Chinese New Year reunion games During Chinese New Year, it’s standard practice to meet up with friends and extended relatives that we haven’t met in ages. Chit chat and small talk can be a painful process, so a little icebreakers always help to make way for easier and less awkward conversations. Check out this list of fun family-friendly New Year’s Eve Game Ideas and Activities to help make your party perfect! New Year’s Eve parties are always one of my favorite celebrations! I love reminiscing about the highs and lows of the past year and chatting with everyone about our wishes, hopes, and resolutions for the new year. Adding New Year’s Eve-inspired games will make your party just the right way to start the year to come. Sara Kendall is a freelance writer and mom of two daughters. Toggle navigation. The Name Game from Activity Village is an easy New Year's Eve party game that's great for a large group of adults looking for a fun but laid back game to play. For this game, each guest will need to contribute some names to a large bowl. They can be names of celebrities, fictional characters, historical figures, and even people in the room.
The world is only a few sleeps away from 2021, and you're likely thrilledto say goodbye to this year with champagne and virtual games. The last 365 days were probably not what you expected they would be. But, with your newfound Zoom skills, you'll spend the sparkliest night of the year playing virtual New Year's Eve games with your besties. Each of them will tune into the festivities from their individual homes and make a toast to something they're looking forward to in the new year.
Many of us are hoping that 2021 is the year we can gather with friends in person again. In the meantime, though, sticking to virtual celebrations in the comfort and safety of your home is the safest option, as it protects both you and others. The New Year's Eveguidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — which were updated on Dec. 28, 2020 — advise keeping your celebration to your immediate household, avoiding travel, and watching fireworks over a livestream.
So, why not get all dressed up in your favorite outfit, open up your laptop, and play some of these virtual games with a group of friends on FaceTime or Zoom? Hang up a disco ball in the view of the camera, pour a glass of sparkling cider, and have a ball right from your own home. 2021 will be here in a prosecco, and it's time to celebrate that.
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1. Pics Or It Didn't Happen
You and your friends are having a virtual party on New Year's Eve, and that means snapping tons of pics to document all the fun. In fact, you should play 'Pics Or It Didn't Happen' and have a virtual photoshoot with your BFFs.
Beforehand, advise your friends to decorate their homes with sparkly balloons ($19, Party City), streamers, and even disco balls. Then, play photographer and have them pose with their props. Take screenshots of them in different positions, and post your results on Instagram for the world to see.
2. Do That TikTok Dance
In 2020, you and your friends have mastered many of the most iconic TikTok dances, including 'The Renegade.' Play this game to see if you remember the moves.
To start each round, one of your friends will volunteer to be the tune master. They'll pick a friend in the group to challenge, as well as an audio clip to play. The tune master will play the clip through once. On the second play through, the friend who's been challenged has to dance to the trendy clip.
If they make it through correctly, they win that round. If they don't, then the turn gets passed on to the next friend to dance.
3. Leave It In 2020
Like many other years, 2020 has been filled with trends, both good and bad. During quarantine, the world got into watching Tiger King on Netflix, baking banana bread, and tie-dyeing. 'Leave It In 2020' lets you and your friends rate each of these trends and decide if they're worth bringing into the new year.
To play, have one person prep a game board with five different categories, including: Bring to 2021, Hard Love, Don't Care, Eh, and Loathe. This person should also prep the trends by saving pictures to their laptop that represent them. When the virtual celebration starts, this person can share their screen with the group and get the conversation going for each trend.
If you need a little help prepping the board or seeing how the game should work, check out Connor Franta's 'Ranking ThingsEveryone *hates*' video on YouTube for #inspo.
4. Say It In Emojis
'Say It In Emojis' is made for the friend group that wants a chill and relaxing New Year's Eve night. For this game, get everyone together in a group chat. One person will be tasked with choosing a category like 'sitcoms' or 'hobbies.' In the chat, everyone else will have to send three emojis that they think represent a specific item in that category.
The person who chose the category can then guess what each set of emojis represents. If you chose 'sitcoms,' one friend may send a coffee cup emoji, a city emoji, and a cat emoji grouped together, which represents Friends.
5. For The Girls
The makers of What Do You Meme? have created this game that's bound to let the good times roll. To play, one of your friends just needs to pick up For The Girls ($25, Target) and have it at your virtual celebration. Inside, they'll find cards that fall under different categories like 'Truth or Dare?' and 'Rapid Fire!' Have that friend be the game host and read the cards to the group. Then, rotate who completes the task or answers the questions.
6. Let's Get Fizz-ical
The foodies in your friend group will adore 'Let's Get Fizz-ical.' This game is all about taste testing different drinks, from fizzy sparkling ciders, to arsty-looking bottles of champagne, if you are 21 or over, of course.
Start by having each person bring their own drink to the virtual gathering and a glass. Watch them as they sip and serve up a dramatic description of it. At the end of their description, have them give a final rating, along with a hilarious catchphrase for the drink they tried.
7. 'Vogue's 73 Questions
Have you watched Vogue's 73 Questions series on YouTube? It puts all the celebs in the hot seat, answering fun and random questions while casually walking around their homes.
You should totally play with your friends on New Year's Eve by writing down 73 questions of your own. (Of course, the videos can give you some ideas.) Then, rapid fire style, ask your BFFs the questions and see what they say. Pause if you want to have a debate over their favorite sitcom, snack, or place to travel to.
8. Daydreamers
Making resolutions for the new year is all fun and games, but playing 'Daydreamers' is arguably much better. This game lets you and your friends dream about 2021 and all it can be. To get started, have each person grab a notebook and rip out tiny slips of paper.
On each slip of paper, people should write a dream they have, even if they don't think it'll come true. Once everyone is done writing, have each person talk about their dreams, excluding any they don't feel comfortable sharing. Try to manifest one of those dreams for them by repeating an affirmation or deciding on ways you can support them in the new year.
9. Arcade Champs
When you were a kid, you and your BFFs may have spent hours playing video or arcade games. Recreate that fun with 'Arcade. Champs' on New Year's Eve. Decide on a few games you'll each purchase ahead of time, like this trampoline toss target game ($35, Urban Outfitters). Play the games while on Zoom, and see if you can set and beat many high scores before midnight.
10. Feeling Toasty
No New Year's Eve celebration is complete without a toast. So, take a note out of the Friends playbook and raise your glass at midnight.
In the show, Phoebe and Rachel — while competing to be Monica's maid-of-honor — practiced giving a toast. During a Zoom or FaceTime hang, do the same, but turn yours into the most creative PowerPoint presentation. Once everyone has gone, have your group vote on the best one and pop a bottle of champagne in that person's honor.
When it comes to New Year’s Eve, I’m generally so worn out from Christmas, that all I want to do is curl up in bed with the husband, watch a few episodes of Parks and Recreation, and fall into a deep slumber…by 9:00. Oh, and somehow the 5 kids are all in bed sleeping, too. That’s how fun I am, at this time of the year. But, I keep hearing about all of these hilarious and fun group games, and I’m thinking I might… MIGHT…summon my inner wild-child and do the whole New Year’s thing. Midnight, pots, pans, kissing, and all. Ooooh, crazy. I know.
I’ve been getting after my friends to share with me their favorite group games, check it out…some fun stuff!
1. Cheetos Head
Have the group split into two evenly numbered teams, preferably with the same number of men on each team. Each team will need a can or two of shaving cream and a container of cheese puffs or bag of puffy Cheetos. Have two chair set up across the room and a line of tape on the floor several feet away (your preference.) For round 1, each team chooses one man to sit in the designated chair, across the room. That man will then get a hefty dose of shaving cream on his face, as if he had a full beard. The remaining team members have to stand behind the tape line, on the floor, and toss Cheetos at their teammates face, for one minute. Whichever team gets the most stuck Cheetos, wins round 1. Move on to round 2, with another teammate to take the chair. Obviously, the Cheetos beard could be done on a woman, but you can keep that information private, if you want. The team with the most Cheetos on the face, after totaling the rounds, wins! This is one of those games where a camera is so necessary!
2. Rain in the Face
Everyone sits in a circle, with a designated “it” person standing in the middle. Whoever is in the middle is holding a cup with a small amount of water in it. They will announce that they are thinking of something. Such as, “I’m thinking of a country,” or “I’m thinking of a famous woman,” or “I’m thinking of an animal.” They will walk around to each person in the circle, and that person gets one guess as to what “it” is thinking of. Basically, you DON’T want to guess the right answer, if you do, you get “rain in the face,” or a cup of water in the face (only fill the cup a little, unless you’re feeling crazy-nuts.) So, what’s funny is everyone will be trying to come up with the most obscure answers to be able to avoid the water. But, you never know…maybe “it” came up with an obscure thing in their mind. They keep going around the circle until someone guesses, and that person will be “it” next. You may want to have a limit of how many times “it” can go around the circle, before they have to think of something else.
3. Cookie on My Forehead
You may have heard of this one, and there are a variety of ways to set up the game. But, here’s mine…have everyone split into two teams. Each team send a member to the middle of the room and is given a cookie to place on their forehead (they will have to tilt their head back). You can just use Oreos or Chips A’hoy to make it easy. At the count of 3, the opposing team members have to try and maneuver the cookie from their forehead to their mouth. Whoever gets it first, earns a point for their team. If it falls on the floor, they can pick it up and start over. Or, you can say “they’re out,” whichever you prefer. This is another fun game to pull out the camera. You will see some crazy body contortions going on!
4. Left Center Right Dice Game
My sister-in-law was just telling me about this dice game, Left Center Right (or LCR), that sounds like a riot! It’s also a fast-paced game that is easy enough for kids to play too, assuming they know “right” and “left.”
To play, you need at least 3 players with 3 chips each. To take the intensity up a notch, many people suggest using quarters (or dimes), rather than the chips, so there is a fun reward for the winner. If you’re not into playing with money, you could even use pieces of wrapped candy. When a player has all 3 chips, they roll all three dice. The number of “L” dice that show up determine how many of the chips/quarters are passed to the left. The number of “R” dice determine how many chips/quarters are passed to the right. And, “C” means a chip/quarter is placed in the middle of the table. A player can only roll the number of dice that reflect the number of chips they have. Everyone is anxious to have new chips/quarters passed to them, because it ensures they stay in the game longer, giving them a chance to win the pot in the center. The player who is last left with chips, wins the pot. Whoo! I have seen this game sold at Target, or if you get it from Amazon, they have the two-day shipping or overnight available.
5. Mating Season
Do you like that name? I made it up. So, this is a fun game for big groups. For every person playing, you will need a piece of paper with an animals name written on it. Each animal needs to be written two times. Have everyone stand in the middle of the room and toss all the paper pieces (with the animal written on it) into the air. Once they fall, everyone scrambles to grab one. They immediately need to start acting like the animal and making their sound, while looking for their mate. Once they have found their animal mate, they hurry and sit down. The last pair standing is “out.” And, round 2 begins…
And, there you have it. I would love to hear about some of YOUR favorite party games!
Here’s a couple of my very favorite party munchies:
Caramel Toffee Dip (great with cut Granny Smith apples!)
Fried Avocado with Salsa Ranch Dip (I’m obsessed!)
You can find even more group games at “Or so she says…” like Psychiatrist, Secret Adverb, Word Nerd, and M&M Pass. See you there :)
Have a fantastic New Year!
Cool Math Games
*image via Annie Spratt