Daily Party Dish

Fiesta Party Ideas: How to Host an UNO Tournament

My sister Kathleen recently hosted an UNO theme party for her daughter’s first birthday.  Aunt, uncles, friends, cousins, grandparents, and co-workers were all invited to this fiesta theme event!  With almost 100 people attending, Kathleen needed some Fiesta Party Ideas to keep a mixed group of adults and children entertained, and what better way to do that than with an UNO tournament! 

Getting ready for the tournament began with party set up.  We designated a special table at the center of the party room for UNO tournament play.  In front of the table was a bracket board for people to sign up. The bracket board was specially made by Party411.com and was very similar to a bracket you might see for March Madness, only the four brackets were each designated an UNO color – red, green, yellow, or blue.

In order to sign-up for the tournament, guests pulled a card from a special UNO deck.  The deck had 16 red, 16 blue, 16 yellow, and 16 green cards. (One card for each of the spots on the bracket.) If they pulled a yellow card, they put their name in a spot underneath the yellow section and then put their card in a “discard” pile.  This continued until all of the spots on the bracket were filled.

Then, the games began!  Guests took a look at the bracket, found their partner, checked the UNO rules posted on the tournament table, and faced off.  The winners then moved on to the next round!  The tournament lasted for about an hour as family and friends dueled to the final round.  The winner was a five-year-old boy named Brandon (see picture above), and his reward was the taco pinata which had served as a decoration on the taco buffet!   

Have fun planning your UNO tournament, and for more fiesta theme party entertainment, check out these posts, too:

• Fiesta Theme Party Buffet and Menu Ideas
• Fiesta Theme 1st Birthday Cake Smash
• Ole! Easy Fiesta Party Ideas
• Custom Fiesta Invitations and Party Favors
• First Birthday Party Ideas

Easy St. Patrick’s Day Party Games for Kids

This year, why not host an Easy St. Pats Open House Party. Sham-ROCK the House.   Of course, you’ll need to find a way to keep the adults and kids at your party entertained.  We have tons of great St. Patrick’s Day Party Games for adults, but if you’re inviting younger guests, there are definitely a few fun themed games you can throw together with little preparation. 

I came up with five fun party games the kids can start playing the second they step through your door.  Check them out below, and don’t forget to take a look at my other great St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas, too.

St. Pat's Day Party Games

1. “Wearing o’ the Green” Door Prize:  On your party invitations, make sure you tell your guests to wear green!  As the kids arrive, count how many articles of clothing have green on them.  The guest wearing the most green wins a door prize!  Of course, the prize should be green, too – like one of these awesome St. Patrick’s Day hats.

2. Rainbow Matching Game (see pics):  Attach circles of paper with double stick tape to the undersides of Hershey Kisses.  The paper should be all the colors of the rainbow. (ROY-G-BIV!)  Have players stand all the kisses up and play a matching game.  When players get a pair, they get to keep and eat the kisses!  No prizes needed for this tasty game…

3. Find the Four Leaf Clover: Depending on how many players you have, cut 100-200 three leaf clovers from green construction paper and at least one four-leaf clover per player.  Scatter the clovers around your venue, and let the game begin!  Have players hunt for a four-leaf clover, and once they find one, they can turn it in for a prize!  These St. Patrick’s Day Theme Candy Bar Wrappers make perfect prizes.

4. Shamrock Scavenger Hunt:  Of course, it’s not St. Patrick’s Day without hunting down a leprauchan and a pot o’ gold!  So make sure you have a Shamrock theme scavenger hunt.  Write clues on green construction paper shamrocks, and make sure they’re in limerick form, like this one-

                        There once was a St. Patty’s party,
                        Where all of the kids were big smarties,
                        They looked for a clue,
                        Underneath all the shoes,
                        Then said, “Maybe we’ll win a Ferrari!”
Include 5-6 clues in your scavenger hunt that takes players all over your venue and leads them to a large plastic “pot o’ gold” filled with St. Patrick’s Day prizes (think Halloween decorations – a black cauldron works!). 

5. Guess the Gold:  Fill a glass ball jar with gold coins, and have guests write down how many they think there are.  The player with the closest guess gets to take the jar home as a prize!

Good luck planning your St. Patrick's Day Open House from the Party Girl! 

Valentine's Day Couples Party Games

If you’re hosting a Matchmaker Party for Singles or you’re just having over a few of your best friends (who are couples, of course!), you’ll definitely want to have a variety of fun Valentine’s Day theme couples games to keep everyone entertained. Try out a few of my favorite games below, and don't forget to check out our other Valentine's Day Party Ideas for more inspiration, too:

• Orange Pass:  Form two teams (at least 8 people on each team), and have them form a line.  (Try to have couples stand next to each other!)  Give an orange to the first person in each line and have them hold the orange with their chin against their chest.  The point of the game is to pass the orange down the line and back, neck to neck. Players can’t use their hands, and if the orange is dropped they have to start over.  This game makes for some great pictures, and it makes couples get awkwardly close!
• You’re a Lifesaver!: Like with the orange pass, form two teams of at least 8, and have each form a line.  Each player gets a toothpick which they must hold in their mouths.  The first person in each line puts a lifesaver on their toothpick and then passes it to the next person without using their hands. The object of the game is to pass the lifesaver down the line and back without dropping the lifesaver or breaking it. The first team to do so wins! Like the orange pass, this game requires players get very close – perfect for Valentine’s Day!
• Love Song Game: Have couples form teams of two, and print out the lyrics from famous love songs (about 20 songs should be good).  Say (or sing!) a line from each one, and the first couple to sing the following line in the song gets a point.  Example: You say, “At last, my love has come along…” and couples respond, “…My lonely days are over, and love is like a song.”  Award an extra point if the couple can name the artist/song title. (“At Last” by Etta James, of course!)
• Heart Lava: Give each couple two large hearts cut from red construction paper.  Using just the two hearts, each team must move across the room, hopping from heart to heart and not touching the floor. (The floor is "lava"!)  Watch as couples come up with crazy strategies to make this happen (piggy-back rides included!).  The first team to make it across the room without touching the floor wins!
• Couple’s Minute to Win It Games:  Try a fun variety of easy games that couples must complete in under one minute.  Have couples stack conversation hearts as high as they can, transfer as many pink marshmallow hearts from one bowl to another using chopsticks, and toss as many conversation hearts from one cup to another with couples standing at least three feet apart.  Make sure to hand out Valentine’s Day theme toy prizes to the winners!

I love these fun party prize ideas, too!  Customize them with your own Valentine's Day message:

• Valentine's Day Theme Candy Bar Wrapper
• Valentine's Day Theme Mint Tin
• Valentine's Day Custom Cookies

Easy Valentine’s Day Minute to Win It Party Games

Kids and adults alike will love to play these minute-to-win-it games this Valentine’s Day!  These fast-paced games will be sure to keep everyone entertained (especially if you’re hosting a Valentine’s Day for Kids), and they require little preparation and expense. 

All I needed to purchase were some Valentine’s Day paper goods (cups, plates, etc), a few boxes of conversation hearts, and a bag of mini-marshmallows. It was well worth it – my guests played these games for at least an hour! Take a look at the minute-to-win-it games below, and don’t forget to check out my other Valentine’s Day Party Ideas, too!

• Heart Relay: Put two red solo cups in front of each player, one empty and one full of candy conversation hearts. Players have one minute to transfer as many hearts from one cup to another using a plastic spoon. The player with the most hearts wins!
• Heart Stack: Give players one minute to stack conversation hearts as high as they can.  If a player’s stack topples over, they have to start again.  The player with the highest stack wins!
• Candy Heart Stand Up: Put a pile of candy hearts in front of each player.  They have one minute to stand up as many hearts on their sides as possible.  The player with the most hearts standing at the end of a minute wins!
• Marshmallow Transfer:  To fit the theme, buy pink mini-marshmallows that you can find in most grocery stores around Valentine’s Day. Fill a plate with marshmallows and put an empty plate right next to it.  Players for this game have one minute to transfer as many marshmallows from one plate to another using only a straw. (Think suction!)  The player who transfers the most marshmallows wins!
• Marshmallow Toss: This two player game will make quite a mess!  Give each partner a red solo cup, one filled with mini-marshmallows and the other empty.  Have partners stand 3-4 feet apart (use tape on the floor to mark the distance) – and go!  The player with the full cup has to toss as many marshmallows as they can into their partner’s cup in one minute.  The pair who gets the most marshmallows in the empty cup wins!

Don't forget to handout fun themed prizes to the winners!  Try a few of these Valentine's Day Party Favors:

• Valentine’s Day Theme Mint Tin
• Valentine’s Day Theme Candy Bar Wrapper
• Heart-Shaped Stress Balls
• Valentine's Day Stickers

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Easy Super Bowl Party Games: Free Bingo Cards

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Easy Super Bowl Party Games: Free Bingo Cards

While your friends and family may be riveted by the game during your super simple super bowl party, make sure they stay entertained with a variety of fun games throughout the 4+ hour event.  My family throws A LOT of football parties, so we’ve come up with some pretty amazing super bowl XLIX party ideas for this year.  And I can say from experience, that without games, your less avid football fans will quickly become bored.

For this year’s Super Bowl party, I created a set of bingo board cards (4 total) perfect for keeping guests glued to the game.  I included squares for everything that could happen during the game from the “Coin Toss” to an “Ugly Commentator Tie”.  Make sure to download a free PDF of the Super Bowl Bingo Cards to print for yourself.

Pass out football stickers for guests to mark their bingo cards.  Of course, they’ve got to watch the game to mark off what they spot.  (They even have to watch the commercials to get a few of the squares!)

A few more game ideas for Super Bowl Sunday…

• If your guests are the betting type, a 2015 Super Bowl XLIX Theme Pool Board is a great way to keep every engaged with the game.  Just make sure everyone brings a bag of quarters to bet with!
• Paste pictures of team mascots onto a posterboard and number them.  Have guests match the mascot to the team on a separate game card. Award prizes to players who get the most correct!
• Of course, Party411.com has tons of Super Bowl Party Games for you to choose from. Take a look!
• Don’t forget to pass out football keychains, stress balls, and even football finger games as prizes.

Enjoy watching the game on Super Bowl Sunday, and save a bingo card for the Party Girl!

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Entertaining Children at a Wedding

With a sometimes lengthy ceremony, toasts, a plated dinner, formal dances, and a cake that isn’t even cut until the night is almost over, it’s no wonder that children can find themselves quite bored at a wedding!  Once the dance floor is open, the kids at your event will be busy, but how to keep them entertained until 8 pm? 

My sister-in-law Michele invited several families with children to her wedding.  She made sure her youngest guests were entertained with a few “Keep Those Kids Busy” Games as well as little wedding activity packs (including crayons, bubbles, and wedding theme coloring books) at each child’s seat. I especially liked how Michele put a child's name on each coloring book along with his or her table number. (Very easy to find at the end of the night!)  The kiddos had fun with the games and activity packs, while also staying out from underfoot during the first dance, toasts, and cake cutting.

For more inspiration for the entertainment at your event, take a look at a few of my ideas below, and check out our Fun Party Games which cover any formal event you can imagine!

5 More Ways to Keep Kids Entertained At a Wedding

1. If you have a grassy area near your venue (my sister's was a barn, so there was a large field right outside), than set up a few outdoor toys and games to play with.  Frisbees, soccer balls, and footballs will keep kids occupied for hours and are easy to clean up at the end of the night.
2. To promote budding photographers, put a disposable camera at each child’s seat along with a picture scavenger hunt.  The hunt should include photos like “A picture of the bride and groom kissing”, “A picture of a couple slow dancing”, and “A picture of the bride tossing her bouquet”.  Collect the cameras at the end of the night and see what special moments your littlest guests have captured! (Expect several of just the floor; they’re beginners after all!)
3. My sister-in-law printed a wedding theme coloring book for each child, but you could go even further and have a personalized book designed just for you.  This cute one from Sugar Pie Studio would be great!
4. Keep it simple at the dinner table with a few card games.  A basic deck of cards or Uno will keep the kiddos entertained as they’re waiting for the main course.
5. Want to go all out?  Hire or rent entertainment for the evening.  A balloon artist to make balloon animals, a bouncy house, or face painting are all fun options!

 Enjoy choosing activities for the kids at your next event, and don't forget to take a look at my other posts on my sister's wedding for more ideas, too:

• Summer Wedding Guest Book and Place Cards
• Summer Wedding Centerpieces and Flowers
• Summer Wedding Chocolate Bar Party Favors

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Five Fun Patriotic Kids Activities and Games

Keep the kids entertained this summer AND get some little hands to help you make some 4th of July Party Ideas at the same time! These activities will not only keep young guests busy (and help you decorate), but they are danger free, which is great for those who are too young to play with sparklers or fireworks.  After trying out a few of my ideas below, make sure to take a peek at our Summer Party Ideas for more inspiration, too!

Five More Fun Patriotic Kids Activities

1. Patriotic Wreath: Cut a hole in the center of a paper plate to create a "wreath".  Have the kids decorate it with red, white, and blue paint and star stickers.  Hang the wreaths with paper ribbon. An easy craft that serves as party decoration, too! (see above)
2. Firecracker Bottles: Remove the labels from empty plastic water bottles and fill them with red, white and blue beads, ribbon, and star confetti. Put the cap back on the bottle, and secure with hot glue or duct tape. Younger children will especially enjoy these fun and colorful noisemakers!
3. Star Cookie Cutter Art: Have the kids use cookie cutters to stamp red and blue stars on a sheet of white craft paper.  Transform the paper into a table runner or placemats for your next patriotic theme event.
4. Smore Snacks: Most young children would prefer eating the marshmallow straight off the roasting stick rather than making a traditional smore.  Make their sticky marshmallows more fun by providing fun dipables, like red and blue sprinkles, crushed graham crackers, and even melted chocolate!
5. Wooden Ring Streamers: Attach long lengths of red, white, and blue ribbon to basic wooden rings, like these.  These streamers are as fun as sparklers but aren't as dangerous for young guests!

Check out these summer party tips to make your get-together a hit!

• Patriotic Underwater Fireworks
• Backyard BBQ Party Ideas
• Outdoor Party Games

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Patriotic Kids Party Games and Activities: Underwater Fireworks

While the #1 July 4th kids’ activity continues to be running around the yard waving sparklers, there are a bunch of other fun (and nonflammable!) 4th of July Party Ideas for your younger guests. I especially love these underwater fireworks, which require few supplies and little setup.  These “fireworks” are also great if you’re stuck with a rainy July 4th.  Follow my easy tutorial on how to make your own underwater fireworks, and take a look at five more easy activities to keep the kids entertained at your Patriotic Theme Party, too.   Also, don’t forget to check out our other Patriotic Party Games for more ideas!

Ingredients

• Water
• Vegetable oil
• Food coloring
• Clear container

Directions

1. Fill your container 3/4 of the way with water, and add vegetable oil until there is a 2 inch layer on top of the water.  
2. Drop food coloring into the container. The drops will slowly fall through the oil and pop through to the water, where they will "explode".
3. Replace the water and vegetable oil once the water becomes saturated with color.

Enjoy your colorful underwater fireworks, and Happy July 4th from everyone here at Party411.com!

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Little Girl Bow Making Station Baby Shower Activity

For my sister Kathleen’s recent co-ed Peter Rabbit themed baby shower, I wanted give the guests something to do besides traditional baby shower games, which can be annoying, and oftentimes, embarrassing.  My sister is having a little girl, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to have a DIY bow-making station!  For this activity, I provided guests with a variety of clips, bows, and embellishments (along with some hot glue) and let the creativity flow.  Guests could visit the bow station anytime they wanted (sometimes more than once!), and the bows were later given to the mom-to-be as a gift. Kathleen ended up with some cute hair accessories for her little girl!  Make sure to check out some of our other Baby Shower Games for more ideas on how to keep your friends and family involved in the action!

At one end of the bow making station, I set up a frame that gave directions on how to make the bows (and also tied in the Peter Rabbit theme).  I filled silver and white ceramic trays with clips, headbands, bows, and buttons.  I lined all the clips with ribbon beforehand to cut down on a step, so all the guests had to do was glue bows and embellishments to their base.

I made extra ribbon available for guests along with several hot glue guns set out on glass plates.  Make sure to secure any hanging cords so people don't slip!

A plate full of colorful buttons were used as embellishments for hair clips and headbands.  Instead of having guests sew the buttons on by hand, the just used hot glue.

Guests put their finished bows along with a handwritten note to the mom-to-be in a cute basket. It was filled to overfilling by the end of the shower!

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Class or High School Reunion Photo Scavenger Hunt Game

 by Auburn Alumni Association on Flickr

Linda asks, “We are having our 40^th high school class reunion and would like to do an indoor scavenger Hunt using a message in a bottle for each table.  We don’t want it to be just people going up to people and asking questions.  We would like them to have to get up and move around.  Each table will have different messages in the bottle. Can you help?”

Of course I can! A high school reunion is a great opportunity to mingle, reminisce, and rediscover the place you called home for four years.  A scavenger hunt is a smart way to help your guests do all of these things, but you definitely want to make sure yours isn’t repetitive or boring. Below I describe a fun photo scavenger hunt, which will result in some funny pictures by the end of the night. Plus, don’t forget to take a look at our other Class Reunion Ideas to make your get-together a success!

Photo Scavenger Hunt

For each table of guests (a “team”), provide a list of photos that team must take in order to win the scavenger hunt.  If your guests are tech savvy, have them use their smartphones to take pics, or you can provide digital cameras for them to use (have them sign the cameras in and out).  First, make a huge list of photo ops, and divide the huge list into separate smaller lists for each “bottle”, ensuring that each team takes different pictures. Make sure each smaller list contains different categories like “Entire Team Pics”, “Person, Place, or Thing Pics”, “Stranger Pics”, and “Teammate Pics.”  Below is a sample scavenger hunt list with four items from each category:

• Entire team in a “wedgie line”
• Entire team in one bathroom stall
• Entire team at a lunch table with their backs facing the camera
• Entire team blowing gum bubbles
• A scoreboard
• A phone number in a bathroom stall
• A messy locker
• A love note
• Stranger with a bald head and a big beard
• Stranger punching a teammate (not really)
• Stranger eating a shoe like a hoagie
• Stranger giving a piggy back ride to a teammate
• Teammate slapping another teammate with a glove (starting a duel)
• Teammates spelling out school name/initials with bodies
• Teammate proposing to a stranger
• Teammate hanging from a basketball hoop

Once the team completes their list, they can submit their camera.  If you don’t have enough time for the teams to complete the whole list, assign point values to each scavenger hunt item instead (the harder the photo op, the more points).  The team that ends up with the most points wins!  After turning in the cameras, throw the pictures together in a quick slideshow, or follow up with your guests after the reunion by sending a mass email with some of the funniest shots.  This will be a great way to remember the evening.   Have fun reconnecting with your classmates, and save a seat for the Party Girl!

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