Keep the kids entertained on Christmas Eve

The special day is nearly here, but first you need to get through Christmas Eve and keep the kids entertained without it costing a fortune. Read on for some fun and cosy ideas to try with your family.

This Christmas Eve, we have some useful ideas to make it a bit less stressful and help get your little ones to sleep after a day of fun activities. You can also find all of our exciting Christmas activities, games, songs, puzzles and clips featuring Bluey, Hey Duggee and many more CBeebies friends in our special Christmas fun on CBeebies collection.

Why not play a game for all the family to enjoy? You could use a board game, playing cards or try a Christmas twist on a classic party game.

We have a few ideas:

Head over to CBeebies Parenting for even more festive games to play with the whole family or check out Christmas on CBeebies for free family fun.

You could bake your own festive gingerbread - like this sweet reindeer-shaped recipe or these festive Hey Duggee gingerbread tree decorations. We also have a delicious guide for a chocolate yule log from My World Kitchen and plenty of inspiration over on BBC Food for Christmas baking recipes. Get the whole family involved and have fun making Christmas snacks and treats together. Just remember to get all the ingredients ready so you don't have to go to the shop on Christmas Eve!

We all know that Christmas is a time for indulgence, but too much sugar can have a negative affect on sleep. Set a cut off time a few hours before bed and make sure they don't eat any sweet treats after this point.

If you are looking for Christmas craft ideas, DIY decorations and recipes for you and the little one to try check out our CBeebies Christmas crafts page. 

Getting some fresh air during the day can help you sleep at night, so whatever the weather, make sure your kids get outside on Christmas Eve. You might only get to the local park and home but the fresh air will be worth it.

You could always walk around your neighbourhood, (or go for a drive if it is raining) and check out all the incredible Christmas decorations that people have put up. Free entertainment, free light shows AND you get out of the house for a little bit.

You can use our Geocaching top tips and turn your Christmas Eve walk into an outdoor quest! It’s a great way to get your child exploring or keep them interested on a walk or hike.

We all love treasure hunts and the kids will be really excited to find a special Christmas Eve present. You could do a treasure hunt by leaving clues around the house leading to the final hiding place.

You could create a treasure hunt for your little one's Christmas Eve box. A Christmas Eve box is a fun tradition where children are given a box of small gifts to open on the night before Christmas. Ideas for your Christmas Eve box could include a new pair of festive pyjamas, tasty snacks, a cosy book or a fun board game. For the activity, get a large ball of twine, string or wool and tie a present to one end. Unwind the balls of twine, spreading them out all over the room and into different places, then add a name tag to the end of the twine for the child who's present it is. 

Alternatively, play the Bluey Christmas Verandah scavenger hunt. Just like Bluey and Bingo, give your little ones a holiday clue that sends them searching around the house for holiday surprises.

After a day full of fun and laughter, it's time to relax. Snuggle up together and watch a film, try a CBeebies festive bedtime story or watch the CBeebies Christmas Panto 2025.

Try to maintain some elements of your normal evening routine, even if it's happening later than usual. Talk to your little one about what's going to be different, and what will stay the same so they know what to expect, and try to get back to normality as soon as possible after the festive season has ended. Read more tips to get kids to sleep on Christmas Eve.

Are you wondering how to keep the kids entertained over the winter holidays, without it costing a fortune? Check out our tips and ideas to keep the kids entertained throughout festive season.

Entertain your little ones this Christmas with the CBeebies Christmas games.

Get ready for Christmas with Dodge and his Pup School friends in this Pawsome Christmas game.

Your little one can become an elf in the CBeebies Christmas Grotto game and collect stamps as they play fun and rewarding mini-games full of Christmas cheer.

Find the perfect sticker in the Bluey Christmas sticker book game and Help Duggee and the Squirrels decorate the clubhouse tree in the Hey Duggee Christmas tree decorator game.

Watch new festive favourites from the likes of Mojo Swoptops, Alphablocks and Piripenguins on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.

You can find a schedule of the new festive episodes and more crafts and ideas to keep the kids busy here.