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The Christmas season is full of excitement, imagination, and opportunities for creative learning. Drama offers young children a joyful way to explore holiday themes through movement, storytelling, and play. Below are three festive activities from Drama Start: Christmas Edition that are easy to use and ideal for early years classrooms.
Santa’s Workshop (Roleplay Game)
Age: 3+
Minimum number of participants: 3
Resources needed: None (optional: hats, scarves, empty boxes)
Other Benefits: Cooperation, imaginative thinking, language development
Instructions:
Invite children to imagine they are elves working in Santa’s workshop. Each child chooses a role:
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Toy maker: hammering and painting
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Wrapper: wrapping and tying presents
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Sorter: putting toys in the right sack
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Santa: checking the list
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Reindeer: getting ready to fly
Narrate as the action unfolds:
“Quick, the sleigh is leaving soon! We need to finish the teddy bear. Who’s in charge of the ribbons? Where’s Rudolph gone?”
Encourage improvisation, teamwork, and movement.
Extension:
Introduce challenges: “We’ve run out of paper!” or “One toy has gone missing!”
Reflection Questions:
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What job did you like best in Santa’s workshop?
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How did your team help you?
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What toys did you make?
The Snowflake Dance (Movement and Mime)
Age: 3+
Minimum number of participants: 2+
Resources needed: Calm music (optional scarves or white fabric)
Other Benefits: Gross motor skills, rhythm, emotional expression
Instructions:
Ask children to imagine they are snowflakes drifting from the sky. Using music or your voice, guide them through:
“We float gently… we twirl in the wind… we fall faster… we land softly… and melt slowly into the ground.”
You can also suggest different types of snowflakes:
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Shy snowflake (small, careful movements)
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Excited snowflake (bouncing and spinning)
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Sleepy snowflake (slow and dreamy)
Extension:
Let children use scarves or fabric to enhance movement. Invite them to create a group snowstorm or snowflake dance performance.
Reflection Questions:
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How did your snowflake feel as it moved?
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Did your body move slowly or quickly?
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What kind of snowflake would you like to be?
Christmas Freeze Game
Age: 3+
Minimum number of participants: 3+
Resources needed: Christmas music
Other Benefits: Listening skills, self-control, coordination
Instructions:
Play upbeat Christmas music and have children dance freely. When the music stops, they freeze in a festive pose, such as:
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A Christmas tree
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A star
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A snowman
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Santa in his sleigh
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A present waiting to be opened
Children must hold their frozen shape until the music starts again.
Extension:
Add variations: call out a character just before stopping the music, or let children invent their own freeze shapes.
Reflection Questions:
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What was your favourite Christmas shape to freeze in?
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How did it feel to stay perfectly still?
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Can you remember which shape your friends chose?
These drama activities are process-led, child-centred, and perfect for building confidence, imagination, and festive cheer in early years settings. They require minimal resources and are easy to adapt for different group sizes and abilities.
For more ready-to-use Christmas games, movement stories, action poems, and short plays, check out my book Drama Start: Christmas Edition – packed with seasonal fun that supports creative learning.
