids must “link up” in one minute. 

Supplies You Will Need:

• 1 candy cane (sealed in plastic) for each kid

How to Play

Ask kids to stand in one single-file line facing side by side. When the timer starts, the first kid in line will link their candy cane to the kid next to them, and then that kid will link up to the next one in line. Kids must not link until the person in front of them has linked up. How many candy canes can the kids link up in under a minute?

This game is meant for a large group of kids. Give kids a few chances to try the challenge allowing them to improve their time! The most challenging part of the game is that children must go in order from the first to the last like a domino effect.  

Camel’s Back Present Stack

This is a great game for elementary students, but it can also be played by teens. Divide kids into pairs and challenge kids to stack 3 gifts of the magi on a "camel's" back for the long travel to Bethlehem.

Supplies You Will Need:

• 1 medium gift box
• 1 small gift box
• 1 gift bag

How to Play

In each pair, one kid will be the Wiseman and one will be the Camel. When the minute begins, the Camel will get on all fours. The Wiseman will carefully place the “gifts” on the camel's back. Then the Camel must carefully crawl to the finish line about 15 feet away. The Wiseman will walk beside the Camel, and if any gifts fall off the Camel's back, the Wiseman must stop and put them back. The two must continue as quickly and carefully as they can. To win, the pair must cross the finish line together before the minute is up.

If time allows, encourage kids to switch places and try the challenge again in the opposite role. If this challenge is too difficult for the age group, add weight to each gift so gifts don’t fall off as easily. To make it more challenging, keep the boxes and bags flat so the Wisemen will have to assemble them before putting them on the camel's back.

Shepherd Sheep Sheer

The Angel of the Lord has just told the shepherds about Jesus' birth! Now it's time for the shepherds to go and meet Jesus, but before they go, they want to bring Jesus a gift. Give kids just one minute to "sheer a sheep" to bring to Jesus.  

Supplies You Will Need:

• Balloons
• Spatula
• Playdough knife or plastic/wooden butter knife
• Shaving cream or whipped cream

How to Play:

Spray each balloon with cream so it’s covered like sheep wool. Next, start the timer and instruct kids to sheer their sheep as quickly as possible before the minute is over. 

The children will have to be careful not to hurt the sheep like a shepherd would. A sign that they are too rough? When a balloon pops! If kids can get all the wool off before the minute is up, they have succeeded in the Shepherd Sheep Sheer!

Christmas Minute-to-Win-It Games for Teens

Wrap a Gift Assembly Line

This game will make kids feel a lot like an elf in Santa’s workshop or like they are in a rush to wrap presents on Christmas Eve at home! This Minute-to-Win-It game is designed to be fun but also accomplish the important task of donating a gift to kids in need, like children at your local hospital, kids with a parent in prison, or other underprivileged children. 

Supplies You Will Need:

• Small stuffed animals
• Small gift boxes
• Precut sheet of wrapping paper or tissue paper to fit over the box
• Tape
• Stick-on bows
• Christmas cards
• Red or green markers

How to Play:

Have kids create teams of 5. Inform the students that their gift will be given to a child in need! 

Next, have them stand in an assembly line at a table, allowing them to determine who would be better at each task. Once the teens have decided what task best suits their abilities, begin the one-minute timer and have kids pass the present down the line until it is completely wrapped! 

For the gift to be complete, the following tasks must be completed:

1. Put a stuffed animal into a gift box and close the lid.
2. Wrap the gift box with your precut wrapping paper.
3. Stick a bow on top.
4. Add a card that says “Merry Christmas!” to the top of the gift.
5. Place it under the Christmas tree or pile of gifts on the finish table. 

Kids must wait until the present is passed to them before they can work on their part. For instance, a kid can’t remove the bow release liner until the wrapped present has been passed to them. Meanwhile, the card writer must wait to write "Merry Christmas" until they have been handed the wrapped gift. 

If kids don’t finish in time, kindly encourage them to finish their tasks.

Note: It helps if your church organizes a toy fund before the game.

Add Christmas Fun to Your Kids' Church Lessons

We hope you enjoy these Christmas-themed games for your preschool class, Sunday school, or church youth group! They are a great way to add fun to a Christmas lesson and remind kids about the spirit of joy and giving this season. You may also find it beneficial to have a few quick games to fit in between Christmas songs, planned lessons, and holiday crafts!