Ideas for the Party Human

Dodge-Tag (E)–You will need a soft ball, like a Nerf ball.  One player is “It,” and the rest run as It tries to hit one of them with the ball.  When It hits someone, that person must become It.

Duck, Duck, Goose (YC)–This game is played like the old favorite, “Drop the Handkerchief.”  The children sit in a circle on the floor, and one who is “It” goes around the outside of the circle, tapping the heads of the others lightly and saying, “Duck, duck, duck,” etc., until she decides on one to be the goose.  When she says, “Goose!”, the child then tapped gets up and chases It around the circle, trying to tag her before she gets to his seat.  If she reaches his seat safely, he will be the new It.  If she is tagged, she must try again.

Farmer-and-Crow Relay (C)–Divide the children into two equal teams.  They line up in two single files behind the starting line.  The first player in each line is the Farmer.  The second is the Crow; the third is a Farmer; the fourth is a Crow, and so forth.  Give each team five or more bean bags.  At the signal to go, the Farmer places the bean bags in a straight line about two feet apart, with the last bean bag on the finish line.  He then runs back and tags the next player in his team.  This player, the Crow, must hop on one foot over the bean bags.  When he has hopped over the last one, he may then hops back on the other foot, picking up the bean bags as he comes.  He gives them to the next player in line, and that player repeats the Farmer’s action.  This goes on until each player in one of the teams has finished the course, and that team is the winner.

Featherball (C, T, A)–Play with two to four players, depending on whether you want to play singles or doubles.  Place a small fluffy feather on the floor in the middle of a playing area that’s ten feet long by five feet wide.  The players must kneel with their hands behind them.  On a signal, each tries to blow the feather over his opponent’s goal line.

One variation is to play the same game on a table and allow the players to lean over into the “playing field.”

 Feather Race (E)–Give each contestant a knife with a feather, leaf or some other light object on it.  The idea is to see who can go across the room and back again fastest, keeping the object on his knife.  If the object blows or falls off, it must be replaced before the person can continue.

Fruit Basket (C, T, A)–The guests sit in a circle, with one player chosen to be It standing in the center.  Have the guests number off by fours.  The Ones will be Lemons; the Twos are Oranges; the Threes are Apples, and the Fours are Bananas.  “It” will then call off one of these four fruits.  Then everyone who belongs to that group must change places with some other person of that fruit.  The three remaining fruits stay seated.  While the change is going on, It tries to steal one of the seats.  If he does, the one left without a seat becomes It, and the one who was It becomes one of that kind of fruit.  The play continues in this manner with It calling out the different fruits in random order.  Occasionally, It may call, “Fruitbasket!”  When he does this, everyone must change seats.  This game can be adapted to fit many different themes by changing from fruit to some other category.