Parents Struggle to Keep Party Costs Down as Classic Games Fade Away

Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to keep children's party costs low as traditional games like blind man's bluff, limbo, and wink murder fall out of favor. A survey of 1,000 children aged six to 11 and their parents found that only 16% of children have ever played wink murder. Games such as sleeping lions and musical bumps also ranked low on the list of classic games tried.

Modern Party Activities

Instead of traditional games, children now prefer free play on bouncy castles or inflatable games (63%), entertainment by a performer (55%), or watching movies (50%). Interestingly, 38% had played video game competitions like Minecraft at a party. Seven in ten parents admitted worrying about finding fun, low-cost games that require little preparation and appeal to all children.

Survey Insights

The research, commissioned by Capri-Sun, which has launched a 20-pouch party pack with 14 interactive games, aimed to help parents bring simple fun to parties. A spokesperson from the drinks brand said: “Perhaps parents need to learn some new games as well as show their little ones what they used to play when they were young. The trick is not to overthink it – children won’t remember the tiny details in the same way a parent does, only how it made them feel.”

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The study also revealed that hide and seek (73%), pass the parcel (66%), and musical chairs (64%) are the top three most-played old-fashioned party games. Children who want to try these games said it was because their friends would like them (65%), they sound funny (48%), and they enjoy new experiences (47%).

Reasons for Avoiding Some Games

The main reasons for avoiding unpopular games like wink murder, sleeping lions, and blind man’s bluff were that they ‘sound boring’, ‘cringe’, and children disliked the name. The best games include prizes or rewards (47%), and only 8% said winning doesn’t matter. However, 24% love it when everyone can play simultaneously.

Party Planning Pressures

The average party preparation time for parents was three months, with 14% planning five to six months ahead. While 39% find party preparations exciting, 30% see them as stressful, and 23% worry about costs. Organizing a low-cost celebration was a priority for 28%, as 42% said children’s parties are more expensive now. A quarter also claimed they are much more complicated than before.

Despite these challenges, 44% said their children enjoy modern games and activities just as much as traditional party games from their own childhood. The Capri-Sun spokesperson added: “Parents need as much help as they can get when it comes to party planning. They want to keep things low cost but kids are wanting venues booked with fun activities. And with not all parents quite knowing how to get the traditional party games off to a flying start it can be stressful – when you just want them to have as much fun as possible and to keep the party atmosphere going.”