Best Classroom Holiday Gift Exchange Games

Christmas Fun With Present Swap Activities for School Children

Nov 23, 2009 Tamiko Nicholson

This Secret Santa gift exchange can be an educational opportunity. The Seven Up present swap is a lot of fun too or go for the traditional gift exchange with the class.

Teachers who are interested in doing a Christmas gift exchange this year can pick from one of these traditional or new ideas for their class.

Traditional Gift Exchange Game for Children

Have each child bring in a present with a set limit such as $5 to $10. Have the gifts come wrapped and get kids to put them on a table in the room on the gift exchange day.

Kids then all write their names on a piece of paper and put them in a hat or box and the teacher can pull the first name. That person can pick any present he wants and unwrap it. The next person whose name is drawn out of the hat can either take the first person’s present or choose a new one. If this person chooses a new present, he or she has to keep it once it is unwrapped, he or she can’t then request to trade.

As the game progresses, the last person can choose any present he or she likes and then gives the last present sitting to the person he or she took the present from.

Simple Gift Exchange Game for the Class

Another version of this would be to draw names out of a hat as per above. The difference would be that after kids pick a present from the pile, then that is the one they keep. The teacher can either have kids each open their present as they choose it. Or they can have all the kids wait to unwrap their present until the last person has chosen his or hers.

Secret Santa Gift Exchange Game for Kids

This can be an English exercise as well as a gift exchange game. Have the kids write about their likes and dislikes from things like food to animals. Also get them to write about what they are interested in and what kind of hobbies and memorable past times they have. Let students know ahead of time that this information will be shared with the class.

Then have the kids put their information into blank envelopes, with kids writing their names in pencil on the flap of the envelope and the folding it back down without licking it. The teacher then sets up students so that they get to be and have a Secret Santa. Try to do it randomly, by just having a class list and starting with the first name on the list and then opening an envelope and writing the name down from the information inside as that person’s Secret Santa. If a student gets herself, then swap with another. Or this can be done in class as well where kids draw names from a hat, and put their name back if they get themselves and pull a new name. Then handout the envelopes to each secret Santa.

Students will have to buy a present, but tell them they have to buy the present based on what they learned about the person in the note in the envelope. Then they have to write a note to go with their card that explains why they chose the present for that person. Before this card goes out to another student, have kids hand it in so teachers can check over it to make sure appropriate gifts were bought and to help kids if they need it with making their ideas clear.

Then have a gift exchange day where students take turns handing over their presents and talking about why they chose this gift for this person.

Seven-Up Present Surprise Game

This is a fun take on the Secret Santa gift exchange for kids. It can be done similar to the above game for choosing who gets who or simply go with the draw-the-name-out-of-the-hat-method for deciding who will buy for whom. On the day of the exchange, have kids keep their gifts in their backpacks or hidden in a plastic bag.

Then play Seven Up, but add presents to the tagging of thumbs. So, the first seven people chosen to be it will place a present on the desk of someone and then touch his or her thumb. Remind kids who are sitting at their desks to keep their eyes closed tight. Then the kids whose thumbs were tagged have to guess who gave them the present.

Go through all the people who had their thumbs tagged, the ones who guess right first get to open their presents. Then go through and let those still with presents guess who tagged their thumb. Then let them open their presents, or a teacher can decide to wait until everyone has a present before they open it. Regardless, have the seven with presents now go up to be it, and they get to choose seven people for presents. Keep doing this until each member of the class has received a gift.

Teachers can choose from the Secret Santa gift exchange game, the Seven Up surprise present exchange game, the traditional gift exchange or a very simple gift exchange for their class this year.

Check out Best Holiday Games for Kids and Quick and Easy Homemade Holiday Ornaments and How to Make the Best Snowflake with Kids too.

HOL101

The copyright of the article Best Classroom Holiday Gift Exchange Games in Teacher Tips/Training is owned by Tamiko Nicholson. Permission to republish Best Classroom Holiday Gift Exchange Games in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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