The
Rose - A Medieval Treasure Hunt
Medieval
Theme Party Games and Activities
So your invitations have been sent out and your menu is planned. Now all you have to do is figure out a way to entertainment all of those guests at your party. Here are some fun Medieval themed games and activities to help your guests get out of themselves and enjoy the party!
Play a game of “Hi Jack!” Divide the players into smaller groups (four works best.) Divide the cards up evenly among them. The game is played similar to Slap Jack in that they a each take a card from their pile (faced down so that even they don’t know which card will be next) and flip it quickly over to the center of the four (they are sitting in a circle on the floor.) If the card is a Jack, then the first person to wave with their hand and say “Hi Jack” gets all the cards underneath. If the card is a Queen, the they must say “Good morning, Queen” WITHOUT waving their hand. If it is a King, then they must salute without saying a word. If it is an Ace, then the first person to slap their hand on the pile gets the stack. Cards are continued to be flipped until one of those four cards appear – with the winner taking the stack below. If a player runs out of cards, then he/she is out and the game continues until one player holds all the cards. This one seems simple, but you’ll crack up at all the combinations of words and hand signals that come about when they are trying to rush and be the first!
| If you can get your hands on plastic Easter eggs, small plastic dragons (or golden rings if dragons can’t be found) can be put into them (not all of them). Hide the eggs throughout a location. Tell the kids that they must find all the dragon eggs before they hatch. The child who collects the most dragons, wins (it may not be the child who collects the most eggs because not all the eggs have dragons.) For the older children, explain to them that if they find an egg that is empty, they are to put it back for another player to find. This way, the searchers will have to remember which eggs they’ve already checked…just adds to the complication of the game. |
Although you might consider this a ‘kid’s game’, I’ve found that adults have enjoyed doing this as well. Borrow a few hot plates and keep a different color (or use all one color) of candle wax melted in each. Give the participants a foot long piece of kitchen string (something that will work as a wick.) Space the pots several yards apart from each other. Here’s how it goes. Someone dips their string into the pot of wax, coating the string. They then take the string out and walk over to another pot. While they are walking, the wax on their string cools to allow another coat. In this way, layer upon layer is built up until they have their own candle that they made, Medieval style.
Create Wanted posters (all different). Place these throughout the facility/house (wherever your party/event is held.) Make sure that some of them are not readily seen. Ask your guests to write the names of as many bandits as they can find (from the posters.) A game like this is run best when it is ongoing throughout the party or event – allowing your guests a leisurely pace to find all the posters. For fun, include the names of some of your guests on the wanted posters…and get creative with the crimes that they committed!
Make sure that every guest has a sticker-tag with a Medieval European name (mostly typical Christian names – John, Michael, etc.) and occupation (Armorsmith, Falconer, Minstrel) on it. Then, below that, write a small fact (real or fictitious) about that character (i.e. Wanted for three counts of murder, Accidentally burned down an Abbey in Worchester, Won three jousting tournaments, Finest shield maker in the Kingdom, etc.) Then, give every guest a pencil and piece of paper. Explain to your guests that they must write down the names of every character present in the room while they are having conversations and meeting others (a great way to initiate mingling). Be sure to tell them ahead of time how many guests there are so that they know when they’ve found them all. Throughout the evening, call out at different times ways to cross names off their list. You see, one of the characters in the room is a traitor to the Kingdom, but which one? At some point you might give a clue “The person does not handle food for a living” – then everyone would cross those names off their list (such as the Baker and Chief of the Royal Wineries) of names they’ve collected. A half hour later, you might say “The person never set fire to anything” – then they would know to cross off the name who had that detail (they may need to go searching again among the other guests to remind themselves who had that fact on their sticker…) Again, it’s a casual game that can keep the party moving, without asking a lot from your guests.
Other Medieval Theme Party Resource Articles
Medieval Theme Party Decorating Ideas
Medieval Theme Party Invitation Ideas
Medieval Theme Party Food Ideas
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