Party Games Using Leftover Party Supplies

When I buy party plates, cups and balloons, there are often more than I need. My options are usually 8 x fancy cups or 24 x cheap cups, and if I have 10 kids coming, I’ll get the 24 cups for less, thank you very much.

So, here are a bunch of games you can play using the supplies you have left over from a previous party, or the surplus from this one.

Some of these games require music. If you don’t have a streaming service, or want to avoid ads, I have a music game timer here. For more easy games to have up your sleeve, check out my list of party games using household items.

Paper Plates

Plate Picasso

You will need pens, pencils or textas for this, but they don’t need to match, just as long as everyone has something to draw with.

Each child gets one plate and one pen or pencil. Ask everyone to write their name on the plate, then turn it upside down and place it on their head.

Explain that they are going to get a set number of seconds to draw something. Adjust the time and the drawing to suit the age of the kids. It could be:

• 10 seconds to draw a birthday cake with the right number of candles
• 20 seconds to draw a self portrait

When the time is up, everyone hands their plate and drawing utensil to the host. Line the plates up, drawing side up (so no names are visible), and the birthday child chooses the winner. It could be the best drawing, the worst, or the funniest.

Generally kids are ok with this, as all of the drawings will look ridiculous, so it’s not a judgement of their actual drawing skills.

But if you’re worried about sensitive kids, another variation is to line up the kids and hand the plates (picture side up) to the birthday child. They have to look at each picture and hand it to who they think the artist is. The host then flips the plates over one at a time to reveal how many they got right. This way, there are no “winners”. You can decide if they get a prize for every correct guess, or a funny punishment for every wrong one.

Frisbee Plate Toss

Each child gets a paper plate to throw like a frisbee. There are two ways to play:

• Target toss. Place a laundry basket (or a bucket or cardboard box) a few metres away and mark out a line to throw from. Everyone gets 3 throws, and whoever lands the most plates in the basket wins.
• Longest throw. Everyone throws from the same line and whoever’s plate lands the furthest away wins. Get them to write their name on their plate first so there are no arguments about whose is whose!

To make it harder, move the basket further away or get them to throw with their non-dominant hand. For little kids, move the basket closer, or forget the basket and just let them throw.

Balloons

Balloon Hide and Seek

For this game, you’ll need one blown up balloon for each child, in the same one or two colours. The fewer colours, the harder it is.

Each child receives a balloon and writes their name on it (you can pre-write them, or get the kids to write their own).

All the kids have to stand still and close their eyes while you scatter and/or hide the balloons. Then they have 15 seconds to find their own balloon. Need a timer? Use this countdown timer.

Anyone who hasn’t found their balloon by the end of the 15 seconds is out. If your balloon pops, you’re also out. Repeat, reducing the number of seconds each round, until there are two people left (the winners)!

To make it easier or harder:

• Use more colours (easier) or fewer colours (harder)
• Just scatter the balloons (easier) or properly hide them (harder)
• Spread them across multiple rooms (harder)
• Let kids pass balloons to their friends if they find them (easier), or ban kids from telling anyone else where their balloon is (harder)

Musical Pass the Balloon

You only need one blown up balloon and some music for this. For more excitable kids, have a spare balloon or two as a backup!

Everyone stands in a circle and places one hand behind their back. The birthday child is given the balloon. When the music starts, everyone passes the balloon around the circle using just one hand. If you drop or pop the balloon, you’re out. When the music stops, whoever is holding the balloon is out. Keep going until you have a winner.

To make it harder:

• Use your non-dominant hand (dominant hand goes behind your back)
• No hands! Hold the balloon between your knees and pass it with your knees and legs
• Blow the balloon up really big, so it’s harder to hold on to
• Add a time limit, each time someone gets hold of the balloon, everyone counts down from 3 (or 5). If you’re still holding or touching the balloon when they get to zero, you’re out

For an easier version, don’t blow the balloon up too much, a bit of give makes it easier to grip onto. Very little kids can just use two hands.

Cups

Stack Attack

Videos of this game have gone viral in the past. Each person is timed stacking 10 cups into a tower and collapsing them back down again without knocking any over. Knock one over? Either you’re out, or you start again and the timer keeps going. Fastest time wins. You can use this stopwatch tool to keep track of everyone’s times.

This Blows

Line up a row of cups. Each person gets a balloon to blow up. Using the air from just that one balloon, they have to try to knock over as many cups as they can. Most cups knocked over wins.

Musical Cups (or Plates)

Just like musical chairs, but using cups or plates. Place cups around a table (one less than the number of kids). When the music starts, everyone walks around the table. When it stops, everyone has to grab a cup as fast as they can. Whoever doesn’t get a cup is out. Remove a cup and repeat until you have a winner.

Serviettes

Serviette Race

This one only works on floorboards or tiles.

Everyone stands in a row at one end of the room. Each kid gets a serviette, unfolds it and places it on the ground in front of them. With both feet on the serviette, everyone has to scoot to the other end of the room and back again without ripping or tearing it. First person back with their serviette still in one piece wins.

Cups & Water (best played outside!)

These ones get wet, so take them outside.

Water Race

Everyone lines up and is given one VERY full cup of water. Holding it with one hand, they race to the other side and back. First person back with a still full cup wins.

You can also make this a relay, where you pass the cup to the next person in your team instead of a baton.

Messy variation: instead of handing over the cup, you have to pour your water into the next racer’s cup, with your eyes closed. The team with the most water left at the end wins.

Water Pour

You’ll need a measuring cup (or bowl), a blindfold and one cup of water per person.

Place the empty measuring cup on the ground and mark out a spot where each child will stand (chalk or a stick is fine, it’s just to keep it fair).

One at a time, blindfold a child and bring them up to the marker. With one hand behind their back, they have to try to pour as much of their water as they can into the measuring cup.

Afterwards, pour whatever made it into the measuring cup back into their own cup and let them hold on to it. This makes it easy to compare at the end. The person with the most water in their cup wins.

To adjust the difficulty:

• Spin them around three times before pouring (harder)
• Use a larger jug or a big bowl on the ground (easier)
• Place the measuring cup on a table or chair so they don’t have to bend down (easier)