Christmas Scattergories | Free Printable Holiday Game
Christmas Scattergories is a festive twist on the classic word game and is a fun Christmas game for the whole family. The rules are quick to learn and the game is easy to play. If you are looking for some holiday fun this game is a great option!
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We love a good family game night in our house, but around the holidays we love to pick games have a Christmas theme. This free printable game is a perfect addition to Christmas parties, family gatherings or just to pass some time during Christmas break. This game is versatile and easy to play in large groups.
Christmas Scattergories is a spin-off of the classic game Scattergories by Hasbbro. It is a great game for all ages but, if you are playing with young children, it may be best to pair them with an older child or adult. This game is a fast-paced word game that you can play it in under 30 minutes. Each category has Christmas-themed words to help get you into the holiday spirit.
About This Fun Christmas Scattergories Game
The categories in this game include:
- Christmas Gifts
- Christmas Decorations
- Christmas
- North Pole
- Christmas Songs
Each category has 6 topics under it that pertain to that category. There is 1 category section on the printable that is blank so you can fill in your own Christmas themed category and topics.
Supplies
- Free printables linked below including the category cards and one answer sheet per person
- Writing utensil for each person playing
- Alphabet die or a way to randomly pick 1 letter of the alphabet
- Timer
- Super fun family members!
How To Play Christmas Scattergories
Once you have all of the items above its time to jump into the fun. Here is how you play:
- Each person should have a answer sheet and pencil
- Choose 1 category card from the 5 category lists
- The printable has 5 holiday-themed categories filled out and one blank one for your family to create your own category & topics
- Roll the alphabet die or pick a random letter in the alphabet
- This specific letter is what your answer has to start with for all 6 topics on the category list
- Start the timer (usually we start with a time limit of around 2-3 minutes and adjust as needed)
- Write down your the most unique answer to each topic under the category list your group is using that round (the goal is to pick different words than the other players)
- When the timer goes off pens go down and it’s time for scoring!
- Start again with a new category card and different letter
Sample Scenario: If I was playing and using the “North Pole” category list and the letter “C” was rolled my answers would be as follows:
- Animal in the North Pole: Cow
- Elf’s name: Carl
- Elf’s favorite candy: Cookie
- Hot chocolate topping: Candy Cane
- Toy in Santa’s sleigh: Crayons
- Reindeer game: Catch
How To Score
The goal of the game is to think of the most unique words for the topic in hopes that no one else has picked the same answer. At the end of each round go around your group and share your answers for each topic. If someone had the same answer as you, cross off your word. If your answer was different than everyone else then circle the answer. You get one point for each circled answer.
We love to spice it up a bit and give 2 points if people have an answer with a double word. So in the example above Candy Cane would get 2 points because of the double “C” word.
Once you have scored that round you can move onto a different category, roll or pick a new letter and play again! This is a fast moving game, and each round is different, which makes it so exciting and fun. Once you are done you can count up the total points to see who won. Or you can crown a winner at the end of each category list, totally up to you!
Tips and Tricks When Playing This Christmas Game
- If you are wanting to play this game more than once I recommend laminating your answer sheets and using a dry erase marker to write your answers down
- This is a great game for a class holiday party
- If you don’t have the answer sheet printed off you can still play, just have the players use a blank piece of paper or index card to write down their answers
- If you are traveling for the holidays this would be a really fun game to bring along to play in the car (If a road trip is in your future see my post on tips and tricks for long car rides with kids and this post to gather other activities to survive (and even enjoy!) your trip.:) )
Your Free Printable Christmas Scattegories Game
Just complete the information above including your email address and this free printable Christmas game will be sent directly to your inbox. The email will contain a link that will bring you to a digital download (which is a PDF file) for you to print off. This free printable Christmas scattergories game is intended for personal use or classroom use.
Other Great Christmas Games
Merry Christmas!
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