Classic Party Games with a New Year’s Twist (New Pics)

Adults at the gathering better get their cameras out for this one. To prepare, pick up a variety pack from Krispy Kreme. When it’s time to play, tie one donut for each kid to a tree branch in the yard, low enough that kids can reach them. 

On your call, kids will race to see who can finish their donuts the quickest. There’s a catch though: They can’t use their hands. With donuts swinging to and fro, it’s trickier than you may think.

A traditional fall activity bobbing for apples can be a party craze all year long. Kids will not only have the time of their lives, but a healthy snack, too. Fill a large tub with water and add clean whole apples, which will float to the top. Players put their hands behind their back and pick an apple using only their mouths.

Break out the old Twister mat and spinner to truly get the party started. Players spin the spinner and call out the color and body part it landed on, such as "Right foot, green." Each player places the body part called onto an empty circle of that color on the mat, resulting in challenging positions and giggles. Adults at the party will envy the kids who get to put their left foot on red and their right hand on yellow.

If your backyard has a sandbox, you’ve got the means for a winning party game. Before the big day, bury little dinosaur skeletons beneath the sand. Give kids little shovels and other sandcastle-standard beach equipment so that they may unearth dinosaurs.

Traditional Hot Potato gets a modern twist with this updated party game. Instead of a potato, pass around an iPhone or camera. Before starting though, set the phone camera or camera on a timer to take a photo once time is up. Encourage kids to make funny faces as they play. Not only will this have them giggling up a storm, but their parents will get to keep the silly souvenirs of whoever ends up having their photo taken.

This cat-and-mouse game of tag is sure to keep kids entertained and hopefully tire them out a little bit, too. Play outside or in an open indoor space without tripping hazards. Seat guests in a circle. Choose one child to be "It" and walk around the outside of the circle and lightly tap each person on the head. It says "duck" or "goose" for each tap. The "goose" gets up and chases It around the circle, trying to tag It before the child takes the goose's spot. The person left standing begins the cycle again.

On your mark, get set, go! Using a spoon, kids will balance an egg while racing from a designated start point to a set finish line in the backyard. If the egg falls from the spoon, they’ll need to get a new one and start all over. To avoid extra clean-up, hard-boil the eggs in advance.

Easy to play for all ages, this nostalgic party game will be just as big of a hit today as it was back then. Blindfold a guest, turn them in a circle a few times, and let them pin a paper tail onto a cutout donkey that is taped to a wall. The person whose tail is closest to where the donkey's tail would be wins. Instead of a thumbtack on the “tail” like we used to use though, consider using tape to avoid pricked fingers and nicked walls.

Alternatively, musical chairs can be played as a variation of a dance party—and it doesn’t require moving around any furniture. In this version, kids are encouraged to dance when the music plays and freeze when it goes silent. The last person moving is out.

As this classic game goes, when the music stops, you better not find yourself on the outs. Play this game by lining up chairs—enough for one short of the number of guests participating—and turn on some music. While the tunes play, kids will circle the chairs, keeping their distance. When the music stops though, they must try to sit down, claiming a chair until one child is left without and therefore, out of the game. Removing a chair with each round, the child that claims the final chair left in the game wins.

Kids (and even adults) of all ages get excited about an old-school game of Limbo. Turn on some calypso music and use a broom to measure how low folks can go underneath it. Have two people hold the broom horizontally at shoulder height while party guests dance below it. Continue to lower the broom for each round. Anyone who touches the ground or the broom is out.

In a circle, choose a phrase to whisper in the ear of the guest to the right of you. That person will then whisper what they heard to the person to their right. The chain will continue until the whispered phrase reaches the final guest in the circle to your left, who can share what they heard. The original phrase will undoubtedly become distorted no matter how hard y’all try to keep the story straight.

Have a fantastic time with this exciting and hilariously fun game made just for couples! You will be rolling around with laughter by the end.

This version is a little trickier than the original. Two people act out the clue in this game, but one person knows the clue and acts it out behind the other players who are trying to guess. The second person doesn't know what they are acting out and mirrors, or mimics, the actions of the other player. It's harder and funnier than it seems.

Like iSpy, this game begins when one person chooses an object. Unlike iSpy, the chosen object doesn’t have to be in the room. It can be any person, place, or thing their mind can possibly imagine. Then, the rest of the crowd has to guess what it is, using only 20 yes or no questions to guide them.