Hot Potato

You will need a ‘hot potato’. This can be a soft ball, crumpled up tissue paper (ball size) or a small plush toy is great for younger children. Remember that you can choose something to tie in with the theme of your party.
                   
Have the children stand or sit in a circle and have some music playing. While the music is being played, the children pass the ‘hot potato’ around the circle. Every now and then the music is stopped by an adult and the child left holding the ‘hot potato’ is out and leaves the circle (to challenge older children, you can make the rule of the game that the child to the left of the child holding the ‘hot potato’ is out).

Continue playing until there are two children remaining. The child who isn’t holding the ‘hot potato’ when the music stops, is the winner.

VARIATION FOR OLDER CHILDREN: when a child is ‘out’, instead of instantly being removed from the circle, they can lose an arm (put it behind their back), then a leg (kneel on one knee), then the other leg (kneel on both knees), then the other arm and they are ‘out’.This is great fun and good to keep those older children challenged.