Party Games for Kids Birthdays, Baby and Bridal Showers, Halloween & more 

Party Games for Adults & Family!
Enjoy the Games & Your Party!

Party  Games for Adults & Family

NAME THAT TUNE
You'll need a CD player and some compact discs with compilations of songs related to your theme (Luau, 50's, retro) or just some good favorites of an era appropriate for your party guests. Play the first few bars, and see which guest can name that tune the fastest. Keep track of points and award the winner a music CD. If your group is large, play a variation on this game. Using famous songs, list song titles on one side of a page, and the original Artists or songwriters on the other side. Make enough copies for all guests. Challenge guests to match as many as possible.


BALLOON POPPING CONTEST 
Divide guests into two equal groups. About 25 yards away place two bags of inflated balloons in colors to match your theme colors. These balloons should be over-inflated to make popping easier. At the sound of a ringing bell or whistle, the first two relay contestants, one from each team, run to the bag, and remove one balloon. Each must sit on it until it pops. Once the balloon pops, the players run back to the starting line, and tag the next player in line. The first team to complete the course wins. Not a quiet game, but a guaranteed favorite!


GENEOLOGY GAME
This can be fun and interesting for young children while teach about the history of your family. This takes some time and energy, but can be very rewarding. Basically you are creating cards, so the kids can play the a Memory Game. The goal is to create cards of people in your family and give a brief synopsis of who they are, employment, and relationship in the family. If you have a computer you can scan in the pictures, resize them, add text and print out.

Here is a tip: Try and get 1 person from each family to create a group of cards, the paper may be different but then everyone can be involved.

Example: Get a photo of "Jim Smith" resize if needed try to get them all the same size. Under the photo place his name "Jim Smith" and the next few lines mention that here is an Engineer was born in 1971 to Mary and Albert Smith. You can print these cards out on your computer or go to a copy center and have them printed out on card stock. If the paper is thin tape to a piece of card stock, laminate for added protection. 2 cards per person

Once you have 10 or more people in your deck, you arange the cards face down. The kids take turns flip one card over at a time and then flipping another over that is identical to the first flipped card. If they match remove those two cards, and that player gets to go again. If they do not match the cards are turned face down and the next player goes. This continues until all the cards have been cleared from the game. Then the person with the most set wins that game.

This game is at it's best when their is adult supervision and you can take time to learn and share stories about the person on the card.

Adult can play too, and after each match share a fun story or knowledge able the person on the card. To learn more about geneology visit Ancestry.com
Thanks - Sarah


Limbo
The young and the young at heart always enjoy the classic beach game of "limbo". Try using a string of twinkle lights, a strand of sparkly garland, a bamboo pole, a flashlight (lights out), or any item to match your theme for your limbo stick. For a fun variation on the game, make it a little more challenging by adding a "Super Stomach" to guests as they take their turn. Have a couple of oversized shirts, and some fluffy pillows on hand. 

Play Dough-Tionary
This game is fun for people of all ages. Someone will have to create the game ideas, but it is fun to watch. What you'll need, a couple of jars of Play Dough, pieces of paper cut up and put into a hat or basket one for each team, and on each piece of paper an object that can be created out of Play Dough. Examples: Easy - ball, worm, stick, More Difficult - flower, car, stroller, house, etc... Note: Each group can have uniqure terms if you want, then no one can get clues from the other teams.

Ready to Play
First divide up into teams. You'll need to have several jars of play dough, and give one to each team of 3-4 people. They will need to pick one person to go first, that person would draw a word from a basket. They will have about 15 seconds to think about what to make, to at the same time say go, at this point one member of each team begins to sculpt the word out of the play dough, while their team members tried to guess what it is. Note: You cannot scuplt letters! The first team to guess correctly gets a point, the team with the most points after 8-12 rounds wins.
Thanks - Diana

Hula Hoopla
Hula hooping isn't just for kids or 50's Sock Hops, but it will make grown-ups feel young again! Purchase or borrow a couple of hula-hoops. They are available at discount chains for about $3.99 each. Let guests know that at a specified time there will be a "hula" contest, and encourage them to practice during the party if the mood strikes.

Dozens of Fun Murder Mysteries Games

Name Game
Provide each guest with 5 small pieces of paper, and a pencil. Ask them to write down the names of 5 famous people, leaders, movie stars, authors, sports figures, politicians, artists, inventors, scientists, etc. Fold the papers, and put them into a hat. Seat guests in a large circle. Each round is limited to 30 seconds, so have a watch with a second hand available. The first player pulls out a name, and tries to get the person beside them to guess the name. After the name is guessed, the clue giver can continue pulling names out of the hat for the full 30 seconds. Here are the rules: They can talk, but can't point to items. They can't spell out the name, but can say the letter the name starts with. They can reference just about anything, but the person's name. As an example, if the name is "Sammy Sosa", the clue giver might say "The guy who had almost as many homeruns as Mark McGuire in the 1998 baseball season." "He plays for the Chicago Cubs", etc. Both the clue "giver" and the clue "guesser" get points for as many names as they guess in the 30-second time frame. Have each participant track his/her own points. The turn then passes to the guesser, who now becomes the clue giver, and his/her neighbor becomes the new guesser. This game is a blast to play, and really is not as difficult as these instructions would make it seem! Give it a try! 

Name Game - Another Version:
You'll need a piece of paper and pen for everyone. Then instruct each person write out as many names as they can of famous people living or dead, cartoon characters, sports heroes, leaders of countries etc. Fold them and put them in a hat or bowl. Divide your group in half. Have one person from a group start by asking their group to guess who it is by giving as much information as they can, even the first letter, if they don't know they person try rhyming the name. They get one minute to see how many they can guess. Then its the other persons turn. Keep track of how many each group get correct after everyone is done the team with the most right answers wins.
Thanks - Gloria

Couples Game: Like The Newlywed Game
Who's Your Mate? - Have one person from each couple leave the room. The host/hostess tailors some planned questions to the group and to certain couples. The other half of each couple stays in the room, and answers questions about their mate/date. They're supposed to answer each question the way they think their mate/date would respond. They need to write each answer down, so that when their partner returns he/she can give their own answer to each question. Assign point values for each question that is a match. Then reverse roles of the couples for the next set of questions. The couple with the most points wins a prize. Make sure the prize is something they can share!


Who's the Murderer: Good for teens, groups of 5-8 people
All except the detective sit in a circle while the detective waits outside. One person from the circle is elected to be the murderer, and then the Detective is called back to stand in the circle. When he is ready, the Murderer winks at people in the circle. Anyone who sees that they have been winked at lets out a blood-curdling scream and dies. The Detective has three attempts to guess the murderer.


Pass The Orange, Ball, etc...
Arrange for teams of about 8 to stand in a line, one behind the other (arranged boy, girl, boy,...). Give each team an orange which the first person should tuck under his chin. This should be passed to the person behind. When the orange gets to the last person, they come to the front of the line and start again. The winnnig team is the first one which gets their starting person to the front again.


Who am I?
A Good game to get people talking together at the start of the party As they arrive each person has a piece of paper pinned to their back. The paper contains the name of a famous person. By asking questions which can only be answered with "Yes" or "No" such as "Am I still alive?", "Am I fictional?", etc. the person has to guess their name. Successful guessers may have another go. Thanks - Kate

Bubble Gum Game - Good For Families
This game can be played as a relay race or be based on individual times. Split your guests into teams of 3-5 people. Get some paper plates, bubble gum, and whipped cream (in a can). Put a piece of bubble gum on the plate and swirl the whipped cream over it until the bubble gum is completely covered. Then have your guests dig through the whipped cream and find the bubble gum. Here's the catch, players must keep their hands behind their backs and dig through the whipped cream with their faces! Once they find it, they must chew it and blow a fairly good sized bubble. Go through until every one has had a turn. The person who blows the bubble first is the winner. You can also do several rounds until you have one winner. *Depending on what your guests wear, you may want to have a towel or garbage bag to use as a bib. Thanks - Hanna


Two Truths - One Lie - Get To Know You Game
This is a great game for people who are trying to get to know each other. Everyone sits in a circle and takes turns telling 3 things about themself, one of them is a lie.

Example:
I have been to every continent in the world.
I won't use green towels.
I once had a ferret but it was killed by my cat.

Then everyone else guesses/votes on which is the lie. It's really funny to see what people come up with for their lie and you learn a lot of funny truths too. Have fun! Cammi, Gilbert, AZ

Dozens of Fun Murder Mysteries Games

Who in the World Am I?
My game comes from some theatre training in college. Its great for kids and adults. On several strips of paper, write the name of a famous person from history, the music industry, or T.V. and attach a safety pin. Conceal.

As each guest arrives,have him blindly draw a character and then pin the name on the back of his shirt. For the first hour or so of your party, each guest will give the other characters hints during conversation as to "WHO IN THE WORLD" they are. You can make this a prize game or just use it for mingling.

Spoon Race - Fun for Adults and Kids
Requires two opposing teams lined up side by side, two spoons and two spools of fishing line. Secure the fishing line securely to each spoon and hand it to one of the ends. They drop the spoon down through their clothing onto the floor, pick it up and hand it to the next team member until it has reached the end person who after dropping it has to begin to retrieve the spoon by pulling it back up through their clothing. Do this until the spoon has been retrieved by the end person who started it. Whoever finishes first, of course, is the winner. Thanks - Angella

For more entertainment - place the spoons in the fridge before playing!


Belt Race Game
Adult game: Group splits into partners. Each has a very large belt (or 2 tied together). Place in circle around couple at their feet. They must have their backs to eachother. At "go", whoever can get the belt up their body and over their head first wins. Two ways to play: with hands, or for a challenge - no hands!

Balloon Pop Game
Older children and teens love this game. All that is needed is equal sized balloons already blown up and string. Each player ties a balloon to their ankle. The object of the game is to pop the other players balloons while protecting yours by hopping around on the foot without the balloon. You cannot use your hands to hold on to others. Thanks - Rhonda

Fruit Croquet
We play a game for guys only, but everyone can play!. You'll need a pair of pantyhose and 2 oranges or apples per person or if a relay per team. Take one orange or apple and place it in one leg of the pantyhose. Now tie the pantyhose around the players waist (it can go through belt loops) so that the fruit is in the front of the person and between their legs. Place another piece of fruit on the floor between their feet. Now they players must use the fruit in the stocking to move the fruit on the floor from the starting line to the finish line. If individual players the first one across the line wins. If you are playing teams then it becomes a relay where the pantyhose must be exchanged from team member to team member and the first team to have each person complete their section wins. NOTE: This game is best played outside or on an easy to clean surface. Not recommended for carpets!
Thanks - Angela

Toothpick - Lifesaver Race
First divide your group into 2 teams, each team will need to be lined up facing the forward. Then take a bunch of toothpicks, give each person a tooth pick and then the person at the beginning of the line gets the lifesaver. Before you begin everybody puts the toothpicks into their mouth and then the captain (first person in line) puts a lifesaver on the toothpick. the object is to pass the lifesaver from team member to team member using only the toothpick, no hands! The first team to pass it down to the end end of the line wins.
If the lifesaver falls on the floor then you must start at the beginning again. (Another variation that it is easier is straws and pretzels) Thanks - Zach

What If - Group Game
Everyone sits in a circle and each person has a peice of notepaper and
a pencil/pen. Each person then thinks of a sentence to write on the
paper starting with WHAT IF...

Be creative... (Example: What if John had a tupe?, or What if the
world was black and white?)

Then each person passes their paper to the right and then each person
answers the question they were handed. (Example...I'd use it as a
frisbee, or the world would be a much simpler place.) Once everyone is
finished answering their question, start with one person in the circle
and go to the right, the first person reads the what if question and
the person to their right reads the answer they wrote for their
question. (So it would be... What if John had a tupe'? ....the world
would be a much simpler place.) Then that same person who just
read their answer now reads their question and the person the their
right reads their answer and so on until you finish the circle.

Then you start over with new what if questions. Try it, you'l be amazed
at how funny some of them are!!! We were laughing so hard our sides
were splitting, Thanks - Nicole

Gift Giving Game - Great for Christmas Parties and Exchanges
Everyone brings a gift to the party, this is fun for gift exchanges during the holidays. TO BEGIN: Everyone stands in a circle holding the gift he/she brought to the party. Someone reads the story, every time the word RIGHT is read, everybody passes his gift to the right. Every time the word LEFT is read, gifts are passed to the left. The gift that each person is holding at the end of the story is the gift he keeps.

Story Example:
The Right Family Christmas Story Christmas was almost here and Mother RIGHT was finishing the Christmas baking. Father RIGHT, Susie RIGHT, and Billy RIGHT returned from their last minute Christmas errands. "There's not much LEFT to be done," said Father RIGHT as he came into the kitchen. "Did you leave the basket of food at Church?" asked Mother RIGHT? "I LEFT it RIGHT where you told me to," said Billy RIGHT." "I don't have any money LEFT." The hall telephone rang, and Susie RIGHT LEFT to answer it. She rushed back and told the family, "Aunt Tillie RIGHT LEFT a package for us RIGHT on Grandma RIGHT's porch. I'll go over there RIGHT now and get it," she said as she LEFT in a rush. Father RIGHT LEFT the kitchen and brought in the Christmas Tree. By the time Susie RIGHT returned, Mother RIGHT, Father RIGHT, and Billy RIGHT had begun trimming the tree. The entire RIGHT family sang carols as they finished the decorating. Then they LEFT all the presents arranged under the tree and went to bed, hoping they had selected the RIGHT gifts for their family. Now I hope you have the RIGHT present for yourself, because that's all that's LEFT of our story, except to wish you a Merry Christmas, isn't that RIGHT?

Want to make life easier, Buy a Great Game!

Don't Say That Word!
Give each person a sticker to wear on their collar or lapel when they
arrive. Then make an announcement that any time the word _____ (could be any word that will possibly be said that evening - the name of the company everyone works for, or a soft drink, or any basic word) then the person who hears another person use the word takes the speakers sticker and puts it on himself. At the end of the evening the person with the most stickers wins. People are vigilant in the beginning about saying the taboo word but they soon forget! Thanks - Debbie

Famous People Game - Another Version of Who In The World Am I
The host makes a sheet of well known names (ex: Shakespeare, George Washington, Micheal Jackson, Jackie Onassis, Sherlock Holmes, the Wicked Witch of the West, etc) the names can be anyone well known, alive, dead or fiction.
Then cut the names out (make sure there is one for each guest)
Take straight pins and when guests arrive pin a name on the back of each guest. The other guests will look at the name on each others backs, and then ask yes or no questions about there own name. (ex: Is it a male? Is he alive? Is he a singer? etc.) Until they are able to guess who they are. This can be done all at once, or you can have a circle where one person goes at a time. This is a good game b/c it can continue until the end of the party when someone has trouble knowing who they are, but it can be done discreetly in conversations held on the side. Also, have a guest write one for the host to have. Thanks - Kristen

Family Reunion - Get To Know You Game
We made up this game at a family gathering because it was a fun way to get to know one another better. Each person writes a paragraph or more about something that happened in his life that no one knows about. The papers are then handed in to one person who reads them all. Each person writes on a piece of paper who they think each story belongs to. It is a great way to learn a lot about each other and get conversation started.
Thanks - Amy

History's Mysteries - Brain Teaser
Play alone, or better yet, invite a small group to participate.

Get a pencil, a piece of paper, and a calculator.

Participants are asked to call out the most famous dates that they can
think of in all of history, excluding dates after 1950. For each date, only the year is needed.

Make a list of the dates that are given--at least 10, and no more than
20. This is the "long list."

Participants are then asked to decide which of these dates are the most
famous. By this method, reduce the list down to a list of seven dates.
This is the "short list."

IMPORTANT: Do not read further until the above steps have been completed.

On the calculator, enter the number 2060, and then subtract 71 repeatedly. (Subtract 71 once, and then just keep hitting the "equals" key to repeat the subtraction.)

On both the "long list" and the "short list" of dates, check off each date that the calculator matches. Continue until the calculator has given 30 dates, and then stop.

Results may vary slightly depending upon the group or the individual.

How many of the seven dates from the "short list" did the calculator
match? (Was it between 3 and 5?) How did this happen? Think about it!

Socks & Gloves:
This is a stunt or game. As a party stunt ask for 3-6 enthusiastic volunteers and for a party set a time limit to see who gets the most socks on.
The Catch: they are blindfolded and gloved

How to play: Seat participants around pile of socks on floor, give them mismatched gloves and blindfold them. On go, they begin putting as many socks on one foot as possible until the time is called. The amount of time is up to the GameMaster, usually when the action begins to slow. You'll need for EACH participant: 1 blindfold, 2 mismatched gloves, at least 6 socks of varying size and thickness. Everyone else gets a kick out of watching.
Winner: the person with the most socks on one foot after the time is called.
Thanks - Alice

Cotton Ball Game
Supplies:
Bag of cotton balls, two large bowls, a blindfold and a wooden spoon.
The goal is to move as many cotton balls as possible with three "scoops"
of the wooden spoon, from one bowl to the other - - blindfolded. The person that moves the most cotton balls into the other bowl wins. Cotton balls that fall on the ground don't count. In case of a tie, go additional rounds.
Thanks - Divina

Another Cotton Ball Game
This can be teams or against one another, depending on size of room and
number of guests.

Have players hold a plastic spoon in their mouths. While on their knees, and hands behind the back, the players must scoop up cotton balls from a bowl and race to the other end of the room trying to carry the cotton balls and placing them in the bowl at the opposite end of the room. Player or team that tranfers the most cotton balls within 1 minute is the winner.
Thanks. Shellie

Silent Charades.
On little pieces of paper, write up a bunch of things to act out in pairs. You will need to know how many people are going to play so that you have the correct number of papers. (2 pieces of paper with the same thing on it--ie: ballerina, ballerina, elephant, elephant, etc.) Put them all into a hat mixed together and have everyone draw out one peice of paper. When everyone has a charade, say go, and everyone begins to act out the charade on their piece of paper. The object of the game is to find the person with the same charade as yours. When you find the person that has the same thing as you, sit down on the ground.

After the game is over, have everyone ask their partner what they were, if they were wrong they are out. There can also be a prize for the first pair that sits down. This game is the most fun when you can make each thing pretty difficult to act out.
Thanks - Danielle

Shaving Game - Couples
Start off pairing people up as teams. (Male and female, husbands-wives, girlfriends and boyfriends will work) . The male sits in a chair. The female puts real shaving cream on the face of the male. A blindfold is placed on the female. When someone says go, the female is to use a plastic spoon and shave their partner. This is a timed game and when time is up, the person who did the best job shaving wins. Thanks - Oriole

Shoe Shuffle
For large group of people....Everybody takes their shoes off and places them at one end in a pile. Someone mixed up the shoes so people will have a hard time finding theirs. The large group breaks up into two teams and lines up about 30-40 feet away. When someone says go! , each person runs down to the pile, finds their shoes, and puts them on, then runs back and tags the next person in line. THe team who gets all their shoes on wins.
Thanks - Oriole

NEW!
Clue Treasure Hunt Game
Place a clue taped to a toy or candy in a piñata or announce that an envelope or package has been delivered and addressed to All. (Just find a way to introduce the first clue) When the clue falls out or is given to the guests the hunt begins and they will follow the clues to find a "treasure". The "treasure" is a goody bag for each guest. Remember, placing clues on the inside and outside of the party make it challenging. Also, include enough clues for each guest to have a chance to participate in the fun.
Clues suggestions:
Go to a place where you brush your teeth before bed at night! (The next clue would be hidden somewhere in your children's bathroom)
Go to a place where you sit and relax after your day at school. You will find the next clue in that area.

Add a twist - If they are a little older and competitive create teams, have a unique set of clues for each but have one prize.
Thanks Jayneen

40Th Birthday Roast
Before the party send out an email or letter to everyone who will attend and ask them to think of a story that relates to the birthday person. These stories should be humorous in nature and fun to listen to they can relate to a funny moment or tie into growing older.

You may want everyone to date the stories, just to remind the recipient of how old they are. So Keith would say way back in 1985 Joe and I made a trip to see Bon Jovi...

Once all your guests have sent in stories ideas, place all the ideas on pieces of paper and then take it to the restaurant.

Once all the quests have arrived and so order the food, present the idea of the roast. Depending on the number of stories, your roast could last past dinner. Have a paper bag or hat and have the birthday person pull out a story and who will tell. Then they share the event. Conitnue this process and have fun. Please warn guest if there will be children present, no bad langauge please. stories Thanks - Tim & Lori


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Include your name, when the game is played &instructions
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