How to Use Games to Liven Up a Party

So you thought that games were only kids' play? Well, think again. Games in all forms and styles are making a big comeback for fun for all ages. It is a well known fact that people as social beings crave interaction and play games for pleasure and fun. In more and more aspects of our lives, we understand the value that a game can have. Games are used for breaking the ice, getting to know each other, having fun and learning. Today they are also used in the corporate world to improve teamwork and leadership skills. In this series of articles, I am going to give you tips on how to use games in different settings and for a variety of purposes.

Many parties and events can use the simple fun of a game to liven up the action, as a warm-up and get-to-know-you activity. Instead of relying on people to do the informal and sometimes awkward mingling at a party, you can help things along with a game.

Use the following game ideas and tips to liven up your next event:

For example, a version of the ever-popular Bingo can be adapted as a warm-up activity. Every guest gets a card. Each card is divided into a number of squares. On each square, there is a brief task that the guest has to complete. Examples of tasks: Find someone who ....loves lasagna, who has been to Alaska, who has 3 kids, who knows the alphabet backwards etc. The guests wander around and find other guests who fit these descriptions. The first person to fill in all their squares first wins a prize.

Make sure you have enough colored cards for each guest at the party. On each card write a few get-to-know-you questions. These may include: What is your favorite food? What is your nickname? What is your dream vacation? Each person fills out the questions and hands back the card. He / She takes a card that someone else has filled in. The aim is for each person to discover who filled in the card that they are holding.

Today, you can also hire party hosts who will help you play games that demand wit, skill and some teamwork. Guests are given a series of tasks to complete and by the end of the session; you can be sure that everyone has got to know each other and had lots of fun. People usually spend time talking about how they solved the problem or completed the task and before you know it, they are at ease and conversation is flowing.

Trivia type games have also become big in the party scene. You can adapt any of the TV trivia shows, write your own questions and have a lot of fun. Prizes can be original. Winners can get the chance to choose a task for the losers!

At your next family picnic or outdoor gathering, games are one way to keep the kids busy and entertained and fun for the whole family too. Games like "Tag" and Hide-and-Seek" have many different variations and are old favorites. Blanket Volleyball is played with 4 members on each team, each one holding a corner of their blanket. The aim is to serve the ball from the center of the blanket so that it becomes airborne. The other team has to catch the ball with their blanket. A team scores a point when the opposite team drops the ball.

This game works in the same way as musical chairs, but is suitable for a larger crowd, is less dangerous and doesn't require collecting 20 chairs for the occasion. The only preparation is making cardboard squares that are big enough to stand on. Make enough for the number of guests. The squares are laid out on the floor and the music is turned on. Everyone dances around and when the music stops, they stand on a square. Each round one more square is removed and the person without a square stands out. The game continues until the last two contestants compete for a single square!

For a smaller and more intimate crowd, you can always set up a number of table card games. All you need is a few small tables and chairs for the number of guests and a few packs of cards. There are loads of games to choose from, so make sure you know them or bring the rules. Favorite and easy games are rummy, cheat, spit, 21 etc. Instead of winning chips or money, prizes can be cookies, candies or chocolates.

So make you next event an unforgettable one and play some games!