Group GamesParty games
Games for birthdays, kitty parties, festivals and family get-togethers, when everybody is in one room. They need little or no equipment: chits of paper, music, a few chairs. Mix a loud game with a quiet one, keep each game under twenty minutes and make sure elders and children can both join in.
- AntakshariThe best-loved singing game of Indian homes, buses and picnics.Party games · 4 or more, in two teams players · 20 to 40 minutes
- Dumb CharadesOne player acts out a word without speaking, and the player's own team has to guess it before the time is up.Party games · 4 or more, in two teams players · 20 to 30 minutes
- Musical ChairsPlayers walk around a ring of chairs while music plays.Party games · 6 or more players · 10 to 15 minutes
- Passing the ParcelPlayers sit in a circle and pass a parcel while music plays.Party games · 6 or more players · 15 minutes
- Whisper ChainA sentence is whispered from ear to ear down a line of players.Party games · 6 or more players · 10 minutes
- Tambola (Housie)Tambola, also called Housie, is the classic number game of kitty parties, society functions and family evenings.Party games · 5 or more players · 30 to 45 minutes
- One-Minute GamesOne-minute games are the heart of a kitty party: each player gets exactly sixty seconds to do a simple task as many times as possible.Party games · 4 or more players · 1 minute for each player
- Draw and GuessOne player draws a word and the team guesses it.Party games · 4 or more, in two teams players · 20 minutes
- Who Am I?Each player has a word stuck on their forehead that everyone else can see.Party games · 3 or more players · 15 minutes
- Truth or Task (Clean)A family-safe version of the famous party game.Party games · 3 or more players · 15 to 20 minutes
Planning the games for a party
For a two-hour gathering, three or four games are plenty. Start with one that needs no explaining and gets people moving or laughing at once, such as Passing the Parcel or Musical Chairs. Put the team game, Dumb Charades or Antakshari, in the middle, when guests have warmed up. Keep a sitting game such as Tambola or Whisper Chain for after the food, when nobody wants to run. Stop each game while people are still enjoying it.
Matching the game to the guests
- All ages together: Passing the Parcel, Tambola and Antakshari let a six-year-old and a grandmother play side by side.
- Kitty parties and ladies' get-togethers: One-Minute Games, Tambola and Draw and Guess are easy to run around a table.
- Birthday parties: Musical Chairs, Whisper Chain and Who Am I?, with the tasks kept simple.
- Guests who have just met: Who Am I? and Draw and Guess make strangers talk to each other without anyone having to perform alone.
What the host should keep ready
A box with chits of paper, pens, a timer on a phone, a music player and a few small prizes covers almost every game on this page. Write the chits and tasks the day before; a host who is still writing them while guests wait loses the room. Make teams with the team maker so that nobody is picked last, and for Tambola use the number caller, which also prints tickets. Above all, choose tasks that nobody will mind doing. If a guest says no, smile and move on.