Quick-Draw Costumes Here's a delightful dress-up game to make your holidays even more joyful. Fill a box with old clothes and costumes, hats, shoes, scarves and faux jewelry. When the kids are ready to play, dump the contents out of the box in the middle of a room and gather around the pile. Crank the dial on an egg timer to three minutes and yell, "Ready, set, dress!" Everyone must pull on clothes and accessories as fast as possible. When the timer goes off, vote on who looks the most creative, dubbing that child Costume King or Queen.

Playtime perk: Encourages self-expression and teaches kids to work within time constraints.

Guess who? This simple guessing game comes from Donna Erickson, star of Donna's Day on PBS. Put a batch of the holiday cards you've received in a pile on the floor and have everyone sit around it. One player chooses a card and gives clues about who it's from until someone guesses the right card sender. Try clues like "She has a dog" or "This family lives in Texas." Start with subtle hints to keep the guessing going. Whoever guesses right first gets to pick the next card. Young children can sit with an adult or older sibling, who can help them read or come up with clues.Playtime perk: Builds creative-thinking and problem-solving skills.