Party Games & Activities Tips
Read these 27 Party Games & Activities Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Party tips and hundreds of other topics.
Prizes for Kids at Parties
This is a great way to distribute prizes for games or even favors. What you'll need is balloons and small party favors.
Before you blow up your balloons, hide small favors inside...like a sticker, etc. When the party's over tell everyone to take a balloon and sit on it. Another option can be to put a piece of paper with a number on it and put it in the balloon. Each number corresponds to a pre-wrapped prize (you should wrap and number prizes before party and place on table.
Free Kids Party Games- Little Riddle
What you'll need: bags of goodies, pen or pencil and paper.
Hide goody bags in different locations around hte house. Write riddles that indicate the location of each bag. For example, if there's a prize hidden under the sofa you could write, "Several people can enjoy it at once, and it's soft to sit on." For a bag that's hidden inside the refreigerator, you might write, "It's cold in here, but at least I'm not spoiled." If the clues seem to hard, once you've handed them out, give a hint like the first letter of the key word.
Party Games Suggestions - Water Baseball
WATER BASEBALL
On a hot summer day this game is perfect for kids:
You'll need about 2 to 3 bags of water balloons, a plastic bat
Batter up! Play just like regular baseball, except use the water balloons as your balls. And you'll only need a pitcher and a batter. Let each kid take turns doing each and getting soaked.
Party Games for All Ages
If your next party will have several generations of family included and you're looking for the perfect games to play that will be appropriate for both granddaughter and great-grandmother, here are some ideas:
- Name That Tune: you'll need a CD player and a compilation of songs that relate to your theme (or use random songs from different decades if your party doesn't have a theme). Play the first few bars and see who can come up with the name of the song fastest. Keep track of points and award the winner with a music CD or other gift.
- Two Truths, One Lie: everyone tells three things about themselves and one of them is a lie. For example, someone might say, "I have traveled to three continents. I am 38 years old. I have 3 birds." Then everyone has to guess which statement is the lie. This is sure to produce laughter as everyone guesses the lie.
- Murder Mystery Party: there are games on the market designed to walk you through your own Murder Mystery Party at your home. These games can be played to a formal sit down dinner, to a pot luck dinner or even to take-out. The kits come with invitations for your guests, secret clues, name tags, costume suggestions and player manuals. You can also pick your setting -- whether it's high tea at the library, panic at the prom or murder in the mansion. There are games you can download on the Web that will walk you through how to host this type of party as well.
Party Activities for Teens - Make Me Laugh
Have kids sit around in a circle so everyone can see each other. The first person turns to the person to their left and says, "Baby if you Love Me Give Me a Kiss" using all the facial expressions he or she can muster.
The object of the game is to make the other person laugh. Once the person laughs, then that person gets to try on the person to their left.
If you want a winner, it could be the person who doesn't laugh.
Prizes could include a makeup set for a girl's party and a $5 gift certificate to Blockbuster or a music store for a boy's party.
Fun Party Activities for Children - Make Me Laugh
Make Me Laugh for Kids
Have kids sit around in a circle so everyone can see each other.
The first person turns to the person to their left and says, "Baby if you Love Me Give Me a Kiss" using all the facial expressions he or she can muster.
The object of the game is to make the other person laugh. Once the person laughs, then that person gets to try on the person to their left.
If you want a winner, it could be the person who doesn't laugh.
Prizes could include: beanie baby, gift certificate for a movie rental at the neighborhood movie rental store, packet of baseball, football or basketball trading cards, jewelry set from the dollar store.
Free Kids Party Games - Circle Story
On separate pieces of paper write down several types of stories: horror, western, romance, science fiction, mystery, etc. Put the paper in a bowl. Have everyone sit around in a circle and pick a paper from the bowl. Whatever type of story they pick, they have to tell. Each person can tell a story for 5 minutes. At the end of the five minutes (use a timer) the storyteller has to end with the words "Suddenly..." The next person in the group picks a paper from the bowl and continues the story in whatever type he or she picked. The last person has to end the story.
Brainy Party Games
There is no end to the party games available in stores and on the Internet. There are even a slew of games designed for the "brainy" set. Check out these mind games if you'd like to get cerebral at your next bash, courtesy of Hallmark:
- Lame-Brain Game: ask each party guest to arrive with something "lame-brained" about their appearance. Maybe they'll have mismatched shoes or a missing sock. Maybe fingernails are painted on only one hand. Then give everyone 10 minutes to look for and write down as many lame-brain features as they can. Most correct guesses wins a prize.
- Powers of Observation: Fill a tray with 10-15 common items (comb, toothbrush, bar of soap, etc.) and cover with a towel. Place the tray in front of your guests, uncover it, and let them study it for one minute. Next, allow 3-5 minutes for them to list all the items from the tray they can remember. Most correct guesses wins. Challenge guests by increasing the number of items or reducing their study time.
- Stare-Master: Here's one that's especially entertaining for the host. Divide guests into pairs or teams. Each team gets a copy of a special picture you have made, preferably on your computer. Fill the page with a random pattern of letters and symbols, and give a copy to each team. Ask them to stare at the picture for 30 seconds and try to find the hidden image. Give the teams another minute to consult with each other and guess what the image is. Each team writes down their answer and holds it up for everyone to see. The clever part of this game? There is no hidden image! Any team who guesses that your picture doesn't show anything wins. (Meanwhile, it's quite entertaining to watch people staring intently at a picture of nothing.)
- "Riddle Me This" Scavenger Hunt: Divide guests into teams. Each team must solve a riddle to get their next clue. Visit riddle sites on the Web to find a wealth of riddles you can use. (You know, like "What's black and white and red all over?" And the answer would be a newspaper.) Start each team with a different riddle to avoid overhearing answers. They must come to you with the answer (give them hints if you must). When they answer correctly, you give them a new clue with directions to their next riddle. After solving 3-5 riddles, their directions should lead to a prize.
- The Numbers Game: A little work for the host, but lots of fun for the guests. Write a list of 15-20 facts that include numbers. Make your "faux" number facts too high or too low. (For example: A spider has 10 legs. The answer is "too high," since spiders have 8 legs.) Make your "facts" as complicated as you feel your group can handle. Divide into teams and give each team 2 big signs, one that says "too high" and one that says "too low." They hold up their answers after you ask each question. Each correct answer is a point. First one to 10 points wins!
Free Kids Party Games - Pick A Letter
Pick A Letter
Have everyone sit around in a circle.
Pick any letter of the alphabet.
Pick a subject (i.e., At the Zoo, Riding in the Car, etc.)
The first person uses the selected letter to create sentence for the beginning of a round robin-type story. The next person uses the next letter. Each player only has 10 seconds to come up with something.
For example, say the letter is M and the subject is At the Zoo:
First person: Monkeys are smelly.
Next person: No, I think it's the elephants.
Next person: Only girls would say that.
Next person: Please can we talk about something else!
Next person: Quails. Have you ever eaten one?
And so on.
Free Kids Party Games - Garden Hose Limbo
Attach a spray nozzle to a hose and shoot a straight stream of water parallel to the ground, about 4 feet high. Kids or adults can pass under the water doing the limbo. Lower the spray as the contest continues and see how low everyone can go. Whoever is the one not touched by the water wins!
Free Kids Party Games - Chase Your Tail
You'll need a bandanna.
Ask everyone to stand in one straight line and give the last person in line a bandanna to stuff into her pocket. Have her leave most of it hanging out so it's easy to grab. Then, after everyone places their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them, the first player in line must catch the last player in line and pull the bandanna from her pocket without breaking the chain.
Slumber Party Activities and Etiquette
Your child is finally old enough to have friends sleep over and you are fretting over planning your first sleepover party. Here are 10 tips for a stress-free slumber party, courtesy of Penny Warner, child activity expert and author of "Slumber Parties:"
1. Make sure your child is the right age for a slumber party (between 8 and 14 years old).
2. Plan a party that's appropriate for your child's age. Some slumber party games and activities for the 8 to 12 year old set may include arts and crafts, and indoor camping excursion where they can sleep under glow-in-the-dark stars and tell spooky stories, a Toon Town party where kids act out their favorite Loony Toons character, a 50's Sock Hop where they dance to old fashioned rock and roll and a Karaoke party where they sing to favorite pop songs.
3. For 10 to 14 year olds, some ideas include a Comedy Club party where they all take turns telling jokes, a Creative Kitchen party where they cook up some tasty treats (with adult supervision) and a Miracle Makeover party where they give each other makeovers.
4. Don't mix boys and girls at the same slumber party. Most young girls and boys feel more comfortable at this type of party with their own gender.
5. Keep kids busy to keep them out of trouble. Have more activities than you need so when a certain game doesn't work out, you'll have back up. Kids who are engaged are less likely to resort to pranks or troublemaking. Also have plenty of videos on hand so there's something to do when the slumber party games wind down.
6. Have plenty of snacks -- healthy snacks as well as sweet treats so the kids don't get too wired. Also, making snacks could be part of the fun if you allow the party goers to give a helping hand.
7. Know your place at the party to avoid embarrassing your child. Let them know you are there if they need anything but try to stay out of their way and allow them a night of independence. Bringing snacks to them occasionally is a discreet way to check on the group.
8. At around midnight, when the group should be settling down to sleep, pop in some videos to help them quiet down. Many should snuggle into their sleeping bags at this point and nod off.
9. Make clear the beginning and end of your slumber party so it doesn't drag on forever. Start later in the evening, after dinner. Set a specific time for the party to end in the morning so parents pick the kids up promptly. Fix them breakfast and send them on their way. Don't feel bad for setting the end time early in the morning. If kids are sleepy, they can nap when they get home.
10. Set the rules and go over them when the party starts. Let the kids know your boundaries. If children misbehave, threaten to send them home. And follow through if you feel a child has crossed the line. Basic rules should include:
- no leaving the house
- no crank calls
- no mean pranks
- no cooking without adult supervision
- no fighting
- Set up a curtain so that you can only see someone in shadow. Choose someone as the reader. The reader will read a questionnaire filled out by the teen with answers to questions like what is your favorite hobby or music group. The group tries to guess who's behind the blanket. A flashlight is shined on the blanket so the guests can see only a silhouette. However, the silhouette is altered in some way by a hat, coat, etc...There should be at least four teens behind the curtain at all times so those guessing cannot figure out who the silhouette is simply by figuring out who's missing. Keep rotating the four behind the curtain until everyone has gone.
Free Kids Party Games - Sponge Tag
Cut household sponges into fun shapes with scissors. Fill a bucket or baby pool with water. Whoever is "It" should dip his sponge in the water and try to tag other players with it, soaking them in the process.
Baby Shower Party Games - Guess the Baby Food
This is a fun game and simple game, especially for a smaller group. Plus, it´s an extra gift for the mom-to-be. *Purchase about 5 - 8 small bottles of different baby food. The orange foods are best because they´re confusing...sweet potatoes, apricots,etc. *Using white paper, cut a large enough strip to cover the label on the bottle. Make sure you can see the food inside the bottle. *Write Mystery Food #1, etc. on each bottle. *Put the bottles in a basket and have each guest choose a bottle. *Go around the room and have each guest try to guess what food the mystery bottle is. Those guessing right, get a prize. (Don´t worry -- it´s harder to guess than you think!) *At the end of the game, give the baby food basket to the mom-to-be. Be sure to keep the baby food jars closed and sealed so that the new mom will be able to use the foods later.
Games and Activities for Parties
Don't go looking around on the day of the party for all the supplies you need to play games or activities. If some games need setting up, either you or someone else can handle this the day before or before the party starts. If you are having a number of activities, try to plan so that there is not too much down time before you start the next activity. The guests will find something else to do.
Top 10 Bachelorette Party Games
Your friend is finally tying the knot. And the ladies are ready for a night on the town. Here is a list of top 10 bachelorette party games. Warning: some of these adult party games are a bit racy!
1. Scavenger Hunt T-shirt: this one-size-fits-all shirt comes with a list of items the bachelorette must retrieve or tasks the bachelorette must do. Bridesmaids check off the items with a marker when they are completed.
2. Pin the Macho on the Man: this is an adult version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." Every girl gets a different color and sized paper "piece" to pin on the man. They are blindfolded and then tape the piece to the poster of the man after being spun around.
3. Trivia Napkins: this package of napkins contains a question on each one that pertains to the bachelorette and her hubby-to-be. The party goers take turns answering the questions about the couple to see who knows them best.
4. Pecker Toss: just like the classic "Horse Shoe Toss," but this game has a different stake that hooks the rings! This games is great to play while getting ready for a night on the town with the girls. Bet on who will buy each other shots as you toss the rings.
5. Scavenger Hunt Dare Card Game: a deck of cards that has tasks for the bachelorette party to complete. Each task is assigned a point value. Earn points throughout the night for following the card's instructions. For example, one card may say to collect a condom from a man and another may say to dance on a bar. At the end of the night, the lady with the most points wins.
6. Pop For a Dare Game: 10 outrageous dares are placed in cards inside balloons. The bachelorette must pop the balloon to read the dare. Dares may include "flash your buns" or "do a body shot."
7. Spin For a Dare Game: a spinner that can come in the form of a button or a cardboard game board that men can take turns spinning in the bars you attend. The spinner may say "buy me a drink" or "dance with me" and the man should follow up on the spinner's request with the bachelorette.
8. Male Nudie Doodle Pad: these pads have the male's genitals missing from the drawing. The bachelorette party will compete to see who's free-hand drawing is the best.
9. Male Rating Cards: use rating cards to rate a man's dance moves as he dances with the bachelorette.
10. That Guy Game: a card game that describes different types of guys (for example, the jock, mullet guy, married but not tonight guy). The bachelorette must find a real guy who matches the card description. The first lady to find all her matches wins.
Party Games for Teenagers
Some prizes for teens at parties can include:
Poster of the hottest, latest, band or singer
A CD
A baseball
A football
Gift certicate to the video store
Movie passes
Party Gift Bags for Adults
If you are having an adult party and want to send your guests home with a memento of the evening to thank them for attending, here are some great ideas for what to give.
You can put any of these items into a party gift bag and seal with pretty ribbon for your adult guest: candles, key chains, bookmarks, magnets, candy, photo frames, t-shirts, hats, pencils, costume jewelry, wine stoppers, Christmas tree ornaments, gift certificates or soaps.
Or you can purchase pre-made gift bags for adults from companies who take the guess work out of it for you. For example, there are bags made especially for couples that include massage oils and other items.
For other adult party gifts, think about giving a personalized touch. There are also companies that can personalize gifts -- print their names on the item -- for your guests in the way of birthday mint tins, fortune cookies, birthday cookies, coffee and tea, candy bars and honey jars.
Free Kids Party Games - Crayon Relay
Give one box of crayons to each team. Each player gets one crayon. Put the empty boxes at the finish line. To win, each team must fill up the boxes, crayon by crayon.
Women Across the Nation Love Bunco
Women all over the country are discovering Bunco, a fast-moving dice game. Of course, men can play this game too. But women have seemed to claim this party game as their own as reports of girl's nights across the country involve a rollicking game of Bunco.
Here's how to play:
You will need 12 people, three card tables, 12 chairs, nine dice, scratch pads, munchies, drinks and prizes. Keep in mind that there are several versions of Bunco that can be found on the Internet. However, here is the gist.
Twelve women split up into teams and sit among three tables. The tables are "ranked". There is a head table, a bottom table, and a middle table. When your team wins a game, it advances to the next higher table, leaving the losers to stay at the same table. Their tables will change as they experience good and bad luck with the dice. They roll the dice and try to get sets of sixes to score points. If they roll ones, their score is wiped out and they descend to the losing table, the table where ladies are not rolling sixes and have suffered wipeouts.
Each six rolled is worth a single point. The player rolls as long as s/he keeps getting sixes. If you roll all ones, it is called a "wipeout". Your team loses all their points if you roll a wipeout. If you roll all sixes, it is called a "Bunco".
The head table plays until the winning team scores 21 points. When this happens, the head table calls "stop" and play stops at all tables. If there is a tie at a table when play is stopped, play continues normally until the tie is broken. Note that scoring is separate at each table. Winning scores at the non-head tables could be 15 or 50, depending on the rolling. However, a winning score is the higher score and will always be 21 at the head table. At this point, play in this round is complete. Winners mark their wins on their scoring sheets, and losers mark their losses. At the end of the game time, the overall winner is decided by the number of wins and the overall loser is determined by the number of losses. Ties are broken by dice roll.
You can award prizes for the most Buncos and even for the most wipeouts.
The rules may sound daunting at first, but folks who have played say once you play it becomes more clear and even easy. People report that Bunco is one of the more fun party games. So get in on the action!
Host a Monthly Game Night With These Hot Board Games
Party games are good for the soul. They're also good for a number of other reasons such as uniting or relaxing a a group, breaking the ice between adults who don't know each other and providing a lot of laughs.
If you're a board game enthusiast, why not begin a monthly "game night" among your friends? Just dust off your favorite board games and let the laughter begin! There are a slew of silly and entertaining board games on the market. Friends in the group can take turns hosting once a month. Make it "no fuss" party by requiring that each friend bring a tasty treat -- chips and dip, veggies, cookies, etc.
Some hot board games on the market right now include:
- Settlers of Catan: players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine the current production on the island. Players collect raw materials to build up their civilizations to gain enough victory points to win the game. This game has the ability to appeal to non-gamers and gamers alike.
- Zombies!!!: A simple game where players are people trapped in a town full of zombies. First to make it to the heliport or kill 25 zombies wins. Cards are used to represent events in the game such as finding weapons or zombies. Simple counters are used to keep track of certain aspects of the game.
- Smarty Party: players are given a category and asked questions such as "name a popular TV series of the 70's" or "name a stinky cheese." Each category has several correct answers. Each round, one players selects a random category card. The other players try to come up with all the answers on the card. If your answer is wrong, you have to take a penalty. If you are correct, you get to "wear" the smarty pants. This game is all about coming in last. The last correct player gets the pants; the last player "wearing" the pants gets the bonus; and last place wins.
Easter Party Games
While Easter egg hunts are a wonderful tradition -- who doesn't love finding those colored plastic eggs full of candy or money hidden in the yard or house -- there are other games designed to bring fun to your Easter Sunday. Here are some ideas from the party experts:
Easter egg coloring: take this activity one step further by using more than just food coloring. Buy crafts such as pipe cleaner, google eyes and feathers to turn eggs into little birds, farm animals, people or superheros.
Tri-hop-athon: this is a fun race designed for kids. Choose three landmarks in your yard (ideas include a picnic table, chair, rock, toy) and split the kids into two teams. Designate a start/finish line. The kids will hop on one foot to the first landmark, skip to the second, then jump using two feet all the way back to tag his teammate. The first team to complete the race wins.
Egg and spoon race: set up a flag or designate a landmark in the back yard for teams to walk around. Split kids into two teams and hand them each a spoon. The kids will take turns walking down to the landmark or flag, circling it, and walking back. The entire time, the egg must stay balanced on their spoon. Then they must hand off the egg to the next teammate. If an egg drops, that person must get another egg and start again. The first team to complete the race without dropping the egg wins.
Easter Pictionary: write Easter-related words on slips of paper and drop into an Easter basket. Divide the group into two teams. A member of the teams picks a slip of paper and then draws that word while the others guess. If the team cannot guess before time is up then the other team gets to guess it.
Egg toss: have children toss colorful beanbags (the eggs) into Easter baskets stationed across the room. Whoever gets the most in wins a delicious treat.
Prizes for Kids Parties
Inexpensive toys are the best for younger kids. Try to have at least one prize for each kid. Ideas include:
Paper airplane kit
pack of balloons
bag of marbles
Crayons and coloring book
Package of play dough
Party Games for Teenagers - Pick A Letter
Have everyone sit around in a circle.
Pick any letter of the alphabet.
Pick a subject (i.e., At the Zoo, Riding in the Car, etc.)
The first person uses the selected letter to create sentence for the beginning of a round robin-type story. The next person uses the next letter. Each player only has 10 seconds to come up with something.
For example, say the letter is M and the subject is At the Zoo:
First person: Monkeys are smelly.
Next person: No, I think it's the elephants.
Next person: Only girls would say that.
Next person: Please can we talk about something else!
Next person: Quails. Have you ever eaten one?
And so on.
Child Birthday Party Game Planning
Party games are a lot of fun for children, but they are also educational (whether the child realizes it or not). Party games aid in social development, teach sportsmanship and how to follow rules.
When planning birthday party games for your child, consider the following factors to ensure everyone has a good time.
- Select appropriate games. Some games will be a hit and others will not. Consider the age of the children and how much space you have when deciding which games to choose. Ask your child to give input. If your child likes the game, chances are his/her friends will too.
- Be flexible. If you sense that a birthday party game is not going well, let it go and move on to the next activity. If your party games are outside games, have some inside games ready in case of bad weather.
- Be prepared. Have all game set up before the party. Be sure you understand how to play the games beforehand.
- Everyone is a winner. Parties are a time to have fun. If you are giving out prizes, some experts say to give all children a prize or give none at all. That's because young children may not have a grasp of good sportsmanship and feel hurt.
- At a child's birthday party, never force a child to participate in a game. Some children are more comfortable as observers. You may want to allow them to be a timekeeper, judge, referee or question leader to keep them involved with the group.
Adult Party Games
If you are hosting a racy adult party and want some racy adult party games to go with it, there are companies who have designed adult games after some tried and true favorites. For example, there is "naughty" truth or dare, "sexy" charades and Jenga truth or dare.
Other sexy adult party games on the market include:
Sex Drive Game: players answer questions about sex and sculpt, draw or act out sexual knowledge. Game categories include women's issues, men's issues, true or false, sexual myths and kinky practices.
Vulgarville: filled with naughty cartoons and dirty jokes. Your goal is to become the town's mayor by bribing, stealing and back stabbing as you race to accumulate votes. When you encounter vulgarity in Vulgarville, you accumulate votes; nice things make you lose votes. You win once you get 30 votes and survive other's attempts to drag you down.
Erotic 4 Real: cards ask couples questions about morality, lust and emotions. A person answers for his/her mate and the partner determines if the answer was indeed correct. This is a "How well do you know each other?" game. However, the questions get extremely personal as the game progresses. You're not talking about your favorite song here!
What is Handmade Soap?
Handmade soap is actually lye soap. Modern lye soap is not harsh like your great-grandmother's. The best handmade soap is mild, creamy, lathery, and nourishing to the skin. Good soapmakers use their math skills, carefully weigh their ingredients, use safety gear, and keep "lab notes." Correct calculations of lye and soap oils -- coconut, palm and olive oils being the most common -- are essential to turning out wonderfully mild handmade soap.
