Santa's elf workshop

What it is

A Christmas party where children work in Santa’s workshop. They make a toy, wrap it, decorate cookies and play elf games, then a surprise visit from Santa (or a video call) rounds it off. The things they make go home as party bags.

Plan ahead

• Two weeks before: send invitations as “elf job offers from the North Pole”.
• One week before: buy craft kits (wooden ornaments, pipe cleaner reindeer, felt stockings), wrapping paper, tape, tags and elf hats. Book Santa or plan a video message.
• The day before: bake or buy plain gingerbread biscuits and prepare icing.

Set the scene

Make “workshop” signs: “Toy Department”, “Wrapping Department”, “Cookie Kitchen”. Fill the room with red and green streamers, a tree and fairy lights. Put the craft tables at child height.

Activities

Toy workshop

Simple ideas: paint a wooden ornament, make a reindeer from a candy cane and pipe cleaner antlers, or decorate a felt stocking with glitter glue and sequins.

Wrapping station

Pre-cut paper squares and pre-torn tape strips on the edge of the table. Kids wrap their toy, add a tag and write their own name.

Cookie decorating

Use writing icing tubes and sprinkles. Pack cookies in cellophane bags with a ribbon.

Elf games

• Pin the nose on Rudolph with red pom-poms and sticky tape.
• Snowball toss: throw cotton balls into a bucket.
• Elf says: like Simon says, with elf jobs (“Elf says hammer a toy!”).

Food and drink

• Reindeer sandwiches: triangles with pretzel antlers and a raisin eye
• Christmas tree fruit platter
• Snowman popcorn
• Hot chocolate (warm, not hot) with marshmallows

Tips

• Keep scissors with adults for under-5s.
• If Santa visits, keep it short and let shy children watch from a distance.