How To Keep Kids Entertained At The Christmas Dinner Table

Christmas dinner isn't hard for children because of the food. It's hard because of the waiting - the forty minutes between the starter and the turkey, and the hour of adults talking afterwards.

Fill those gaps on purpose and the whole meal changes. Here's what to plan, course by course.

Between courses

• A joke book passed round the table. Each child reads one out, the grandparents have to guess the punchline - it's the single easiest way to get three generations laughing at once.
• Would you rather, Christmas edition. Sprouts forever or no chocolate ever?
• Guess the carol from the humming. Chaotic, brief, perfect.
• Two truths and a lie, played by the grown-ups while the children judge.
• A quick round of 'name something in this room beginning with...' using the letters in Christmas.
• Who am I? on sticky notes stuck to foreheads before people sit down.

Quiet things on the table

• A paper tablecloth and a pot of felt-tips down the children's end.
• A printed wordsearch or spot-the-difference at each child's place setting.
• A joke or riddle written inside their place card, to read out when the plates go down.
• A small activity book each, handed out as the main course is cleared, not before.
• Crackers opened one at a time, between courses, rather than all at once.

A running order that works

• Feed them a snack at eleven. A child who's waited since breakfast will not last until three.
• Seat children together at one end, near a door, with one relative who genuinely likes the job.
• Between starter and main: the joke round. It buys the whole gap.
• After the main: let them leave the table. Fifteen minutes running about is cheaper than an hour of fidgeting.
• Dessert: bring them back for it. They'll come.
• After dinner: one board game, one film, in that order, or the afternoon disappears into screens.

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How to write it so it lands

• Snack at eleven. It's the difference between a nice lunch and a hard one.
• Put the jokes at the children's end and the wine at the other.
• Let them leave the table once. It costs you fifteen minutes and saves the meal.

Where to shop next

• All our Christmas guides
• Cheap stocking fillers for kids
• Games to play in the car with kids
• Sleepover activities for kids
• Get well soon gifts for kids
• Talent show ideas for kids
• Rainy day activities for kids
• Best travel toys for kids
• Random joke generator
• Riddle of the day
• Printables and activity sheets
• Shop kids' birthday cards
• Shop party bag fillers
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Christmas Card Messages
• Christmas Cards UK: The Complete Guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you keep kids entertained at Christmas dinner?

Plan for the gaps between courses. A joke book read round the table, a paper tablecloth with felt-tips, a wordsearch at each place and crackers opened one at a time will cover a two-hour lunch.

What games can you play at the Christmas table?

Would you rather, guess the carol, who am I? on sticky notes, two truths and a lie, and a joke round where each child reads one out for the grandparents to finish.

How long can children sit at a Christmas dinner table?

Roughly their age in minutes for each unbroken stretch. Plan to release them after the main course and bring them back for pudding.

What do you do with kids on Christmas afternoon?

Get outside for twenty minutes whatever the weather, then one board game, then a film. In that order, screens don't swallow the day.

Do you sell books or toys?

No. We design and print cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations, all posted from the UK. Any book or toy mentioned here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.