Whose Fact Is ItEveryone writes one harmless, little-known fact about herself on a slip: a hidden talent, an odd first job. The host reads each one aloud and the group guesses the writer, who stays quiet until the vote is in. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: paper slips, pens and a bowl.
Slipper Toss Into the BasketSet a laundry basket three big steps away. Each player throws both slippers underarm and scores a point for each one that stays in. Move the basket back a step after every round until only one player is still scoring. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a laundry basket and your own slippers.
Desert Island ThreeEach guest names one book, one dish and one song she would take to a desert island, with a sentence on why. With a big group, play at tables of five. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
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Icebreakers and mixers 10
Common Ground in ThreesSplit into threes. Each trio has four minutes to find three things all of them share that nobody could see by looking, such as a first job or a food they cannot stand. Trios report back, and the oddest find gets the applause. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Desert Island ThreeEach guest names one book, one dish and one song she would take to a desert island, with a sentence on why. With a big group, play at tables of five. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
Pillow Pass QuestionsPass a pillow around the circle while music plays. When it stops, the holder draws a question slip and answers it. Keep the questions light: a best sleepover memory, the snack you never share. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 12 min. Props: a pillow, music and question slips.
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Icebreakers and mixers, continued
Question Bowl PassFill a bowl with folded question slips: the best meal you ever ate, your first concert, a skill you want to learn. Pass the bowl around the table. Each guest draws one and answers, or swaps once if she does not like hers. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: a bowl of question slips.
Signature Hunt GridHand out a grid of squares such as has a sister, grows tomatoes or has run a 10K. Guests mingle and collect one signature per square, and no name may appear twice. The first full row calls out. Players: 10 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: a printed grid and a pen each.
This or That LineTape a line down the middle of the room. The host reads a pair, such as tea or coffee, mountains or beach, and guests step to the side they choose. Ask one person on each side why. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 8 min. Props: tape and a list of pairs.
Two Truths, One Fib, Show of HandsEach guest tells the group three things about herself: two true, one invented. The room votes on the fib by a show of hands before she owns up. Stick to travel, food and childhood so nobody shares more than she wants to. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: none.
Whose Childhood PhotoGuests send the host a childhood photo in advance. Number the photos on a board, hand out answer slips and let everyone match photos to guests over tea. Most correct wins, and each owner tells the story behind hers. Players: 8 to 25. Time: 20 min. Props: printed photos, numbered, and answer slips.
Whose Fact Is ItEveryone writes one harmless, little-known fact about herself on a slip: a hidden talent, an odd first job. The host reads each one aloud and the group guesses the writer, who stays quiet until the vote is in. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: paper slips, pens and a bowl.
Yarn Web of ThanksStand in a circle. The host holds the end of a ball of yarn, names one thing she appreciates about another guest and tosses her the ball. Carry on until everyone is holding a strand of the web. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a ball of yarn.
Kitty party games 18
Antakshari With a Theme WordPlay antakshari with one extra rule. Before each round the host draws a word such as rain, moon, heart or road, and every song in that round must contain it. It evens things up between the film buffs and everyone else. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a bowl of theme words.
Antakshari, Sofa Against SofaTwo teams take turns singing. The first team sings two full lines of a song, and the other team answers with a song that starts on the consonant the last one ended on. No song may be repeated. A common house rule gives a team ten seconds to start singing. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 20 min. Props: none.
Bangle Tower in a MinuteEach player gets a pile of bangles and one minute to stack them into a free-standing tower using one hand. Count the bangles in each tower still standing when time is called. Players: 4 to 20, in heats of four. Time: 8 min. Props: about 25 bangles per player and a timer.
Bindi Dot RacePrint a sheet of 30 small circles for each player. In one minute, peel and stick a bindi inside as many circles as you can. A bindi that touches the line does not count. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 6 min. Props: a sheet of circles and a strip of stick-on bindis each, and a timer.
Button Sort SprintTip a cup of mixed buttons in front of each player. She has one minute to sort them by color into a muffin tray using one hand. Most buttons in the right cup wins. Players: 4 to 12, in heats. Time: 8 min. Props: mixed buttons, muffin trays and a timer.
Dumb Charades, Film TitlesOne player acts a film title in silence while her team guesses against a one-minute timer. Agree the signals first. One convention used in India: thumb up for an English title, thumb down for Hindi and thumb sideways for a state language. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 25 min. Props: title slips and a timer.
Guess the Spice by SmellPut eight spices in numbered cups with a few holes in each lid. Guests sniff, write down their guesses and compare. Include some close calls, such as cumin, caraway and fennel, to split the ties. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: eight spices in numbered covered cups, paper and pens.
Hair Clip Ribbon LinePin a ribbon along the table edge. Using one hand only, clip as many hair clips onto it as you can in one minute. A clip must grip the ribbon and hang free to count. Players: 4 to 16, in heats. Time: 6 min. Props: a ribbon, a bowl of hair clips and a timer.
Market List Memory ChainThe first player says she went to the market and bought apples. The next repeats the list and adds something starting with B, and so on through the alphabet. A player who slips drops out until one is left. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Pass the Parcel, Kitty StyleWrap a gift in one layer per guest with a task slip under each: sing a line of a song, name five sweets in ten seconds, read a recipe in a news anchor voice. When the music stops, the holder unwraps a layer and does the task. The last layer holds the gift. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: a wrapped parcel with task slips, and music.
Safety Pin ChainOne minute to link safety pins into the longest chain. Every pin must be closed to count. For a harder second round, play it wearing kitchen gloves. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 6 min. Props: a bowl of safety pins per player and a timer.
Straw and Rubber Band RelayTeams stand in lines, each player holding a straw between her lips. Pass a rubber band from straw to straw down the line without using hands. A dropped band restarts from the player who dropped it. Players: 8 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: a straw each and a rubber band per team.
Tambola With Wrapped PrizesTambola is the name used in India for 90-ball bingo. Each ticket has three rows and nine columns holding 15 numbers, and a caller draws from 1 to 90. Give a small wrapped prize for four corners, one line, two lines and the full house, and play for no money. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 30 min. Props: tambola tickets, numbers 1 to 90 to draw, pens and small wrapped prizes.
Theme Color Paper AwardsFor a themed kitty, every guest casts paper votes for awards such as best use of the color, best accessory and most inventive take on the theme. Nobody may vote for herself. Announce the winners over tea. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: voting slips, a bowl and small prizes.
Theme Word TambolaSwap the numbers for words on the party theme: monsoon, the kitchen, films of one decade. Guests fill a blank three-by-three grid from a list of 30 words, and the host draws words from a bowl. Play for the first line, then the full card. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 20 min. Props: blank grids, a word list and a bowl of word slips.
Thread Ten NeedlesEach player has ten needles stuck in a cork and one length of thread. Thread as many as you can onto the same strand in one minute. Large-eyed needles keep it fair for anyone who left her glasses at home. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 6 min. Props: ten large-eyed needles, a cork and thread per player, and a timer.
Tongue Twister TimerEach player draws a tongue twister and says it five times against the timer. A stumble restarts the count. The fastest clean run wins, and the group picks the twister for the final. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: tongue twister slips and a timer.
What Is in Your Bag, Points ListThe host reads a list with points: a pen 1, a safety pin 3, a train ticket 5, a spoon 10. Each player scores from her own bag and shows only the items she wants to claim. The highest total takes the prize. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a points list.
Paper and pen games 10
Bedtime Story With BlanksThe host asks for words without saying why: an animal, a color, a food, a verb. She drops them into the blanks of a short bedtime story and reads the result aloud in her best storyteller voice. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: a story with blanks and a pen.
Finish the ProverbThe host reads the first half of a proverb and everyone writes the ending. Give one point for the real ending and a bonus point for the funniest wrong one, chosen by the host. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper, pens and a list of proverbs.
How Well Do You Know the HostThe host writes ten questions about herself, such as her first job, the city she was born in and the dish she cooks too often. Guests write their answers, then the host reveals hers. Keep every question kind. Players: 5 to 25. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and pens.
Jumbled Sweets and SpicesThe host hands out a sheet of 15 scrambled words from one theme, such as sweets, spices or flowers. The first player to unjumble them all wins, or the most solved when four minutes are up. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: a printed sheet of jumbled words and pens.
Kitchen A to ZWrite the alphabet down the side of a page. In five minutes, fill in something found in a kitchen for every letter. Score a point for each answer no one else has, and expect blanks at Q and X. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and pens.
Memory Lane Photo CaptionsEach guest brings one old photo of the group. Pass the photos around with a sheet of paper clipped to each and write a caption, folding the paper over so that the next writer cannot see yours. Read them out, photo by photo. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: old photos, paper, clips and pens.
Name, Place, Animal, ThingDraw a letter. Everyone has one minute to write a name, a place, an animal and a thing that start with it. A common way to score is two points for an answer nobody else wrote and one point for a shared answer. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: paper, pens and a timer.
Recipe From MemoryName a dish everyone knows. Each guest writes the ingredients and the steps from memory in four minutes, then reads hers aloud. The group votes for the version it would trust in its own kitchen. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 12 min. Props: paper and pens.
What Was in the HallwayOnce everyone is sitting down, the host asks ten questions about what guests walked past on the way in: the color of the doormat, the number of cushions on the bench, the picture by the door. Most correct answers wins. Players: 4 to 25. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and pens.
Words From One Long WordWrite a long word such as CELEBRATION at the top of the page. Players have three minutes to list every word of three letters or more that its letters can make. Cross out any word two players both found and count what is left. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and pens.
Acting and team games 11
Bring Me, Table TeamsThe host calls for an object: a hair tie, a key on a colored ring, something with a flower on it. The first team to bring one to her scores a point. Players offer only what they choose to, and nobody's bag is searched. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Charades in Two CampsTwo teams, one actor at a time, one minute per card. The actor may not speak, mouth words or point at things in the room. Agree the signals for film, book and song before you start, because rules vary from house to house. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 25 min. Props: charades cards and a timer.
Decades Quiz in PairsPairs answer rounds of five questions, one round per decade from the 1970s on. Swap papers to mark. Mixing ages within each pair makes every decade somebody's specialty. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 30 min. Props: a question list, paper and pens.
Describe It Without the WordOne player describes the word on her card without saying it or the four related words listed under it. Her team guesses as many cards as it can in a minute, while a rival looks over her shoulder to catch slips. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 20 min. Props: word cards and a timer.
Flashlight Shadow CharadesHang a sheet in a doorway with a flashlight behind it. The actor performs behind the sheet as a shadow while her team guesses. Animals, sports and household chores read best in silhouette. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: a sheet, a flashlight and charades cards.
Forehead Character GuessEach player gets a sticky note on her forehead naming a storybook or film character she cannot see. She asks the room yes or no questions until she works out who she is. Use fictional characters only. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: sticky notes and a pen.
Hum the Chorus RelayTeams line up. The first player draws a song title and hums the chorus with no words until her team names it, then the next player draws. Most songs named in three minutes wins. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: song title slips and a timer.
Newspaper Gown in Five MinutesTeams of three get a stack of newspaper and a roll of tape. One teammate is the model and the other two dress her in a gown in five minutes. Every team presents its look and explains the inspiration. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 15 min. Props: newspaper and tape.
Top Five Answers QuizThe host asks a question with five popular answers prepared, such as things you take on a picnic. Teams take turns guessing and score the points beside each answer they hit. The points are the host's own estimates, so treat them as part of the fun. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 25 min. Props: a list of questions with five answers each.
Twenty Questions, Something in This HouseOne player thinks of an object somewhere in the house. The others have twenty yes or no questions to find it. Whoever guesses it picks next, and if nobody does, the same player goes again. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Whisper Chain With a Tongue TwisterSit in a line. The first player whispers a tongue twister once to her neighbor, who passes on whatever she heard. The last player says it aloud. There is no winner: the fun is in comparing the start with the finish. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Game night table games 5
Bunco Night With Three Wrapped PrizesTwelve guests sit at three tables of four and roll three dice for the number of the round, ones first and sixes last; three of that number is a bunco. Run it as a social night: swap partners each time you change tables, and hand a soft toy to whoever rolled the latest bunco. Wrap three small prizes, for most buncos, most rounds won and whoever holds the toy at the end. No money changes hands. Players: 12, or any multiple of four. Time: 45 min. Props: three dice per table, score sheets, pens, a soft toy and three wrapped prizes.
Carrom Doubles, Winners Stay OnCarrom is a flicking game from India played on a square board with corner pockets, nine pieces a side and a red queen. Play doubles with partners opposite. The winning pair stays on and the next pair comes in. Players: 4 to 8. Time: 30 min. Props: a carrom board and pieces.
House of Cards PairsEach pair gets a deck of cards and five minutes to build the tallest free-standing card house. Measure at the whistle. A collapse in the last seconds counts, so decide when to stop building. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: a deck of cards per pair and a ruler.
Rummy, Winners Move UpRun straight rummy at tables of four, seven cards each: draw a card, lay down sets of three or four of a kind or runs of three or more in one suit, then discard one. After each hand the winner moves up a table and the last-placed player moves down, so everyone meets. Players: 8 to 16. Time: 40 min. Props: a deck of cards per table.
Yacht Dice in PairsFive dice, up to three rolls a turn and twelve scoring boxes to fill, up to five of a kind for 50 points. Play as pairs who must agree which dice to keep, which is where the arguing starts. Players: 4 to 8. Time: 30 min. Props: five dice and a score card per pair.
Pajama party games 6
Eyes-Closed PortraitsPairs sit facing each other with paper on a book. Each draws her partner with her eyes shut for one minute, then signs the portrait. Hang the gallery on the wall and let guests guess who is who. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: paper, pens and something to lean on.
Friendship Bracelet SwapDraw names from a bowl. Each guest makes a bracelet for the name she drew, choosing colors she thinks suit her, while everyone chats. Swap at the end and say why you chose those colors. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 30 min. Props: embroidery thread or cord, scissors and tape.
Midnight Snack Taste TestA volunteer closes her eyes and is handed five snacks, one at a time, to name. Ask about allergies first, keep each portion to a bite and eat everything you open. Players: 3 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: five snacks, plates and napkins.
Note to Next YearEveryone writes a short note to herself about what she hopes to have done by the next pajama party. Seal the notes in one envelope for the host to keep, and open them together next year. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: paper, pens and an envelope.
Pajama Catwalk Paper AwardsEveryone walks the hallway runway in pajamas and slippers while the rest hold up paper scorecards. The host has written enough awards for every guest to win one: coziest, brightest, best slippers, first to fall asleep. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: paper scorecards and award slips.
Slipper Toss Into the BasketSet a laundry basket three big steps away. Each player throws both slippers underarm and scores a point for each one that stays in. Move the basket back a step after every round until only one player is still scoring. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a laundry basket and your own slippers.
How this list was compiled: Written for women's groups: kitty parties, game nights and pajama parties. The wording and the one-minute games are our own, and player ranges and times are our estimates. Every game is alcohol-free, is played for small prizes and never for money, and asks nobody to reveal her age, weight, income or relationships. The ten-second limit in Antakshari is a house rule. What a kitty party is, Tambola and the other traditional rules were checked on 2026-09-18 against English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the name): Kitty_party, Bingo_(British_version), Antakshari, Charades, Pass_the_parcel, Twenty_questions, Telephone_game, Two_Truths_and_a_Lie, Bunco, Yacht_(dice_game), Carrom, Rummy. Licence: own work
How it works
A ladies' party usually mixes ages and friendship circles, so these party games for ladies need no athletic skill and put nobody on the spot about age, weight or money. The 60 cover kitty parties, game nights and pajama parties.
Read the full guide
Girls' game night ideas: one long game, two short
Guests rarely arrive together, so open with something a latecomer can join: Signature Hunt Grid works with a plate in one hand. Once everyone sits, Paper and pen games need only slips and pens. Then the long game: under Game night table games, Bunco Night With Three Wrapped Prizes fills an evening for twelve.
Kitty party games for ladies: tambola, antakshari, one-minute games
A kitty party is a monthly get-together, begun in India in the 1950s, where members pool a fund, take turns to host and play parlour games. The Indian kitty party games for ladies here start with tambola, the Indian name for 90-ball bingo, played for wrapped prizes and never cash. Then come Antakshari, Sofa Against Sofa and one-minute games with bangles, bindis and safety pins.
Buy several small prizes, not one big one. Tambola alone hands out four.
In What Is in Your Bag, Points List, each player shows only what she chooses; nobody empties a handbag.
Questions and answers
Which party games for women work when guests barely know each other?
Start with a mixer that gives everyone a reason to approach a stranger. Signature Hunt Grid sends guests around the room collecting names, and Common Ground in Threes takes eight minutes, no props. Save acting and singing for the second hour.
How do you play tambola at a kitty party without money?
Give every guest a free ticket and buy small wrapped prizes instead of collecting a pot. The caller draws numbers from 1 to 90 and players strike them off. Four corners, one line, two lines and the full house each win a prize.
How do I fit the games to a kitty party theme?
Pick a theme and bend three games to it. Theme Word Tambola swaps the numbers for 30 theme words. Antakshari With a Theme Word accepts only songs containing a drawn word. In Theme Color Paper Awards, guests vote for the best use of the color.
Which pajama party games for ladies suit a late night?
Pajama party games holds 10. Play Pajama Catwalk Paper Awards while everyone is awake, Friendship Bracelet Swap as the talk slows, and Note to Next Year last.