Free or Inexpensive Classroom Party Ideas

The classic, last day of school Christmas party can be a lot of fun without a lot of money. In fact, the games can be full of fun and free!  Here are a few ideas:

1) Talent Show-Tell your students to group together or go it alone and do a talent show. Let the kids sing, do skits or tell funny jokes. Tell them they have to register with you. Set a time limit, like 3 minutes, on the performance. Encourage them to clap and encourage their classmates.

2) Candy Cane Hunt-Before the kids get to school, hid a bunch of candy canes around the classroom or the school yard. This activity works the same way an Easter egg hunt works; the kids fan out and try to find as many candy canes as they can. Save a few back in case some kids don't find any. If candy canes are too big to hide in your room, use Hershey Kisses instead.

3) Musical Chairs-Push the desks over to the wall. Put on the Christmas music and play the traditional musical chairs. If you have a large class, run two musical chairs circles at the same time. Remove one chair each time the music stops.

4) Giant cards for helpers-Use large construction paper. Working in groups, have students make cards for school workers who do not always feel appreciated. Examples would be the school cafeteria workers, office workers and janitorial staff.

5) Draw the Christmas Ornament-Put several unusual Christmas ornaments in a bag. Have a student (or the teacher) draw out one ornament; make sure no one sees it. Give detailed directions on how to draw the ornament. Compare pictures to the actual item.

6) Guess the tune-Give students a numbered paper. Play snippets of Christmas songs. As the student guesses the song, they write their choice on the correct number. Check the answers at the end to see who had the most correct answers.