It is the time of year for parties and gatherings. Don't you sometimes dread those parties where it's all about mingling and making small talk? The best parties are ones where the host has planned activities to give people a chance to get over the awkward mulling around moments.
Whether it is the class party, a neighborhood social, your book club party, or friends and family visiting, party games can break the ice and get everyone interacting. Plus game playing gives the party some structure and order which can make everyone feel more at ease.
Here are four fun party games to incorporate into your holiday get together.
These games can be played by all ages and are sure to get everyone laughing. I played them at my neighborhood holiday get together a few years ago and truly had a blast.
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Candy Cane Pick up Sticks
Materials:
Candy canes of different colors wrapped or unwrapped stacked into a pile.
Scoring:
Blue sticks = 50 points
Green sticks = 40 points
Yellow sticks = 25 points
Red sticks = 10 points
Break a cane, lose the points value of the color of the broken cane.
How to Play:
First person or team to 200 pts wins.
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Bob for Candy Canes
Materials:
Candy canes of different colors wrapped or unwrapped stacked into a pile.
2 Red Plastic drinking cups
Scoring:
Blue sticks = 50 points
Green sticks = 40 points
Yellow sticks = 25 points
Red sticks = 10 points
Break a cane, lose the points value of the color of the broken cane.
How to Play:
With hands behind your back and a candy cane in your mouth with hook side down, for other candy canes. You must pick up the cane with the candy cane in your mouth and drop it into your red cup without dropping it on the table. If you drop your cane, play moves to the next person. If your cup tips over, you must start over and may not use your hands to fix the cup.
Oven Mitt Unwrapping Game
Materials:
- Two dice
- Wrapped gift
- Two Oven mitts
How to Play:
- Have participants sit in a circle
- Hand two dice to one of the players
- Hand the oven mitts and wrapped gift to the player on the right side of the player who had the dice.
- The game begins when the player of the dice starts rolling.
- The player with the gift must put the over mitts on and try to open the gift.
- The new player puts on the oven mitts and tries to open the gifts before the player on the right rolls a double.
- Play continues until someone with mitts on actually opens/unwraps the gift completely.
- Only mitts can touch the gift, you cannot use your teeth, your feet or anything else.
- You may not pound or hit the gift with force.
Saran Wrap Ball Game
Materials:
- Small prizes wrapped throughout giant ball of Saran Wrap, 1-2 balls
- Dice
- Eye mask (optional – advanced)
How to Play:
Roll the dice to see who goes first
The first person with the ball starts unwrapping while the person on their right rolls a pair of dice trying to get doubles (or they can roll one die and aim for one number.
The person unwrapping does not stop until doubles is rolled. You get to keep the treasures that come out of the ball while you are unwrapping.
If you have a large group, you can have two balls going starting from opposite sides of the circle.
For added fun, challenge, the person unwrapping can wear the eye mask.
What to wrap in the Ball:
- Candy – tic tacs, gum, mini chocolate,
- Chapstick,
- Money or gift cards
- Small toys – pencil sharpeners, pencil toppers, silly putty, stickers
For an adult version:
- Airplane size liquor bottles
- Gift cards
Jingle in the Trunk
Materials:
- A wrapped empty rectangular tissue box with the tissue opening left open and a ribbon or string taped to the bottom with enough extra to wrap around a person’s waist - 1 per person playing
- 12 jingle bells or plastic ping pong balls per tissue box
How to Play:
- Secure tissue box around participant’s waists to the box is on their back resting on their hips. Fill the opening with the bells.
- Play Jingle Bell Rock. First person to bounce all the bells out of the box wins.
- Games are even more fun when there are prizes!
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