Kids' Pass the Prize: One Gift, One Clear Circle

Open the file that matches your paper: US Letter or A4. Both sizes also come in a two-up version with two games per page. Go full-page if you'll stand back from the circle and want more room to read. You don't need a sheet for every child, because one adult reads the lines aloud.

The listing allows color or black-and-white printing. Check that the whole page shows in print preview, then print a sample. Read the entire page once, last line included, before you pack it with the party supplies. If you pick two-up, separate the copies before the kids arrive and keep a spare with the host.

The supplied instructions start with one small wrapped prize. Choose something easy to pass hand to hand and wrap it before the game begins. Skip the bulky box that takes both arms. The fun is in following the directions, not wrestling a parcel around a chair.

Keep the prize next to the reader's page so you aren't fetching it once the circle is ready. One player keeps this prize at the end. If every child also gets a party favor, hand those out at their own moment so everyone knows which parcel belongs to this round.

Arrange the group so each child can easily reach the next one. Chairs or a floor circle both work, so check the space before everyone settles. Move bags and drinks away from the passing route so the prize has a clear path.

Tell the children you'll read the instructions and they follow each line. Show them how to hand the parcel to a neighbor and wait for the next direction. Keep it short, then ask whether everyone can hear you. Once they're listening, hold the wrapped prize to start, as the game directs.

Read the printed lines aloud and let the children pass the prize as directed. The listing calls for quick passing, but leave enough room for the parcel to reach the right player before you read on. Watch the prize, not the page, so your head isn't down the whole round.

If a handoff gets missed, pause and repeat the current instruction. Help the children find the right spot, then carry on. One child looking toward the cake table doesn't mean restarting. Hold the page yourself so you can follow the sequence without someone else turning it over.

The supplied rule says the named player on the final line wins, unwraps and keeps the prize. Follow that ending. Don't swap in a music-stop winner or add an elimination round just as the kids expect the finish.

Give the winner a moment to open the parcel, then close the game clearly. If another activity is next, say where everyone goes and put the reader page away. A clean ending is easier for kids than a round that drifts into more passing with no new instructions.