What it is: A great Halloween activity where players wrap each other up like mummies

Best for: 6 players or more, divided up into teams of 3 or 4

What you  need: 

• 1 to 3 rolls of toilet paper for each team
• A roll of masking tape for each team (optional)

How to play: Once you have your players divided up into teams, give each team their roll(s) of toilet paper. Then have each team choose one player to be the mummy. The other players on the team will wrap the mummy with toilet paper, making them look as much like a real mummy as they can! There are several ways you can do this:

• Set a generous timer, like 10 minutes, and have teams make the best mummy they can. At the end of 10 minutes, have a judge give out awards like Best Overall Mummy, Most Covered, Most Realistic, etc. You can award candy as prizes, too. This variation might be best with masking tape, to make those higher quality mummies, none of that sloppy stuff.
• Another variation is more about the sloppy stuff. Have players race against each other. The first team to completely use up their toilet paper wins. You can still have a judge award prizes based on the best mummy.
• Combine the mummy wrapping with a relay race. Have a designated area or room the mummies can race across. After players use all their toilet paper to wrap up the mummy, the mummies races across the room and back. The first team to complete the relay without their mummy wrappings falling apart wins!
  
• Don’t keep a timer and don’t make a race. Just let players have fun with it! If you have a lot of toilet paper, have players take turns being the mummy.

Happy playing, and happy Halloween!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you’re having a happy holidays! One of the best ways to feel the Christmas spirit is to follow the example of Christ and serve others. Our family has been using Light the World as a guide for serving others this Christmas season. It’s an advent calendar with simple ideas of service each day. There are daily inspiring videos and suggestions. I encourage you to check it out and maybe add it to your Christmas traditions this year!

Service is the best way to feel the Christmas spirit, but one other way is quality time with family and friends. And what better way to spend quality time than with fun Christmas party games?

I’ve been looking for a Christmas game to share, and finally I decided to make a Christmas word list for the game three deep (follow the link to learn how to play). It’s a great game for a big group. Hopefully your holiday season includes getting together with friends or family you love, and just maybe playing a few fun games while you’re at it! Three deep is a great one to try out: indoor, loud, fun, quick, easy, hilarious.

Christmas Three Deep Word List

Also, here’s a roundup of all of the Christmas games I’ve posted in the past (mostly creative ways to do gift exchanges):

• 12 Days of Christmas gift drop off
• Christmas pictionary word list
• Christmas gift pass
• White elephant gift exchange
• Mystery gift pass

Merry Christmas, all! Thank you so much for reading, really, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

The 2016 Summer Olympics are almost here! This year I can say that I’ve personally met one of the Olympians. How cool is that? If you have a break during your Olympics-watching this year, maybe you’d like to play a little Summer Olympics pictionary, charades, catchphrase, or another game. The word list at the end of this post will help you out! Just cut up the words along the strips and play. This word list will also shortly be added to the online word generator.

If you and your friends or family want some extra Olympic game fun, try some easy trivia to test your Olympic knowledge. How many items can you name in each of the below categories? You can play competitively with a friend or group by choosing one category and taking turns naming items in the category. The first player who can’t think of an original item loses. You can also play cooperatively by playing as a group and counting everyone’s answers together. If you play, post a comment with how many items your group could name. I’ll shower you with praise and accolades (because when I tested my own Olympic knowledge with my husband I didn’t do very well).

• Summer Olympic sports
• Winter Olympic sports
• Past Olympians
• Movies about the Olympics
• Locations of past Olympic Games

I hope you enjoy watching the Olympic Games and cheering on your favorite countries and Olympians!

[pdf_thumbnails_link id=”4059″]

Summer Olympics Word List

Presidents’ Day is coming up! I wanted to post a Presidents’ Day game this year so I did some research into the holiday, and it was a lot more complicated than I thought! Wikipedia has the full story if you’re interested, but basically it’s not really standardized who exactly we celebrate on Presidents’ Day. The holiday is officially George Washington’s birthday (even though the holiday never falls on his actual birthday…). Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is also in February so he is often celebrated on Presidents’ Day, too, but it is sometimes used as a day to celebrate all American presidents in general. The name varies from state to state. I had no idea! Did you? How does your state celebrate Presidents’ Day?

Well, before I did all that research, I made a version of Who am I? for Presidents’ Day (you can head over to that post for instructions). The Presidents’ Day version has cards with names of American presidents on them and, I admit, would be pretty dang challenging for most people. I’d probably be awful at it. But if you’re a U.S. History class or if you and your friends are history buffs, you’d probably be great at it!

Presidents’ Day “Who Am I?” game

But after doing my research on Wikipedia, I felt bad for not keeping with the roots of the holiday and celebrating George Washington (and Abraham Lincoln) in particular. So I made another game, a matching game.

At a recent birthday dinner for two of my friends, a third friend put this game together. She made a list of  little-known facts about each birthday girl and read them all out loud in no particular order. We all had to write down which friend we thought the fact was about. It was a lot of fun when we played that way, all sitting around the table at our restaurant and laughing as we got to know the birthday girls in new ways.

This Presidents’ Day version may not produce as many giggles, but it’ll definitely keep you thinking! I don’t think it will be easy. (It definitely wouldn’t be for me!) To play, print out the printable. Read the facts out loud to your group. An answer sheet is included for players to write their answers on. There’s also a key so you can read the correct answers at the end of the game. The player with the most right answers wins! I think this would be a great game to play in school as you’re learning about the presidents of the United States, especially Washington and Lincoln. There are 32 facts, 16 about each president. If some of them are too hard or if there are too many for your age group, just leave some off and have students make their own answer sheet.

Presidents’ Day game: Name that president

To complete your Presidents’ Day celebrations, don’t forget to check out my Presidents’ Day pictionary list.

Happy Presidents’ Day and happy playing!

When you’re a little kid, before the days of complicated relationships and crushes, Valentine’s Day is a pretty fun holiday, right? You get candy and fun little notes from classmates and maybe a gift from mom and dad. Nothing not to love, right?

In honor of our littlest kids, and because I have a preschooler, I made a Valentine version of Don’t Eat Pete. (Visit the link if you need to learn how to play.) It’s one of the best games in the world – or at least that’s what I thought when I was five.

And, oh, you should definitely use conversation hearts instead of M&Ms for this holiday version.

As I was making the 8.5×11 version of the Don’t Eat Pete board, I actually thought it would be really cute to make smaller versions that young kids could give out as Valentines to classmates. I think they would make some especially cute preschool class Valentines.

There are 6 super-mini Don’t Eat Pete boards to each 8.5×11 sheet. There are two pages, so print front-to-back. The back has instructions and a place to address the card. I’d recommend printing on cardstock. Then cut along the dotted lines, pair with a box of conversation hearts, and your child has a cute, unique Valentine to give out. You could even laminate them.

So happy Valentine’s day, and know that I love and appreciate all of you readers!

What it is: A Christmas gift pass/exchange activity, kind of like a white elephant gift exchange, but for younger kids. It’s easier and faster than a white elephant gift exchange and, because there’s no actual choosing involved, will probably lead to less gift-picker remorse/tears.

Best for: A classroom of children, anywhere from 12 to 30ish.

What you need:

• Each child will need to bring a wrapped gift for this gift exchange activity. It would be nice to set up some rules or a theme beforehand, like everyone bring a wrapped book, or the gift should be anywhere from $3-$5, or please keep it gender neutral, etc.
• You’ll also need this printable poem to read.

How to play: Have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Then you can start one of two ways. You can have all the children put their gifts in a pile in the middle of the circle, then let everyone go up and pick a gift. They can probably all go up at the same time. Tell them they’re not going to end up with the gift they pick, so it’s not a decision to stress over. For an easier way to start or for younger children, just have each child hold the gift he or she brought.

Once everyone is seated in a circle and holding a gift, explain how the gift pass will work. You’ll read a poem aloud, and every time you say the words right or left, the children will pass their gift in the direction you say. (So the children will need to have at least a basic understanding of right and left.)

Then start reading the poem aloud. It’s an adaptation of the famous “‘Twas Night Before Christmas” poem. The key difference is words have been added – the words “right” and “left,” as many times as I could get them in. (It unfortunately messes with the rhythm a little bit, but it’s for the sake of the game.) Any time you come to one of those words, bolded and underlined for your convenience, really emphasize it. Make sure all the children pass their gift in the right direction. If your class is young, it might be nice to have another parent or teacher helper to oversee the passing.

Hopefully the kids will enjoy it, listening in anticipation for the words and watching the gifts move around the circle. And it’s a great way to practice directions, too. At the end of the poem, everyone keeps the gift he or she ends up with. Then all the children can open their gifts, either together or one at a time.

Note: I didn’t come up with this game. I remember playing it as a child at a class party, but I can’t quite remember when. I couldn’t find the text anywhere, so I wrote a new version. The original author of the poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” is Clement Clarke Moore.

Printables: Here’s the free printable poem you can read! The instructions are also included on the printable.

Christmas Poem Gift Pass

Happy Winter! Here’s a list of pictionary words related to winter and snow. Even though, where I am, winter doesn’t exactly mean snow. We’re enjoying weather in the low 60s today. Happy winter nevertheless!

Winter pictionary word list

What it is: A Thanksgiving tradition my mother-in-law always does. It’s a talking reflection activity, a great way to develop grateful hearts because it goes beyond the typical “Name one thing you’re grateful for this year.”

Best for: A group of people, any size, at a Thanksgiving dinner.

What you need:

• Slips of paper with different items you can be grateful for written down on them. I provide a free printable below. When my mother-in-law does it, they’re always cute crafty papers punched out the shape of leaves or shaped to look like little pilgrim boats or something. Mine are a kind of cheap imitation, but if you print them on cardstock and cut them out I think they might look okay. Feel free to use some of my word ideas and make your own cards as cute or as plain as you would like them to be.

How to play: The tradition is pretty simple. At Thanksgiving dinner, each guest will be given one card with different items you can be grateful for written on them. These can include things like family, home, food, sunshine and some that are more specific (like a random act of kindness). After everyone has eaten, go around the table and have each guest tell a story or explain the time they were most grateful for the item on their card.

My mother-in-law usually preassigns the cards by setting them at place settings. You could also have guests randomly draw a card. But I like having them at the place setting at the beginning of the meal because it gives everyone a chance to think (this is one of those things that you need to think about). One thing to be aware of, some of the topics could be sensitive or difficult for some guests, so allowing trading is always a fine idea.

The stories can be longer or shorter; they might just be a few words. But I’ve found that it’s really a great activity that leaves everyone feeling grateful for the blessings we do have, because a lot of times the time when we were most grateful for something is the time we didn’t have it. There’s something about hearing others’ stories or grateful experiences that is very powerful. I love Thanksgiving at my in-law’s because we do this each time.

If you want an example, say I were given the card food. I might tell about the time when I had finished labor and delivery with my first child, and I was amazed and happy and exhausted and I hadn’t eaten in twelve hours. And then my new son and I made it to our recovery room and he was all swaddled and clean and my husband was there, and I got to order lunch! And the hospital food tasted so good, and I don’t think I had ever been more grateful just to have food to eat. The experiences can be as simple as that.

Printables: Here is the printable I made! I’d recommend printing on cardstock. Feel free to pick and choose. The items should be pretty universal, except for the last three pages. Those pages are specific to the Latter-day Saint or Mormon culture (the church I belong to). Feel free to use or not use those pages as you see fit.

Halloween is almost here!

I’ve probably posted more Halloween party games than I’ve posted for any other holiday, so I wanted to do a quick roundup of all the Halloween posts I’ve done.

List of Halloween games and Don’t Eat Pete: Halloween version

This post lists some games that you can easily adapt to be Halloween party games, like the candy bar game or Halloween celebrities. It also has a free Halloween Don’t Eat Pete printable (with faces like the one pictured).

Halloween costume I spy bingo

This is a great little I Spy bingo game you can play at a Halloween party or anywhere you can see some people dressed in costume. You just make (or print off) a bingo board with each of the squares filled with costumes you might see. Then keep your eyes open Halloween night and see if you can cross everything off! Free printable included!

Boo! Halloween doorbell ditch

A Halloween tradition involving giving treats to neighbors. You need to start a few weeks before Halloween and you need to be a little organized about it, but it’s a great way to spread some Halloween cheer to your neighbors, friends, or community!

Halloween pictionary words

What more do you need for an awesome Halloween party? This post has a free printable list of Halloween words.

Mummy

A perfect party or classroom activity where you race to wrap players in toilet paper, making them into mummies!

Mafia and Murder 1: Winks version and Murder 2: Hand-squeezing version

These three creepy (but mostly fun) “murder”-themed games would be great Halloween party games. They’re all fun big group, indoor games.

Skittles

It involves candy. How can it not be a Halloween game? Basically you try to cram as many skittles in your mouth as possible.

Star Wars pictionades

Just because it’s a new game I came up with all on my own! And Star Wars is kind of Halloweeny, right? Just because of all the awesome costumes? Star Wars Halloween costumes are the best (yes, that’s me and my family!).

What it is: It’s more of an activity or tradition than a game, but it’s a great Halloween tradition that I remember from throughout my childhood.

Best for: A whole neighborhood or community of some sort! The only requirement is everyone needs a front door. You can play with a neighborhood, a city, a church community…you could even play with dorm rooms in a college dorm.

What you need:

• Several copies of a Boo! printable, like the one I made below
• Two plates of treats or bags of candy to get the tradition started

How to play: To start, print out two copies of the Boo! printable below. Then prepare two plates of Halloween goodies, like cookies or cupcakes that look like spiders or something cute like that. (Bags of candy work, too). Then choose two neighbors or friends to Boo first.

This is a ding dong ditch activity, or a knock and run. If you don’t know how those works, you might want to read this post to get an idea.

At night, drive to your chosen friends’ houses one at a time. Carefully sneak out to the doorstep, leave the cookies and a copy of the Boo! printable, ring the doorbell, and RUN! Hurry back to the car and drive away before they see you! When they answer their door, they’ll find a plate of treats and the papers. One page is a sign with a ghost that says “WE’VE BEEN BOO’D!” The other is a paper with some instructions that starts out with this:

So when your friends get the paper, they hang the “WE’VE BEEN BOO’D” sign on their door or in their front window, choose two of their friends, and leave treats on their doors within two days. That way, the Boo sign spreads throughout the neighborhood or community exponentially until Halloween arrives! Then it’s fun to trick or treat or drive through the neighborhood and see how many people you spread the Boo to.

It’s not too late in the year if you want to start this! To give it a jump start, you might want to start out with five families or so, just to help get the ball rolling.

Printables: Here’s the printable. It has two pages: one with the instructions, and one with a ghost that says “WE’VE BEEN BOO’D!” This is the sign that people will hang in their front windows or on their doors after they’ve been Boo’d.

Enjoy, and happy Halloween!

For the grand old Independence Day this year, I wanted to do something new and fun. So I created a kind of Fourth-of-July-scavenger-hunt-BINGO-game-of fun. Yay!

Now let me explain how to use all of these free printables. First there’s the BINGO boards. I made 10 of them, all unique, so you can play with up to 10 players. Well, for classic BINGO, everyone does need a unique board. But for this new scavenger hunt BINGO, I don’t think duplicate boards should be as much of a problem, so I think you could play with 20 or 30 or…well, you get the idea.

So print off your BINGO boards and make sure each player has one. Now a typical BINGO game would work with someone randomly drawing one of the items on the board and showing it or reading it aloud. If you have that square on your board, you mark it off (or put a special-edition-pack-of-red-white-and-blue-M&Ms piece on it, hehe). When you get 5 squares marked off in a row, either diagonal, horizontal, or vertical, you yell “BINGO!” and you win the game.

You can certainly play this game that way. But I wanted to add a twist; enter scavenger hunt BINGO.

For this twist, you need larger printed versions of each picture on the BINGO board:

Print and cut these pictures out and then hide them all over your playing area. This could be in a house, in a workplace, at a family reunion, all over a park – as big or small an area as you want. And you can hide these as hidden or exposed as you want to, depending on the age of your players. You might tape them to walls or the ceiling or place them on the fridge or in potted plants. You might tape them to the inside of cupboards or inside drawers. Get creative!

Now players are free to roam the playing area and mark off pictures as they see them. From then, the same BINGO rules apply. You could have a home base station where the facilitator of the game waits for winners to run back with completed cards. Then you could give out prizes to the first few winners.

I’m thinking this game could either be played all at once, kind of like a race type scavenger hunt, or throughout the duration of a party, a workday, or even a family reunion, played more casually. The game could even last more than a day if you hide your cards really well. (I might suggest laminating the hidden pictures for better durability or longevity.)

The one rule is players cannot move, hide, or tamper with the hidden pictures in any way; they need to be there so future players will be able to find them and mark them off. (But you could suspend that rule and make it more cutthroat, wua-ha-ha-ha.)

I’ve never played this so I’m anxious to see how it goes! I think it would be ideal for a fun Fourth of July get-together or the last day of work before the holiday. Just a great way to celebrate America! Oh, and these BINGO board pictures aren’t just fireworks and hot dogs (though there are those). They’re legit, with pictures like Common Sense, a crate of tea, and the Declaration of Independence, to remind you of the forming-a-more-perfect-union part of our great American past.

Finally, I made a version of the pictures that’s slightly smaller if that would come in handy for you.

And that’s it! I hope you enjoy! Leave a comment with questions if you have them, and if you play, let me know how it goes! Happy Fourth!

Happy summer! Where I live tomorrow is the last day of school! Always a big deal, right? My kids aren’t school-age yet so I guess it’s not a huge deal at our house, but still, we’re excited for the summer. Number one thing we’re excited for? Probably the beach! It’s fun (albeit slightly scary) to have a two-year-old and a one-year-old who love the beach so much.

Anyway, it’s about time I posted a list of summer pictionary words. Below is a list of summer words to use for pictionary, charades, catchphrase, or any other fun games you might be playing to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer! This list has also been added to the printables page. Enjoy!

Summer pictionary word list

And I hope your last day of school is as exciting as this and your summer is as awesome as this (yes, I just linked to two Disney Channel Originals). HAGS!

Happy Thanksgiving! This is one of my family’s favorite holidays. Time together with family, good food, and taking time to think about what we’re grateful for: it’s a wonderful combination for a holiday.

I try to post a different game or variation for each holiday, and for Thanksgiving this year I thought it would be fun to do a Thanksgiving version of celebrities. Quick, click the link to learn how to play so you can read about the Thanksgiving version!

OK, read it? Good. I think this would be best with a large group (around 15-20 people). The Thanksgiving spin is, instead of having players write down celebrities’ names, have players write down something they’re grateful for. I made a printable you could use to do this easily. Just cut up and pass out the slips:

Try to encourage players to use their creativity and write down unique or specific answers. (For example, the game won’t be very fun if everyone writes my family, even if it’s what we’re all grateful for most.) Here’s some answers that might be more suitable for the game:

• chocolate chip cookie dough
• Annelise’s high-pitched laugh
• my latest favorite song, “Zorbing” by Stornoway
• weekly date nights with my husband
• beds with clean new sheets
• going to wedding receptions
• hearing Carson tell airplane stories
• Mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls
• Shelby’s free babysitting
• Amazon two-day shipping

(All things that I’m grateful for this year. :))

At the bottom of the slips to print out, I typed “Don’t be boring!” to encourage all your players to write down good responses. (You can cut that part off if you want, though.)

After you collect all the responses, fold them up, put them in a bowl, and play just like you would play celebrities. As you play you can find out who wrote down what and perhaps have some conversations on what you’re all grateful for (in between uncontrollable laughter, of course).

I haven’t played this variation yet (I’m planning on playing it this year), so if you play, let us all know how it works and if you made any adjustments! Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you all enjoy the holiday!

What it is: I Spy Bingo is a version of classic bingo. In classic bingo, everyone has a 5 x 5 grid of randomly placed numbers. Someone reads off a number at random, and players look for the number on their playing card and mark it off if they find it. Players try to get 5 marked-off squares in a row. First person to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) shouts out “Bingo!” and wins. In I Spy Bingo, instead of listening for numbers called out loud, you’re watching for things you might see in real life.

Best for: 1 to 6 players.

What you need: Everyone will need a game card. You can make your own or use my free printable ones! (see end of post). Everyone will also need a pen or something else to use to mark off squares (like candy, especially M&Ms, which are our favorites). You also need somewhere specific to play: in this case, a Halloween costume party, or the day at school when everyone comes dressed up, or trick-or-treating night…basically anywhere you can see lots of people in Halloween costumes.

How to play: Halloween costume I Spy Bingo is pretty simple. Everyone gets a 5 x 5 grid of squares. In each square, write a costume you think you might see someone wearing this Halloween. (My free printable cards already have costumes written out.) Once you’re at your party or school day or wherever you’re going to play, just keep a lookout at all of the cool Halloween costumes going by and cross off any costume you see on your card. First player to get 5 in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) shouts “BOO!” (instead of “bingo”) and wins!

You can also play the blackout version – where you have to cross off all your squares, not just 5 in a row, to win. Other than that, you can set up your own rules however you’d like! Here are some suggestions.

On the printable cards I made below, some of the costumes might overlap (e.g., fairy and Disney character; if you saw someone dressed as Tinkerbell, that could count for both). But I say you can only use each individual costume to cross off one square on your card. However, it’s up to you if you want to use Tinkerbell to cross off fairy or Disney character, bringing in a slight element of strategy. But if you do see two or more Tinkerbells walking around on Halloween night (from what I can gather, it’s a pretty popular costume), you can cross off both. You might have to settle some disputes as you play (like whether Princess Leia counts as a Disney princess), but that’s all part of the fun.

You can set a time limit, or just make the game last the duration of the party. You can play at a costume party, at school, or Halloween night (especially if you’re the one stuck at home alone handing out the candy. Why not call up another friend at home and have them play, too? Text each other pictures of your finished card when you win). Play by yourself or with a small group; it’s a very adaptable game. You can even have prizes for the winner(s), like pre-purchased candy bars, or some sweet deal like winner gets all the Snickers bars of the Halloween candy haul. Make it fit your group and make it fun!

Variations: There are lots of variations to I Spy Bingo. In addition to holidays or holiday parties, you can play on a road trip, in the airport, at the mall while people watching… I have some other ideas I’m working on that I’m excited to post, so stay tuned!

Printables: To make your Halloween Bingo easy, here’s some free printables! The first one comes with 6 unique cards already filled out. (But even if you want to play with more than 6 people, it would probably work just fine as long as there’s enough variation in the costumes you all see). The second one is blank so you can fill in your own costumes. This would be a great way to play and encourage creativity. Just come up with some basic rules, especially if you’re playing with a lot of people, and let the fun begin!

Halloween Costume Bingo

Halloween Costume Bingo: blank cards

Happy Halloween! I hope you all enjoy!

Funny story: When I was making this word list, as I was finishing I turned to my husband and asked, “Do most people associate s’mores with fall?” He made a face and shook his head. “People go camping in the summer,” he said. “Not the fall.”

“Oh,” I replied. See, I grew up close to the coast where leaves stay green all year long and in the winter the temperature rarely drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. S’mores are a classic fall food to me because when fall comes and the weather starts to cool down (you know, from the upper 90s where it was all summer), my family starts to have bonfires at night where we sit out and talk and roast marshmallows. We usually had a bonfire at our yearly Christmas or New Year’s party. Ah, the benefits of living somewhere warm. But I guess in many parts of the world, when fall and winter come, you don’t head outside for a bonfire.

SO, anyway, I took s’mores off the fall pictionary words list for all you people who grew up somewhere that actually has a traditional fall. But if you’re like me and you have good memories of s’mores in the winter, leave a comment! Am I really the only one?

Below is a list of fall/autumn-related words to use for pictionary, charades, catchphrase, or any other fun games you and your family or friends or students might be playing this year! This list has also been added to the printables page. Enjoy!

Fall/autumn pictionary word list

Happy almost New Year’s! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I love Christmas and the Christmas season so much, it’s always kind of sad when Christmas day ends. But then there’s always New Year’s to look forward to. I don’t know how exciting my New Year’s will be this year; we’re actually moving to a new state in early January (very last-minute). I think my husband and I will do something low-key at home, in between packing and cleaning… I did already decide on my New Year’s resolution: reading the scriptures as a family every day. What’s your New Year’s resolution?

Anyway, the holidays are a great time of year: delicious food, being with family, and (of course) games. And games are my specialty! I wanted  to make a pictionary/charades/catchphrase word list for New Year’s Eve. I was doubtful that I’d find enough words, but, even though it’s a short list, this should be good for at least one round of New Year’s pictionary or charades. Or maybe for a twist you could even try New Year’s celebrities!

New Year’s Eve word list

Then don’t let your fun and games end there: for tons of other free word lists, check out the printables page, or find even more pictionary, charades, and catchphrase words on my free online word generator (and if you love the word generator, download the app). Then for a list of some of my favorite party games, check out my New Year’s post from last year. Finally, feel free to browse my blog by game type using the top menu or even use the search feature to find the perfect game for your party. Whatever you’re looking for, I hope I can help you have a fun-filled holiday!

And I’d love to hear any comments, suggestions, or questions. Happy New Year’s!

What it is: It’s not really a game; this is more of a family tradition/activity. But it’s one that my family did for a good portion of my childhood, and one me and my siblings all looked forward to at Christmas time. It’s a fun gift-giving activity where, over the course of 12 days, you give gifts secretly to another family or friend. (We called it a ding-dong-ditch gift approach; I’ve also heard it called ring-and-run.) It’s a great way to feel the Christmas spirit of giving and service, and fun for kids, too.

Best for: Two families: your family to give the gifts and another family to receive them.

What you need: You’ll need 12 specialized gifts, one for each of the 12 days before Christmas. These can be highly variable or personalized depending on your family or the family you’re gifting to. You start with gift 12 on December 13 and work down from there to gift 1 on December 24 (one day until Christmas). When we did this tradition, we always used cute tags to mark each gift, and each tag had a number and said “Christmas is…” followed by a different noun, like “Christmas is joy” or “Christmas is love.” The last gift, gift number 1, always said “Christmas is Christ.”

On day 12, the gift would be 12 of something: maybe 12 oranges, or a dozen cookies. On day 11, it might be 11 small ornaments. On day 10, 10 candy canes, and so on. The exact gifts would vary by year and by the family we were giving them to, but one gift was always the same: on day 1, we gave a framed picture of Jesus Christ.

When we could, we matched the gift to the tag: for example, for “Christmas is giving” on day 4 we might give 4 rolls of wrapping paper. Not all of the days matched perfectly, but that was okay. Here’s a sample of what the tags and gifts might look like one year:

Again, the gifts varied year by year. We kept the family in mind. A lot of times we gave useful gifts. Some other gift ideas might be any baked goods (cookies, brownies, fudge), food (Little Debbie snacks, bread, popcorn, cans of soup, fruit, 2-liter bottles of soda), small toys, hot chocolate mugs, pads of paper, Christmas decorations, gift-wrapping tape, cookie cutters… even rolls of paper towels (useful!). You can get creative and give gifts you think the family would like and use. And they don’t have to be big, either. Even small things (like tape for wrapping presents or hot chocolate mix) can be a special gift, especially because this family will be receiving one gift every day for 12 days.

A tip on the gifts that my mom shared with me: she always tried to gather, wrap, tag, and prepare the gifts all before December 13, before we even started. That way we weren’t scrambling around last-minute getting gifts together. And, after you’ve secretly dropped off gifts for 5 days, it’s not like you can all the sudden stop or put it off a day; the family will be expecting you! But, come to think of it…I can remember at least a couple times when we kind of missed a day and gave two gifts the next day, or dropped it super late at night and didn’t ring the bell so they’d just find it in the morning. But we were a busy family of six kids…of course we weren’t perfect.

The delivery: After you’ve prepared your gifts, you’re ready to deliver! Start on December 13 with gift 12 so you’ll end on December 24 with gift 1. To deliver the gifts secretly, go to your chosen family’s house each night, then choose one or two people to sneak the gift quietly up to the doorstep, ring the bell, and make a run for it! Don’t get caught! On Christmas Eve, you can go as a whole family, ring the doorbell, show who you are, and present your gift of Jesus Christ, maybe with a message or a Christmas carol.

Printables: So because this tradition really is so special to me, I wanted to make it easy for others to do it, too. So I made these free printables of the 12 “Christmas is…” tags. Click the picture to download the PDF.

Now because I think you really do need to customize the gifts/days based on your family and the family you’re giving the gifts to, I left the numbers separate (on the last page) so you can cut the numbers out and paste them on the tag you want to use for that day. For example, say you just happen to have a Christmas CD with 12 tracks ready to give. Glue the “12” number on “Christmas is Music” and you’re set. So, even though the tags you’re printing don’t look like this now, when you cut out the numbers and past them on, the tags will look like this:

I also included a page of blanks in case you want to write in your own ending to the sentence “Christmas is…” Also, I’d recommend printing these on card stock, or mounting them on colored card stock if you print on normal printer paper. It’s nicer that way.

Variations: There are lots of ways you could vary this tradition. If you don’t like the ding-dong-ditch aspect, just give the gifts to your family openly. Or you could even do it with cards long-distance through the mail.

As for the theme, you don’t have to do the “Christmas is…” tags. You could use the song “12 Days of Christmas” as your theme instead. We never did it that way, but Natalie at Chronicles of a Babywise Mom has some great ideas on how to do it. In the same post she also talks about another variation that we never did but that sounds really neat: having each gift over the 12 days be a different piece to a new Nativity set you buy for the family. That way you can also include scriptures about the Nativity story with each piece. I think that would be a neat variation to do.

Finally, I came across this story about a family that does the 12 Days of Christmas for their neighbors. It’s a neat, touching story about loving our neighbors – what I think Christmas is really all about.

My memories: What makes this tradition so special to me is the memories I have of it. Each December, we’d sit in a family meeting and choose one family to secretly give our 12 days of gifts to. It might be someone we knew needed some extra love. It might be one of our friends from school. It might be someone we knew well or someone we didn’t know that that well at all. But we’d all decide together on who the family would be.

My mom would prepare the gifts, and then, starting on December 13, we drove as a family after dark to our chosen family’s home. Dad parked down the street, a few houses away, usually with the headlights off. One or two of us (we took turns each night) would quietly get out of the car with the first gift, sneak up to the family’s door step, put the gift down, and sprint away. Whew, the adrenaline rush! Then we’d jump back in the car and quickly drive away, hoping we weren’t seen. Dad always circled around the block slowly before we cautiously drove in front of the house to make sure the gift was gone. It was great fun for us as kids, and always left us very excited, with lots of stories to share. Of course, we had to keep the secret from the family if we saw them during the day, which was always fun, too. I remember once when we did my friend’s family, I was driving her to her house one night and pretended I didn’t know the way, just to throw her off the trail…as if I didn’t know; we had been driving secretly to her house at night for days! Some families got really into trying to catch us, too, and it would get harder and harder to ding-dong-ditch their house. (I remember one particularly zealous family; we had to recruit neighbors and friends to drop off the gifts to them because they waited so diligently by the door and chased us down the street.) Sometimes we were discovered, but we always tried to keep our identity a secret until the last day, Christmas Eve, which was always the best day.

On Christmas Eve, we’d drive as a family, but this time we all got out of the car together, walked to the porch, and rang the doorbell. When they answered, we presented the last gift, the picture of the Savior Jesus Christ, and sometimes sang a carol (but…probably not that often; my family’s not particularly well-known for our singing). Then it was fun and neat to admit our secret identity and talk to our family face to face. We always left feeling good and happy inside. It was part of our Christmas traditions for many years.

I hope you enjoy! If you want to start this tradition this year, December 13 will be your first drop-off day: you still have time! Merry Christmas and, however you celebrate the season, I hope you can find the joy and happiness that come not just from playing games and having fun, but from giving to others.

What it is: A gift exchange party activity, usually played at Christmas parties, where guests bring gifts and, through a series of complex rules, exchange them. Lots of laughs are usually involved. Be advised, it’s also a better game for teens or adults than kids, because, yes, some people are bound to end up with better gifts than others, and adults are less likely to cry and throw fits when that happens.

Best for: About 15 to 20 people.

What you need: First, you’ll need little slips of paper with numbers written on them, one number for each guest. Start at 1 and work up from there. Put the slips of paper in a bowl or hat for guests to draw from.

Next, instruct each guest who wants to play to bring a wrapped gift to the party. It is important that the gift is wrapped. It’s also often a good idea to set boundaries ahead of time for what the gift might be. In lots of white elephant exchanges I’ve been in, used gifts are fine (and even encouraged), but you could rule out used gifts if you wanted to. You can also set a monetary limit (like no more than five dollars).

If you’ve never done a white elephant gift exchange before, there seems to be a general perception of what makes a good white elephant gift. It’s often something quirky, random, regifted, and/or funny. That ugly fur hat you’ve had in the back of your closet but never worn, for instance, is sure to get a few laughs. Or a pair of ridiculous fuzzy slippers. Maybe a backscratcher shaped like a claw. Once I saw someone bring a live hermit crab (that was a surprise when it was opened). The point is, it doesn’t have to be expected or normal; the quirky stuff is often the most fun. There always seems to be a selection of more normal gifts, too (candles, bath salts, chocolate and candy…) and that’s fine and great. Personally, the only type of white elephant gifts I don’t like are obvious junk or trash (like dirty socks). To me, that’s just plain mean and you feel sorry for the person who ends up with it.

How to play: To start the game, have everyone put their wrapped gifts in a pile in the center of the room. Then have everyone else sit in a circle around the gifts.

Go around the circle and have each guest draw a number. Have them hold onto their slips of paper because it will be important to remember which number everyone has. The person who drew number 1 (we’ll call her Julie) goes first.

Julie starts by picking a gift, any gift she wants, from the pile in the center and opening it in front of everyone. As Julie is picking, no one else is allowed to say which gift they brought (but they can say after she’s chosen and started opening the gift). After she opens the gift, she holds it up for everyone to see and either admire (woah, awesome vintage Star Wars poster!), covet (I must have that five-pound bag of gummy bears!) or laugh at (haha, a Superman snuggie!).

Then whoever has number 2 (we’ll call him Jack) gets to go next. Now Jack has two options. He can either “steal” Julie’s gift, if he really wants that snuggie, or he can choose a new unopened gift from the pile, open it, and let everyone see. Let’s say he opts to open a new gift and gets a board game.

Now it’s number 3’s turn (let’s say her name is Katelyn). Katelyn gets the option of stealing Julie’s snuggie or Jack’s board game, or choosing a completely new gift. Say she wants Julie’s snuggie. All she has to do is walk over and take it (Julie has to let it go). But then Julie gets the option of stealing a different gift or opening a new gift from the pile. If she chooses Jack’s board game, then Jack gets the option to steal a gift or open a new one…and the round ends when someone finally opens a new gift from the pile.

That’s the basic game play, and you continue until the last gift from the pile is opened. Then everyone gets to take home the gift they’re holding, either excited (yes, I always wanted a snuggie!) or maybe a little bummed (man, I think I’ll just save this fake potted plant until next year’s white elephant and give it away then) or possibly full of regret (why didn’t I steal that bag of gummy bears when I had the chance?), but such is the nature of a white elephant gift exchange, and hopefully everyone still had fun. Now, to make the game possibly a little more fair and less likely to result in disappointment, read on to some of the rules and variations below.

Rules and variations: I think one universal rule is that there are no immediate steal-backs. So, for example, if Katelyn stole the snuggie from Julie, Julie couldn’t steal it back right away. If you wanted, however, you could allow Julie to steal it back during the same round, just not right away. (So say if Katelyn stole Julie’s snuggie, then Julie stole Brian’s Disney princess lunchbox, then Brian stole Ashley’s chocolate truffles, then Ashley stole the Disney princess lunchbox, then Julie would have the option of fairly stealing the snuggie back if she wanted.) That rule could be debatable, though…

Another pretty universal rule is that there’s no hiding of a gift after you’ve opened it. All gifts must be kept out and in plain sight of everyone. (This keeps that sneaky guy who opened the $10 gift certificate to Coldstone from hiding it under his chair undetected the whole game long just so no one will steal it.)

Another very common rule I’ve played with is to “freeze” a gift after it has been stolen a certain number of times, usually 2 or 3. So let’s say in your circle you have a super desirable gift, like a five-pound bag of gummy bears, that everyone wants. If you have a rule that gifts can only be stolen 3 times, whoever is the third lucky person to steal the gummy bears gets them for keeps. It would work like this: if Julie opened the gummy bears, then Jack stole them a few rounds later (one steal), then Katelyn stole them the round after that (two steals), then Isaac finally stole them after that (three steals), Isaac would get to keep them for the rest of the game; no one would be allowed to steal them away. This rule kind of also adds an element of strategy to the game. If you really want something, try to be the third person to steal it and you’re set.

Another rule I’ve played with is to, at the very end of the game, let whoever drew number 1 choose to steal any un-frozen gift in the circle if they want, because this person is kind of at a disadvantage, especially if they just happen to pick a lame gift (a ball of yarn? really?) and no one ever picks it from them. So let’s say Julie was the first person to go and picked a ball of yarn. At the end of the game, she would get the option to steal any un-frozen gift: say the nice boxed set of dominoes from Jack. Then you have two options. You can either have Julie and Jack do a straight-up trade, so Jack is stuck with the ball of yarn (sorry, Jack), or Julie can put the ball of yarn back in the middle of the circle, steal the dominoes, and then another round of stealing starts, with Jack choosing whatever un-frozen gift in the circle he wanted, until someone in the circle ends up taking the ball of yarn again and the game officially ends. The first option ends the game quicker; the second option can drag out the game longer.

Additionally, because in every game there usually is at least one gift that’s just kind of sad, and some poor guest opens it and gets stuck with it for the rest of the game, my mom always played with a twist that I liked; it makes the “loser” feel less jipped. My mom always prepared ahead of time one or two wrapped consolation prizes, usually just simple, ordinary things like candy or maybe a small gift card. Then at the very end of the game, everyone votes on the one or two worst gifts to end up with, and those people get the consolation prizes and feel not so bad about life.

I’m sure there are other rules you could play with that I’m forgetting or not aware of. Anyone else have another rule or variation to share?

For another way to play the game, check out batteries included white elephant gift exchange, which talks about hosting the game yourself and providing all the gifts.

(Oh, and side note if you’re curious, none of the sample people mentioned in this post are real people I’ve played with, of course…but some of the gifts are ;))

Do you have a Halloween party planned? Well, hopefully I can help! Last year I made a Halloween pictionary word list, and this year I thought it would be fun to do something for a slightly younger crowd, so enter…Halloween Don’t Eat Pete! 

8 x 11 version – Poster-sized version

You could call it “Don’t Eat Igor” if you want to give it an extra Halloween twist. If you’d like to play, just download the printout (it’s free), brush up on how to play Don’t Eat Pete if you don’t remember, then get M&Ms, Reeces Pieces, or candy corn and play! Bonus: You can choose to print it poster-sized (see above) if you want a full-sized board.

And, as another treat, here’s a list of some other games that you could easily convert into Halloween party games.

• Hangman – Just choose Halloween-themed words
• Celebrities – You could play with Halloween characters. Make a list ahead of time or have everyone write down a favorite (Igor, Dracula, Frankenstein and/or Frankenstein’s monster, the Ghostbusters, the Wicked Witch and/or Elphaba, Casper, the Sanderson Sisters, Jack Skellington, the Great Pumpkin, Harry Potter, Voldermort, Edward Cullen…)
• Charades, catchphrase, or pictionary – Be sure to use this Halloween word list!
• Clothespins – Play at a Halloween party and make words like “Halloween” or “pumpkin” the forbidden words
• The candy bar game – Have players put on and take off pieces from a Halloween costume (witch’s hat, long silk gloves, etc.)
• Glow in the dark dodgeball – A kind of “spooky” game already
• Mystery gift pass – Just use Halloween-themed paper and candy or Halloween party favors as gifts
• Newspaper – Assign everyone a Halloween character or word instead of a state or name
• Hot or cold – You could hide Halloween candy
• What if? – Have players write down questions themed around Halloween

Just a few ideas! Hope they help! Happy playing and happy Halloween!

Happy spring! I love springtime so much. Winter is great, but personally, after Christmas is over I’m just looking forward to when everything will be green again. And the wonderful season of spring is finally here.

If you’re looking to play pictionary or charades to celebrate this beautiful season, maybe just in time for Easter, hopefully this printable word list of springtime-related words below will help you out. Just click the link and print! These words have also been added to the word generator if you want to use the word list online without printing.

Happy spring and happy playing!

Springtime pictionary list

With Presidents’ Day on Monday, some of you might be looking for some pictionary words to celebrate the presidents of the United States of America, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. So I’ve got something for you! This isn’t a list of words per se, but actually more of a timeline of events that have to do with American presidents (Washington, Lincoln, and a few notable others). My husband and I have played timeline pictionary before, and it was actually a lot of fun. Kind of like song pictionary, you have to be creative and think outside the box. It becomes a game of creativity and, all right, raw drawing skill, more than speed. And I like that.

So here’s what you do: download this printable list, cut along the lines, and then take turns drawing strips of paper. Each slip contains a historical event, like “Abraham Lincoln was born (1809).” Then do your best to illustrate the event and get your team to guess! I’d modify the rules of pictionary a little for this and not require guessers to say exactly what’s written on the paper word-for-word; just a “Abraham Lincoln’s birthday!” or even “Abraham Lincoln as a baby!” might do. However flexible you want to be. You also might want to lengthen or do away with the time limit. And be creative! For the Abraham Lincoln one, for example, I might draw a log cabin, a woman in a bonnet and dress, and a cradle with a baby, maybe even one wearing an Honest Abe top hat. Maybe you could even try this list with charades (but let me know how it goes, because I haven’t tried it yet).

And if you want to brush up on your historical facts, too, maybe you could offer bonus points to the person who names not only the event but the year.

So Happy Presidents’ Day! I hope you enjoy your Presidents’ Day pictionary and your day off!

Presidents’ Day pictionary list

Happy Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day is a fun holiday because it’s all about showing others that we love and appreciate them. Plus, chocolate. Can’t go wrong, right?

This Valentine’s I’ve had a lot of fun working on some cool things for you guys. First, there’s a classic word list of Valentine’s Day related words for your pictionary, catchphrase, or charade-playing pleasure.

Valentine’s Day pictionary words

But, since I discovered there really aren’t a whole ton of Valentine’s Day related words, I tried to think of something else to add. First, here’s a simple list of some Valentine’s Day sayings, the type you find on conversation heart candies. I don’t know if they’d be super good to play pictionary with, but they might be good for catchphrase, or if you just need a printable list of some Valentine’s Day sayings.

Valentines Day sayings

Finally, I remembered that over Christmas break, my sisters and I played pictionary with the Christmas song list I made. We all really enjoyed it, even more than playing with the regular Christmas word list. So I thought, I’ll make another song list! And since it’s Valentine’s Day, you know they’ve gotta be classic love songs. Oh, yeah.

Valentine’s Day love songs

Since drawing songs might be a little harder than regular pictionary, you might want to make the rules a little more flexible: allow the occasional word or number, don’t have a time limit, etc. Do what works best for you! You could also use the song list to play a classic game of love-song name that tune. Ooh, maybe you could even play pictionary where players have to guess by actually singing the song! Hey, did I just make up a new game? I might have to post on that soon… Anyway, however you decide to play, I hope you’ll enjoy!

All of these word lists have already been added to the word generator, so you can find them there, too!

And, finally, as one extra Valentine’s Day treat to show you all how much I appreciate you coming to my site, I made some original printable Valentines! Just click the text or the picture to see them full-size and print.

Printable Valentines

Happy Valentine’s day, all!

Update: I’ve created a new post with a New Year’s Eve pictionary word list. Check it out here!

Happy New Year’s, everyone! It’s been a wonderful Christmas break, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed your family and friends with parties, games, and food. For New Year’s Eve, every year my family throws a huge New Year’s party with lots of family friends. It’s great; we play games with prizes, chat, eat, have a big confetti fight at the countdown, and end the night with a tasty, warm breakfast.

If you’re planning or attending a New Year’s party this year and have come here looking for some game ideas, you’ve come to the right place! First, I know pictionary and charades are big party games (and for good reason; they’re a blast). I’ve got lots of word lists for these games if you need them! The pictionary and charades posts have printable word lists at the bottom, or you can go to my online word generator. If you want to use the word generator for a game that’s not listed (or even one that is), check out the lists under the Any Game option on the Game drop-down.

Second, if you’re maybe looking for a new game, my blog has tons! Feel free to browse by game type (in the right sidebar). You can also visit the home page to see my most recent posts and browse backwards from there. Also, below I’ve listed some of my favorite party games for different age groups. Just click each game’s link to learn how to play. And happy New Year’s, all!

Games for teens to adults

• Four on the couch — A strategic memory game for big groups
• In the manner of the adverb — A fun twist on charades
• Spoons — A fast-paced card game
• Corporation — A fun guessing/memory game, also good for getting to know each other
• Winks 2 — A high physical contact (basically wrestling) game
• What if? — A funny and creative answer-silly-questions-and-read-them-aloud game

Games for kids

• The candy bar game — Candy’s involved. Need I say more?
• Sock — A rougher indoor game, but not too rough
• Celebrities — A fun mix between charades and catchphrase
• Newspaper — An easy fast-paced game that can be easily adapted to be a get-to-know-you game (also good for teens or adults)

Games for anyone

• Three deep — One of the most hilarious big group games I’ve played!
• Clothespins — You could easily put a New Year’s twist on this game; just make the forbidden words “New Year’s” or “resolution” or something
• Signs — A quiet game, but it can get really fun
• One hundred — A very easy to learn, fast-paced game
• Paper telephone — A hilarious game that encourages creativity. Good if you like drawing (or even if you don’t).
• Telephone charades — A mix between silent acting and the game telephone

Merry Christmas! Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. Last night was Christmas decorating and hot chocolate drinking night at our house. Now we have a tree up and everything!

So another holiday, time for another word list! Here’s a printable list of Christmas words you can use to play pictionary, charades, catchphrase, or another game. And as a bonus, there’s also a printable list of Christmas song titles you could use to play name that tune. Just take turns drawing a song title, singing or humming the song, and getting others to guess. Or, if you’re up for a challenge, play Christmas song title pictionary. I dare you. (I tried to stick to well-known Christmas songs…and resisted the temptation to add “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,” the hit Christmas song from *NSYNC. Oh, yeah.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the holidays and have fun with family and friends! This time of year can be so crazy and hectic, but I really think it should be about remembering our blessings, focusing on the real meaning of Christmas, making others happy, and spending time with those we love. Hope I can help!

And merry Christmas!

Christmas pictionary word list

List of Christmas Songs

(Oh, by the way, these lists have both been added to the word generator if you’d rather play online than print them off.)

Just for fun, here’s a few things I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving:

• My husband and son
• My family and my husband’s family (all of whom we get to see this Thanksgiving – whoopee! It’s gonna be a party!)
• Chocolate chip pumpkin pie cookies
• New things to learn
• Microwave popcorn
• The TV show The West Wing
• Kind friends who give good advice
• Smiles
• This video:

If you’re looking for some more help feeling that Thanksgiving spirit, maybe this printable list of Thanksgiving words will help. Use it to play pictionary, charades, catchphrase, or another fun party game this year.

Thanksgiving pictionary word list

Wow, sorry for the long break in posts! I have a good excuse, though; I had a baby. And he’s the best! And I love, love, love being a mom.

Well, fall is in the air! Today I think it actually kind of sort of snowed for the first time. Yikes! It was more like half-rain slush, and it definitely didn’t stick, but still.

If you’re like me, the changing weather has you thinking of the first holiday of the new season: Halloween! It’s time to think of costume ideas (especially fun for me now that I have a cute three-month-old to dress up), make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, carve jack-o-lanterns, and buy candy! What an awesome holiday. And if you want to spend some of your October celebrating by playing a good game of pictionary or catchphrase, well, I’ve got just the thing for you. A custom, printable Halloween word list! Just click the link below, print it, cut it, and use it for any of your Halloween game-playing plans. Oh, and these words have also been added to the word generator, if you want to use your computer to play.

Happy Halloween and enjoy!

Halloween Pictionary Word List

Happy Fourth of July! Whether your weekend plans include barbeques, family reunions, or fireworks (or all three), maybe you’d like to celebrate Independence day with a good game of pictionary, catchphrase, or charades. To help, I’ve created a printable Fourth of July word list! Just click the link below, print out the list, cut along the dotted lines, and enjoy! The first page contains more common, easy words, while the second page contains some harder words.

Also, I’ve added the word list to my word generator if you’d rather access the words online than print and cut them out. Just choose “Holidays” for the game and “Fourth of July” for the category. Watch for more holiday word lists coming soon!

Use the words for whichever game you want! Hope you have fun, and happy Independence Day!

Fourth of July Pictionary Word List

Best for: Big group of about 20 players.

What you need: You’ll need several things for this activity. First, you’ll need some small, cheap gifts or party favors or candy (the kind of little cheap stuff from the Oriental Trading Company, for example, or maybe some gifts from your local dollar store). You’ll want one gift for each person expected to play. You’ll also need wrapping paper, and, depending on how many people you’re preparing for, maybe several rolls of it. Finally, some appropriately-themed music (like Christmas music, if it’s a Christmas party) to play isn’t required, but it’s nice to have.

How to play: First, you’ll have to prepare a little by wrapping the mystery gift. Before the party starts, take you first gift and wrap it in wrapping paper. It’s okay if it doesn’t look good, because by the end, nothing will look good.

After you’ve wrapped your first gift, take another, put it on top of the wrapped gift, and wrap the whole thing with another layer of wrapping paper. Repeat this for as many gifts as you have. It might be fun to use different patterns of wrapping paper for each layer. When you’re done, you should have a lumpy, squishy wrapped gift ball that looks something like this:

Then, when it comes time for the party, have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Give the gift ball to one child and explain how the game works: You’re going to play some music, and while the music is playing, the children pass the gift around the circle. When the music stops, whoever is holding the gift gets to unwrap one layer of wrapping paper and keep whatever surprise falls out. Then that child leaves the circle and the game continues, until every child has received a gift. (My mom also always gave a little spiel with the theme “take what you get and don’t throw a fit.”)

Then let the game start! Kids love the anticipation of waiting for the music to stop, opening a layer of wrapping paper, and getting a prize. Just be sure that everyone gets one!

Considerations: Some things to keep in mind – if you’re playing with boys and girls, it’s probably best to have only non-gender-specific gifts, or to allow trading at the end so any boys stuck with something pink can trade it away. Also, you might want to explain beforehand whether trading at the end is allowed or not. Finally, depending on how mature your players are, you might want to consider having every prize very similar (maybe just different colors) so that children don’t get upset if they don’t get what they want. Have fun!

What it is: A fun indoor game good for parties, especially for families or younger teenagers.

Best for: Group of 10 to 15ish.

What you need: A pair of dice, a plate (or we always used a disposable pie tin), some random utensils (like a fork and knife, or maybe a spatula), assorted articles of clothing (sunglasses, a silly hat, scarf, and gloves are always good), and, of course, a few candy bars.

How to play: Sit everyone in a circle. Put the candy bar on the plate with the utensils and pile the assorted clothing nearby. Give the dice to someone (say Joe, this time) and instruct him to start rolling, with the goal of rolling doubles. As soon as Joe starts rolling, the person to his right (who, in this game, is Abigail) has to put on all the clothing as fast as she can and, using the utensils, attempt to unwrap and eat the candy bar. Joe also rolls the dice as fast as he can because as soon as he rolls doubles, Abigail has to stop, no matter how far she is in her process of unwrapping/eating the candy bar, take off the clothing, and pass it to Joe so he gets his chance to put on the clothes, unwrap the candy bar, and eat some yummy chocolate. Meanwhile the next person in the circle is hurrying to roll doubles, and…well, the game goes on and the candy bar travels all around the circle. Those not rolling the dice or trying to eat laugh and giggle at the silly sight of someone trying to unwrap and eat a candy bar with a fork and knife while wearing gloves and sunglasses.

Variations: If you’re playing with a bunch of germiphobes or people who just like cleanliness, you could set a rule that if someone’s sunk teeth into the candy bar, it’s theirs to keep, even if the next person rolls doubles before they can finish. Or, if you want a not-so-silly version to play, the game one hundred is kind of similar.

Update: Another blogger in this pingback mentioned some fun variations: “In my family, we always played with one die and switched turns whenever anyone rolled a six, always announced by everyone yelling “SIX!!!”” There’s also a link to another page with some ideas that would definitely up the game a little: try wrapping your candy bar in paper and masking tape and then freezing it before the game starts! They even mention switching any time someone rolls a 6 or a 1, which would definitely speed up the game. Definitely lots of fun variations to try! Just pick the ones that will work best for your group and have fun!