Every party I've been to, when Pass the Parcel is announced, there is a cheer from the children. Is it the anticipation of the prize in the middle? Is the thought that all you need to do to win a prize is rip of a layer of paper? Is the attempt to guess when the last layer will appear?
For the adults, this is a stressful game. Should you put a prize in every layer? I asked this on my facebook page a while ago and there were some interesting answers.
Some, including my sister, though that prizes should be random. Children need to learn that they can't always win. It's a life lesson. Others said that a lollipop kept the children interested and occupied while others were having their turn. Another suggested stickers.
In the past I have used sweets and I have also used little party blowers - makes for a noisy 5 minutes, but you can avoid that sugar high...
Another interesting aspect was that of having to wrap up the parcel. Not many people enjoy doing it... When I wrapped the parcel for our launch party, there were 25 layers. It took over 8 metres of wrapping paper and nearly an hour to do. (My helpful husband, who normally has to wrap the Pass the Parcels in our family, took great pleasure in laughing at me.)
For one parent who attended the Launch party, she said that it was something she HATED, and one of the reasons she would consider booking PartyEase Portishead for her child's party.
A friend talked about a party she had attended with her 4 year old party, where the Pass the Parcel was a wrapped up box. When the music stopped, the child holding the parcel was given a sweet, and the music started again without any paper being taken off. Now forgive me if you like this version, but surely half the fun of a Pass the Parcel is to rip the paper off? I expect it saves on time and mess.
Another suggested that actually, a main prize in the middle isn't needed. Again, I would consider this part of the anticipation, and find it hard to imagine a child excitedly removing the last layer of paper to find... just another sweet - but we're all different, and that's what makes each party diverse and fun.
For older children, I have another version of Pass the Parcel - no music or wrapping paper is involved, but it's great fun, and keeps the children involved and excited. I'm not going to share it here... book me for a party and find out!
If you would like a couple of child-free hours on December 20th, please check out my Facebook event. 2 hours of fun for them, 2 hours of freedom for you to do as you please. Perfect.
I would love to hear what you think about Pass the Parcel. Feel free to leave me a comment.
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