These candy cane games are fun holiday games for kids or family Christmas games for your Christmas party. Host your own Candy Cane Olympics, Minute to Win It Christmas games or New Year’s Eve party activities!
The Best Candy Cane Games For Christmas
If you’re like us at the holidays, it seems like we always end up with a ton of candy canes from Christmas parties and holiday events and even the ones we buy to decorate the Christmas tree.
Your candy canes don’t need to go to waste!
Not only are there a list of fun things to do with leftover candy canes, you can also use them for fun candy cane themed games for holiday activities, fun Christmas Minute To Win It games, or even things to do with family on Christmas Eve (start a new holiday tradition this year with these Christmas Eve games!).
Here are fun ideas for candy canes games…
Candy Cane Fishing
How to Play:
- Tie a string to the straight end of a candy cane.
- Use the hooked end as the “fishing hook.”
- On the floor, place a Santa bucket like this filled with small items like other candy canes, ornaments, lightweight toys, small stuffed animals with a loop on them, or mini stockings with gift cards or candy in them, etc. (All the items need to have a hook or a loop on them or some way that they can fit onto the end of a candy cane “hook.”)
- Players take turns trying to hook items with their candy cane within a set time limit (like 30 seconds).
- Whatever prizes players collect during their time they get to keep.
PARTY TIP: If you’re playing this for a teen Christmas party or adult holiday party, you can make it even more challenging by using these cute Christmas blindfolds.
Candy Cane Drop
How to Play:
- Players stand on a step stool or a stair step and try to drop candy canes into a small jar, cup, or bowl below.
- Each successful drop scores a point.
- The player (or team) with the most points within 30 seconds wins a prize.
ALSO TRY THESE FUN CHRISTMAS OLYMPICS GAMES: Best DIY Christmas Games for Family Christmas Party
Candy Cane Chopsticks
How to Play:
- Give each player two candy canes (straight ends held like chopsticks).
- Place small objects (marshmallows, beads, candies, toys) in a bowl. Place one bowl in front of each player.
- On go, players use their candy cane “chopsticks” to pick up the objects and transfer them to another bowl.
- The player with the most items transferred in 30 seconds wins.
PARTY TIP: Make it a more challenging game for older kids or adults by blindfolding people! It’s hilarious to watch people think they have a small marshmallow or cotton ball that they’re transferring and they have nothing.
Candy Cane Relay Race
How to Play:
- Divide players into two teams.
- Each player must carry a candy cane in their mouth (no hands!), walk to the other end of the room, hook another candy cane from a bowl, and then walk back to their teammates.
- If someone drops their candy cane (or the one they hooked), they must go back to the start line and start all over.
- The first team to get successfully complete the task with all the players wins.
Candy Cane Pick-Up Sticks
This is candy canes game is based on the classic pick up sticks game (which I still love, tbh).
How to Play:
- Drop a bunch of individually candy canes onto a table and mix them all around with some piles on top of each other.
- Players take turns trying to remove one candy cane at a time without moving the others.
- If a player moves another candy cane, they have to put that candy cane back and their turn is over.
- The player with the most candy canes at the end wins a prize.
Candy Cane Grab
How to Play:
- Players hold one candy cane in their mouth by the straight end.
- Place a pile of candy canes on a table.
- Players race to hook as many candy canes as possible in 30 seconds using only the hooked end of the candy cane in their mouth. (Again, no hands!)
Candy Cane Scavenger Hunt
How to Play:
- Hide candy canes around your space (indoors or outdoors or both).
- Give players a list of clues or hints to find them.
- The player (or team) who collects the most candy canes wins.
- Bonus: Include special candy canes (of a specific color) worth extra points or for extra prizes. Have one golden candy cane (you can use the butterscotch ones or candy canes like this) for someone to win a grand prize (like a gift card).
MORE HOLIDAY GAMES TO PLAY WITH FAMILY: 15 Most Popular Minute To Win It Christmas Games
Candy Cane Truth or Dare
This is a fun ice breaker game or a fun teen Christmas party game!
How to Play:
- Write fun holiday-themed questions or dares on slips of paper and attach them like gift tags to candy canes.
- Pass the candy canes around, and players must answer the question or perform the dare written on their candy cane.
Candy Cane Speed Sort
How to Play:
- Place a large mix of candy canes of different sizes and colors in the middles of the table.
- In front of each player, place 3-4 sorting bowls. Place tags with a different category on each cup that matches your candy canes. For example: Mini Candy Canes, Blue Candy Canes, Fruity Candy Canes, and Traditional Candy Canes.
- Players race to sort the candy canes into categories.
- The fastest player who gets the most correct within 30 seconds wins.
CHRISTMAS GAME TIP: If you’re playing this as a teen game for Christmas or an adults holiday party game, play in teams of two where the candy cane sorter person is blindfolded. Their partner must describe to them what candy cane they grabbed and which bowl to drop it into. Give them 2-3 minutes for this challenging game.
- ALSO CHECK OUT THIS FUNNY GIFT EXCHANGE GAMES FOR HOLIDAY PARTIES: Steal & Fill Christmas Stocking Gift Exchange Game
Hot Candy Cane
This game is like the traditional hot potato group game and is a fun candy cane game for younger kids’ Christmas game ideas.
How to Play:
- Sit in a circle and pass a candy cane around while holiday music plays.
- When the music stops, the person holding the candy cane is out.
- Continue until one player remains. That player wins a prize!
Candy Cane Building Challenge
This is a fun game for older kids or kids and parents to play together.
How to Play:
- Divide players into teams of 2-4 (anymore on a team and it starts to get too crazy).
- Provide players with candy canes and a variety of other Christmas-themed items like gumdrops, marshmallows, Christmas cookies and building items like graham crackers, toothpicks, etc..
- Players must build the tallest candy cane tower within 15 minutes.
- The tallest structure without falling wins a prize.
ALSO TRY THIS HILARIOUS CHRISTMAS PARTY GAME: THE CHRISTMAS BALL GAME WITH FREE PRINTABLE COAL CARDS
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
I hope you have fun with these candy cane games!
