If it is raining or you simply do not have a backyard, then you need some party games you can play indoors without destroying the house. Indoor party games can be as quiet or as boisterous as you like, depending on how much space you have, and how much chaos you can handle. Here are some fun indoor game ideas to get you started, or check out our other Party Game articles for even more ideas for NZ parents.

Alphabet Games

Have all the kids sit in a circle, and have the birthday child start by saying ‘For my birthday I want an………apple’, or anything else that starts with ‘A’. The next child follows by saying ‘For my birthday I want an apple and a…..balloon, or anything else that begins with ‘B’. You continue around the circle until the entire alphabet is completed, with each child having to repeat the entire list.

You can adapt the starting sentence to fit your party theme. These sentences are easy to play with:

• Animal Theme – I went to the zoo and there I saw an…..
• Celebrity Theme – I went to the Oscars and I saw….
• Dinosaur Theme – My dinosaur was hungry so I fed him an…..
• Pirate Theme – I found a treasure chest and in it was ……
• Prince and Princesses Theme – Mirror Mirror on the wall, this is what I took to the ball
• Magic Party – Look at this, look at that, this is what I pulled out of my hat
• Pizza Party – I made a giant pizza and on it I put…..

Guessing Games

There are all sorts of games you can play where your guests have to guess what or who something is, and you can adapt them to any theme. These ideas will get you thinking.

• Put different objects into a box, and have your guests guess what they are just by touch.
• Hang a white sheet in front of the table with a bright light behind. Put different objects in front of the light, and see who can guess what the object is from its shadow.
• Blindfold each guest and give them small samples of food to try. See who can guess what each food is just by taste. To keep it really simple you could use Fruit Burst lollies and have them guess what flavour they are eating.
• Put gross-to-touch food in containers, and have kids touch them (while blindfolded) to guess what it is. Things like spaghetti, baked beans, mashed banana and creamed corn cause a stir.
• Play small snippets of music, and see who can guess the song. You can make it even harder by slowing down or speeding up the music.

Question and Answer Games

Question and answer games are just a chance to be silly, and younger children particularly enjoy nonsense for nonsense sake. Here are some of my children’s favourite question and answer games.

• Have all the guests write a question on a piece of paper, and put them in a bowl. Then ask them all to write the name of a song on a piece of paper, and put those into a different bowl. The birthday child then pulls out a question and reads it out loud, followed by the answer – which is in fact the name of a song. The results can be hilarious.
• Have a child choose an ‘answer’ word, which they must use no matter what question is asked of them. The other guests then take turns asking questions, and the child must reply with their chosen word without smiling. Once they crack a smile, somebody else gets to have a turn.
• Choose an ‘answer’ child, and have everybody ask them questions one at a time. The child can answer anyhow they like, but they can not say Yes or No. Whoever asks the question that leads to a Yes or No – becomes the answer child.

Concentration Games

Concentration games are games where your guests have to concentrate to figure out the puzzle or trick. There are lots around, but these two are easy to understand and play.

Aunt Sally

Have the children sit in a circle, and start the game by saying ‘Aunt Sally likes birthday food, but not birthday snacks…..what else does Aunt Sally like?’

The children then have to take turns trying to work out what Aunt Sally likes and what Aunt Sally doesn’t. They can test their theory by saying to you ‘Aunt Sally likes….but doesn’t like…..’, and you tell them if they are right or wrong, but don’t tell them why.

Once everybody has managed to guess correctly, give somebody the chance to explain how it works. Some will have worked it out, and some will be just having lucky guesses.

Now just so you know – Aunt Sally likes anything with two letters the same side by side. Here are some things that Aunt Sally likes (and dislikes) to help you out.

Aunt Sally likes lollies and sweets, but doesn’t like fudge.

Aunt Sally likes puppies and kittens, but doesn’t like dogs or cats.

Aunt Sally likes fizzy drink, but doesn’t like lemonade.

Aunt Sally likes sleep and snoozes, but doesn’t like naps.

Shoes

For this game you will need one other person who knows the trick to help you out.

Have every body take off their shoes and put them in a pile in the centre of the room. Ask your helper to leave the room, and get one of the guests to choose a number between 0-10. Spend some time rearranging the shoes into a pile, and then sit back on your knees and ask your helper to re-enter the room.

Your helper then has to guess the magic number, assumedly by looking at the shoes. They may even want to spend some time poking around the pile to make it seem convincing. The real way they guess the number is by looking at your fingers – how ever many fingers are resting on your knees, is the magic number.

Choose someone else to leave the room, and have them try to work it out. Keep playing until the code is cracked, or they give up in frustration.

For more great party games, check out our Party Game section.