Games to Play at Singles Parties

A singles party is a good chance for unattached people to meet and mingle. This type of party can be a bit awkward for people who are shy, but some good party games will help to break the ice and get things moving. Choose games that let your guests get to know one another, but try to avoid activities that might embarrass anyone.

Alphabet Bags is a game that can be played any time by any age group, but it is especially fun when played near a holiday, such as Valentine's Day or Christmas. Take 26 brown paper lunch bags and write a letter of the alphabet on each one. Seal an object inside that starts with that letter. For Valentine's Day you might have a heart inside the "H" bag and a candy kiss inside the "K" bag. Place them all in a pile on the floor.

To play, pair up all of your guests. Have everybody start at the same time, grabbing bags from the pile and guessing what's in them. The game continues until one pair correctly guesses the contents of all the bags. This game is a fun way for people to interact and is a good way to liven things up if the party hits a slow spot.

Use small cards to write half of a proverb on one and the other half of the proverb on another. As guests arrive, tape a card to the front of each guest. Mix them up so people arriving together are not matched right away. Each guest must mingle and find the person with the other half of her proverb. You can use famous movie lines or movie titles instead, if you prefer. Once a guest has found her match, both partners must learn the partner's name and one interesting fact about him. When everybody is matched, each pair reports to the rest of the group what they learned about each other. This game makes a good ice breaker and is a great way for people to get to know each other.

Psychic Handshake is an excellent game for getting a group of strangers or almost-strangers to mingle. Each person in the group mentally chooses one, two or three as his psychic number. The number must remain the same throughout the game, and it is kept secret. Then everyone moves about, shaking the hands of others according to his chosen number. For example, if his number is two, he shakes the other person's hand exactly twice, which is hard if that person has chosen one or three as her number. As each person finds others with the same psychic number, they all stay together. Eventually the party will be divided into three groups, usually of almost equal size, at which point the game is over. The game provides plenty of fun and laughs throughout and gives people a chance to meet.