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How to Make Your Own Hat Game

A hat game can be quickly improvised for any party setting. The names in the hat can be prepared in advance by the host or can be supplied by the guests at the start of the game. For the host filling out names in advance, be sure to keep in mind names that will be commonly known by the guests. If the guests will supply the names, remind them to keep this in mind as well. Also remember that, when selecting the names for the hat, some people will be harder to describe than others. The names can be those of famous people or simply people everyone at the party would know, such as some of the guests themselves.

Things You'll Need

Slips of paper
Pencil or pen
Minute timer or stopwatch

Instructions

- 1
  Write down names on slips of paper. This can be done beforehand or with the help of the guests. Have about 10 to 15 slips with names per guest. So plan on a lot of slips of paper. If you have 10 guests, you'll want 100 to 150 names. Remember the names should be of people who are relatively easy to describe.
- 2
  Fold the slips of paper and put them into the hat. Mix them up thoroughly by stirring them or shaking them lightly.
- 3
  Divide the guests into teams of three or four people each. A good-sized party for this game will have only enough guests for three or four teams.
- 4
  Each team takes a turn in which one of the team members draws a slip of paper from the hat and then must describe the person named. The team tries to guess the name. The team has one minute. If they guess quickly, another slip is drawn and play continues until the minute is up. At the end of the minute, the team has scored a point for each name guessed correctly. Play then passes to the next team.
- 5
  Continue playing until every team has had the same number of turns. If you run out of names in the midst of a round, or you run out before all teams have had an equal number of turns playing, add more names into the hat. At the end, the team with the most points wins.

Party Games