Ask Ollie
Jingle Star Hunt
Here's one to try together!
Hide a shiny star and let jingling bells whisper hot or cold until someone finds it!
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- scissors used for cutting the star; adult should cut for young children
- small jingle bells and keys can be a choking hazard for young children
- glass jar of rice could break if dropped; a plastic jar is safer
- hiding spots must stay low so no one climbs furniture and falls
- care around the Christmas tree to avoid tipping it or touching lights
What you need
- Paper, 1 sheet
- Aluminum foil, enough to wrap the star (optional)
- Kid scissors, 1 pair
- Jingle bell, plastic jar of rice or bunch of keys, 1 per shaking player
- Paper ornament, 1 (optional)
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Find one sheet of yellow paper or card and a pair of scissors, plus one noisemaker for each player who will be shaking. Choose a room where every hiding spot can stay low, with nothing anyone needs to climb.
- Cut a big star out of your yellow paper. Ask for help if you need it
- Everyone who is not seeking grabs a shaker.
- Seekers, step out of the room and no peeking!
- The hider tucks the star somewhere low in the room.
- Call the seekers back in to start the hunt.
- Shake faster and louder as a seeker gets close.
- Shake slow and soft when a seeker wanders away.
- Found it? Hold the star high and everyone cheers! Ask: How did the sound tell you that you were getting close?
- The finder becomes the next hider.
- Ready for a trickier round? How many stars can you hunt down next? Ask: Where is the sneakiest low spot you could hide a star next time?
Play it again
- Silent signals: swap jingles for claps, loud and fast when close, soft and slow when far.
- Freeze shake: shakers stop completely when the seeker is very far, so silence means turn around.
- Star scramble: hide several stars and see how many the seekers find before a song ends.
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