Classic party games are memorable and fun for kids of all ages. If you’re planning a party at home, or at another location, this Free Pass the Parcel game is the perfect addition to any children’s party. The game is easy to set up and all you need is a small present!

The game includes a collection of fifteen riddles. With each riddle, a different guest will be described and then passed the gift. Once the final riddle is read, and the gift is passed, and this guest can open the present.

Hands-on party games, like this, are a wonderful way for children to interact with each other and play a memorable game together. I have played this game with preschool aged children up to kids starting high school. Everyone loves the possibility of winning a gift and the game is guaranteed to get lots of laughs.

For even more popular games to play at birthday parties, check out Hands-On Teaching Ideas popular Birthday Party Escape Room for Kids. Party guests solve hands-on puzzles to find their way to the end, and their prize!

Check out another Pass the Parcel Game which follows the same structure as the game below, but with different riddles, perfect for a princess birthday party!

Free Pass the Parcel Game Materials

One of my favorite things about this game is that you don’t need to spend much time preparing to play it. All you need is a wrapped present that any of your guests would love.

You will also need the printable riddles. These riddles are available, for FREE, at the bottom of this post. Once you have printed the riddles, and wrapped a gift, you are ready to play!

Free Pass the Parcel Riddles

To begin the game, have all of your party guest sit around in a circle. They can sit on chairs, the sofa or even on the floor in a circle. There is no order that children should sit, and the game works best if everyone randomly chooses a spot.

Some of the riddles will have a very clear party guest that the gift is to be given to. Other riddles, however, may take some time to decide and judge who the present should be given to. This is part of the fun.

Once everyone is seated, begin by reading the first riddle. The riddle instructs players to pass the gift to the person with the most vowels in their name. Players can choose if they interpret this as just their first name, or all names. Once the person with the most vowels has been identified, the gift is passed to them.

Pass the Gift Game Riddles

The riddles lead to the following guests:

• The guest with the most vowels in their name
• A guest wearing glasses
• The fastest child/runner
• Tallest guest
• The child beside the one reading the riddle
• Child wearing stripes
• Curliest hair
• Birthday child
• Wearing a hat
• Lightest eye color
• Wearing the most green
• Wearing the most blue
• Darkest hair
• Coolest socks
• Two to the right of the birthday child.

If there is a clue, or two, that you feel may be difficult for guests to solve, try one of the options below. For example, one of the riddles makes the gift be passed to someone wearing glasses. If there are a few kids in the group with glasses, before the game starts tell players that for any riddle that fits a few guests, they can do rock, paper, scissors to decide the winner.

If rock, paper, scissors, isn’t the best choice to settle who gets the gift it can always go to the person sitting closest to the birthday child. You can choose any way to settle it, but it is best to make players aware of this before starting.

For other clues, such as the child wearing the most blue, if there are several kids wearing blue, you can pass the gift to whoever is wearing the most blue.

Another option for any riddle that doesn’t work well for you group is to simply remove it from the game. Simply don’t read that riddle and move onto the next. Skipping a riddle won’t make a difference overall, it will just mean the gift will be pass one less time.

Free Pass the Parcel Alternative Ideas

The game described above is a common and probably the easiest way to play the game. However, there are a few alternative ways to play.

If you want to make the game even more interactive, you can wrap the gift several times. Wrap one layer for each riddle read. As each riddle is read, and the gift is passed, the child with the gift gets to unwrap a layer as the gift is passed to them. This can increase engagement and excitement as children never know if they are about to open the final layer.

Another option is to add a small gift or treat within each layer. A small gift card or even a candy can be fun for players to find as they unwrap.

Another option is to cut the riddles into strips and place the next riddle within each layer of wrapping. When a guest unwraps a layer, after the gift has been passed to them, they get to unwrap a layer, but they also find the next riddle which they can then read.

Free Printable – Download Here

All of the Free Pass the Parcel riddles featured above are available from Hands-On Teaching Ideas. Click the grey lock box below and subscribe through Grow. Once you subscribe, the printables will download right away.

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