Pizza Party Games, Activities & Crafts

Hand Squeeze Race
Divide guests into two equal teams. Position teams so that they are sitting on the floor, facing each other in two lines. One adult will start the game using a coin toss. This person should be seated near the first player in each line. Place an object such as a spoon in the space between the last players in each line.

To start
Team members hold hands and close their eyes. Only the first player in each line keeps his/her eyes open. They watch as the adult flips the coin. If the coin lands tails, nothing happens. If it lands heads, the hand squeezing begins! The player at the end of each line can reach for the object in the middle as soon as his/her hand has been squeezed. It is a race to squeeze hands quickly enough to pass the signal faster than the opposing team. The first team to grab the object wins. Players shift one position for each round. The game is over when a team has rotated all their players through the line.

Quick Pizza Party Activities
If you need a few quick activities to fill time while the pizzas bake or cool, try these simple ideas. The only items required are pencils and paper.

• Sausage Pizza: Set a timer for two minutes and have guests write as many words as they can make out of the phrase “sausage pizza”.
  
  
• I Made a Pizza: Guests form a circle. Choose a guest to start the game by saying, “I made a pizza with (apples) on top.” The topping must begin with the letter “A.” The guest to the right of the leader must repeat the sentence and add a topping with the word “B.” For example, I made a pizza with apples and bananas on top. The game continues around the circle until the ‘Z” is reached.

What’s in the Bag?
Before the party
Gather 26 brown paper bags. Using large script, write one letter of the alphabet on each bag. Into each bag place a kitchen utensil or food item that starts with the corresponding letter. If you have letters for which you cannot find an appropriate item, such as “X,” remove that letter from the game.

At the party
Divide the guests up into teams. Place the lettered bags on a table within reach of the all of the teams. Hand each team a piece of paper, with the letters A through Z written along the length the left margin, crossing through any letters for which there are no corresponding bags. When you say, “Go,” the teams grab a bag, and without looking, reach in and feel the contents to guess the identity of the object. Once the team agrees on a guess, they put their bag back on the table and grab another bag. Teams write down their guesses as they complete each bag. As soon as one team records a guess for each bag, the other teams must stop guessing. Announce what is in each bag. The team with the most correct answers wins. Example contents are: B = baster, P = pepperoni, O = onion, R = rolling pin, W = whisk, Z = zester, and so on.

Dough Boy
Before the party
Inflate small (5”-7”) round balloons. There should be 10-15 per team.

At the party
Divide children into teams of 3-5 children. Each team will designate a member to be its “Dough Boy.” Divide the balloons equally between the teams and provide enough separation so that the balloons don’t get mixed up. Each Dough Boy pulls on an adult-sized sweatshirt and sweatpants over his/her clothes. When you say “Go,” each team has two minutes to try to stuff as many balloons into their Dough Boy’s clothes as possible. When the time expires, remove the balloons from each Dough Boy one at a time, counting to determine which team had the plumpest Dough Boy. Remember, popped balloons don’t count!

Decorator Chefs
You Will Need
Fabric markers and smocks, white chef's hats or oven mitts or aprons (one per guest). Using the chef hats from the balloon chefs in the decorating section of this party guide, or plain white aprons or oven mitts, have each guest use fabric markers to decorate his/her own chef items to take home. Provide washing instructions. Suggestions for decorating include having each guest draw his/her name, favorite food items, kitchen utensils, names of spices and restaurant logos.

Chef’s Water Relay
You Will Need
Two one-cup measures, two tablespoons, and two bowls capable of holding at least one cup of water. At the party
Place two one-cup measures on a table about 15-20 feet from the starting line (distance can be adjusted for the age of the guests or the setting).

How to Play
Divide the guests into two teams. Each team forms a line, one behind the other. Place a bowl with one-cup of water and a spoon next to each team. To start, the first player in each line fills his/her spoon with water from the bowl, and walks or runs with the water to the measuring cup. The water is emptied into the cup, and the players run back to the next player in line and hand off the spoon. After the handoff, the second member of each team fills the spoon with water and process is repeated. When either team runs out of water, the game ends. The team with the most water in its measuring cup wins!

Alternative
You could use chef's hats and aprons for a traditional dress up relay race.

Categories
This game is fun and requires no preparation.

How to Play
Guests sit on the floor, forming a circle. One person is chosen as leader. The leader begins by selecting a category such as “types of dessert” or “things in a kitchen.” He/she starts a slap, clap, snap rhythm by slapping his/her knees twice, clapping twice and snapping his/her fingers twice. Everyone joins in the rhythm. The leader then says one category item such as “ice cream.” Play continues clockwise, moving to the leader’s left. Play continues until someone is unable to think of an item, misses the beat, or repeats what someone else already said. When someone misses, that player can begin a new category. For a more competitive game, the person that misses can be eliminated. Continue until you have one winner.

Pat the Dough
Direct players to form a circle around the party table, cross arms, and lay their hands flat on the table. When you say, “Pat the dough,” the birthday child pats the table with his/her left hand, then right hand, the next player in the circle then pats the table with his/her left hand, then right hand, and so on around the table. If someone pats their hand twice, then the direction changes and the patting goes the other way. If someone lifts their hand to pat when it is not their turn, or does not pat when it is their turn, or uses the wrong hand, that hand is out and must remain behind the players back. Play continues until there is only one player with at least one hand on the table.

Guess the Utensil
Before the party
Write the names of several kitchen utensils on slips of paper. Suggestions include, whisk, measuring cup, colander, cutting board, grater, rolling pin, spatula, skillet, garlic press, measuring spoons, etc.

At the party
Place all the slips of paper in a mixing bowl. Have one guest pick a slip of paper from the bowl. If the guest is unfamiliar with the chosen utensil, you may take them into another room, show them the item, or describe it. The guest has 25 seconds to provide clues to help the other players guess the utensil. Guests may use words, hand motions or draw pictures to help the players guess the correct utensil. The player who correctly guesses the utensil, is the leader for the next round. If no one guesses correctly within 25 seconds, display the actual item for the guests to see. The first player to correctly guess the displayed item, is the leader for the next round.

Hot Pizza
This is a pizzeria spin on the classic game of hot potato!

You Will Need
A clean pizza pan or Frisbee to be used as the “pizza.”

How to Play
Have guests sit in a circle. Teach them the words to the following song.

(Sung to the tune of “oh I wish I was an Oscar Myer Weiner”)
I wish I were a PEPPERONI pizza, 
That is what I'd truly like to be. 
For if I were a PEPPERONI pizza, 
Everyone would be in love with me.

Hand the “pizza” to the birthday child. When you say, “Go,” the players should begin singing the song while passing the “pizza” around the circle. When the song is done, the person left holding the “pizza” is out. The person that is out gets to choose the topping to be used for the song in the next round. Play continues until only one player remains, the winner.

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