Recently, I went to a friends house for an afternoon tea and being the modern career-minded woman that I am thought such things were outdated and boring. However, being a good friend I decided to go for a little while and then excuse myself after a period-of-time if necessary, you can only drink so much tea. To my pleasant surprise I ended up staying for over 2 hours and had the most fun I have had in any afternoon in a long time. The hostess had delicious tea and cakes but the highlight of the afternoon was the tea party games. Tea party bingo, tea party scrambler and more. Planning these little games takes little effort and preparation. Just make sure you have all the supplies you need before the party. Some tea party games require nothing at all others call for clipboards, writing utensils, etc. and will make them more comfortable and not scrambling to find a place to put their paper on or digging though their purse for something to write with. Here are a few for your next tea.
Tea Party Bingo is easy to play. You pre-make the bingo sheets using Microsoft Word. At the bottom of the page write the directions and the words for the bingo sheet. For the directions: Please write the following words into the boxes in any order you like; mix them up so your card is unique. Throughout the party these words will be said, announced or read by the hostess. Every time you hear one mark off your card, when you have five in a horizontal or vertical row call out BINGO for your gift. For the title, “Tea Party Bingo,” and then create a table that is 5×5 boxes with the following words at the botton: Tea, Tea Cup, Tea Pot, Sugar, Afternoon Tea, Friends, Silver, Clotted Cream, Teaspoon, Napkin, China, Queen Victoria, Milk, Strainer, Tea Cozy, Scones, Jam, Cookies, Cakes, Sweet Breads, Hats, Gloves, Tea Party, and Sandwiches. Don’t forget the Free Space in the middle.
Tea Party Scrambler is a fun, stimulating game and only requires minimal preparation. Create the, “Tea Party Scramble, ” with lots of different tea party words scrambled on the page in a vertical row. For example, jam would be scrambled as ‘mja’ or hats as ‘sath’. You can use the words listed above or create your own. The first one or two participatants to finish the full scramble (20 words or so) receive a gift. Or everyone that finishes the card gets a gift when they complete the game.
Tea party Manners is a game I particularly enjoy. When everyone arrives they receive a clothes pin that they attach to somewhere on their shirt. Any time a person says a word like ‘tea or sugar’ they lose one clothespin to the person who heard them first. The person with the most clothespins at the end of an hour or two wins the game. You can use any words that would be said at a during the tea party game.
So whether you are having a tea party for friends, a wedding shower or a poetry reading tea, try one of these games and your party will definitely be a hit with participants asking when you are going to do it again.
