top of page

Christmas and Winter Games for Dance Class

Dec 8, 20215 min read

Here's another list of games for you! This time our theme is winter or Christmas. Check out these 16 games for all ages. Happy Christmas!


Games:

  • Elf Socks Knock Down - Knock over plastic cups as fast as possible.

How to play:

1) Preparation: Gather several pairs of over-sized festive knee high socks (each group will need 1 pair of socks). Drop a golf ball down into the toes of each sock to make it pointy. Place a line of cones or plastic cups across the floor (1 line per group).

2) Divide students into groups and have them wait in a line behind their cones/cups.

3) On teacher's cue, have the first person from each line put on a pair of socks, run backwards to the last cone (running backwards prevents the ball from rolling under the ball of the foot and the student stepping on it), knock one cone/cup over with the golf ball toe and then run backward to the group. The player then takes off the socks and hands it to the next player.

4) Continue until all cones in one team are knocked over. They are the winner.

Alternative #1: Place a plastic cup in the sock after you put the golf ball in to protect the toes.

Alternative #2: Have one student knock over all of the cones in a line. Time them and see who can do it in the least amount of time.

  • Limbo - Decorate a broomstick or cane with Christmas lights or garland.

    • Additional option #1: Santa's hat- Have students wear Santa hats. If your hat falls off while you Limbo, you're out!

    • Additional option #2: Santa's belly- Blow up a few balloons. Have students wear them on their stomach (under shirts) while limboing.

  • Name That Tune - In this game your team is trying to guess a Christmas song in as few seconds as possible.

How to play:

1) Place students into two teams (more teams work too).

2) Have each team send a representative to the middle of the room.

3) Representative from team #1 places a wager on how many seconds it will take him/her to guess a song. Example: "I can name that song in 10 seconds".

4) The representative from team #2 has two options:

a) Counter the first team's wager by stating they can name that tune in less time.

Example: "I can name that song in 8 seconds"

b) Challenge team 1 by saying: "Name that tune!"

5) Representatives keep wagering less time until challenged.

6) If challenged the representative has to name the tune before their time wager runs out. If they guess correctly, they get a point. If not, the team who challenged does.

  • Snowman Knock Down - Practice coordination skills and see what team can be the first to knock down all of the snowmen.

How to play:

1) Preparation: Decorate plastic cups into snowmen. Place them in stacks on either side of the room (I like doing two little stacks and one large stack on each side). Gather pom-poms, yarn balls or purchased fake snowballs from your local box or craft store.

2) Place students into two teams on opposites sides of the room.

3) Spread the snowballs out across the room.

4) Have students remain on their side of the room. Toss snowballs at the snowman cups to knock them over. Dodge ball rules apply!

5) First team to knock all of the cones over wins.

  • Reindeer Ring Toss - In teams of two, have students toss rings onto their partner's antlers. The team with the most rings wins.



  • Snowball Race - Balance a snowball (real, fake, cotton or ping pong ball) on a spoon and conduct relay races.

  • Snowball Scoop - With a large kitchen spoon, scoop as many snowballs (cotton balls) into a bucket as fast as possible. What's the catch? You're blindfolded and can only use one hand! Have a student sit on the ground with a bucket in front of them, a spoon in one hand and the other hand behind their back. Place a blindfold around their eyes and then sprinkle cotton balls all around. On the teacher's cue, the student begins scooping snowballs into the bucket. The student with the most snowballs in 30 seconds wins!


Dances:

Alternative: The teacher can says the words "naughty" or "nice" without saying sentences.

  • Choreograph "12 Days of Christmas" - Have each student create a movement for 1 of the 12 days of Christmas. Play the song and have students perform their movements when said in the song.

  • Choreography- Divide students into groups and give each group a different Christmas/winter themed word. Have the groups create a movement phrase by spelling out the provided word using dance vocabulary. No talking in the movement! Have each group present their phrase to the class while the other students try to guess the word.

    • Example: Skate- skip, kick, arabesqué, turn, elevé

  • Freeze dance - Any songs work but here are a couple of examples:

Skills:

  • Tree Decorating Relay Race - Decorate a tree by having a relay race doing traveling technique steps.

How to play:

1) Preparation: Place an empty Christmas tree at one end of the room. Have a basket of ornaments (1 per team) on the other side of the room. On slips of paper, write the names of traveling dance steps and put them into a bag or hat (1 bag per team works best).

2) Divide students into groups and line them up by their ornament basket.

3) On the teacher's cue, have students draw from the bag, grab an ornament and race down to the tree doing that dance step.

4) First team to hang all of their ornaments wins.


*Bonus: Check out our complete list of action words here*

  • Candy Cane Crush - Tape mini candy canes on the heels of your students' tap shoes and have them practice running flaps (or other non-heeled tap steps) without crushing the candy. After practicing for one song, you can eat the candy canes! **Have extra candy-canes to give out for those who crushed theirs**


Other:

  • Christmas Lights Photo Shoot: Turn out the room lights and turn on a string of Christmas lights (make sure they're LED so they don't get hot). Drape the lights around dancers and have them pose while you take their picture. Post on social media or around your studio.

Alternative: Give students shapes (snowflake, snowman, angel, hat, etc.) to make with their bodies and the lights. Then turn out the lights and take a photo to see how well the shape turned out.



Comments

bottom of page