Help with gift-giving game for kids

Jennifer Murphy

Earning My Ears
Joined
Dec 11, 2018
I would like to adapt a gift-giving game that I've played several times with adults for a Christmas Eve party for 6 grandkids. It's sometimes called the White Elephant game.

In the adult version, everyone bring a wrapped present to a party. The presents are placed in the middle of a room. The names of the participants are placed in a hat and drawn randomly. The person whose name is drawn first chooses a gift, unwraps it, and shows it to everyone. After that, each person whose name is drawn has the choice of unwrapping a present or "stealing" one from someone who already has one. There are rules for how many steals there can be in each round.

In the games that I was involved in, the presents were mostly silly and some were downright stupid. A few were kinda nice. We usually had price target, like $25. If you opened one of the junk gifts, you were out of the game and stuck with the junk, because no one would steal from you and you had already had your turn.

In the kids version, this could result in tears or even temper tantrums, especially with the younger kids. And anyway, no kid should have to sit out of a game just due to a bad luck-of-the-draw.

So, I want to add a variation or two that will ensure that every kid remains in the game as long as possible and they all get something that they like. I will solve most of that problem by buying all good gifts. There will be no junk gifts. But the kids range in age from 4 to 12 and we have both boys and girls. I'll try to buy gifts that are gender and age neutral as much as possible, but finding something that both a 4 year old boy and a 12 year old girl would like will be a challenge. And I am also worried about missing out on gifts that certain kids would really love in favor of ones that they would be just OK with.

I have a couple of ideas. I would appreciate feedback and other ideas.

1. Label the gifts with age ranges in pink (more for girls), blue (more for boys), or green (both). That will allow the kids to choose gifts that they are likely to like. I do worry a tiny bit about gender stereotyping, but I guess that can be sorted out in one of the trading rounds.

2. Add a second round. Round 1 as described above is the "Steal Round". Round 2 will be the "Trade Round". I need to come up with rules for how the trades will work.

3. Buy extra gifts for Round 2 -- maybe enough so that every kid will get two. Then in Round 2, as their names are drawn, they can try to make a trade or open a new present.

4. Add a third "Deal Round" after all presents are open where they can try to make deals to exchange presents.

My goal is a fun evening where each kid gets at least one gift that they really like and no kid feels left out.

Thanks,

-jm
 
I would like to adapt a gift-giving game that I've played several times with adults for a Christmas Eve party for 6 grandkids. It's sometimes called the White Elephant game.

In the adult version, everyone bring a wrapped present to a party. The presents are placed in the middle of a room. The names of the participants are placed in a hat and drawn randomly. The person whose name is drawn first chooses a gift, unwraps it, and shows it to everyone. After that, each person whose name is drawn has the choice of unwrapping a present or "stealing" one from someone who already has one. There are rules for how many steals there can be in each round.

In the games that I was involved in, the presents were mostly silly and some were downright stupid. A few were kinda nice. We usually had price target, like $25. If you opened one of the junk gifts, you were out of the game and stuck with the junk, because no one would steal from you and you had already had your turn.

In the kids version, this could result in tears or even temper tantrums, especially with the younger kids. And anyway, no kid should have to sit out of a game just due to a bad luck-of-the-draw.

So, I want to add a variation or two that will ensure that every kid remains in the game as long as possible and they all get something that they like. I will solve most of that problem by buying all good gifts. There will be no junk gifts. But the kids range in age from 4 to 12 and we have both boys and girls. I'll try to buy gifts that are gender and age neutral as much as possible, but finding something that both a 4 year old boy and a 12 year old girl would like will be a challenge. And I am also worried about missing out on gifts that certain kids would really love in favor of ones that they would be just OK with.

I have a couple of ideas. I would appreciate feedback and other ideas.

1. Label the gifts with age ranges in pink (more for girls), blue (more for boys), or green (both). That will allow the kids to choose gifts that they are likely to like. I do worry a tiny bit about gender stereotyping, but I guess that can be sorted out in one of the trading rounds.

2. Add a second round. Round 1 as described above is the "Steal Round". Round 2 will be the "Trade Round". I need to come up with rules for how the trades will work.

3. Buy extra gifts for Round 2 -- maybe enough so that every kid will get two. Then in Round 2, as their names are drawn, they can try to make a trade or open a new present.

4. Add a third "Deal Round" after all presents are open where they can try to make deals to exchange presents.

My goal is a fun evening where each kid gets at least one gift that they really like and no kid feels left out.

Thanks,

-jm


Hmmm, 1st thing I would do is probably lower the $ range. If this is the only gift the grandkids are getting, I'd put cash on each present or have separate $20 cards for each to make the $25...and my plan would be to have the price range be $5-10 - it's so much easier to have cross-appeal at the cheaper price range!

For items that appeal to all...I'd get big jelly bean bags, multi-packs of gum, containers of silly string, giant foam dice, unicorn poop/slime, giant hershey kisses, maybe a board game like twister (or blindfolded twister - saw that for the 1st time today), punching balloons, multi-colored pen packs, giant playing cards, Nintendo e-cards (if the kids have the devices), etc...maybe even a kite, model rocket, or cheap drone depending where you live:)...
 
  1. These are not the only gifts the kids will get. Where did I say that? This is a fun event on Christmas Eve. They will get their regular gifts the next day.
  2. I don't want to lower the price range. I am trying to avoid junk gifts. This is not the adult version where most of the gifts are gag gifts.
  3. My main question is how to make the game entertaining and fun for all of the kids whether they make a lucky choice in the early round or not. I'd like them to all stay engaged and walk away with something they really like. So I am looking for suggestions on how to create rules that will make that more likely.
 
  1. These are not the only gifts the kids will get. Where did I say that? This is a fun event on Christmas Eve. They will get their regular gifts the next day.
  2. I don't want to lower the price range. I am trying to avoid junk gifts. This is not the adult version where most of the gifts are gag gifts.
  3. My main question is how to make the game entertaining and fun for all of the kids whether they make a lucky choice in the early round or not. I'd like them to all stay engaged and walk away with something they really like. So I am looking for suggestions on how to create rules that will make that more likely.

It wasn't obvious from your post...I mean, this is a budget board:).

Fun "pass and steal" games that have higher-end priced gifts (ie - impressive ones) are likely to end up with as many frowns as smiles...with kids between 4-12, someone will feel like they got robbed, they got the "bum" gift, the "baby" gift (since you have a wide age range), or if it gets stolen (when they liked it), well, drama...it's why kids that age don't tend to do these - they tend to watch the adults do them and then comment (or get an adult's gift when the adult didn't really want the singing fish - yeah, been there and saw that at one of these)...

But, good luck to you. I don't have thoughts on rules except to say kids 4-12 probably won't love complexity or theft/exchanges...or waiting a long time for a turn or to avoid playing with their choice...
 


Not a good idea to do a "steal" type game with kids. My son's first grade teacher tried it last year with books, it didn't go over very well, the kids either were too polite to take someone else's present or got their feelings hurt when someone else took theirs.

honestly, I've seen these types of games go awry when adults were playing. Maybe a better idea would be to put all the gifts into a big bag and have the kids draw numbers to see who picks out of the bag first, second, etc. Then, they can swap afterwards if they want to.

Edited to add: Oooh, I just thought of an idea, how about a reverse steal game - same general rules, kids pick a number, then pick a gift, open it, then decide to either keep it or pick another child to give that gift to. Once a kid already has a gift, they can choose whether or not to keep that one if someone else offers them a different one. If they choose to take the new gift, they have to give the first one to someone else. Same thing when it's their turn to pick, if someone has given them a gift they can keep it and skip opening another one or give it away.
 
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I don't think this game would work. Kids that young just aren't at that 'get what you get and don't throw a fit stage', especially with the excitement and overtiredness of the holidays going on. Not to mention finding something that appeals to 4 year old boys as well as 12 year old girls would be virtually impossible. If you are going to put the time, money, energy into this game, why not come up with some other party type games? Even if the prizes are games and toys from the dollar store, they should entertain the kids for the evening and the kids are just trying to get to Christmas morning anyhow. I have taken to getting generally $5 and under gifts for all of the kids to open at the family party on Christmas Eve. I try to get activities or games that will keep them busy for the couple hours of the party. My 3 usually play with the stuff later too but if they don't at least it served the purpose of letting them have some fun at the mostly adult party.
 
Not a good idea to do a "steal" type game with kids. My son's first grade teacher tried it last year with books, it didn't go over very well, the kids either were too polite to take someone else's present or got their feelings hurt when someone else took theirs.

honestly, I've seen these types of games go awry when adults were playing. Maybe a better idea would be to put all the gifts into a big bag and have the kids draw numbers to see who picks out of the bag first, second, etc. Then, they can swap afterwards if they want to.

ITA. I also like to do some sort of game for kids around Christmas so I understand what OP is trying to do. But when I read this idea my initial thought was it wouldn't go well. I did a "Deal or No Deal" kind of game at my DD's 8th birthday party many years ago (she's 21 now - where did that time go?). It involved prizes that the girls could keep or pass along or trade and it did not go well.

One Christmas game I always enjoyed was a scavenger hunt. DD is my only child so it was easy. She'd be given Clue #1 - which was a little rhyme that would lead her to somewhere else in the house. There she would find Clue #2, and so on. I usually had around 8-10 clues and the last stop had a "surprise" gift hidden; usually something I knew she wanted/would like but didn't have on her Christmas list. Maybe you could determine the gift for each grandchild and they would do their own separate scavenger hunt and then they could trade later if they wanted. That might be too much work since there are several kids.

Like in the quoted post above I also numbered DD's gifts one year and she had to draw numbers out of a hat to determine what gift she would open.

One game I am doing this year is for my 5 year old niece. She's getting a present to open but I wanted to do something extra. Here's what I was thinking - I have a box that I will fill with several small items ($1-$3 each). I'll have her close her eyes, reach into the box and pull out an item. Then she'll see if she can guess what the item is based on how it feels. We can give her clues. She'll get to keep everything in the box even if she can't guess what it is. My DD thinks she might be too young for this. Maybe she is - I'll have to run it by my sister. I might end up doing a scavenger hunt with the items instead and she can put the items in the box as she finds them. Some of the items I have so far: a small mermaid doll, small box of crayons (mermaid themed), pink Barbie matchbox car, plastic beaded bracelets, small pack of facial tissue (penguin themed), sticker book, snowman glow wand, lollipop, chocolate coins. I need to add a few more items.

Have fun with your grandkids OP!
 


Not a good idea to do a "steal" type game with kids. My son's first grade teacher tried it last year with books, it didn't go over very well, the kids either were too polite to take someone else's present or got their feelings hurt when someone else took theirs.
Sounds like the kids need a better teacher. Our game will be fine. We play competitive games with them all the time. If someone responds inappropriately, we use it as a teaching moment. We have very few problems.

honestly, I've seen these types of games go awry when adults were playing. Maybe a better idea would be to put all the gifts into a big bag and have the kids draw numbers to see who picks out of the bag first, second, etc. Then, they can swap afterwards if they want to.
Holy crap. What kind of jerks do you hang out with? I've played this and other similar adult games many times and never had a problem. It sounds like someone in your circle of friends needs to grow up.

Edited to add: Oooh, I just thought of an idea, how about a reverse steal game - same general rules, kids pick a number, then pick a gift, open it, then decide to either keep it or pick another child to give that gift to. Once a kid already has a gift, they can choose whether or not to keep that one if someone else offers them a different one. If they choose to take the new gift, they have to give the first one to someone else. Same thing when it's their turn to pick, if someone has given them a gift they can keep it and skip opening another one or give it away.
(sigh) I feel like I'm back in church. I thought I got rid of that pious preaching 50 years ago.
 
Clearly this is the wrong place for me to get the kind of help I am looking for. All you seem to want to do is tell me what won't work. You don't know me or my grandkids. I was hoping for some ideas on making the game more interesting. I see that that is not going to happen. Way too judgmental. I'm sorry to have bothered you all.

Bye
 
Clearly this is the wrong place for me to get the kind of help I am looking for. All you seem to want to do is tell me what won't work. You don't know me or my grandkids. I was hoping for some ideas on making the game more interesting. I see that that is not going to happen. Way too judgmental. I'm sorry to have bothered you all.

Bye

yes, you obviously didn't find what you were looking for here. Good luck.
 
So I realize op is no longer looking for advice here and I hope the Christmas game they wanted works out. I would like to post a game that we do that is unlike the swap game mentioned but, oh well.

The kids all get a wrapped kids dvd with a candy bar on top, my husband reads a Christmas story and they must pass their present left or right every time either word is used in the story, fun madness ensues as they get confused and the story goes faster and faster with more rights and lefts. At the end they unwrap whatever dvd is in front of them. My kids love this game and they are a variety of ages.
 
yes, you obviously didn't find what you were looking for here. Good luck.

Yeah maybe she was just looking for some pats on the back about how wonderful her idea was.

I know it's pointless now but I'm with everyone else, stick to a general grab bag game and have all the toys appeal to all ages and be gender neutral. I would want to keep it a less stressful as possible and honestly I don't want to set up something where I'm going to have to "have a teaching moment" with my child during what is supposed to be a fun Christmas Eve game. Sometimes it's OK to just take the easy way and let kids have some fun. With those age groups playing together it is inevitable that there will be some disappointment, as some posters were just trying to point out due to experience with that exact kind of game. I guess the OP didn't really want feedback on her idea.
 
I would like to adapt a gift-giving game that I've played several times with adults for a Christmas Eve party for 6 grandkids. It's sometimes called the White Elephant game.

In the adult version, everyone bring a wrapped present to a party. The presents are placed in the middle of a room. The names of the participants are placed in a hat and drawn randomly. The person whose name is drawn first chooses a gift, unwraps it, and shows it to everyone. After that, each person whose name is drawn has the choice of unwrapping a present or "stealing" one from someone who already has one. There are rules for how many steals there can be in each round.

In the games that I was involved in, the presents were mostly silly and some were downright stupid. A few were kinda nice. We usually had price target, like $25. If you opened one of the junk gifts, you were out of the game and stuck with the junk, because no one would steal from you and you had already had your turn.

In the kids version, this could result in tears or even temper tantrums, especially with the younger kids. And anyway, no kid should have to sit out of a game just due to a bad luck-of-the-draw.

So, I want to add a variation or two that will ensure that every kid remains in the game as long as possible and they all get something that they like. I will solve most of that problem by buying all good gifts. There will be no junk gifts. But the kids range in age from 4 to 12 and we have both boys and girls. I'll try to buy gifts that are gender and age neutral as much as possible, but finding something that both a 4 year old boy and a 12 year old girl would like will be a challenge. And I am also worried about missing out on gifts that certain kids would really love in favor of ones that they would be just OK with.

I have a couple of ideas. I would appreciate feedback and other ideas.

1. Label the gifts with age ranges in pink (more for girls), blue (more for boys), or green (both). That will allow the kids to choose gifts that they are likely to like. I do worry a tiny bit about gender stereotyping, but I guess that can be sorted out in one of the trading rounds.

2. Add a second round. Round 1 as described above is the "Steal Round". Round 2 will be the "Trade Round". I need to come up with rules for how the trades will work.

3. Buy extra gifts for Round 2 -- maybe enough so that every kid will get two. Then in Round 2, as their names are drawn, they can try to make a trade or open a new present.

4. Add a third "Deal Round" after all presents are open where they can try to make deals to exchange presents.

My goal is a fun evening where each kid gets at least one gift that they really like and no kid feels left out.

Thanks,

-jm
  1. These are not the only gifts the kids will get. Where did I say that? This is a fun event on Christmas Eve. They will get their regular gifts the next day.
  2. I don't want to lower the price range. I am trying to avoid junk gifts. This is not the adult version where most of the gifts are gag gifts.
  3. My main question is how to make the game entertaining and fun for all of the kids whether they make a lucky choice in the early round or not. I'd like them to all stay engaged and walk away with something they really like. So I am looking for suggestions on how to create rules that will make that more likely.

Sounds like the kids need a better teacher. Our game will be fine. We play competitive games with them all the time. If someone responds inappropriately, we use it as a teaching moment. We have very few problems.


Holy crap. What kind of jerks do you hang out with? I've played this and other similar adult games many times and never had a problem. It sounds like someone in your circle of friends needs to grow up.


(sigh) I feel like I'm back in church. I thought I got rid of that pious preaching 50 years ago.


Clearly this is the wrong place for me to get the kind of help I am looking for. All you seem to want to do is tell me what won't work. You don't know me or my grandkids. I was hoping for some ideas on making the game more interesting. I see that that is not going to happen. Way too judgmental. I'm sorry to have bothered you all.

Bye
Yes. You came to the wrong place. You said that you want feedback, but what you really want is validation. Since you know the grandkids better than a bunch of internet strangers, you're much better off bouncing this idea off of the parents, your friends and maybe even your co-workers, all of whom would have a keener idea of how the kids would respond to your idea than we would. I'm kind of surprised that you would join a Disney fan message board just to post your question.
 
So I realize op is no longer looking for advice here and I hope the Christmas game they wanted works out. I would like to post a game that we do that is unlike the swap game mentioned but, oh well.

The kids all get a wrapped kids dvd with a candy bar on top, my husband reads a Christmas story and they must pass their present left or right every time either word is used in the story, fun madness ensues as they get confused and the story goes faster and faster with more rights and lefts. At the end they unwrap whatever dvd is in front of them. My kids love this game and they are a variety of ages.

This game sounds like fun!

We played the giant saran wrap ball game (with just candy inside)at my daughter's birthday party. It was great fun except my daughter didn't have a single piece of candy fall out on any of her turns. The candy ended up piled up in the middle of the table and eaten by all the kids during the party anyway. We laughed over her miserable luck but the situation could have easily gone another direction.
 
Yeah maybe she was just looking for some pats on the back about how wonderful her idea was.

I know it's pointless now but I'm with everyone else, stick to a general grab bag game and have all the toys appeal to all ages and be gender neutral. I would want to keep it a less stressful as possible and honestly I don't want to set up something where I'm going to have to "have a teaching moment" with my child during what is supposed to be a fun Christmas Eve game. Sometimes it's OK to just take the easy way and let kids have some fun. With those age groups playing together it is inevitable that there will be some disappointment, as some posters were just trying to point out due to experience with that exact kind of game. I guess the OP didn't really want feedback on her idea.

We did this game in our office last year and it was a lot of fun. Simple, fun, everyone gets something.
 
The OP is no longer looking for advice but thought of what we have done on an adult lever. We’ve done the Saran Wrap game, also same concept but wrapping paper instead, too. Wrapping paper would work better for the younger kids but wrapped inside could be candy canes, or anything holidayish that anyone would like, young or old. We’ve done that and then in the middle we’ve done lottery tickets. With kids, it could be Gift cards for McDonalds or the like. Perhaps, since the candy it’s random people unwrapping, you can do enough gift cards so everyone gets one. More thd fun of having a game being played than the actual gift.
 
This game sounds like fun!

We played the giant saran wrap ball game (with just candy inside)at my daughter's birthday party. It was great fun except my daughter didn't have a single piece of candy fall out on any of her turns. The candy ended up piled up in the middle of the table and eaten by all the kids during the party anyway. We laughed over her miserable luck but the situation could have easily gone another direction.

Our family played this last Christmas and I was the one who didn't get anything on any of my turns :lmao: My husband shared the candy he didn't like :rolleyes::rotfl2:
 

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