Christmas is a time for celebration, laughter, food, presents... and children with too much time on their hands. If you want help keeping them occupied until the big day, we've got you covered.
We've rounded up some of the best Christmas apps for Android and iOS to keep the kids entertained—let them color, sing songs, and even speak to Santa!
1. Christmas Countdown
One of the most exciting parts of Christmas is the buildup as you count down the days. The Christmas Countdown app is a great way to do this. It's well-designed, displaying a precise countdown against a backdrop of festive imagery as music plays. You can customize both the image and music.
It also has an advent calendar that unwraps a new wallpaper every day, alongside festive jingles and tips. It's not quite chocolate, but still something fun for your kids to look forward to. Check out some great online advent calendars for more fun.
2. Christmas Coloring
A great way to help your kids relax over the holiday season is by letting them color pictures, and this app is perfect for it. It has over 50 pictures, ranging from snowmen to Santa to elves. There's a section where a picture reveals as you color, plus an area to draw whatever you want.
The tools available include various brushes and buckets, alongside festive stickers and text. Your kids can let their artistic side go wild. The app automatically saves every drawing, and you can easily share them via WhatsApp, email, and more.
3. Christmas Songs
It's not Christmas without a singalong. This app contains ten of the most popular festive songs, like Silent Night, Jingle Bells, and Deck the Halls. Simply tap the song you want to hear from the menu and it'll play, accompanied by full vocals and fun imagery.
Children can sing along thanks to the dynamic lyrics that appear. If they love the song, a quick tap lets them set it as their ringtone.
4. Christmas Cards Animation
This simple yet effective app lets children send free animated Christmas cards to friends and family. It offers 18 different videos to choose from, all accompanied by music and sound effects full of festive cheer.
You can easily send the videos through any app on your device. This also helps you cut down on paper usage, giving a new meaning to "green Christmas." Check out decorations to make from recycled materials for more eco-friendly Christmas ideas.
5. Christmas Fun
This one offers exactly what its name implies. Children can choose from a range of fun animations to watch, each with catchy carols and bright animations. Quick games accompany each, like clearing a snow globe or tapping presents.
A camera mode lets your kids use fun overlays to take silly photos that place them in a winter scene or turn them into a snowman. The app's polish is commendable, so you may want to check out the premium version to see all videos and use all the filters.
6. Christmas Cookie
Match games are a dime a dozen, but Christmas Cookie is a genuinely good version of the genre themed around Christmas—as the name suggests, you're matching cookies, but also breaking out of stockings and melting snowmen who will block your path.
There are hundreds of levels to keep kids busy, though be aware that it does come with in-app purchases to aid progression. Use your phone's parental controls to limit unwanted purchasing.
7. Message From Santa!
You can use this app to amaze your children. With it, kids can get a personalized video message from Santa, text him for an instant response, or make and receive calls. He will even mention their name and age and convince them to stay on the nice list.
One of the best parts is ringing Santa's voicemail and letting kids tell him their wishlist, finding out what the jolly fat man is up to right now, or even hearing the North Pole's current weather. Be aware, you'll need to help your youngsters with this app, else it'll break the magic.
8. Christmas Puzzles for Kids
Christmas Puzzles is the perfect app for young children. It features a wide selection of fun and colorful puzzles: caroling snowmen, flying angels, snowball fights, and much more. Some puzzles are locked behind a one-time purchase; this also removes the frankly non-intrusive ads.
You can set the complexity of the puzzle, choosing how many tiles there are and whether the completed image is visible. Kids will love popping the balloons that float up in celebration when they successfully solve a puzzle.
9. Christmas Tree Decorations
Christmas Tree Decorations is a simple game, but it's certain to keep kids busy. To begin with, they must scan Christmas scenes (like Santa's workshop or a cozy cottage) to find hidden items. When they get them all, they're rewarded with a Christmas tree decoration.
Kids can then decorate the virtual tree with baubles and wreaths in different colors and patterns, and can change the color of the tree itself. There's a vast amount to collect, giving kids something to work towards as they aim for the most garish tree possible.
10. Draw Glow Christmas
It's not Christmas without some sparkle. That's where Draw Glow Christmas comes in, an app that lets children color in lots of festive line art, like Santa, reindeer, stockings, snowmen, and more. They can use different drawing tools and select from an assortment of colors.
Perhaps the best part of this app is the feature that teaches children how to draw the pictures. It guides them through sections of the drawings step-by-step, letting them trace over before showing them the completed work of art.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Hopefully this selection of Christmas apps will fully entertain your kids. They should at least be enough to keep them out of your hair while you wrap presents or prepare the food!
Looking to bring the holiday cheer to other parts of your life? Don't forget to gather your colleagues together and play some Christmas games.