Samples of
Party & Indoor Games

1. FAMOUS CHARACTER BACKS - Pin a card on each player's back with the name of a famous character written on it.  A player should not see the name of the character he or she is given.  Each player is given a different character.  Characters could be famous people living today, historical figures, or famous fictional characters.  Examples: Cinderella, Robin Hood, Abraham Lincoln, Babe Ruth, Ronald Reagan, Shirley Temple.  Players visit, socialize, and try to figure out their character identities.   They can ask general questions, but the other players are not allowed to name the character, or give any information beyond yes or no to specific questions.  Example: Have I ever been a president of the United States?  Yes.  A player is allowed to make only one guess as to who he or she is during any one visit with another player.  For example:

 Am I President Abraham Lincoln?    No.

To make another guess, the player must visit with a new player.  After visiting with the new player, and making another guess, he or she could visit again with a previous player and make another guess. When a guess is correct, the player moves the character sign from his back and places it on his front.  The activity continues until all players have guessed their identity, or time is called.

2.  FAMOUS CHARACTER CHARADES - Players individually or as teams take turns acting out a scene (without using words) depicting a famous character.  Other players try to guess who it is.  For example, a charade might show a person signing a paper resulting in people gaining their freedom.  This could be Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the salves.
 
3.  PAPER CHARADES - Each player draws a scene depicting an event in the life of a famous character.  No words are allowed.  The other players try to guess who it is.

4.  ORANGE RELAYS - Two teams.  Starting player on each team places an orange under his chin and tries to pass it to the next player on his team.  The pass must take place chin to chin.  Hands are not allowed to touch the orange.  If the orange falls to the floor, the passing player must place it back under his chin and try again.  First team to pass their orange to all their team players wins.
 
5.  FOUR FACTS AND A LIE - Each player writes four true facts about himself and one lie on a card.  The cards are then shuffled and passed out to the group.  Each player in turn reads aloud the card he received, and tries to guess the identity of the person who wrote the card.  If he can't guess correctly, the other players try to guess until finally the identity is known. Players should also try to guess which statement was the lie. The next player then reads his card.


6. WHO CAN DO IT THE LONGEST? - Players are challenged to do some action longer than anyone else in the group.  For example, all players start at the same time to whistle a steady sound.  The player able to sustain his whistle the longest without taking a new breath wins.  Try other contests:

Who can stand on one foot the longest?
Who  can keep both eyes open without blinking the longest? 
Who  can remain still and silent the longest?
Who can bounce a ball the longest?
Who can balance a book on his head the longest?
Who can do sit-ups the longest?
Who can jog in place the longest?

 
7.  PASSING THE SCISSORS CROSSED OR UNCROSSSED - Players sit in a circle.  The leader passes a pair of scissors to the next player and says he is passing it crossed or uncrossed.  Players are to pass the scissors along and try to discover how to do it correctly.  Many players will assume it has to do with whether the scissors are crossed or not.  For example, the leader passes an open pair of scissors and says, "I pass the scissors to you crossed."  The next player may pass the scissors closed and say, "I pass the scissors to you uncrossed."  Each time the leader (and anyone else who knows the trick) indicates it was passed correctly or not.  But confusion mounts because sometimes the scissors are passed in an open position and yet the correct words appear to be: "I pass the scissors to you uncrossed."  Players try to guess the trick by doing it correctly each time. Don't say what the trick is until everyone discovers it.  The trick is that it matters not whether the scissors are open or closed.  It's whether the passing player's legs are crossed or uncrossed that makes it correct or not correct according to the words said.


8.  BLOW OUT THE CANDLE - Players try to blow out a candle while blindfolded.  Players could take turns, or two players could try to blow out the same candle at the same time from different directions.  Player able to blow out the candle wins.
 
9.  PARTY PUNCH - Freeze ice cubes with food coloring so you will have red ice cubes and blue ice cubes.  Then, serve lemonade at your party.  When each person takes his drink, drop one or two red, or blue, ice cubes into his glass.  Those with blue ice cubes will soon have green lemonade. Those with red ones will soon have orange lemonade.  How's that for adding punch to your party?

10.  LAUGH BALL - Players sit in a circle with very solemn expressions.  One player holds a ball, and starts laughing.  He stops suddenly, and throws the laugh ball to someone else.  That person immediately starts to laugh.  He continues until he throws the ball to another player.  A player is to laugh only when he has the laugh ball in his possession.  Anyone caught laughing without the ball is out of the game.  Last player remaining wins.
 
11.  MAKE ME LAUGH - One player sits in a chair and tries to avoid laughing.  The other players in turn try to make him laugh by telling jokes and acting silly.  It might be fun for the players to draw a silly face on a paper bag, cut holes out for the eyes, nose, and mouth, and wear the paper bags as they try to make the sitting player laugh.  One successful comic on television made it a part of his act to wear a paper bag over his head and be known as the unknown comic.

12.  BLIND MARSHMALLOW FEED - Players are divided into pairs.  Each player is given five marshmallows.  The leader of the game then sees to it that all players are blindfolded.  At the starting signal, partners try to feed each other the five marshmallows they were given.  First pair to successfully eat each other's marshmallows wins.
13.  BUBBLE BLOWING CONTESTS - Give each player a piece of bubble gum.  First player to blow a bubble wins.  Then, see who can blow the biggest bubble.

14.  TREASURE CAKES - Wrap various coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters) in tinfoil and place them in your cake batter.  Players finding a treasure in their piece of cake get to keep it.
 
15.  PAPER CUP RACES - For each player, poke a hole in the bottom of a paper cup and place a string through it.  Tie the string so it goes from one part of the room to another part.  Each player's racing string should be the same length.  Place the cups so the open side faces the player and is at the starting position at one end of the string.  Players try to propel their cups to the finish line by blowing into them.  No touching of cups is allowed.  First player to blow his cup to the finish line wins.

16.  POPULAR GAME PARTY - Invite friends over to play a particular game, such as Monopoly, Flinch, Rook, Sorry, chess, checkers, Crazy Eights, etc.  You could do the same with electronic and computer games.
 
17.  CHALLENGE PARTIES - Players select goals or challenges they will try to reach by their next scheduled party.  Players discuss their goals and how they can help each other reach them.  Set a time for the next party.  At that party, share achievement results and stories.  Celebrate each person's victory.  Set new goals and the date for the next challenge party.


18.  THEME PARTIES - Establish a theme for your party which would indicate how people might dress, and what activities you might have.  For example:

Monster Parties in which players dress as their favorite monsters.  Activities might include monster chases, monster stories, scream contests, horrible desserts, monster dancing, etc.

Animal Parties in which players dress like particular animals.  Activities might include: horse play, pig feeds, pin the tail on the donkey, cat and mouse, monkey see monkey do, horse shoes, billy goat, etc

Thanksgiving Party in which players could dress like pilgrims.  Activities could include early colonial games.

Hero Parties in which players could dress like their favorite heroes.  Activities could include feats of extraordinary strength, courage, and skill.
 
19.  VICTORY CELEBRATIONS - Be on the lookout for good things to celebrate.  This could be achievements, outstanding performances, opportunities, new responsibilities, good fortune, making the team, etc

20.  WORK PROJECT PARTIES - Early American settlers enjoyed getting together to work on a common project, enjoy each other's company, and then have a party or feast.  Work is more enjoyable when we do it with our friends, and it has the added benefit of building bonds of friendship as we work toward common goals.  Projects could include jobs around a particular player's home, such as painting, putting in a new lawn, cleaning the garage, etc., or it could be a project for someone outside the group that could use the help, perhaps for people who would have difficulty doing it themselves (elderly, handicapped, sick), or simply as a gesture of goodwill to a hardworking family that could use the extra boost.
 
21.  FAVORITE FOODS PARTIES - Each person brings one of his favorite foods: desserts, salads, hot dishes, or whatever.  People enjoy the food and each other's company.