Potato Party Games

One sack of raw potatoes, four kinds of game, and hot potato with nobody out.

Potato Party Games

  1. Two Sacks, Never Touch the Grass1. Each racer has two empty potato sacks and stands on one of them. 2. Lay the second sack in front, step onto it, turn and pick up the first. 3. Carry on to the far line without a foot touching the grass. 4. A foot on the grass means three steps back. Pillowcases do for the smallest racers. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: two sacks or pillowcases each.
  2. Potato Stamp Pattern Copycat1. An adult cuts four potatoes in half and carves a simple shape on each cut face: a star, a square, a heart, a stripe. 2. The leader stamps a row of four shapes in paint on paper. 3. The others copy the row exactly on their own paper from memory after it is covered. 4. Uncover and compare. The best copy stamps the next pattern. Ages 4 and up. Only the adult handles the knife. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 15 min. Props: potato stamps cut by an adult, washable paint and paper.
  3. Bowl a Lumpy Potato at Six Cups1. Stack six paper cups in a pyramid on the floor. 2. Each bowler rolls two potatoes from five steps back. 3. Score a point for each cup knocked over. 4. A potato never rolls straight, so let every bowler choose their own from the sack. Three turns each. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: six paper cups and two potatoes.

Next step More races for a field day

How it works

These potato party games need a sack of raw potatoes and things from the kitchen. Hot potato is here in several versions with nobody out, and every game gives the youngest age it suits.

Read the full guide

One sack, a whole party

1. Start in a circle with one of the Pass-it-on games while guests arrive. 2. Take the sack outside for Races. 3. Set up two or three Target games side by side and let teams move between them. 4. Come back to the table for the quiet ones.

Choosing the potatoes

Buy a mixed sack. Small round ones suit spoons and passing, long lumpy ones make bowling and the ramp funnier, and one very large one is for How Many Eyes on This Potato?

Tips
  • Wash and dry the potatoes first: clean hands, clean floor.
  • Count the potatoes out and count them back in. One always hides under the sofa.

Questions and answers

How do you play hot potato so that nobody is out?

Change what the stop means. In Whoever Says Zero Takes a Bow whoever says zero takes a bow, and in Two Potatoes, Two Directions the two holders swap seats. Everyone stays in the circle.

Which potato games suit three and four year olds?

One Potato, Two Potato, Into the Pot, Roll-Off Down the Board, Bowl a Lumpy Potato at Six Cups and Potato Drop Into the Pot are written for age 3 and up. Under More filters in the All games menu, choose Age 4 for more.

What is the potato race?

A running race from old fairs and school field days. Each racer collects a row of potatoes one at a time and brings each back to a basket. The first with every potato in the basket wins.

Are the potatoes cooked?

No. Every game uses raw potatoes, and nothing is eaten. An adult cuts the stamps for the one printing game.

More tools

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All 32 games

Pass-it-on games 8

  • Circle Against Circle, Ten Times Around 1. Make two circles with the same number of players, each with one potato. 2. On go, each circle passes its potato hand to hand, counting the laps aloud. 3. A dropped potato goes back to the player who started the lap. 4. The first circle to finish ten laps sits down. Mix the circles and race again. Ages 4 and up. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: two potatoes.
  • Feet-Only Potato Lap 1. Players sit in a circle on the floor with shoes off, leaning back on their hands. 2. Pick the potato up between both feet and pass it to the feet of the next player. 3. Hands may not touch it. A dropped potato starts again with the player who dropped it. 4. Time one full lap, then try to beat it going the other way. Ages 5 and up. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: one large potato.
  • Mashed Means Reverse 1. Players sit in a circle and pass one potato steadily to the left. 2. The caller shouts kitchen words. Mashed means change direction. Fries means skip the next player. Baked means freeze and hold it up. 3. A player who gets a call wrong does three knee bends and carries on. 4. Speed up the calls. Swap callers every minute. Ages 6 and up. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: one potato.
Show all 32 games (29 more)

Pass-it-on games, continued

  • One Potato, Two Potato, Into the Pot 1. The old counting-out rhyme, played with real potatoes. Each player sets one potato on the table in front of them. 2. The counter touches each potato in turn, saying: one potato, two potato, three potato, four, five potato, six potato, seven potato, more. 3. The potato touched on more goes into the pot. 4. Start again from the next potato. The owner of the last potato on the table chooses the next game. Ages 3 and up. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a potato each and a pot.
  • The Potato's Adventure, a Sentence Each 1. The first player holds the potato and begins a story about it: this potato rolled out of the sack and. 2. They stop at the word and, and pass the potato on. 3. Each player adds one sentence that ends on and. 4. The last player in the circle has to get the potato safely home in one sentence. Ages 4 and up. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: one potato.
  • Two Potatoes, Two Directions 1. Hot potato with a second potato. Players sit in a circle and start one potato going each way. 2. Pass as fast as you can while the music plays. The potatoes cross somewhere and carry on. 3. A player caught holding both at once stands up, turns around once and sits again. 4. When the music stops, the two holders swap seats. Nobody is out. Ages 5 and up. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: two potatoes and music.
  • Who Has the Potato Behind Them? 1. Players stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle, hands behind their backs, with one guesser in the middle. 2. A small potato is passed from hand to hand behind the circle, or only pretended to be. 3. The guesser has three tries to point at whoever is holding it. 4. A right guess sends the holder to the middle. After three wrong ones, the holder shows the potato and the guesser tries again. Ages 5 and up. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: one small potato.
  • Whoever Says Zero Takes a Bow 1. Hot potato with no music and nobody out. The circle chooses a number between ten and twenty. 2. The first player says it and passes the potato. Each player who takes it says the next number down. 3. Whoever says zero stands up, takes a bow and names something made from potatoes. 4. That player chooses the next starting number and which way the potato goes. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: one potato.

Races 8

  • Balance Walk, Potato on a Plate Overhead 1. Each racer balances a paper plate on their head with one potato on it. 2. Walk to the far line and back without touching the plate. 3. If the potato rolls off, stop, put it back and count to three before moving. 4. Younger racers may hold the plate with one finger. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a paper plate and a potato each.
  • Knee Carry to the Pot 1. Each racer holds a potato between the knees. 2. Waddle to a cooking pot ten steps away with no hands. 3. Drop the potato into the pot by opening the knees over it. 4. A potato that misses is carried back to the start. The team with the most potatoes in its pot after three minutes wins. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: potatoes and a cooking pot for each team.
  • Plant a Row, Harvest a Row 1. Lay five hoops or paper plates in a row for each team, and give the first runner a sack of five potatoes. 2. The planter runs down the row and sets one potato in each hoop, then hands the empty sack to the next runner. 3. The harvester runs down the row and collects them all. 4. Plant and harvest by turns until every runner has gone. Ages 4 and up. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: five hoops or plates, five potatoes and a sack for each team.
  • Potato on a Spoon 1. The egg-and-spoon race, with a potato that does not break. Each racer holds a tablespoon with a small potato on it. 2. Race to a line and back with one hand behind the back. 3. A dropped potato goes back on the spoon where it fell, and the racer takes three steps back. 4. Run it as a relay with a wooden spoon for the youngest. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a spoon and a small potato each.
  • The Potato Race 1. A race from old fairs and school field days. Lay five potatoes in a line for each racer, two steps apart, with a basket at the start. 2. Run to the nearest potato, bring it back and put it in the basket. 3. Go back for the next, one potato a trip. 4. The first racer with all five in the basket wins. Potatoes are placed, not thrown. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: five potatoes and a basket for each racer.
  • Roll-Off Down the Board 1. Prop one end of a long board on a step. 2. Every player picks a potato from the sack and gives it a name. 3. Two owners hold their potatoes at the top edge and let go together. 4. Whichever reaches the grass first goes through to the next heat. Round potatoes are not always the fastest. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a long board and a sack of potatoes.
  • Steer the Potato With a Stick 1. Each racer has a stick or a broom handle and one potato on the ground. 2. Push the potato along with the stick, around three cones and back. 3. Lumpy potatoes roll wherever they like, which is the game. 4. No lifting or hitting it into the air. Race two at a time. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a stick each, potatoes and three cones.
  • Two Sacks, Never Touch the Grass 1. Each racer has two empty potato sacks and stands on one of them. 2. Lay the second sack in front, step onto it, turn and pick up the first. 3. Carry on to the far line without a foot touching the grass. 4. A foot on the grass means three steps back. Pillowcases do for the smallest racers. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: two sacks or pillowcases each.

Target games 8

  • Bowl a Lumpy Potato at Six Cups 1. Stack six paper cups in a pyramid on the floor. 2. Each bowler rolls two potatoes from five steps back. 3. Score a point for each cup knocked over. 4. A potato never rolls straight, so let every bowler choose their own from the sack. Three turns each. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: six paper cups and two potatoes.
  • Catch Them in the Sack 1. Partners stand four steps apart. One holds the mouth of a sack wide open. 2. The other has five small potatoes and lobs them underarm, slowly, one after another. 3. The sack holder may move to get under each one. 4. Count what is in the sack, then trade places. A pair's score is both turns added together. Ages 6 and up. Players: 2 to 12 in pairs. Time: 10 min. Props: a sack and five small potatoes for each pair.
  • Knock the Potato Off Its Pot 1. Stand three flowerpots upside down on a bench and set a potato on each. 2. Players throw three beanbags from four steps. 3. A potato knocked off its pot scores a point. 4. A helper resets them. Everyone waits behind the line until the third beanbag has landed. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: three flowerpots, three potatoes and three beanbags.
  • Lob Into Three Open Sacks 1. Lay three open sacks on the grass at three, five and seven steps. 2. Players lob potatoes underarm, three each. 3. The near sack scores 1, the middle 2 and the far sack 3. 4. Nobody stands near the sacks while potatoes are in the air. Collect them together between turns. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: three sacks and three potatoes.
  • Potato Drop Into the Pot 1. Stand a cooking pot on the floor. 2. Each player stands over it, holds a small potato out at arm's length at shoulder height and lets go. 3. A potato that lands in the pot and stays scores. 4. Five drops each. Older players use a smaller pot. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a cooking pot and five small potatoes.
  • Potato Golf Into a Tipped Bucket 1. Lay a bucket on its side on the lawn. 2. From five steps away, each player putts a potato toward it with a broom. 3. Count the strokes it takes to get the potato inside. 4. Play three holes by moving the bucket. Fewest strokes wins. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 15 min. Props: a broom, a bucket and a potato each.
  • Roll It Under Three Chairs 1. Stand three chairs in a row, one behind the next, with a gap between them. 2. From four steps back, each player rolls a potato so that it passes between the legs of the chairs. 3. Score a point for each chair the potato goes right under. 4. Three rolls each. A potato that comes out the far end of all three scores five. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: three chairs and a potato each.
  • Stop It Short of the Rope 1. Lay a rope across the grass six steps from the players. 2. Each player rolls one potato and tries to stop it as close to the rope as possible without crossing. 3. A potato that crosses the rope is out of that round. 4. Nearest scores a point. Play to five. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a rope and a potato each.

Table games 8

  • A Minute of Potato Dishes 1. Teams of three sit with paper and a pencil. 2. In one minute, write down every dish made from potatoes that the team can think of. 3. Teams read their lists aloud in turn. 4. A dish that another team also wrote is crossed off both lists. Most left wins. Ages 6 and up. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 5 min. Props: paper and pencils.
  • Find Your Own Potato Among Twenty 1. Each player takes one potato from the sack and studies it for one minute: its bumps, its eyes, its shape. 2. All the potatoes go back in a pile and are mixed. 3. Players search the pile for their own. 4. To prove it, each owner says one thing about their potato before picking it up. Most players are certain, and most are right. Ages 4 and up. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a potato each.
  • Five-Potato Tower 1. Tip a sack of potatoes onto the table. 2. Each player or pair builds the tallest tower they can from five potatoes in two minutes. 3. A tower counts if it stands for a count of five with hands off. 4. Measure with a ruler. Choosing the potatoes is most of the skill. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a sack of potatoes and a ruler.
  • How Many Eyes on This Potato? 1. Pass one large potato around the table. 2. Each player has ten seconds with it, then writes down how many eyes they think it has, or whispers the number to a helper. 3. Count the eyes together, marking each with a dot of marker. 4. Closest guess chooses the next potato. Ages 4 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a large potato, a marker, paper and pens.
  • Order Five Potatoes by Weight 1. Choose five potatoes of different sizes and number them with a marker. 2. Each player lifts them one at a time and lines them up from lightest to heaviest. 3. Write down the order and mix them up for the next player. 4. Weigh all five on a kitchen scale. A point for each potato in the right place. Ages 5 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: five numbered potatoes, a kitchen scale, paper and a pen.
  • Potato Portraits 1. Each player gets a potato, washable markers and a sheet of stickers. 2. In five minutes, turn the potato into someone at the party. 3. Stand the portraits in a row on the table. 4. The party guesses who each one is. Each sitter takes their potato home. Ages 4 and up. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a potato each, washable markers and stickers.
  • Potato Stamp Pattern Copycat 1. An adult cuts four potatoes in half and carves a simple shape on each cut face: a star, a square, a heart, a stripe. 2. The leader stamps a row of four shapes in paint on paper. 3. The others copy the row exactly on their own paper from memory after it is covered. 4. Uncover and compare. The best copy stamps the next pattern. Ages 4 and up. Only the adult handles the knife. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 15 min. Props: potato stamps cut by an adult, washable paint and paper.
  • Potato, Onion or Apple? By Touch 1. Put a potato, an onion, an apple, a lemon and a ball into five long socks and knot the tops. 2. Players feel each sock in turn and whisper what they think is inside to a helper, who writes it down. 3. Nobody says a guess aloud until everyone has felt all five. 4. Untie the socks one by one. For older players, use five kinds of potato and guess which is the sweet potato. Ages 3 and up. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: five long socks, a potato, an onion, an apple, a lemon and a ball.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions for a child's party with a sack of raw potatoes, for ages 3 to 9. The wording is ours, and the player counts, times and ages are our estimates. Potatoes are rolled, carried, passed or lobbed underarm at a target, never at a person, and nothing is eaten in any game. An adult cuts the potato stamps. Traditional games were checked against Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) on 2026-10-03, after the stem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/: Hot potato, Potato race, One potato, two potato, Egg-and-spoon race. Licence: own work