Party Games & Activities

Ideas for party games to entertain, engage, and energize your guests.

When planning a party, the first game you consider should be, of course, a pinata game. 

Inflatable Cake Game Parachute Sack Race Game Bean Bag Toss Game Bowling Game Can Toss Game

But, since it only takes five to ten minutes to break open a pinata, you may need a few other games to play. Here are more than 30 ideas for all kinds of parties and all kinds of guests. These party games are simple to prepare and simple to play. Most require little planning and basic household items. If you want ideas for games that relate to a specific theme, check out Party Themes. There are more ideas for games, activities and crafts relating to specific themes. My son loves party games. I didn't understand the depth of his feelings until he was invited to a birthday party for one of his classmates to watch a popular movie that had just been released. When he learned they were going to the movie theatre to watch a movie and eat popcorn he refused to go to the party. My son insisted it wasn't really a party if there weren't any games! I have divided the party games below by age, but use your own judgment for the group of guests you will be inviting. Some guests may be ready and enjoy a game listed as too old for them. Conversely, you may have 45 year old guests who would really enjoy a round of Pin the Tail on the Donkey or the Mad Lib Nursery Rhymes.   What better way to engage your guests and create wonderful memories than with some of these entertaining party games. Games for guests age 3 and up Games for guests age 5 and up Games for guests age 7 and up Games for guests age 9 and up Duck, Duck, Goose (ages 3-7) Play the traditional party game. Everyone sits in a circle, except the guest who is IT. IT walks around the outside of the circle, tapping everyone on the head saying, “Duck.” When IT says, “Goose,” the GOOSE and IT race around the circle to get in the GOOSE’s place. Whoever is left standing is the new IT. Play until the guests are tired of the game. Fish Pond (ages 3-8) Try this classic among party games. Make a fishing pole by tying a string to a dowel rod with a clothespin tied at the other end of the string. Spread a sheet across a corner of a room. Have someone hide behind the sheet and attach small toys or candies to the fishing pole and tug like a fish so the guest knows when to pull the pole up.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey (ages 3-8)
Yet another classic party game. Make a donkey on posterboard, minus the tail. Cut out several tails. Blindfold the guests, spin them around, and have them pin, or tape, a tail on the donkey. The guest who pins the tail closest to the right spot wins. Try some different variations such as put the mask on the superhero, the nose on a clown, or something else to match the theme for your party.

Cotton Ball Fight (ages 3-12)
I have yet to meet a group that doesn’t enjoy party games involving throwing things at others. My children enjoy it even when there is no party. Give everyone a handful of cotton balls and then let them throw them at each other, gather up fallen cotton balls and continue the snowball fight. Warning: Although it does vacuum up nicely, the cotton makes a horrid mess on the carpet so do this activity last, or do it outside.

Ring Toss (ages 3-12)
Set out glass or plastic bottles of soda (the kind with a long neck). Use plastic diving rings or rings from canning jars to toss on the bottles. If a ring lands on the neck of a soda that drink is won as a prize. Put the bottles close together to make it more challenging for older children and spread them out a bit for younger children.

Face Painting (age 3-16)
Technically this can't be classified with party games, but it is fun. Use acrylic paints to paint simple figures on everyone’s cheeks. Try painting some of these ahead of time on paper so you know what you can do. Keep wet wipes handy in case someone is allergic to the paint and complains of it itching. Everyone can be a clown at your circus party.

Flying Animals (ages 4-7)
Have the guests sit in a circle. Call out, “Eagles fly!” and instruct the guests to flap their arms like wings. But, if you call out an animal that doesn’t fly, the guests should not flap their wings, such as with, “Monkeys fly!” Do various flying animals and non-flying animals. Any guest flapping arms for a non-flying animal is out.

Mad Lib Nursery Rhymes (ages 4-8)
Turn some of your favorite nursery rhymes into Mad Lib party games. Click here for some ideas.

Hot or Cold (ages 4-9)
This is a great party game to be played over and over. Show the guests a small object, a toy or maybe a household item. Explain that one guest will be sent out of the room and the object will be hidden in the room somewhere. When the guest returns to the room his or her job will be to find the object. The other guests will help him or her find the object by clapping louder the closer the guest comes to finding the object, and softer as the guest is farther from the object. When the guest finds the object, send another guest out of the room while another guest hides the object. Repeat as needed.

Copy Cat (ages 5-12)
Have the guests sit in a circle and explain the game. One guest will be sent out of the room and the rest will decide on a leader. Everyone in the circle will copy the movements of the leader, as quickly as possible, until the guest who had left the room can figure out who the leader is. Movements can be obvious like clapping, or more subtle like turning a head. Take turns sending guests out of the room to guess a new leader.

Bubble Gum Contest (ages 6-12)
This is a favorite among party games. Give everyone a piece of gum and allow a minute to chew and get it soft. Then have a contest to see who can blow the biggest bubble from bubble gum. Things could get a little sticky at your party with this game.

Telephone (ages 6-14)
Sit the guests in a circle or a line. Whisper something in the ear of the first guest and have them repeat it to the guest sitting next to them, who repeats it to the next guest. Continue on down the line. The last guest in line should say, out loud, what was whispered in his or her ear. Typically the message will change drastically.

String Hunt (ages 6-14)
Cut many pieces of kite or crochet string of varying lengths. Cut about 60 pieces with lengths between 2 inches and 2 feet long. Scatter the pieces of string throughout a room. Instruct the guests they have 5 minutes to collect and tie together as many pieces of string as they can. The guest with the longest string at the end of 5 minutes wins—not the guest with the most pieces of string. Do not use yarn because it stretches and will be difficult to measure accurately.

Ball Pass Relay (ages 6-16)
Relay races make fantastic party games. They are simple, and use up lots of energy. Split the guests into teams and have them stand in a straight line, facing forward. Give each team a ball of similar size and weight and instruct them to pass the ball to the individual behind them first overhead and then the next passes it under and through the legs, then over and then under till it makes it to the end of the line. If the ball gets dropped it has to be passed to the front of the line to begin again. The first team to get the ball to the end without being dropped, wins.

Under Broom Relay (ages 6-16)
Lay a broom across two chairs for each team. Split the guests into teams then instruct them to run from the starting line to the broom, crawl under the broom without knocking it off, and then run back to start to tag the next guest in line. Continue until each guest has had a turn. The team to finish first wins.

Crumpled Paper Toss (ages 7-16)
Give each guest 3 pieces of paper and have them, first, write their names on the paper and then crumple them. Instruct the guests to sit or stand in a circle around a paper bag or box and on the count of three, all of them begin throwing their paper balls into the bag or box. Give them just 5 or 8 seconds to throw their papers then take the papers out of the bag or box and give a prize to the guest (or guests) who got the most papers in.

Egg Shell Race (ages 7-16)
This requires a little preparation. Make empty egg shells by using a pin or needle to poke a hole at either end of the egg, and then, carefully blow the contents of the egg out. Rinse the eggshells and allow to dry overnight. Decorate as desired the next day. You can use markers, but I’m lazy and prefer spray paint.

Now for the relay race. Establish and start and finish line. Divide the guests into teams, perhaps 4 teams. Give each team a piece of cardboard with the instructions that each member of the team should take turns using the cardboard to fan the egg all the way to the finish line, then carry it back for the next team member to fan across the room. Remember, eggs aren’t round so you’ll want to have a camera handy as the guests get jumbled up with each other.

Tic-Tac-Toe (ages 8-12)
Mark off a Tic-Tac-Toe grid on the carpet with masking tape or outside with chalk on cement. Make each square large enough for someone to stand in. Prepare 5 papers with Xs and 5 papers with Os. Split the guests into two teams and give one team the Xs and one team the Os. Let them appoint a team captain to direct the movements of their team. Now, since most party games need a spin, here it is…. Either have questions for the guests to answer, and they only get to take a place on the board if they answer correctly. Or, give them only a few seconds (time them) to get in their place. Whichever square they’re in when time is up, that’s where they’re stuck.

Letter Hunt (ages 8-16)
Print as many pages of this download as you may need for the number of guests invited. I suspect one copy of the download should be sufficient for up to 10 guests. Cut the squares of letters apart. You could also use letter squares from a game such as Scrabble or Upwords. Scatter the letters throughout a room. Send in the guests with instructions to pick up as many letters as they can, with the intent to make words. Also explain the point system before sending them in: 1 point for each letter in a word. No points for proper nouns, abbreviations, contractions or misspelled words. Subtract 1 point for each letter collected and not used.

Newspaper Race (ages 8-16)
Give each guest 1 piece of newspaper and instruct them to tear it in half. Line them up for a race. To cross the finish the line they can only walk on their two pieces of newspaper. When the race starts each guest should put one piece of newspaper in front of them, stand on it with both feet, then place the other newspaper as far in front of them as they can and step on it, pick up the one they left behind and place it in front. Continue in this manner until each guest crosses the finish line. The first across wins.

Penny Flip (ages 8-16)
We love party games that come with a prize. Set out cans of soda or canned fruit drinks. Take turns flipping pennies on the cans. If a penny lands and stays on a can that can of soda is won as a prize.

Electrostatic Balloons (ages 8-16)
Give each guest an uninflated 7” balloon. On “Go!” have them inflate their balloons, tie them, then rub them on their hair, and then stick it to a wall. The balloon that stays up the longest wins. You may also want to have a prize for the one with the wildest hair after doing the balloons. If you have some guests who are concerned about how their hair will look after this party game, they can be judges.

Bowling (ages 8-16)
Mark a bowling lane on your driveway with colored masking tape. Set out empty 2 liter soda bottles that have been spray painted white as bowling pins at one end of the lane. Bowl using a soccer ball or a basketball. Give 1 point for each pin knocked down.

Silly Ball of String (ages 8-16)
Wind a ball up of string with small notes attached at various intervals with silly things to do written on them. The guests should sit in a circle and take turns unwinding the string until they come to a note, then they must do what is on the note. For more fun, make the guest do the suggestion until another guest can guess what it is. Click here for some ideas of silly things to do.

Mixed up Advertisements (ages 8-16)
Provide many magazines—try a thrift store or ask a doctor’s office for some of their old magazines. Ask the guests to mix slogans and products from advertisements in the magazines. Who can create the new funniest advertisement or get the greatest guffaw from this party game?

Domino Bowling (ages 8-16)
Mark a paper with 10 Xs to form a triangle. Click here for this download. Set up 10 dominoes on the Xs. Split the guests into teams of 2 or 4 and provide each team with a marked sheet of paper, 10 dominoes and a small rubber ball. Each guest should take 2 turns rolling the ball to knock down the dominoes. A guest receives 20 points for knocking down all the dominoes the first time, 10 points for using 2 tries to knock them all down, 5 points if some are knocked down after two tries, and no points if none are knocked down. Let each guest play for 2-4 rounds, adding up their points. The highest total score wins.

Surprise Package (ages 8-16)
Some party games come with a surprise inside. Wrap up a box with a game to be played or a treat to be shared inside. Use lots of tape and ribbon. Have the guests take turns trying to open the present while wearing oven mittens and holding a butter knife and fork. Slowly count to ten for each guest, then pass the present, mittens, butter knife and fork to the next guest. When that guest is ready, count to ten while he or she tries to open the present, and then pass to the next guest. Continue until the present is opened.

Post Card Recognition (ages 9-16)
Collect post cards for local and national landmarks. You may print some pictures from the internet as needed. Use electrical tape or black marker to mask any identifying information on the pictures. Number the pictures. Then, for this party game, give each guest a sheet of paper and pen or pencil and ask them to identify the landmark on their paper. The guest with the most right, wins.

Spelling Buzz (ages 9-16)
Give each guest a sheet of paper and pen or pencil. Instruct them to make a 5x5 table on the paper. Have a bag containing letters of the alphabet—either from a game such as Scrabble or Upwords, or printed letters on small squares of paper.

Instruct the guests that you will be pulling a letter out of the bag and they are to write each letter in a box, any box, on their paper as they are called out, trying to make words. Once a letter is in a box, it may not be moved. Words count across and down, but not diagonally. One point is awarded for each letter in a word. Names, proper nouns, abbreviations, contractions and 1 letter words do not count. Example: The word “PEARS” counts as several words: Pears, Pear, Pea, Ears, Ear for a total of 19 points.

Click here for a PDF download for this game.

Tower Building (ages 10-16)
Divide into teams and give each team several plastic straws and a roll of masking tape, or clear tape. Tell them they have 5 minutes (or ten minutes) to plan and prepare a tower built with the items given them, but to not actually begin building until instructed to do so. Whoever builds the tallest tower will win. The trick is that when you announce it is time to begin building the tower, tell them they only have 30 seconds (or 45 seconds) to complete their tower. The surprise on the guest's faces when they realize what the real challenge is in this party game is priceless.

Skits (ages 10-16)
Skits make hilarious party games. Even guests who are shy usually enjoy this activity. Split into groups of 3-6 guests. Give each group a bag with 6 items, everyday items such as a balloon, a picture frame, a potato, a key, a cup, a book, a stuffed animal, a tie, a sock, mitten or shoe. Instruct each group they have 5-10 minutes to come up with a skit utilizing the items in their bag. Then enjoy the show.

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