Pass the Parcel

Last year I was searching for games to play in my classroom during the month of December for some extra fun to go along with Christmas Around the World. I looked on the internet and asked family and friends for some ideas. I was at a get together and Pass the Parcel was suggested by a friend. Pass the Parcel is traditionally a British party game. 

To play Pass the Parcel you will need a box, music or a book, wrapping paper or wrapping paper scraps and small prizes. You put the prize inside the box and wrap it in layers. Between layers you can tuck in small prizes like paper hats or crowns or sheets of stickers. It is kind of fun to try and figure out what you can tuck inside each layer to make Pass the Parcel a whole lot of fun. 

Since I heard about this idea last year I was able to pick up my prizes at the after Christmas sales for 75% off. But most items can be purchased for very little money and Dollar Tree would be a fun place to look for things. Since I was playing Pass the Parcel with a class, I did not want just one prize in the parcel and just one child to open it. I wanted several rounds of Pass the Parcel and I wanted whatever was inside to be something everyone could enjoy. And I also wanted other classes to play along too. It was a lot of fun to put something inside the parcel that another class could enjoy and play along with them. Last year our class played with our neighbors and we gave them some much needed glitter for projects they were working on. 

When we played the game we played passing the parcel as we played Christmas music and stopping the music throughout the song. The person who is holding the parcel when the music stops, unwraps the first layer and then the game continues. My friend said that she plays Pass the Parcel while reading the book The Night Before Christmas and each time the word "and" is read, the person holding the parcel unwraps a layer. 

For more information on the background and rules for Pass the Parcel, you can find it by going to kidsparties123. 

Have fun and enjoy Pass the Parcel with your class! Have a warm and wonderful holiday season!