Creative Christmas Play Ideas

The holiday season is an exciting time filled with joy, laughter, family gatherings, and presents. It's often the most magical and anticipation-filled week of the year for kids. While the weather outside may be frightful during the colder winter months, your backyard can be a delightful winter wonderland by utilizing your Gorilla Playsets outdoor playset for some unique Christmas and holiday-themed play.

Transform your backyard playground into a festive Santa's workshop scene with the best outdoor playsets accessories. From Santa's workshop obstacle courses to freeze tag with "Jack Frost" and theater performances worthy of the North Pole, you'll find inspirational concepts for parents and kids. After all, ‘tis the season for joyful playtime memories. So, let's get started with some festive fun!

Santa's Helper Obstacle Course

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than pretending to be one of Santa's helpers? Transform your Gorilla Playsets swing set and slide outdoor playset into a fun and challenging obstacle course that will have kids feeling like they are on an important mission from the North Pole workshop.

Use elements like climbing walls, rope ladders, rock walls, swing beam crossovers, and tunnels from your premium wooden playset to create a variety of physical and mental challenges. Safety handle overhead monkey bars and angled ladders connecting platforms can also allow you to incorporate upper body movement.

Encourage the kids to come up with creative names for each obstacle, like "Pass the Presents" for the tunnel crossing or "Reindeer Crossing" on the swing set. Have them call out the made-up obstacle name right before they attempt each feat.

The playset's slide can serve as the final test after completing all the obstacles to slide down to the workshop floor. Time the kids with a stopwatch to see their best finishing speed or have them call out "Ho Ho Ho!" as they descend the slippery slope. Customizing a slide decal wrap with images of presents, Christmas trees, Santa, or snowflakes can provide inexpensive theming.

Most importantly, highlight the sense of accomplishment as the kids complete the Santa's Helper Obstacle Course and tell them they did an excellent job helping Santa. This will encourage excitement and physical activity and spark imaginative role-play scenarios.

Freeze Tag with "Jack Frost"

A classic game that pairs nicely with an outdoor playset is freeze tag. This time, though, make it a bit more festive by having the person who is "it" take on the role of "Jack Frost." Their mission is to freeze the other players by tagging them. Have Jack Frost call out "Freeze!" when he tags someone.

Encourage the kids to utilize the entire play area in this game of tag, incorporating the playset and surroundings. Allow them to climb aboard the raised wooden clubhouse deck for safety but make the ground areas around the swing set and entrance gates fair tagging zones.

You can even designate the slide as a timed safe zone. Jack Frost must allow a 10-second count before tagging any kids going down - enough time for a speedy escape! Teach them to use the features of their Gorilla Playsets swing and slide equipment strategically during this mysterious game.

To unfreeze the other players, have a designated "Santa" who can tap the frozen players with his magic candy cane wand and call out "Christmas Cheer!" to put them back into action. Take turns having kids play the role of Jack Frost to keep it exciting. They'll have a blast running around and pretending to have icy supernatural tag powers while getting great exercise.

Santa's Workshop Scavenger Hunt

Keep excitement levels high by organizing an outdoor scavenger hunt with clues hidden all around the playset and backyard. Make it a themed adventure by creating clues related to Santa's workshop.

For example, clue #1 tucked under the rock wall, could say, "I guide the sleigh and sport a red nose, find me here when it snows." Then, have a small reindeer toy or antler headband hidden in your playset's sandbox if equipped.

Other fun clues can relate to common Christmas elements like candy canes, jingle bells, snowmen, wreaths, etc. Place corresponding items near various areas of the swing set and play center, like the clubhouse ladder, picnic table, molded plastic slide, or rubber swing seats.

Let the kids run wild through the playset system, searching for each festively themed object on their scavenger hunt list. The built-in activities will be even more thrilling, with a rewarding prize waiting at the end. You can also turn it into a game by splitting into teams to determine who completes the challenges first.

Outdoor Christmas Carol Playtime

Get moving and grooving by blasting your favorite Christmas carols while the kids swing, crawl, and climb to the rhythmic wonderland soundtrack. Just play songs from your phone or a Bluetooth speaker. Stream a holiday music playlist through wireless audio directly to modern Gorilla Playset clubhouses already pre-wired with interior and exterior speakers.

Every time you pause the music, they must scramble to the nearest component of the playset structure and freeze in place while grabbing or touching it (like freeze dance). If they fail to stop moving in time, restart the song and try again until the freeze is successful.

Continue play while changing up tunes. This encourages listening skills and body control while infusing seasonal cheer into physical fitness and fun. As the game advances, allow less and less reaction time between stopping songs to increase the delightful, dizzying chaos!

Conclusion

The magic of the Christmas season can easily be integrated into kids' playtime using a bit of simple creativity and imagination. Gorilla Playsets designs excellent outdoor wooden swing sets, play centers, and playground accessories to outfit your ideal winter wonderland environment right from the backyard.

From role-playing Santa's helpers to dodging winter sprites in freeze tag off swing beams and delivering toy bag presents down thrilling sleigh ride slides, there are endless ways to spice up outdoor playtime with holiday joy.

Don't forget the value of gathering friends and family to share in the seasonal fun -- whether as participants in spirited scavenger hunts across the playset and Christmas carol-inspired active games. This holiday season, gift your kids with the present of lively outdoor playtime while also building lasting memories rooted in Christmas imagination. Explore the broad selection of play centers, swing sets, and accessories today here on our website to start designing your magical Santa's workshop backyard playground. Here's wishing you a Christmas filled with laughter, cheer, and creative outdoor swing and slide set fun!