Blind man’s bluff, limbo and wink murder are the games dying out at children’s parties.
A poll of 1,000 children aged between six and 11 and their parents revealed only 16% of the youngsters have ever played wink murder. Sleeping lions and musical bumps also appeared low on the list of classic games they have tried.
Instead, little ones now enjoy free play on bouncy castles or with inflatable games (63%), are amused by an entertainer (55%), or watch movies (50%). Interestingly, 38% had played video game competitions such as Minecraft at a party.
Seven in ten parents said one of the things they worry about is finding fun games all the kids will want to play which don’t cost much and don’t need a lot of preparation.
The research was commissioned by Capri-Sun, which has launched a 20-pouch party pack with 14 interactive games, aiming to help parents bring simple fun to kids’ parties.
A spokesperson from the drinks brand said: “Perhaps parents need to learn some new games as well as show their little ones what they used to play when they were young.
“The trick is not to over think it – children won’t remember the tiny details in the same way a parent does, only how it made them feel.”
The study also showed that of the old-fashioned party games, hide and seek (73%), pass the parcel (66%) and musical chairs (64%) are the top three most played.
Kids who want to give these games a go said it was because their friends would like to as well (65%), they sound funny (48%) and they like trying new things (47%).
But the top reasons for avoiding unpopular games like wink murder, sleeping lions and blind man’s bluff were ‘they sound boring’, ‘cringe’ and they didn’t like the name.
The best games contain prizes or rewards (47%) – and only 8% said it doesn’t matter who wins. But 24% love it when everyone can play at once. The average party preparation time for parents was three months – with 14% planning five to six months in advance.
While 39% of parents find party preparations exciting, 30% see it as stressful and 23% worry about the cost. Organising a low-cost celebration was a consideration for 28%, as 42% of parents said young ones’ parties are more expensive now. A quarter also claimed they’re much more complicated than they used to be.
Despite this, 44% said their kids enjoy modern games and activities just as much as the kind of traditional party games mums and dads remember from their own childhood.
The spokesperson from Capri-Sun, which has drinks that can also be personalised for each party guest, said: “Parents need as much help as they can get when it comes to party planning.
“They want to keep things low cost but kids are wanting venues booked with fun activities.
“And with not all parents quite knowing how to get the traditional party games off to a flying start it can be stressful – when you just want them to have as much fun as possible and to keep the party atmosphere going.”
THE TOP 15 MOST PLAYED GAMES AT CHILDREN’S PARTIES:
- Hide and seek
- Pass the parcel
- Musical chairs
- Musical statues
- Simon Says
- Duck, Duck, Goose
- Party dancing competitions (e.g. best dancer)
- Pin the tail on the donkey
- Balloon popping (sitting on balloons)
- Musical bumps
- Sleeping Lions
- Limbo
- Blind man’s bluff
- Musical corners
- Wink Murder