Baby Shower Game Ideas

BABY SHOWER GAME IDEAS

Here is a list of some games and ice-breakers for showers with refugees and/or people who don’t know a lot of English. These are just some ideas to start from. Each shower will be different and you’ll just want to choose a few of your favorites. Enjoy!

GUESS HOW MANY

Pass around a jar or baby bottle full of baby safety pins, beans, or small objects. The one who guesses the closest wins a baby shower prize. A baby shower game favorite!

(Materials: baby bottle, beans or safety pins or other small object)

PINS IN RICE

First, get a bowl and pour a bag of white rice into it. Then you put a lot of different sized safety pins and blindfold the baby shower attendee. Each baby shower participant has to get as many safety pins and they can within 1 minute.

(Materials: bowl, white uncooked rice or beans, safety pins)

NO CROSSING

Give each guest a clothes pin or a diaper pin at the beginning of the party to wear on them. Tell everyone that they are not allowed to cross their legs or ankles during the party. If you catch someone crossing then you can steal all of their pins. The player with the most pins at the end of the party wins. This game works great for those who don’t speak English well, and I have seen many refugee women really get into the game and watch for someone to cross their legs so they could steal all their clothespins.

(Materials: clothespin, diaper pin, or beaded necklaces)

MATCH THE WORDS

This is a word match game where you have 2 stacks of cards... each stack has half the words in Arabic (or the language of the mother) and half the words in English, and each team gets each stack. Each card has a word (associated with a baby) that is in English or Arabic. There are 2 teams, and when you say “go” each team has to match up the words, but they have to work together with those on their team from another country in order to figure out which one matches with the other. Usually the women use lots of pantomime to help get the point across. You don’t have to have anyone who speaks the other language for this game and it really gets people to work together and laugh together. It’s usually a big hit. (It works better if no one is bilingual, but if they are then you have to tell them that they can’t touch the cards, they can only direct others how to match them by their voice.)

(Materials: word cards… you can get from your TRM volunteer.)

WHAT’S IN THE BAG

Several small baby items are put into brown paper lunch bags and the bags are sealed and numbered. The bags are then passed around to all of the guests and they try to guess what each item is by feeling it through the bag. The person with the most correct answers wins, and the guest of honor gets to keep all of the baby items. You can use any items that you wish. Some baby items that work well include: a baby bottle, a rattle, a pacifier, a diaper, and a baby toy.

(Materials: paper bags, baby items)

BABY SOCK GAME

Take the 14 pairs of new baby socks of different styles and colors and mix them up. Next, start the timer and toss the socks in the middle of the floor. Each guest has 1 minute to try and "match" as many socks as they can. It’s harder than it sounds! A very fun baby shower game.

(Materials: timer, 14 pairs of baby socks that can be given to the mommy after the game)

DRAW A BABY GAME

Each participant is given a paper plate and a crayon. They are asked to place the plate on their heads, like a hat. They are given 1 minute to draw a baby on the plate while holding it over their heads. They then write their names on the other side. Mother-to-be chooses the best drawing as the baby shower winner. You can have a prize for the best baby face and one for the best baby and body.

(Materials: Crayons or markers and paper plates)

MULTI-TASKING

Two volunteers hold a string across the room as a clothesline. Another volunteer is the “mom”. The mom must hold 4 items—a babydoll, a cell phone or cordless receiver, baby clothes, and clothespins. When someone says “go” and the timer is started, she must pin all the baby clothes to the clothes line without dropping the baby or the phone. Record the amount of time it takes each mom to do the task. The winner is the one who did it in the least amount of time. For those who are really skilled you can challenge them to talk on the phone while they are doing the task. This game translates to all cultures and is hilarious!

(Materials: babydoll, clothesline, clothespins, phone, baby clothes, timer)

DIAPER RACES
Have guests race to see who can properly diaper a baby the fastest while blindfolded.

(Materials: 2 dolls, 2 diapers)

MEASURE THE BELLY

The “measure the belly” game works pretty good too and gets lots of laughter.It is better to use a string or a ribbon than toilet paper, and let the women tear/cut off the amount that they think the mama’s tummy is.

(Materials: ribbon or string)

LULLABYE’S

I have also played a game where you have 2 teams and you see which team can come up with the most lullabyes (in any language) and they have to sing them, but this doesn’t work good unless you have some folks who speak both languages.

THE PACIFIER PASS

Break up into teams of 4 or 5 people and have everyone stand in a line facing the person in front of them. The first person will place a straw in their mouth and place the straw through pacifier handle and in their mouth (the straw in their mouth not the pacifier). When you say "go" the first person passes the pacifier to the next person who should have their straw in their mouth and lets the pacifier slide down their straw (without any hands and no contact other than the straw). Everyone on the team passes the pacifier from straw to straw, no hands, no contact but lots of fun.

(Materials: straws, pacifiers with handles you can hold)

~ICE BREAKERS~

Have each person tell their name, if they are married, how many children they have, and where they were born. You can also have each person draw a picture of their family—stick figures (especially if language is an issue).

Have everyone give some advice for the new mother. Say the advice out loud, or have everyone write it (printed, not cursive) and make it into a little booklet for the mom.

Go around the circle and have each woman give a blessing to the new mama. For example… “May your delivery go smoothly” or “May God give you wisdom to raise your children”. Another idea is for this to happen when the presents are being opened. As each gift is chosen, we identify who brought it and they stand up and give the mom a blessing.

Have a few people sing a lullaby from their childhood. If the baby is present for the shower then pass the baby around as each one sings.

~THANK YOU CARDS~

Consider getting enough thank you cards for all of the guests. During the shower have each guest address one to themselves and then have a drawing for a door prize. A few days after the shower is over take the cards to the mother for a follow-up visit and help her fill them out and send them. Most refugees don’t know our custom of sending thank-you cards and will need help to do it. If there is a language boundary for the mom, or if she is pre-literate, then just help her write one thank you note for the church group who did the shower.