My boys are always looking for new games to play. We regularly play these board games for kids but sometimes they want something a little more seasonal or unique to play just once or twice. And when you’re just playing with a few people, it doesn’t make sense to break out an entire Christmas bingo game or even these Christmas minute to win it games. Last year I made this fun go caroling Christmas match game just as a quick game for us to play as one of our daily Christmas activities. I was amazed by how much the boys loved it. It’s pretty much go fish but go caroling instead but similar rules apply. Doesn’t matter, they loved the Christmas version of a game we already play regularly. Go figure. Or go fish. Pair this fun go caroling game with these Christmas activity sheets, these Christmas coloring pages, and either this Christmas i-spy or this Christmas word search for a fun winter break entertainment pack!
How to play this Christmas match game
The free download at the bottom of this post includes not only the actual matching game itself but step by step instructions for playing but in case you don’t want to download those, here’s a quick rundown on how to play! The goal of the game is to get the most Christmas matches. Everyone starts by being dealt five cards and the rest of the cards are put in a draw pile face down in the middle of the circle. To play, start with the youngest player and they ask one of the other players if they have a ______. They can only ask about a card that they (the asker) has in their hand already, and they are trying to ask for a card that they think someone will have. If the person they asked has the card, the askee has to give it to them and then the original asker takes their card and their matching card out of their hand and places it down on the table creating a match. If they get a match, they get to go again (or you can skip this part if you don’t want to do the wins another turn). If the person they ask does not have the card, they say go caroling, and the person who asked for the card picks up a card from the draw pile. If the card they draw matches a card in their hand, they can put down the cards as a match (they do not get to go again). Once that person is done asking, the person on their left gets a turn to ask and try to make matches. Keep going around the circle, asking and making matches, until all of the matches have been completed and the game is over.
How to Win
The person who has the most matches at the end of the game wins. Then you can either shuffle, deal, and play agin or try one of these other Christmas party games instead!
More Printable Christmas Games
If you like this downloadable Christmas matching game, make sure to check out these other fun Christmas games for kids!
Roll a snowman – a super game dice game that ends with a marshmallow snowman! Christmas scavenger hunt list – see who can find all of these Christmas inspired items first! Reindeer hunt game – go on a hunt to find all of Santa’s reindeer, just don’t forget about Rudolph! Christmas would you rather – silly questions where you have to choose whether you would rather be a reindeer or an Elf and so on. Christmas charades – a great Christmas game to get some of the energy out! Christmas scattergories – a fun holiday inspired version of the classic board game!
Download the Go Caroling Game
Enter your first name and email address in the form below to get the printable PDF. You will receive a link to download the PDF to your email within minutes. If you’d rather not provide your email, you can purchase a copy in my shop here. If you do not see the form, click here to get to it. If you do not see the email immediately after you fill out the form, make sure to check your promotions, spam, and junk folders!
