Games

Name those Logos

Go through several magazines and cut out advertisement symbols (ie. the 7up dot, but not the word 7up). Paste each on the white side of a 3x5 card and have everyone go around the room with an answer sheet and try to identify as many of the symbols as possible.

Who am I?

Pick a category such as cartoon characters, movie stars, vegetables, etc. Pin the name of one of these items on the back of each guest as they arrive. Tell them that they need to find out who they are by asking other people for help.

The rules are:

• 1. ask yes or no questions only

  2. answer yes or no questions

  3. no removing your own name tag to find out. If you ask, anyone will help you find out your identity.

If you need people seated or grouped up this may be a good way to do it. Have place cards at the seat of each item. Or have a few different categories of item to guess. Then when it comes time to group up have the cartoon characters go here, vegetables there, etc.

Association Game

Put the following on a table:

• • A calendar

  • The letter "K"

  • A match in a bottle of water

  • Jar of 16 candies

  • Toothbrush

  • Pitcher

  • Candle

  • Salt

  • Fork

  • Tacks

  • Buttercup (Reeses?)

  • the letter "N"

  • Stamp

  • 2 dice on a dish of dirt

  • An Iron

When the guests come have the previous articles on a table. As they come, give them the following list. Match the statements on the list with the items on the table.

• 1. End of pork ("k")

  2. A bunch of dates (Calendar)

  3. A swimming match (match in the bottle)

  4. Sweet sixteen (Candies)

  5. Never borrowed, never lent (toothbrush)

  6. Seen at a ball game (pitcher)

  7. Out for the night (candle)

  8. The ending of a Biblical Character (Salt)

  9. Branching of a river (Fork)

  10. On of the causes of the American Revolution (Tacks)

  11. A spring flower (buttercup)

  12. The end of ambition ("N")

  13. Ready to be licked (Stamp)

  14. A paradise on earth (dice)

  15. Birthplace of Burns (Iron)

Party Starters have two purposes. First, to get things officially started with a bang. Second, some divide up a large group into smaller groups. Group games go much smoother and people are more willing to participate if they are split up from people they know and put into a random group. Grouping games are perfect for this.

The Grouping Game

This is a good game to play as a mixer. It is a fun, fast moving game. It starts out as everyone collects in one big group. The leader initially calls out a number, usually a number between two and fifteen. The number shouldn't be more than half of the number of total participants. When the number is called out everyone must try to collect in a group that contains that number of people. The group members should be latching arms or have their arms wrapped around each other so that the leader can see who is in the group. If someone cannot enter a group because the number of required members has been reached, he is out of the game. As different numbers are successively called out the number of participants gets smaller and smaller. Eventually, there are less than ten people. The last group, or winning group, should have anywhere from two to five people.

Celebrities

Everyone writes the name of a celebrity, famous person or character on a piece of paper which they stick to the forehead of the player on their left (use tape or office Post-It notes). Make sure they don’t see the name.

Everyone else can see your forehead. The objective is to work out who you are.

Going around the table, each payer takes a turn to ask the party questions about who they are - answers can be YES or NO only. If you get a YES you may continue asking, if you get a NO play moves on to the left.

Last person to guess their name is the loser.

Simple, but very absorbing.

Noah's Ark

The group divides in two parallel lines facing each other across the room (perhaps boys/girls but doesn't matter). Each person is assigned an animal whose match is across the room somewhere. After being given a moment of thought, everyone in the room acts like the assigned animal and walks (crawls, flaps, waddles, etc) across the room in search of their mate. No human language is allowed. When people think they have discovered their mate, the go to the referee. The pandemonium proceeds until everyone has been mated.

To help with the assignment of animals perhaps you could make two sets of animal cards to pass out to people. In this case, the people wouldn't need to be in parallel lines across from each other. They could just be in a big circle or anywhere in the room.

Pass the Orange

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 winning team is the first one which gets their starting person to the front again.

Creepers and Slammers

Good for large groups too! Sitting at a table, having people on either side of you and across from you. Divide your group into two teams. One team at a time takes a turn passing a quarter under the table carefully so that the people across from you on the other team can't see where the quarter is. Then at any time the other team that doesn't have the quarter tells you to stop! They either yell "CREEPERS", All the people on the team that has the quarter must bring both hands up on the table and slowly try to open their hands with their palms down trying not to allow the quarter to drop loudly. The opposite team tries to guess where the quarter is. If the opposite team calls "SLAMMERS" then everyone on your team brings their hands up quickly slamming them down with palms down and open. The other team tries to guess who has the quarter. Just take turns until you are tired of playing. It is a lot of fun and everyone can join in. The winner is the team with least number of guesses to find the quarter.

Active games.

Pass It ON

Sit close together in two lines facing the same direction. The person in the front of each line rolls a die. When one of them gets a six, both of them pass a small object (a jack, a ball, a bracelet) to the person behind them who passes it on until it reaches the end. When it gets to the last person, that person must get up and race to the front of the line with the object and sit down. The person who sits down first, gets to sit in the front of the line. The person who was second to sit down, goes back to his or her spot. Whichever line rotates from back to front first, wins.

Dragon Tail Tag

Make small chains of about four people. Either have team members hold on to each others waists or link elbows. The end person has a flag or tail (bandana) hanging behind them or in their back pocket. Teams must stay linked to participate.

The object of the game is to steal other teams tails while avoiding other teams who are trying to steal your tail. The last team to have a tail wins.

Musical Chairs

The old favorite. With one fewer chairs than people, a short snippet of music is played while the people move around the room. When the music stops everyone tries to sit on a vacant chair. (Only ONE person per chair) The person who doesn't find a chair is out. One chair is taken away and the game continues until only one person (The Winner) is left.

Balloon Stomping Game

Each participant blows up a balloon and ties it with a bit of string or wool to his/her ankle. On the given command, the guests (only using their feet) try to be the last person to have their balloon bursted ie, you stamp on your opponents. Again great fun, caution is eered on anyone getting carried away with the stamping. As survivors get fewer, reduce the playing area.

Party On games are good at any time... everyone or just some party participants can play these fun games

Santa Hat Game

For festive gatherings with Santa hats. You need everyone to be wearing a hat, so either use the ever popular Santa hats, or otherwise give everyone a normal party hat.

The game is based on observation. the objective is NOT to be the last person left with a hat on.

At the start announce the simple objective, the only rule is that no one can take their hat off until you have.

Let another game or conversation take place, and as time goes by, people will take their attention off you, and even forget the game is happening. Eventually remove your hat and watch as people cotton on. Gradually the hats will come off, amidst sniggers and smirks. Some unsuspecting person (who’s probably busy boring everyone with a hopeless story)

will be last to notice, and much to every ones’ mirth, this person is the loser.

Serve up an appropriate forfeit, get the hats back on and give the loser the chance to start the next game.

Winking Murder

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

Birthday Present Game

Materials:

• 1 Pair of Gloves

• 1 Hat

• 1 Die (perhaps two dice if group is large)

• A Prize wrapped in several layers of newspaper and boxes.

The group stands in a circle. The gloves, hat, and wrapped box are placed in the center. someone begins by rolling the dice. If they roll a 6, they hurry into the middle and put on the gloves and hat. They then start to unwrap the package. They must move fast because the next person to roll a 6 takes the hat off of the person in the center. The person in the center stops immediately and takes off the gloves, gives them to that person, and he/she goes back to the circle. The game continues like this until the package is completely unwrapped and the last person receives their prize. It's really noisy and incredibly fun!

I Have Never

Each person receives several counters (toothpicks, pennies, etc.)

Then take turns around the circle. Each person tells of something they have never done (example: I have never broken a bone or I have never traveled out of the country). Anyone who has done this must give the speaker one of their toothpicks or pennies. After going around the circle several times, the person with the most tokens wins.

What's your Name Sweetie

Materials:

• About 6 different candies that have given names like M&M's, Crunch, Wrigley's , etc.

• 1 Dice (or 2 dice if the crowd is very large)

Everyone is seated on the floor in a circle. Packaged candy bars or candy are placed in the middle of the circle. Everyone starts by saying their own names. The leader then makes sure that everyone knows what candy is in the middle. someone begins by rolling the dice. If they roll a 6, they can take one of the candies in the middle. The die continues to go quickly around the circle while people keep picking up candy. When all of the candies are taken, people then can get other people's candy.

In order to get their candy, they must state the person's first name and the name of the candy they hold. The person who rolls a 6 and matches the name of the candy and the person takes the other's candy. If they forget either name, they miss their turn and the dice goes to the next person and they continue to roll. (One person can get more than one candy and people can hide the candy behind their back). This is a great way of getting to know people's name and how to get your favorite candies!