Christmas Tic Tac Toe: Shepherds, Angels, Wise Men

Have you ever played Tic Tac Toe with 3 players? This idea was inspired by that classic game, and Elder Oaks recent address, plus a tie in with the good news of Christmas. I just love how it all came together!

This Christmas Tic Tac Toe game adds in competition which will help you get the reluctant singers involved and it’s got a great message weaved in, too! You can see ALL of our Christmas Singing Time Ideas here!

Christmas Tic Tac Toe
Shepherds, Angels, Wise Men

Activity Inspiration from the Christmas Devotional:

I loved this quote from the Christmas Devotional, and it inspired this activity and idea! I wanted the children to think about what it might mean to have been the first to hear the good news.

For the temple group, I’ll call them the Angels who were the messengers of the good news.

“Those who received the heavenly announcement of the birth were the very humble, the very holy, and the very wise.” – Elder Oaks, 2022 First Presidency Christmas Devotional

• The very humble – Shepherds (Candy Cane)
• The very holy – Announcement in the Holy Temple to Simeon and Anna (Bells)
• The very wise – Wise Men (Gifts)

How to Play 3-Player Tic Tac Toe:

Draw a grid on the board with 16 squares. You will draw 3 lines from right to left and 3 lines from top to bottom.

Divide the room into 3 roughly equal groups. Assign each of the teams a team name – the Shepherds, the Angels, and the Wise Men.

Sing through your Christmas song of choice, and then let each team take a turn to place one of their pieces.

One team wins when they can get any 3 pieces (not 4!) in a row.

I recruited my 3 younger boys (8, 12, and 14) for some pictures and they ended up laying about 5 rounds before their oldest brother (16) begged to join in. I’m pretty sure this one is a winner!!

Additional Ideas for this 3 Team Tic Tac Toe:

• Play a traditional 2 team game with a 9-grid if you have a smaller Primary
• Put a song title on the back of the angel pieces, a manipulative to use on the shepherds, and Christmas ways to sing on the back of the wise men pieces. Sing through the song with the fun combination! Or let the kids vote between the way to sing and the object to use.
• Play with REVERSE rules!! Try to stay in the game by NOT getting 3 pieces in a row. If you match 3 of your pieces in a row, your team is out. Which team can hold out the longest?

• Sing for turn order. Instead of always going in the same order, let whichever group sang out the very BEST get to place their piece first. This is a huge advantage and can win one team the game.
• Pick 3 Songs – If you’re teaching a few different songs this year, you’ll love this variation. Have each team represent one of your songs to teach. If they sing the best, you get to sing the song they represent after each round of playing pieces.
• Use as a game at home with your family while sharing the message of the 3 first groups to receive the most important news to the world!

For another super cute themed Tic Tac Toe game, head over to grab our Valentine’s Day Tic Tac Toe printables!

Christmas Printable 3-Player Tic Tac Toe Game

You can print the 6-to-a-page printable game pieces as a free printable in this post!

You’ll find larger 1/2 page game pieces and 3 additional different symbols to mix and match and make an epic game of Tic Tac Toe for your Primary children! These bonus printables are included in the December New Testament INSTANT Primary Singing packet.

To access the free in-post printables for this post, you’ll just need to create a free account or login with the Grow.me tool. Then, confirm by email and refresh the page and ALL my free printables will automatically unlock in every post!

For more information on why I use a content lock or how to create your account, you can see the FAQ page here.

You won’t want to miss this fun Symbols of Christmas singing time idea! You can use it with a selection of different songs or your choice of specific song!

What other fun ways could you extend this 3-player tic tac toe game in Singing Time?