20 Questions

One person must think of an object. Another player asks a “yes” or “no” question about the object. After the person thinking of the object answers the question, the questioner is allowed to guess what the object is. Guests take turns asking up to a total of 20 questions. If the guess is correct, the person who made the correct guess gets to think of a new object. And the fun continues!

Blind Man’s Bluff

Select one player to be the blind man. Blindfold that player while he/she is standing in the center of the play area. Have the blind man turn around a three times while the other players each try to find a hiding spot. When the blind man completes the spins, he yells, “Stop!” and the other players must freeze. The child who is “it” then searches for the other players. “It” yells, “blind man’s…” The other players must yell, “bluff!” “It” tries to find the players by following their voices.  As the searcher tags the players, they are out of the game. In order to avoid being tagged, the players are free to move their upper bodies, but they must remain in the same spot. The searcher continues until all players have been found. Players can add to the fun by disguising their voices when saying, “Bluff!”

Bingo

Bingo is a fun party game for almost any age. For preschoolers who may not be able to recognize letters, you can use picture Bingo cards. You will need a set of Bingo cards and markers to cover the spaces that have been called. If this is being played with very young children, be sure not to use anything that could be a choking hazard. A variety of printable Bingo cards are available at DLTK. Don’t forget prizes for the winners.

Bubbles

Preschoolers will have a great time with a collection of bubble wands. Pour the bubble liquid in cake pans to avoid spills.  You can see who can blow the biggest bubble and who can catch the most bubbles. Have kids try to catch a bubble without popping it. For directions for how to make bubble wands and bubble solution, check out Creative Kids at Home.

Candy Guess

Fill a clear jar or container with candy. Have guests write down how many pieces of candy are in the jar. The guest with the closest guess wins the jar of candy. When doing this, it’s helpful to have the candy counted and put in the jar several days before the party. I write down the number and put the slip in the top of jar so I don’t forget it.

Charades

Divide kids into teams. Provide them with a jar containing slips of paper with things for them to pantomime. A representative from one team will blindly draw a slip of paper and attempt to pantomime it for the rest of his team. If the team guesses correctly within the allotted amount of time, that team will earn a point. Alternate teams and actors. For younger children, you can choose simple themes like “Animals” or “Animated Movies”.

Chubby Bunny

Chubby Bunny is a big hit with older kids and teens. You will need several bags of large marshmallows. The object of the game is to see who can stuff the most marshmallows in his mouth while still being able to say, “Chubby Bunny.” After each marshmallow is inserted, the player must say, “Chubby Bunny.” When a player is no longer able to say, “Chubby Bunny,” he must remove one marshmallow from his mouth. The remaining marshmallows are then counted and tallied. The prize goes to the guest who was able to say, “Chubby Bunny” with the largest number of marshmallows in his mouth. A player is disqualified for attempting to chew or swallow any of the marshmallows. A player may arrange the marshmallows in his mouth by using his fingers.

Donut Game

This game is fun for even the most introverted of party guests. You will need a miniature donut for each child, string and a place to hang the donuts, like a clothesline. Tie each donut with string and hang them at mouth level for the kids. Guests must keep their hands behind their backs while eating their donuts. The person who eats the most before their donut falls to the ground is the winner. This game can also be played with Fudge Stripe cookies or any other cookies with a hole in the center.

Duck, Duck, Goose

Guests sit in a circle, facing each other. One person is designated as “It” and walks around the outside of the circle. “It” gently taps each person on the head and says if they are a “duck” or a “goose”. When someone is the “goose,” he must attempt to catch “It” by chasing him around the circle. If “It” is able to run around the circle and sit in the “goose’s” spot, then the “goose” is now “It”. If “It” is unable to catch the “goose,” then he must stand in the center of the circle. The “goose” is “It” for the next round. The person in the middle must stay there until another person is tagged and he is replaced.

This game can be played to match the party theme. For example: “Ladybug, Ladybug, Butterfly” could be played.

Egg Drop

For this activity, you will need several raw eggs, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, toilet paper tubes, boxes, fabric for making parachutes, string, rubber bands and a tall ladder. Divide guests into teams. Allow each team ten minutes to construct a barrier that they hope will protect their egg from the drop off the top of the ladder. Be sure you have an adult stationed on top of the ladder to drop the eggs. After teams have each dropped one egg, you might want to try it again using a Twinkie to hold an egg!

Egg and Spoon Race

For an egg and spoon race, you are going to need (shocker!) eggs and spoons. I know you didn’t see that coming! You can use plastic spoons if you prefer. Designate a starting line and a finish line. Contestants will attempt to go from the starting line to the finish line while carrying an egg in a small spoon. You can turn this into a relay race if you wish, by playing as teams rather than individual players. For a relay have one player run to the designated spot and transfer the egg to the spoon of the next teammate.

Hula Hoop Contest

For a simple activity, have a competition to see which guest can hula hoop the longest. You can have several hula hoops and play in rounds. A stopwatch will make it seem more official.

You can also have a contest to see who can twirl a hula hoop on an arm or a leg the longest. 

Human Knot

Have guests stand in a circle.  Each child will use his/her right hand to grab the right hand of the person standing across from him/her. Then each child will use his/her left hand to grab the left hand on the person directly to the right of the person holding his/her other hand. Without letting go of hands, the group attempts to untangle and move back into a circle.

Jump Rope Contest

You can have a contest to see which guest can jump rope the longest.

You can also have fun practicing Double Dutch jumping and peppers.

M&M Eating with Chopsticks

Provide chopsticks and a small bowl of M&Ms for each guest. The object is to see who can eat the most M&Ms, using the chopsticks, in three minutes. Your guests may be interested in knowing that the world record is 115 M&Ms in three minutes! 

Marshmallow Tower

For this game, you need a package of mini marshmallows and toothpicks for each group. Divide guests into teams. Each team will attempt to build the highest tower using only marshmallows and toothpicks. The towers must be freestanding. Allow ten minutes for building.

You can use uncooked spaghetti noodles in place of toothpicks.

Musical Chair

Place chairs in a circle with the backs in the center of the circle. Have one less chair than children playing the game. When the music begins, the children will walk in a line around the circle of chairs. Stop the music without warning. When the music stops, the children will quickly sit in the closest chair. The player without a chair will be eliminated. Continue playing until there is only one child. If you are playing with many kids, you may remove more than one chair at a time, in order to speed up the game. You can use colored paper instead of chairs and have children stand on the paper when the music ends.

Paper Airplanes

Provide guests with plenty of paper. You might want to have a brief lesson in how to fold a paper airplane. I would need a book with instructions. As a child, I spent years unsuccessfully attempting to make paper airplanes from church bulletins. Have a competition to see whose plane can fly the farthest.

Pass the Parcel

You will need to prepare the parcel before the party. Place a gift at the center of the parcel. You can put the gift in a box before wrapping it.  Wrap the gift in as many layers as there will be guests. You can add to the fun by wrapping small gifts between layers. Have guests form a circle. When the music begins, guests pass the parcel around the circle. When the music ends, the guest holding the parcel gets to remove one layer of wrapping. If there is a gift, that child gets to keep it. Continue until the final child opens the final layer.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

A photo scavenger hunt is a lot of fun for older kids and teens. A photo scavenger hunt can be done at the party site, in the neighborhood or around town. Be sure you have adequate adult supervision and safe drivers if teams will be leaving the party site.

You will need a digital camera for each group to use. Divide guests into teams. Provide each team with a list of challenges. Each challenge should have a number of points assigned to it. The more difficult challenges should be worth more points. 

You can find numerous photo scavenger hunt lists online. You might have teams taking a photo of their team in a human pyramid. Or they could receive points for having a photo of their team posing by a statue. Get creative with the tasks. 

Pie Eating Contest

The easiest way to have a pie eating contest is to use whipped cream in pie tins versus real pies. Contestants should be required to keep their hands behind their backs while eating their “pies”.  You can add a level of difficulty by sprinkling a few M&Ms in the bottom of the pie tin. Contestants must consume the contents of the pie tin.

Piñata

A piñata can be purchased or made from papier mache’. Party stores sell an almost endless variety of piñatas to match almost any theme. Cut a small hole in the top of the piñata and insert candy and small prizes. Using thin rope, hang the piñata from a tree or other high place. The piñata should be high, but low enough for kids to take turns hitting. Guests will take turns being blindfolded and hitting the piñata with some sort of stick. When the piñata breaks, the candy and prizes will fall to the ground. Kids quickly scatter to collect the treats.  

Piñatas are nice because the decorative ones also serve as a party decoration until time to break them.

Don’t forget to provide sacks for the guests to use when collecting the loot!

Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Make a large picture of a donkey and hang it on the wall. Prepare cutouts of donkey tails and apply tacky adhesive to the back. Have a blindfolded child spin around a few times and then attempt to place the tail on the donkeys, well… where the donkey’s tail should go!

This game can be adapted to many party themes. Kids can play, “Pin the Nose on Elmo” or “Pin the Dots on the Ladybug”.

Ping Pong Ball Races

For this game you will need ping pong balls, drinking straws and a flat surface to use as a raceway. By each blowing through a straw, two guests compete to blow their ping pong ball to the finish line. If a ping pong ball falls off the side of the table, they must begin again. Continue playing rounds until there is an ultimate winner.

Sack Race

Pillowcases work well in place of sacks. Each player puts both feet and legs inside the sack or pillowcase. Players will hop from the starting point to the finish line. This can also be played as a relay race with teams.

Sidewalk Chalk Art Show

You will simply need a large area of concrete and sidewalk chalk. You can have guests work together to create a mural, or they create their own personal masterpieces. You might want to provide some inspiration by showing the kids some pictures of amazing sidewalk chart art.

Spoon Water Relay

Divide players into teams. Place a bucket of water at each team’s starting point. At the finish line, place an empty jar per team. Each team will also need a spoon. Each team will line up behind their bucket of water. The first player will fill the spoon with water and go to the finish line to pour the water from the spoon into the empty jar. Player one will then run back to the starting point and hand the spoon off to the next person in line. Play continues until the first team fills their jar with water.

Suitcase Relay

You will need a suitcase for each team. Fill each suitcase with the same number of clothing items. Divide guests into two teams. Line them up at the starting point. The suitcases should be at the finish line. Player one from each team will run to the finish line and put on all of the clothes from the suitcase. Player one will then quickly remove the clothes, place them back in the suitcase and run to the starting point to tag player number two. This continues until all players have gone.

This game is especially fun when you add items like clown wigs and silly glasses to the suitcases

Telephone

Telephone is a fun and simple game for younger children. Have guests sit in a large circle. Whisper a sentence into the ear of one child. That child will whisper the phrase into the ear of the child to his right. This will continue until the last child has heard the sentence. The last child tells the group what she heard. Odds are that it will bear little resemblance to the original sentence. Play a few rounds of this.

Three-Legged Race

This is played in pairs. Have partners stand side by side. Take strips of cloth and loosely tie the partners’ inside ankles together. Pairs will have to synchronize their steps in order to avoid falling. Have pairs practice walking and running before beginning the race. Pairs will run from the starting point to the finish line.

Treasure Hunt

To begin, give the kids a written clue. This should direct them to where the next clue is hidden. They should continue finding hidden clues until they ultimately find the hidden treasure. It’s even more fun if you can provide rhyming clues or riddles. Clues should be hidden well enough that kids will not just stumble upon them.

Tug of War

Divide guests into two or more teams. Ideally, each teach should have about 6 players. Provide a 120 ft. rope and a flat area for play. Tape off a center line, on the ground. Mark the center of the rope with tape. Also tape each end of the rope, 15 feet from the center. When a team’s 15-ft mark is pulled across the center line on the ground, that team loses. Be sure kids aren’t wrapping their arms or fingers in the rope.

Twister

This good, old-fashioned Hasbro game has been amusing generations of kids. You can also make your own messy version of Twister using relish, mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise. Of course, if you’re going for messy, the guests should be notified to come prepared in their old clothes.

Water Balloon Toss

Guests are divided into pairs. Guests form two parallel lines with partners facing each other. Each pair will need one water balloon. Partners will toss their water balloon back and forth to each other. If their balloon breaks, that pair is out. Gradually move lines farther apart as the play progresses.  The last pair with an unbroken balloon wins.

Whistle While You Work It

·         The concept is old and the title is a direct steal from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.  For this game, you only need saltine crackers. Have two or three guests eat a saltine cracker and then attempt to whistle a predetermined song. It’s harder than it sounds! You can continue to play until everyone who wants to try has had a turn.