When planning a tea party for a birthday, sleepover or just for fun, you’ll want to include some games to keep the guests busy and entertained. Tea is delightful and all, but not necessarily enough to keep little ones entertained in and of itself
Looking to take your child’s tea party up a notch? These 16 active, fun tea party games will ensure the party is a success for you and the kids.
Supplies for tea party
Before you get the party started, you need to prep. Here’s a list of tea party supplies you may want to have handy for your soireé (particularly if you’re playing one or more of the games listed):
- A tea set (obviously). If you don’t have one, a few cups and a pitcher can work in a pinch.
- Paper and pens (bingo).
- Paint (tea cup planters).
- Music (musical chairs).
- Tea bags (tea bag toss).
- Sugar cubes (sugar cube stack).
- Poster board (pin the tail on the teapot).
- Candy, stickers or trinkets for prizes.
1. Tea pot bingo
Bingo, but make it tea party-themed. To play tea pot bingo, simply create bingo cards in the shape of a tea pot , write numbers on each and then randomly pull numbers (out of a tea pot, perhaps!). Little ones can use reusable stickers in place of markers. Definitely one of the easiest games for a tea party. And if you really want to make things easy, you can buy pre-made bingo cards.
Where to buy: Tea party bingo cards ($8 for 24, Amazon)
2. DIY ceramic tea cup planters
A little more craft than game, this activity is sure to be a tea party hit. Pick up a few ceramic tea cup planters before the party and let the kids paint and decorate them as they’d like. The Spruce gives a quick tutorial on how to turn any tea cup into a planter. This really is the gift — er, activity — that keeps on giving!
3. Musical chairs (tea party edition)
Fact: All kids love musical chairs, and little ones attending a tea party are no exception. To give this beloved game a tea party twist, make sure all music has a “tea” theme — think “I’m a Little Tea Pot” and Kacey Musgraves’s “Cup of Tea.”
4. Guess the object
For this game, Chushla Tea suggests placing a bunch of tea-centric objects in a box (or maybe a tea pot) — think tea bag, spoon, etc. Have the kids each pick an object blindfolded and then try to guess what it is.
5. Tea party race
Civilized? Not necessarily. But tea party race is guaranteed to put a smile on kids’ faces. Give gives the ingredients to make tea (make sure the water isn’t hot!) and see who can make their cup the fastest.
6. Tea bag toss
You’ll need some inexpensive tea on hand and some old teapots for tea bag toss. As Party Games Plus directs, give a point value for the teapots based on the size of the opening, making the smaller higher in value. Place a line to stand behind, and have the kids toss the tea bags aiming for the pots. A tip: Pick up some old china teapots at a thrift store so your good ones don’t break.
7. Tea leaf Pictionary
Playing some rounds of tea leaf Pictionary is a great way to use those tea bags that were tossed. Write some items to “draw” on small papers and place them in one of the teapots. The children pick a slip and use tea leaves from opened bags to create the pictures while others guess. Find full directions on Tea Party Circle.
8. Guess how much (tea party style)
Fill a teacup or teapot with candy or sugar cubes for a “guess how much” game. Have everyone write down their guess on how many pieces are in the cup or pot. Let all the players share the candy and the winner receives a prize. One of the simplest tea party activities out there!
9. Sugar cube stack
You’ll need at least a box (maybe more depending on the size of the tea party) to play sugar cube stack. Divide the children in teams of two, as Almost Unschoolers does, and see who can create the tallest stack of sugar cubes in 30 seconds.
10. Pinko
Every good tea party needs a snack, right? Print out boards for a cupcake-themed bingo game called Pinkalicious, or Pinko for short. It’s played using printed calling cards and the winner yells out “Pinko” when they get a full row of items marked off on the board. Find the game at Curb Alert.
11. Tea tray memory game
Adapt this tray memory game from Activity Village to fit a tea party theme. Place numerous tea-related objects on a tray and give the kids a specific amount of time to memorize it. Then, they each have to write down everything they can remember on the tray. The one with the most correct answers wins.
12. Hot teacup
Birthday Party Ideas has a great game for a thrift store teacup or one from an old set of dishes. Similar to hot potato, the teacup is passed until the music stops. The last player wins the teacup as the prize.
13. Pin the lid on the teapot
Played like pin the tail on the donkey, pin the lid on the teapot uses a large poster board with a teapot drawn or painted on. Each player gets a cutout of the teapot lid. Wearing a blindfold, the person who gets their lid closest to the pot wins. Find printables at Party Fun Box.
14. Teapot relay race
Use two plastic or unbreakable teacups, a bucket of water and two smaller buckets — or teapots to stick with the theme — to play a teapot relay race. Following the directions from Fun Party Pop, two teams and have the children relay water from the bucket to the pot using the cups. The first team to fill their teapot wins.
15. Teacup treasure hunt
Paper teacups make great decorations for a tea party, but they can also be used for tea party games. A game of teacup treasure hunt will get the kids up and moving. Hide the paper cups around the yard or house, as Red Ted Art suggests. You can give some basic clues or run it like an Easter egg hunt. An added bonus: You can send a paper teacup home with each child as a souvenir.
16. Left Right game
This game can be played at any gathering, but the left right game for tea party gatherings is an iconic duo. To play this game, have everyone bring a small wrapped gift (or wrap gifts on your own and hand them out to each guest upon arrival). Have everyone sit in a circle and choose a fun tea party-themed story to tell. Every time the word “left” is spoken, the gifts get passed to the left; every time the word “right” is spoken, they’re passed to the right. Once the story is finished, everyone keeps the prize they’re holding.
Note: Etsy has a downloadable story for the left right game for tea parties.
Don’t forget the prizes
Make sure you have some small prizes for the winners of the tea party games, but keep them simple so no one feels left out. A couple of individually wrapped tea bags tied together with a pretty ribbon, a handmade bookmark, a teacup, some sample-size nail polish or a stuff-filled goody bag are all great options.
*Article originally written by Kit Arbuckle.
