40th Birthday Party Games

Games are fun for all ages, and 40th birthday party games are no exception! Whether the party is low-key or an all-out bash, plan for some appropriate games to allow the guests to mingle and provide the guest of honor with priceless party memories.

Plan games for a 40th birthday party!.

It can be a challenge to think up party games that are fresh and new, and won't cause your guests to groan about having to play games. Games can be a great way to keep the momentum going, and it's always a good idea to have a few of them planned in advance. Keep in mind that games for an adults-only party will be different from those for a party where kids will be on hand, and plan accordingly.

Another thing to consider is if you want to hand out prizes for the winners of the games. If you decide to go this route, pick up some simple, practical items like coffee mugs or candy, or choose gag gifts that will bring an extra bit of fun to the festivities.

40th birthday party games can be as simple as making a time-honored party game into something new and fresh. Here are some ideas to add a twist to traditional games.

• Musical Chairs – Play music from the year of the birthday boy or girl's birth, or from when he or she was a teenager.

• Charades – Use a theme for this game that relates to the birthday, such as TV shows from childhood, newsmakers and celebrities from the year he or she was born, or other important moments from the past 40 years.

• Birthday Bingo – Make up Bingo cards (these are easy to make and print from your computer), but instead of using the regular Bingo numbers, use years from the guest of honor's birth to present. As the numbers are being called out, mention a fun fact about the birthday boy or girl, or a significant event, from that year. For example, "B-1970. The Beatles broke up and Jim got his first haircut!"

Here are some ideas for more 40th birthday party games.

For this game, print or clip pictures from magazines of celebrities that fall into a wide range of ages. At the party, show the pictures and ask your guests if the celebrity is older or younger than the person celebrating his or her birthday. You can have guests call out their answers, or give them paper and pencils to keep score. This is especially fun if you find photos of stars who look older or younger than they actually are.

Have the guest of honor fill out the answers to a questionnaire that includes all kinds of fun and quirky questions. For example:

• What is my favorite cocktail?
• When and with whom was my first kiss?
• My most embarrassing moment was ...?
• My first car was a ...?

Have your guests fill out the same questionnaire, giving answers that they think the birthday celebrant would have used. Compare the answers to the correct ones, giving points for each match, and the person with the most points wins.

As your guests arrive, have them fill out a small card with their fondest memory of the person celebrating his or her birthday. Try to keep these memories as anonymous as possible. During the party, have the birthday boy or girl choose cards, read them aloud, and try to guess who submitted the memory.

Party games should be fun, most of all for the guest of honor, but also for all of the other guests. If you simply can't picture the guests enjoying these games, try something a little different and set up casino games, poker tables, or even dart boards and play tournaments. For games with team play, mix up the teams from time to time to allow guests to mingle.

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