Valentine's Day Party Games - Entertainment for All Ages

Ahhh, love is in the air. Whether it is puppy love, first love or full blown head-over-heels-this-is-the-one-for-life love, what better reason can there be to celebrate? If you're planning on having a Valentine's Day party, here are some ideas for games and entertainment for all ages.

Valentine Word Game - Take a word or phrase associated with love, the longer the word the better. Some ideas are "valentine", "romance" or simply "happy valentine's day" and see how many smaller words can be created using the letters from the main word or phrase. The winner is the one who comes up with the most new words.

Famous Couples - have your guests come up with a list of famous couples, real or fictional. Whoever comes up with the most names is the winner.

A cute spin on this for the older crowd would be to make it a costume party. Have your guests come dressed as famous couples. Some ideas are Romeo and Juliet, Adam and Eve, Bonnie and Clyde, Caesar and Cleopatra, or Elvis and Priscilla. You can even hand out awards or prizes for most original, most elaborate, best look alike, etc.

"Love" Songs - Have your guests think up as many songs as they can with the word "love" in the title. Award five points for each song. You can award another five points if they also know the artist. The guest who accumulates the most points is the winner.

Musical Heart - Cut out a large heart out of craft cardboard and decorate. Have the guests gather in a circle and while music is playing they will pass the heart along the circle. When the music stops, the one holding the heart will be "out" and it continues this way until there is only one player. If it is a large crowd, they can be broken up into smaller groups (you'll just have to make more hearts) so the game goes faster and the children who are already "out" don't feel left out for very long, because who wants to feel left out on Valentine's Day?

How Many? - Find a large jar or other container that will hold a lot small objects. Some ideas for this are M&Ms (the red and pink ones, of course) candy hearts or rose petals. You'll have to count the number of objects that you put in as you fill the jar, but keep the number a secret. Have your guests each take a guess at how much is in the jar. The closest guess is the winner.

Cupid's Karaoke - Do you have, or know someone who has, a karaoke machine? Invite it to the party, but make a rule that only songs that would make Cupid proud are allowed. Make it into a contest or just for fun.

These are just a few ideas to get you started on making your Valentine party the one they'll always remember. A few are ideas that some of you may remember from your childhood, but that doesn't mean it's just for kids. Put your own spin on it and bring out the kid in all your guests. Above all, have fun...and make sure no one spikes the punch with love potion.