Fun Parties & Games

Outdoor Games

• There are many games for both kids and adults when the party is outdoors. Play tug of war or make things more difficult with a multi-way tug of war. Multi-way tug of war works by having many ropes attached to a central point. Several teams tug the ropes and the one left standing wins.

  Other games include balancing a broomstick on your chin while revolving. Play Frisbee games if you have a large open area. Play traditional tag or pairs tag. For the latter, one person in the pair must find and tag the other person. This means that the players can hide behind others.

Games When Space is Limited

• These games work well when there is not a lot of space to run around or the weather is bad. "20 Questions" is a guessing game. Choose three different categories and the player thinks up an item. The other players have 20 yes-or-no questions to find out the item the player has chosen.

  Another game is called "The Hat Game." Each player writes down two different things, such as a book title, author, proverb or famous movie, on two pieces of paper. Throw all the pieces into a hat. Pair off the individuals in the group. Have one partner choose a paper and try to describe what is on the paper. The other must use these clues to figure out what is on the paper.

Adult-Themed Parties

• There are many themes that can be used strictly for adult parties. Have a casino night during which guests gamble for play money. Throw a party in which everyone must arrive dressed as someone from an old movie. Choose a period of time and base the theme on that era, such as a 1970s party. You can play charades and have all the items relate to the party's theme.

  Have a Hawaiian luau with tropical food and drinks, or Mexican-themed party that features Mexican foods and different types of Margaritas. Other adult party themes include an over-the-hill party, a girls night out, a wine-tasting party and a "This is Your Life" party, a good choice for a special birthday or other milestone.

Holiday Parties

• There are many different activities and parties that can occur during the holidays. For Christmas have a holiday cookie- exchange party, a snowflake party in which kids create their own snowflakes, or a New Year's Eve bash. On Halloween throw a murder mystery party, create a haunted house, have an indoor Halloween scavenger hunt or have everyone dress up as Halloween monsters. For Fourth of July, you can have a barbecue, host a softball tournament, play badminton or do an outdoor scavenger hunt.