Party Games for 11-Year-Olds

Musical Statues

• This game is similar to musical chairs, in which participants must sit when the music stops. Instead of starting the seated, musical statues begins with children standing. When the organizer starts playing music, the kids begin to dance. When the music stops, the kids must freeze in place and remain frozen until the music starts again. Kids who move are tapped out of the game by the organizer and become eager assistants as they try to catch their friends moving during later rounds. Children at this age become adventurous during musical statues because the will try to stop in wild poses to test their abilities of holding themselves still.

Blind Obstacle Course

• Set up an obstacle course outdoors using traffic cones or old tires. Have children take a good look at the course for a few minutes before blindfolding each child in turn and allow him or her attempt to navigate the course. An alternative to this game is dividing children into teams. One child can call out hints to a team member while he or she tries to navigate the course. Children from the other team also can jump in by calling out bad directions.

Marbles

• Playing marbles is a classic game that can entertain a small group of 11-year-olds for hours. Draw a large circle on the ground using chalk or scratch one into the dirt with a stick. For an indoors game, mark out a circle with tape. Each player receives one large marble. Thirteen smaller marbles are arranged in a cross in the center of the ring. Children take turns flipping or rolling large marbles into the ring to knock out the smaller marbles. Smaller marbles knocked out of the ring are claimed. The child who collects the most marbles wins.

Guess My Picture

• Divide a group of children into teams of three or more people. Every player contributes three words written on index cards placed in a master pile in the middle. Shuffle the pile of cards before starting the game. At each turn, one person from a group chooses a card and tries to draw whatever is written on the card. The person's teammates try to guess what the word is within one minute. If the team fails, the turn moves to the next group. If the team succeeds, the group scores a point and gets to go again with a different team member doing the drawing. The game ends when all words on the cards have been correctly drawn and guessed.