Classic Party Games
Five of the most popular, classic party games to play at every party.
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
This traditional game never loses its appeal. Of course, it doesn’t need to be a donkey and it doesn’t need to be a tail. Tailor this game to your child’s favourite animal or character or to the theme of the party.
WHAT’S REQUIRED:
A large picture of a donkey (or other character). You can buy these at a party shop or draw one on a large piece of card (A1 or A2 size is best).
A tail (or similar) made from paper or card for each child with their name written on it.
Blu-tack for attaching the donkey to wall and the tails to the donkey.
Blindfold (a scarf or airline sleeping masks work well)
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Attach the donkey picture to the wall with blu-tack
2. Each child is given a ‘tail’ with their name written on it.
3. Blindfolded, each child take a turn to stick their tail on the donkey.
4. The winner is the tail closest to the correct position
TIPS:
Sometimes children feel around for other tails to work out where to put their tail. Try to discourage these by having flat ‘tails’.
VARIATIONS:
Pin the horn on the unicorn
Pin the fluffy tail on the bunny
Pin the wand on the fairy
Pin the Eye on the Minion
Kiss the frog (you can use cut out lips or put on lipstick and kiss the frog).
Pin the eye patch on the pirate
Pin the scar on Harry Potter
Pass the Parcel
An old favourite! The trick to success in this game is making sure it is fast enough to avoid children getting distracted. To keep momentum, it is best to play with a smaller group (10 children or less) or have two parcels circulating.
WHAT’S REQUIRED:
Lots of paper and sticky tape for wrapping the parcel. Old newspaper or wrapping paper can be used.
Small prizes for each layer (a wrapped sweet or a sticker) work best.
A larger prize for the final prize
Music that everyone can hear and can easily be turned on and off.
HOW TO PLAY:
Prepare the parcel prior to the party so it is ready to go.
The children sit in a circle on the floor.
The music plays and the parcel is passed around the circle.
When the music stops, the child holding the parcel unwraps a layer of paper to reveal their prize.
The music plays again and the parcel continues to be passed around.
Repeat these steps until the parcel is completely unwrapped, ensuring that every child has had a turn at unwrapping the parcel.
TIPS:
Keep the parcel simple to unwrap and stop the music regularly to ensure that everyone stays engaged in the game.
For a large party (ie, more than 10 children), consider having 2 parcels being passed around at the same time.
To add a spin, you can add some surprises in amongst the layers. For example – “to get the lollipop you must.…sing happy birthday in opera style; or….stuff six marshmallows in your mouth and say ‘chubby bunnies’ 3 times”
VARIATION:
For older children or teens, try Pass the Treat Ball, a more challenging twist on this old favourite game. Wrapped sweets are rolled in clear packaging tape until it is a ball. They have to unwrap the tape to get the treats.
Chocolate Game
This game is a firm favourite and the number one request for all of our birthday parties.
WHAT’S REQUIRED:
A large bar of chocolate
Plate, knife and fork
A selection of dress up clothes (eg. Hat, scarf, skirt, jacket and sunglasses)
A dice (use an extra large one that is easy for everyone to see)
HOW TO PLAY:
Children sit in a circle on the floor
Set up the dress ups and chocolate at a table beside the circle.
Players take turns at throwing the dice. When someone throws a 6, they have to put on all the dress-up clothes before they can eat the chocolate one piece at a time using the knife and fork (no fingers allowed).
While the player is trying to eat the chocolate, the other players continue to throw the dice until someone else throws a six and then the first player must stop and it is the new players turn to put on the dress ups and eat the chocolate.
TIPS:
To ensure everyone gets some of the chocolate, I put a limit on the number of pieces they can eat in one turn.
I also save a couple of pieces of chocolate to give to children who didn’t get any at the end of the game.
Choose dress up clothes that are easy to get on and off quickly over their party clothes.
You can add or remove steps to make it easier or more difficult.
Bobbing Apples
My kids love this challenge. While it is better as a summer activity, I have even had it requested at winter parties. Be prepared for the children to get wet!
WHAT’S REQUIRED:
Large bucket
Water
Apples. Minimum of one per child.
Timer
Towels for drying off
HOW TO PLAY:
The apples are placed in a large bucket of water
With their hands behind their back, each child has a turn to put their face in the water to try and get hold of the apple with their teeth and remove the apple from the bucket. No using hands or other body parts to help.
The apple must be completely removed and dropped on the ground.
If it drops back in the water, they must start again.
Each child has a time limit of 2 minutes before the next child gets a turn.
Keep going until each child has an apple or has had enough of trying to get an apple.
TIPS/VARIATIONS:
It can be a timed competition with times recorded for getting the apple out of the bucket. The fastest person to get the apple wins.
You can make it an elimination game, giving each child 15 – 30 seconds to get an apple. If they don’t get an apple in that time, they are eliminated. Continue playing until one player remains.
If you’re concerned about spreading germs, you could do one apple in the water at a time or use individual buckets.
You can also use other floating objects too such as wrapped lollies.
Flour Cake
I loved this game when I was a child. When I played it at my daughter’s 10th birthday, some of the children couldn’t wait to get their face in the flour so the game was over very quickly!
WHAT’S REQUIRED:
A dinner plate and a knife
A small bowl or measuring cup
Flour
A piece of chocolate or a sweet.
HOW TO PLAY:
Firmly pack the flour into a bowl.
Put the plate on top of the bowl and turn over to make a mound of flour on the plate.
Balance a piece of chocolate or sweet on top of the mound of flour
Each child takes a turn with the knife to slice away chunks of flour, trying not to knock the chocolate off the top of the mound.
The child who knocks the chocolate has to retrieve the chocolate from the flour with their mouth. No hands allowed.
TIPS:
You can use grapes or a lolly or something in the theme of the party instead of chocolate