Christmas Snakes and Ladders: candy-cane ladders and jolly snakes

How to play

• Each player has a pawn – Santa, the reindeer, the elf or the snowman – that starts before square 1; on your turn throw the die and move as many squares as it shows, winding up the board from 1 to 100.
• Land at the foot of a candy-cane ladder and you climb straight up it; land on a snake's head and you slide all the way down to the tip of its tail.
• A six gives one more throw (you can switch that rule off).
• The first pawn on square 100 wins: by default it has to land there exactly and any extra pips bounce it back, or, with the other rule, reaching 100 is enough.

Why play? It is a game for children who cannot read yet: they count the pips on the die and the same number of squares – the best counting practice there is. Four people can play on one phone at the Christmas table, and the computer fills any empty seat.

Also useful

• Christmas Ludo: Santa, the elf, the snowman and the reindeer race to the tree
• Christmas Reversi: gingerbread cookies against snowballs
• Christmas Checkers: red baubles against white snowballs
• Christmas Sea Battle: sink the festive fleet on a winter sea
• Christmas Four in a Row: red baubles against gold
• Christmas memory game: match the pairs on your phone or on paper
• Christmas Tic Tac Toe: Snowman vs Tree

More on santa.haus

• Christmas quizzesTrivia and emoji puzzles, checked as you play, with sheets to print for teams.
• Christmas bingoa card of its own on each phone, a caller that draws the words, or up to 40 different cards to print.
• Party gamesCharades, “Who am I?” and fifteen one-minute games – played in teams on one phone.
• Advent calendarMake one online and send it: a door a day until Christmas Eve.
• Online Christmas cardPick a picture, write your wishes and send the card as a link. Free, no account.
• Christmas printablesColoring pages, cards, gift wrapping and decorations to cut out – print them at home, free.

Drawing names for gifts too? Secret Santa on santa.haus.