New Year's Eve Family Night Activities

Although New Year's Eve is most often reserved for adult partying, the night can also be filled with fun and entertainment for the whole family fun at home with just a little planning.

Keep food easy and appealing for everyone, i.e., chips and dip, a veggie platter, chicken fingers, deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, or simply order in a pizza! Also have plenty of champagne ready for the adults, and fixings for 'mocktails" for the kids such as Virgin Pina Coladas or Shirley Temples.

In addition, follow these tips and suggestions for a New Year's Eve party game & activity ideas that will have family and younger guests cozying up to loved ones and family friends as they welcome in the New Year ....

New Year's Eve Predictions

For older teens and adults familiar with how to play, break out the Ouija board or tarot cards for a spooky night of fortune telling.

Introduce the younger kids to "Magic 8 Ball" and stand back for the giggle-producing results as the classic novelty toy mysteriously answers their questions about the future.

New Year's Eve Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great ice breaker, and usually result in lots of laughs - as holiday revelers compete to find items hidden throughout the house, in the backyard, or around the entire neighborhood. (Tip: alert the neighbors so they don’t think there are intruders in their backyard!)

Depending on how well you’ve hidden your ‘treasure”, items in a New Year's scavenger hunt can be awarded separate points for ease, or difficulty. The party contestants who amass the most points are named the winners, so be sure to have prizes ready for the highest scorers.

Suggestions for items to hide for a New Year scavenger hunt might include: a party hat, streamers, noise makers, plastic champagne glass, a clock, Happy New Year card, Happy New Year balloon, drink stirrers, coasters, chocolate coins, a calendar, or silver bells to ring in the New Year.

New Year's Eve Pinanta

Who doesn't love a pinata? No reason not to have one on New Year's Eve for a fun kid competition.

Make your own homemade pinata using 1. a large shopping bag, 2. New Year's Eve clip art 3. paper glue 4. stapler.

Instructions: download and print out a picture of a New Year's Eve party hat, Father Time, or other holiday clip art and glue it to the shopping bag. Further decorate as you please with tinsel or glitter. Fill your decorated shopping bag with candy and staple the bag closed. String up from the ceiling using heavy cord. Provide a pinata stick or plastic baseball bat, line up the contestants - and stand back!

Happy New Year!

More about New Year's Eve family night games & activities around the Web:

New Year's Fun and Games - Family Fun

Best Mocktails Recipes

Printable New Year's Eve Party Games

New Year Coloring Pages

Elvis Birthday Party Ideas

Yes, the King still lives! His music and films continue to inspire Elvis themed weddings and Elvis birthday parties that are still going strong worldwide commemorating the rock n roll icon.

Celebrating Elvis is as easy as turning the ol' jukebox on (today, that's a CD or DVD player) and letting the good times roll. Decorate with Elvis posters, feature some popular 50's foods, add a party game or two - and you have all the makings for a hunka hunka popular party idea.

Set the mood by selecting a general Elvis theme, or center the party around one of his most popular movie hits like Viva Las Vegas or Blue Hawaii for a fun luau party theme.

To decorate, search online for affordable Elvis posters, rummage around antique shops for old Elvis album covers and records, or simply print out images from the Internet.

And what would an Elvis party be without the party games?

Since music is such an important part of any Elvis party, get the house rockin' with a round of Name That Tune or a hip-shaking Elvis karaoke contest. Prizes can also be given out for the best impersonation or dance moves during the performance.

For the non-musical guests, try "Pin the Tail on the Hound Dog" or an Elvis trivia contest. Finally, buy a life-size Elvis cutout so that all guests can gather round for a picture with the King!

Food ideas "Fit for a King" can include fried chicken, 50's burgers and shakes, chicken "love me" tenders, or the famous fried peanut butter & banana sandwiches that Elvis loved so well. And don't forget the guitar shaped cake for a sweet ending to your Elvis celebration.

Say "thank you, thank you very much" by sending guests home happy with a goody bag filled with Reeses Pieces, toy sunglasses, a CD of Elvis hits, and photos from the party for an Elvis party keepsake they'll long remember.

More about Elvis party themes around the Web:

Elvis Party Ideas

Elvis Party Ideas for Preteens

Elvis Fan Site

Cinco de Mayo Party Game Ideas for Kids & Adults

You've got the nachos, the cerveza and mariachi music all set for a great Mexican fiesta. But what's a party without the fun and games? 

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, check out some of the best fiesta icebreakers and party games for both kids and adults:

Spanish Word Scramble - Pass out a sheet of jumbled Spanish words and see who can unscramble the greatest number of words correctly. Have pity on those unfamiliar with Spanish by using the most commonly understood words, i.e., casa, mucho, nada, senora, etc.

Find the Worm - Place gummy worms in bottles of water or sodas. The first one to jug-a-lug to the bottom - and eat the worm - is declared the winner.

Pass the Sombrero - A bit like ‘musical chairs’ but instead party guests have to try on a sombrero. Play Mexican mariachi music as the game begins and when the music stops the guest wearing the sombrero is out of the game. For extra laughs, give eliminated players the option to perform a Mexican hat dance to get back into the game. 

Nachos-Eating Competition - Have several bowls of nachos and party dip ready for guests to pair up into teams. One team-member must stand behind the other, acting as their ‘arms’, who must feed the nachos to their partner. The first team to empty their bowl is the winner. Provide bibs and floor covering and be prepared for a big MESS - and loads of great laughs (and have the camera ready).

Mexican Hat Dance - Turn up the mariachi music and have each person place a sombrero on the ground and dance around it. Whoever doesn’t get dizzy and dances the longest wins a prize! Or, hand out several prizes for most original dance, funniest dance or most unusual. 

Fiesta Scavenger Hunt List - Below, some ideas to get partygoers embarking on a Mexican party theme scavenger hunt through the house or the backyard. Set up the game so it can be played either individually or in teams, with each item assigned a point value. The person or team who scores the most points wins a prize! Happy hunting... 

• sombrero
  
• decorated pottery
  
• miniature Mexican flag
  
• cactus plant
  
• tissue flower
  
• gold foil covered chocolate “pesos”
  
• Mexico map
  
• bag of tortilla chips
  
• toy maracas
  
• box of taco shells 
  
• bottle of hot sauce
  
• lime
  
• avocado

Fun Pool Party Games & Activites

Besides the food and music, what's a pool party without the games? Here are some of our favorites for making a big splash with guests this summer. Be sure to have the camera ready!

Rubber Ducky Race

Provide a floating bathtub toy for each guest before they arrive to arrange this giggle-producing game for kids of all ages. It sounds simple as each player must push their duck to the other end of the pool. However, how they do it is up to you. For added difficulty, tell players they must only use head butts, their noses, their pinkies (or use your imagination). The first one to push their duck across the pool is declared the winner! 

Watermelon Slushy

Players push a watermelon from one end of the pool to the other without touching the bottom of the pool with their feet! Make it more fun by planning it as relay race for individuals or teams.  

Pool Party Treasure Hunt

Small plastic toys that are suitable for this game, just make sure they're sinkable to have players vie for a chance to find them at the bottom of the pool. The player with the most toys wins!

Cannonball Splash

Who can make the biggest splash?

Tug-O-War

Just like regular tug-o-war, only the rope is extended across the pool with teams on either side. The losing team is all wet as they get pulled into the pool by the opposing team!

Have fun ...

More about pool party games around the Web:

• Coolest Kid Pool Party Games
  
  
• Water Games | Pool Party Games
  
  
• Fun Pool Party Games - Associated Content