PARROT GAME

Divide guests into two equal groups, one is the Pirates, the other the Parrots. The parrots are very very grouchy and are not permitted to smile. The pirates can do anything they like to get the parrots to laugh. The parrots can only respond parrot-style - if they think they can without crackering-er, I mean cracking - up!!! You might make one of the rules that parrots must answer any questions in “parrot-speak” only. The last parrot to keep a straight face is the winner.

BABY BOTTLE GAME

Before the party, prepare a baby bottle with a new clean nipple for each guest. Fill each bottle with 1 ounce of water and make sure the water runs out of each bottle at the same rate of speed. At a signal, each contestant tries to drink the water the fastest. The first one to finish is the winner. Imagine what great pictures you’ll get with this one!

SLEEPING LIONS

One player is chosen to be “it”. All other players lie down and become sleeping lions. They lie flat on their backs, keeping as still and quiet as possible. The “it” person has to try to make them laugh by making funny faces but not actually touching them. Anyone who giggles is out. The last lion is the winner.

Variations: Sleeping Clowns, Sleeping Astronauts, Sleeping Pirates, Sleeping Cowboys, etc.

HA!HA!HA!

The object of this game is to keep a straight face while the other players try to make you laugh. Everyone sits in a circle. One child says, “Ha!” The next child adds a second “Ha!” by saying “Ha!Ha!”. The third child adds another “Ha!” saying, “Ha!Ha!Ha!”…and so on. Any player who laughs or makes a mistake must drop out of the circle. However, those “drop-outs” can also try to make the others laugh (except by touching them or talking). The player who keeps a straight face the longest is the winner.

Variation: Have each child lie down, resting his or her head on the stomach of the next child. The last child to laugh is the winner.

POOR PUSSY

This is a tried and true game which has been popular for generations. Arrange players in a circle. except for one child who is designated “Poor Pussy”. Poor Pussy kneels in front of any player and acts like - you guessed it - a pussy cat. While he or she is meowing, the player must stroke Poor Pussy’s head and say “Poor Pussy, Poor Pussy” without smiling. If the player petting Pussy smiles or laughs, they become “Poor Pussy” in the next round.

Think about how difficult it is not to crack up while petting someone’s head and saying “Poor Pussy”! To make it worse, Poor Pussy is allowed to do anything to make players lose their composure, including silly faces, strange purring sounds, or other catlike moves. Other players are also permitted to laugh and do whatever possible to make it more difficult for the designated person to keep their composure.

CAT TAILS GAME

Cut thin strips of cloth for each guest at least one yard long and have them put them into the back of their pants, just skimming the ground. Kids then try to step on each other’s tails. They are out when they lose their tail. The winner is the last one to keep his tail!

JUNGLE KNOTS

Instruct guests to stand in a circle facing inward. To begin, everyone extends his or her right hand into the ring and takes hold of someone else’s hand. Then, they do the same with their left hands. The object of the game is to see if they can untangle the “knot” by stepping over, ducking under people, or turning around. Whatever happens, they can’t let go of hands!

FIRE ALARM RELAY

Prepare two sets of fire fighter’s clothing, including boots, oversized jackets, hats and gloves. Mark a starting line and place two chairs across the room with an empty wrapping paper tube on each. This will be the location of the fire and the hose to put it out.

Divide guests into two teams and demonstrate the proper procedure for the game. They must put on the firefighter’s clothing, run to the chair, pick up the “hose” and run around the chair with it spraying the fire, set the hose back on the chair, return to the dressing station, take off the clothes and go back to their line. The next person on their team then repeats the whole procedure until all team members have taken a turn. The team that completes the relay first is the winner.

This game can be played with any type of clothing. Match it to fit the theme of your party.

MUSCLE BUILDERS

Inflate up to 100 small balloons. Divide guests into two teams and select one guest on each team to be the “weakling”. The remaining guests will be “personal trainers”. Gather teams on opposite sides of the room and divide the balloons between them. The weakling puts on one-piece long johns or any other simple jumpsuit type of clothing you may have.

When you say “go”, the teams of personal trainers must make their weaklings grow instant muscles by stuffing as many balloons as they can into their long underwear. Give teams one minute for this task. When time is up - and you’ve taken lots of pictures! - remove and count the balloons for each team. The weakling with the most “muscles” or balloons, wins. This can be done more than once with new weaklings.

MUMMY WRAP

Split the party goers into teams of three and give each team a toilet roll. Two persons then wrap the third in the toilet roll so that they look like an Egyptian Mummy. The winning team is the one who in a set time (2 minutes is good) have the neatest and most covered Mummy.

Once your set, start with the legs by holding baby’s ankle with one hand and rubbing from thigh to ankle with the other. You can also rub with both hands as if you were holding a baseball bat moving from top to bottom. Next, go to the arms and rub with both hands from shoulder to wrist with a gentle twisting motion. Don’t forget to massage the lymph nodes in the arm pit. Now move to the chest and rub in a heart-shaped motion starting from the center. Next move to the stomach and use your fingertips to “walk” across the tummy from left to right. Move up to the face and rub small circles on and around your baby’s jawbone to relieve tension they accumulate from sucking. Lastly, flip your infant over to rub the back. Put one hand on the bottom and make a sweeping motion from shoulders to the bottom with the other.

Baby massage is wonderful, but there are precautions you should take. Avoid massaging if:
1) Baby has had an immunization in the last 72 hours
2) He/she has a skin infection
3) He/she is feverish or sick
4) If your hands or the room are cold
5) He/she is asleep
6) If your baby gets upset.

It’s important to make this experience as enjoyable as possible for both to reap the maximum benefit.

About the author:
Grant Carroll:father and co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedbabies.comwith Unique Baby Clothes and Toddler Clothing.Also visit Little Pampered Pets where you can find Dog Clothes and Small Dog Sweaters