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Party Games

Parties on a Budget

So you've decided to have your party and celebrate at home. Now you get to choose your theme and start planning.

Invite everyone

Create your guest list and perhaps design your own invitation, or invite by email. Either way you can be imaginative and tie it into your party theme.

Choose Your Menu

Whether you are serving you child's favorite food or ordering in. Choose a menu that ties in with your theme and start planning. Don't forget dessert and birthday cake!

HAVE FUN!!!

This is the most important part. Decide what you will do to make sure everyone is entertained. If you are having a party at home you will need something, (whether it's crafts, outdoor or indoor activities or games) to keep them busy. Below is a list of games you can easily create on your own. Remember to plan out how the game will be played - i.e. number of players, how the game will be played, how winners will be decided etc.

Have Prizes

If you are playing games, you need prizes. It doesn't have to be anything expensive. Just something fun.

Party Games

Cookie Game

This is a great game to kick off the party because all of the players can compete at the same time (or you can break it down into several rounds of game play). Each player places a cookie on their forehead, and the goal is to get the cookie into your mouth using only your facial muscles in under 1 minute. No hands!

Penny in Panty Hose

Take two pennies and place one at each end of a pair of pantyhose. In other words, put the pennies in the toes. The child puts one hand in each side and must get the pennies out in under one minute.

Kleenex Box Dance

Tape an empty kleenex box to a pair of panty hose, fill with ping pong balls, then tape around someone’s waist. They have to shake until all the balls fall out.

Pedometer Game

Crazy Cotton Balls

Each contestant should wear the headband with the pedometer at top of it on their head. Now as clocks start the contestant have to shake their head in order to get points - the highest score after a minutes wins.

It’s like a winning point. The one who reaches 125 wins the game.

Crazy Cotton Balls

Have two bowls for each contestant, keep those two bowls at a distance of full stretched arms. Keep one bowl empty and other bowls holds all the cotton balls. Each contestant should apply petroleum jelly at the tip of the nose. Now the contest has to put his/her nose in the bowl which is filled with cotton balls. The players have to pick the bowls one by one with his nose and drop it to other. As it is sixty seconds game so the winner will be the one who puts more into the empty bowl.

Penny Stack

Crazy Cotton Balls

Players must stack 25 pennies in under a minute using only one hand. This game works well with 3 players competing in each round of play.

party games

Bat the Ball

Feather in the Bucket

Bat the Ball

Two players on a team have to transfer a crumbled up paper ball from one end of the room to the other by slapping the paper ball back and forth to each other using books to slap it to each other. The only real rule to this game is that they have to hit the paper ball back and forth to each other, one person cannot hit it twice in a row.

In the Air

Feather in the Bucket

Bat the Ball

Give each player three balloons. They have to keep all three balloons up in the air for a minute.

Feather in the Bucket

Have a feather and a turned over bucket. Players have to blow the feather across the room and into the bucket.

Tin Can Yo-Yo Game

Feather in the Bucket

Knock over empty cans using a yo-yo tied to the back of the waist.

Cup Stacker

Tin Can Yo-Yo Game

Cup Stacker

Stack 20 red cups with a blue cup on top - players have to stack the cups one by one until the blue cup is on top again. Use 8-12 cups depending on the age and ability of those playing.

Suck It Up

Tin Can Yo-Yo Game

Cup Stacker

Players place a straw in their mouth and use suction to transfer a pile of 25 M&M’s from one plate to another in under one minute. Only one hand may be used to hold the straw. Everyone gets to eat their candy when the round is finished! This game also works well with 3 players competing in each round

PARTY GAMES

Tic Tac Game

Colored Candy and Cups

Watermelon Game

Two TicTac boxes are placed at each end of a ruler. Use tape to secure the boxes to the ruler, and the TicTac boxes are opene. The player places the ruler in his or her mouth, centered. The TicTac boxes are at each end and the player’s mouth is in the center. The player must move his or her head back and forth, up and down and sideways in an attempt to empty the TicTac containers before the 60 seconds runs out.

Watermelon Game

Colored Candy and Cups

Watermelon Game

A watermelon half sits on its side in a bowl, with the inside (pink) part toward the player. The player holds a deck of cards in preparation to throw them when the clock starts. When the clock starts, the player flicks the cards (one by one) toward the watermelon, in an attempt to get one to stick in the soft pink part of the fruit before the minute is up.

Colored Candy and Cups

To start, 18 cups are set upside down on the table and each has a piece of colored candy underneath it.Near the playing area, 3 cups are set up to collect the candies. They should be colored cups (red, green and blue) or should have the words red, green and blue written on them. When the clock starts, the player will turn over the first cup and retrieve the candy from under it, then take the candy to it’s corresponding storage cup. This continues, one cup at a time, until all of the candies have been sorted and are in their storage cups.

Marshmallow Game

Spaghetti Game (Played In Pairs)

Colored Candy and Cups

Three paper plates are placed on the edge of a table, with about half the plates hanging off the edge of the table. Marshmallows are placed on the sides of the plates farthest away from the table edge. The player holds the broom (handle side up) in their right hand and the cup in their left. With the bristle side of the broom under the player’s right foot, the player should position himself or herself in front of the first plate, approximately 5 feet from the table. When the clock starts, the player lets go of the broom so that it falls and hits the part of the plate hanging over the edge of the table. The marshmallow will then be catapulted into the air. The player attempts to catch the marshmallow in the cup they’re holding. In order to win the challenge, the player must catch 3 marshmallows in the cup before time runs out.

Spaghetti Game (Played In Pairs)

An empty can is placed with the tab up - players much place a piece of uncooked spaghetti through the tab and then each places an end of the spaghetti in their mouth. Object of the game is to transfer the can from one spot to another without dropping it.

Peanut Butter Ping Pong

Spaghetti Game (Played In Pairs)

With this fun game, players must bounce a ping pong ball just right in order to land it on a piece of bread covered in peanut butter. Sounds easy, right? It’s a little more difficult than it sounds, but super fun. The set-up is fairly easy and while the challenge requires a few more supplies than some of the others, we think it’s a fun and exciting game that’s perfect for kids and adults.

party games

Tissue Tag (Two Players)

You will need two boxes of tissues. The tissues are opened before the clock starts, and placed on two tables or surfaces. The player stands or sits in the middle of the boxes, designating one hand for each box. When the clock starts, the player begins removing tissues from the boxes with both hands, pulling one tissue out of each box at a time. The player must empty both boxes of tissues before the minute is up in order to win the challenge.

Hit the Nail on the Head

A string is secured at both ends (tied around doorknobs, pinned to the walls, etc.) before the challenge begins. The player must hang all 6 nails by the head on the string within the 60 seconds in order to win.

Hula Hoop Bubbles

Rubber Band Bowling

A hula hoop is set up 5 feet away from the player or players. When the clock starts, players blow a bubble and attempt to maneuver it (using only their breath) across those 5 feet and through the hula hoop. Players must get the bubble through the hoop within 1 minute to win the challenge. If the bubble bursts or goes in a different direction and players cannot retrieve it, they must go back to the start and blow another bubble.

Rubber Band Bowling

The set-up is as follows: 6 soda cans are set up in a pyramid (3 on the bottom, 2 in the middle and 1 at the top). The cans are placed on a stool or table. Approximately 6-8 feet from the player. The player attempts to knock the soda cans over by flicking rubber bands at the pyramid. They must knock the entire pyramid over before the 60 seconds is up.

Bucket Toss

Rubber Band Bowling

Air Gun Game

You will need ping pong balls and a bucket. The ping pong balls are placed in a bowl on a table near where the player will stand. They should stand with a wall about 5-6 feet in front of them. He or she balances the pail or bucket on their head with one hand and takes a ping pong ball in the other hand. When the clock starts, the player will bounce the ping pong ball on the floor, with the goal of making it hit the wall in front of them and bounce up into the air. They will then attempt to catch the ping pong ball in the bucket balanced on their head. They must catch 3 ping pong balls in the bucket before the 60 seconds is up.

Air Gun Game

Rubber Band Bowling

Air Gun Game

This game requires players to blow up balloons and use the air inside of them to knock over a whole line of cups on a table. Not only does it require speed, but aim and agility as well. While the laugh factor on this one isn’t too high, it’s definitely intense and exciting, and great entertainment for those who are watching.

party games

Water Bottle Toss

Before the challenge, fill a water bottle half-filled with water. The player holds the bottle and stands approximately 5 feet away from the table. When the clock starts, the player tosses the bottle in an attempt to get it to land right-side up on the table. They must land the bottle correctly within the allotted 60 seconds to win the challenge.

Potato Poke

Water Bottle Toss

When the clock starts, players begin inserting bendy straws into a potato. The long end of the straw should be the end inserted into the potato. Once the 5 straws are in the potato, players ill need to balance a candy on the end of the straw that is sticking up. This must be completed within 1 minute in order for the player to win.

Pasta Pass

Water Bottle Toss

Six pieces of penne pasta are placed around a table (or in a line, if you prefer) and the challenge player is given a spaghetti noodle. He or she will start the game with the noodle in his or her mouth. When the clock starts, the player must use only the noodle to pick up all 6 pieces of the penne pasta before the time runs out.

Silly Slinky

To assemble the elephant’s trunk, the headband is placed on the head and the first 5 coils are placed behind the headband (between the headband and the player’s forehead), with the remaining coils hanging out in front. When the clock starts, the player moves his or her head and body in an attempt to make the slinky come up and together, to rest on the player’s forehead. The slinky must rest on the player’s forehead, with all coils together, for at least 3 seconds for the challenge to be completed.

Off the Hook

Thimble Quest

With On the Hook, players must collect a total of four keys by “fishing” them from the edge of a table using a hook created from a chopstick, string and paper clip. This game is incredibly fun and has the laugh factor, fun factor, creativity and uniqueness we were looking for. While set-up is a little more complicated than most other games, it’s worth it in the end and the items should all be present around your home.

Thimble Quest

For this challenge, players must bounce marbles into 6 thimbles which have been placed upside-down on a table. Like the challenge, players must be nimble and quick to make this happen before the time runs out.

party games

Don't Touch the Balloon

This game is played in pairs. Teams must race to be the first pair to successfully move a balloon from one side of the room to the other using any part of their body other than their hands. Start by having one person bounce the balloon off of their “heart” then keep moving. If the balloon hits the ground or someone touches it with their hands, they have to go back to the starting line.

Eraser Bounce

Don't Touch the Balloon

Speed Eraser is a game that is all about utilizing the rubber end of a pencil and making it bounce against a surface and land into a glass. Players start with 6 pencils and see how many they can bounce into the cup in 60 seconds.

Elephant Ball

Don't Touch the Balloon

Elephant Ball

This game uses combinations of momentum, accuracy, and timing as the player wears pantyhose over his head fitted with a ball at the end. After that, they are supposed to knock over bottles that have been set up along the length of a room. The most bottles knocked over in 60 seconds wins.

Marble Roll

Sticker on the Cup Game

Elephant Ball

This game is also about physics and gaining just the right amount of momentum as players roll marbles across a tabletop to stick on double sided tape place along the edge of the tabletop. The marble has to travel at the right speed to be able to stick to the double sided tape or else it will roll over and drop. The player has the most marble stick within 1-minute wins.

Chopstick Challenge

Sticker on the Cup Game

Using chopsticks only, stack iron nuts on top of each other. The person who can stack the most nuts after 1 minute wins.

Sticker on the Cup Game

Put stickers on the bottom of plastic cups – for 25 cups put stickers on 3. Players must lift cups one at a time to find the one with stickers underneath them

party games

Cheesie Challenge

Players wear bathing caps with shaving cream put on them. Work in partners and your partner throws cheesies to you and tries to make them stick to your head. The player with the most cheesies after 60 seconds wins.

Play it by Ear

Cheesie Challenge

In this game, the player needs to listen to eight soda cans filled with various amounts of pennies and arrange them in order from the least amount to the most. This is an appealing game as one of the best minute to win it games for teens as it is easily imitated at home and uses guesstimating by hearing and also weight.

Cereal Challenge

Cheesie Challenge

Marshmallow Blow Out

Players have one minute to thread as many fruit loop type cereal onto a pipe cleaner as possible. Then the player has to make that pipe cleaner into a bracelet using one hand only.

Marshmallow Blow Out

Break the group in half and draw a line in the middle of the table. Each side uses inexpensive plastic straws to try to blow the marshmallows to the other side of the line. The team with the most after one minute wins. Each person plays individually and has one minute to blow a single marshmallow from one side of the table to the other. The person with the most at the end wins.

Ping Pong Bounce

Each team of two is given an egg carton and a pile of ping balls. Option is to bounce ping pong balls into the egg carton until it is full up. First team to fill their egg carton fully wins.

Guess What's In the Bag

Purchase small burlap-type bags from your local dollar store, or order online. Fill bags with items each participant will be familiar with. Number each bag and provide each player with a piece of paper and pencil. Pass the bags around and everyone has to guess what's inside each bag and write it down. The person with the most correct guesses wins.

party games

Blindfold Bowling

Set up any item players can bowl over. Blindfold players and take turns knocking the items over. The player with the most items knocked over wins.

Letter Scramble

Blindfold Bowling

Hand out sets of letters that spell a specific word. The first player/team to unscramble the letters to spell the correct word gets a point.

Find the Object

Blindfold Bowling

Make a few sets of see through plastic containers full of small items (marble, paper clip, toothpick) - look around the house - you will find lots of ideas. Call out the item and everyone tries to find the item and point it out when they do. Team with the most points wins.

Marshmallow Mouth

Players take turns stuffing their mouths with 4 marshmallows and then speaking a word that their team tries to understand. Team who gets the most words right wins.

Wordsmith

Off the Wall

Visit a thrift store and get some old scrabble games (or make your own letters). Teams have to make as many words as they can using the letters. Team with the most words wins.

Off the Wall

Players line up against the wall and are given any type of ball and a bucket. Everyone has to bounce their ball against the wall and into the bucket. Player with the most balls in the bucket wins.