Traditional British Party Games Explained: Rules For 16 Classics

Everybody knows these games and almost nobody can remember the rules, which is why every children's party features a two-minute argument about whether you're out in musical statues.

Here they are, written down properly. Most need nothing but music and a bit of floor.

Pass the parcel

• Wrap a prize in many layers of paper. One layer per child is the fair version.
• Children sit in a circle and pass the parcel while music plays. When it stops, whoever is holding it unwraps one layer.
• Put a sweet or a small toy in every layer so nobody goes away with nothing - this is now the standard at any party under eight.
• The person controlling the music watches who hasn't had a turn. That is the whole skill of running it.
• Grown-up version: a forfeit or a dare in each layer instead of a sweet.

Musical statues and musical bumps

• Statues: everyone dances while the music plays and freezes when it stops. Anyone who moves is out. Last one in wins.
• Bumps: same, but instead of freezing you sit down on the floor. Last one down each round is out.
• Musical chairs: chairs in a row facing alternate directions, one fewer than the players, remove one each round.
• The kind version: instead of being out, anyone caught moving becomes a judge and helps spot the wobblers.

Squeak piggy squeak

• Everyone sits in a circle on chairs or the floor. One person is blindfolded and stands in the middle with a cushion.
• The circle swaps seats while the blindfolded player is turned round three times.
• They put the cushion on someone's lap, sit on it and say 'squeak piggy squeak'.
• The person squeaks. If the blindfolded player names them correctly, they swap places. If not, they go again.
• Works from about age five upwards and is funnier with adults than anyone expects.

Wink murder

• Everyone sits in a circle. One person leaves the room or closes their eyes while a murderer is chosen - draw cards, the ace is the murderer.
• The murderer kills by winking at someone. That person waits a second or two, then dies as dramatically as they like.
• Anyone who thinks they know the murderer says 'I accuse'. They need a second person to back them before the accusation is made.
• A wrong accusation means both accusers are out. This rule is essential or the game lasts thirty seconds.
• Detective version: one player stands in the middle and has three guesses.

The chocolate game

• A bar of chocolate on a plate, a knife and fork, and a hat, scarf and gloves beside it.
• Players take turns to roll a dice. Roll a six and you put on the hat, scarf and gloves and start cutting and eating the chocolate one square at a time with the knife and fork.
• You keep going until someone else rolls a six, at which point you hand everything over immediately.
• Nobody may eat with their hands and nobody may cut more than one square at a time.
• Genuinely the funniest fifteen minutes of any Christmas or birthday party ever invented.

The rest of the standards

• Sleeping lions: everyone lies still, anyone who moves or laughs joins the wakers. Parents have been using this for a hundred years.
• Pin the tail on the donkey - blindfold, spin three times, closest wins.
• Oranges and lemons, ring a ring o' roses and the farmer's in his den for the very young.
• Simon says, with the trick that instructions without 'Simon says' must be ignored.
• Blind man's buff - a blindfolded player catches and must name who they've caught.
• Dead lions, hunt the thimble, and the parson's cat for anyone who wants a quiet ten minutes.

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How to write it so it lands

• Whoever runs the music decides who wins pass the parcel. Use that power fairly.
• A sweet in every layer stops the tears.
• Wink murder needs the two-accuser rule or it's over in a minute.

Where to shop next

• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Church hall and village fete games
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Irish, Scottish and Welsh party games
• Seaside and beach games
• Clapping games and skipping rhymes
• Card games your nan taught you
• Dice games explained
• Pen and paper games
• Playground games we all played
• Board games hub
• Kids' party games by age
• Nostalgic quiz questions
• Free feel good tools
• Shop cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the rules of pass the parcel?

Wrap a prize in layers - one per child - and pass it round a circle while music plays. Whoever holds it when the music stops removes a layer. Put a small sweet in every layer so nobody misses out, and let the person on the music make sure everyone gets a turn.

How do you play squeak piggy squeak?

One blindfolded player is spun round three times while everyone else swaps seats in a circle. They place a cushion on someone's lap, sit on it and say 'squeak piggy squeak'. If they name the squeaker correctly, they swap places.

What are the rules of wink murder?

Deal cards to pick a murderer secretly - the ace. They kill by winking at people, who die dramatically a second later. Anyone accusing needs a second person to back them, and if they're wrong both accusers are out.

How do you play the chocolate game?

Roll a dice in turn. A six means you put on a hat, scarf and gloves and eat a chocolate bar one square at a time with a knife and fork, until someone else rolls a six and takes over. No hands, one square at a time.

What's the difference between musical statues and musical bumps?

In statues you freeze when the music stops and you're out if you move. In bumps you sit down on the floor, and the last person down each round is out.

Do you sell games?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. Every game here needs a pack of cards, some dice, a pencil or nothing at all, and the only products on this page are our own cards.