18 Tea Party Games: Playful Activities For Kids And Adults
Luci McQuitty HindmarshLooking for ways to turn your tea party from "quietly sipping from cups" into something that'll have everyone talking for weeks? I've got just the list of ideas for you!
After hosting more tea parties than I care to admit (I am obsessed with afternoon tea, it must be because I am English!!) I've got a strong list of games that genuinely work well, whether it's for a birthday celebration or just an excuse for a fun afternoon get together.
In this guide, you'll find activities that keep kids entertained without driving adults mad, games sophisticated enough for your fussiest adult friends, and everything in between.
Plus, I'm sharing three free printable games you can download immediately because I know you're probably reading this the day before your event!
What You'll Find In This Guide:
- Games suitable for all ages (no awkward age segregation necessary)
- Kid-specific activities that won't have adults checking their watches
- Teen and adult games with the right balance of challenge and fun
- Free printable games to get you started right away
Tea Party Games Everyone Will Enjoy
Musical Teapots
Best for: All ages (4+)
Materials needed: Music player, teapot (or teapot pictures placed on the floor)
Similar to musical chairs but with a tea party twist! Place teapot pictures (or actual plastic teapots for outdoor play) in a circle, using one fewer than the number of players.
When the music plays, everyone dances around. When it stops, players must find a teapot to stand on or next to. The player without a spot is out, and one teapot is removed before the next round.
Tip: For a calmer version with young children, ensure everyone gets a turn but nobody is eliminated.
Tea Bag Toss
Best for: Ages 5+
Materials needed: DIY "tea bags" (small white sachets filled with beans), teapot or cups as targets
Fill small white sachets with beans to create mock tea bags. Players take turns tossing these "tea bags" into a teapot from a set distance. Award points based on successful tosses or create a tournament-style competition.
Variation for adults: Increase the distance or use smaller targets to up the challenge.
Pass the Teapot
Best for: All ages
Materials needed: A teapot (can be filled with treats), music
Players sit in a circle and pass a teapot around while music plays. When the music stops, the person holding the teapot either:
- For kids: Takes a sweet from inside the teapot
- For presents: Gives their gift to the guest of honour
- For elimination version: Is "out" until one player remains
Party planner note: This creates a much calmer present-opening experience than the usual free-for-all!
Tea Party Selfie Scavenger Hunt
Best for: Tweens, teens, and adults
Materials needed: Smartphones, printed list of challenges
Create a list of tea party-themed photos players must take during the party:
- A fancy pinkie-up tea sip
- Someone balancing a biscuit on their nose
- Two people toasting teacups
- A creative tea bag arrangement
- Someone wearing a teacup as a hat (carefully!)
First to complete all challenges (or most creative entries) wins.
Silent Tea Party
Best for: Ages 8+
Materials needed: Tea party supplies, notepads, pens
For 10 minutes, no one is allowed to speak! Players must communicate only through notes, gestures, and facial expressions while still participating in the tea party. Award points for the most creative non-verbal communication methods.
I tried this with my daughter's 10th birthday party, and watching the girls dramatically mime "please pass the sugar" had me in stitches. The use of emoji drawing was interesting to say the least.
Tea Tray Memory Test
Best for: All ages
Materials needed: Tea tray with various tea-related items
Show guests a tray filled with tea-related items (spoon, sugar cube, tea bag, lemon slice, etc.) for 30 seconds. Cover the tray and remove one item. Show the tray again and see who can identify what's missing. Continue removing items to increase difficulty.
This works brilliantly for mixed age groups—I've seen grandparents outperform teenagers, much to everyone's surprise!
Games Perfect for Children's Tea Parties
Book Balance Grace
Best for: Ages 5-12
Materials needed: Books (can be tea-related)
Challenge children to walk like proper ladies and gentlemen by balancing books on their heads. Mark a start and finish line, and see who can walk the farthest without dropping their book.
For a lovely touch, use tea-themed books wrapped as prizes that participants get to keep.
Sugar Cube Relay
Best for: Ages 6-12
Materials needed: Sugar cubes, spoons, sugar bowls
Divide children into teams. Each player must carry sugar cubes on a spoon across the room to fill their team's sugar bowl.
First team to successfully transport a predetermined number of cubes wins.
Up the ante: For added difficulty, create an obstacle course!
Candy Dice Game
Best for: Ages 4+
Materials needed: Dice, bowl of small sweets or candies
Place a bowl of small candies in the centre of the table. Each player takes turns rolling the dice. Different numbers correspond to different actions, for example:
- Roll a 1: Take one candy
- Roll a 2: Take two candies
- Roll a 3: Pass the bowl to the left
- Roll a 4: Pass the bowl to the right
- Roll a 5: Everyone takes one candy
- Roll a 6: No candy this turn
Continue until the candies are gone or a set time has passed. Simple but surprisingly engaging for all ages!
Teacup Ring Toss
Best for: Ages 3-8
Materials needed: Plastic teacups, bangle bracelets or rings
Set up several teacups (plastic or otherwise) on a table or the floor. Give children bangle bracelets or plastic rings to toss into the teacups or onto the teacup handles.
Award points based on successful tosses or different point values for in the cup or on the handle.
This game is perfect for the youngest partygoers who might not have the patience for more complex activities.
Tea Party Freeze Dance
Best for: Ages 3-7
Materials needed: Music player, tea party-themed music
A tea party twist on the classic freeze dance! When the music plays, children dance around holding imaginary teacups and saucers. When the music stops, they must freeze in their most elegant tea-drinking pose. Anyone who moves or giggles is out until the next round.
For added hilarity: Call out different tea party scenarios when the music stops: "The queen just arrived!" or "Hot tea spill!" and watch the creative poses that result!
Games Better Suited for Teens and Adults
Tea Party Trivia
Best for: Teens and adults
Materials needed: Prepared trivia questions
Test your guests' knowledge with questions about tea history, types, etiquette, and famous tea drinkers. Sample questions:
- What country consumes the most tea per person? (Turkey)
- What tea does the Queen traditionally prefer? (Earl Grey)
- What's the difference between high tea and afternoon tea? (High tea was actually a working-class evening meal)
Tea Party Fact or Fiction
Best for: Ages 12+
Materials needed: List of tea statements (some true, some false)
Read statements about tea, and guests must guess whether each is fact or fiction. For example:
- "Tea was once so valuable it was kept in locked boxes." (Fact)
- "The world's most expensive tea costs over £20,000 per kg." (Fact - Da Hong Pao tea)
- "The proper way to stir tea is in a figure-eight motion." (Fiction)
This or That: Tea Edition
Best for: Teens and adults
Materials needed: List of tea-themed "this or that" questions
Ask guests to choose between two options, leading to fun discussions:
- Milk in first or tea in first?
- Loose leaf or tea bags?
- Scones with jam first or cream first?
- Earl Grey or English Breakfast?
- China cups or mugs?
Word Scramble - Tea Party Edition
Best for: Ages 12+
Materials needed: List of scrambled tea-related words
Challenge guests to unscramble tea-related terms like:
- NOCSE (SCONE)
- PTOTEA (TEAPOT)
- ERBWE (BREW)
- YRGER (GREY)
- OHNYE (HONEY)
- LEKTTE (KETTLE)
Tea Leaf Fortune Telling
Best for: Teens and adults
Materials needed: Teacups with loose-leaf tea, fortune-telling guide
After guests finish their tea, have them swap cups and "read" the tea leaves left at the bottom. Provide a simple guide to tea leaf reading symbols (a heart means love, a mountain means challenges, etc.) or go one step further a get a book like this one that gives a guide to all the tea leaf reading symbols.
It's not about actual fortune-telling (well, I don't think it is!), it's about the creative stories guests come up with for each other!
Tea Blend Guessing Game
Best for: Adults
Materials needed: Several varieties of tea, numbered cups, notepads
Brew 5-7 different teas and pour small samples into numbered cups. Guests taste each tea and try to identify what type it is or what ingredients it contains. The person with the most correct guesses wins.
I hosted this game at a recent family gathering and was open mouthed when my coffee loving husband outperformed the rest of us. The blind tasting element creates a surprisingly level playing field!
Tea Party Charades
Best for: Ages 12+
Materials needed: Slips of paper with tea-related actions
Create slips of paper with tea-related actions or scenarios:
- Stirring tea with a pinky up
- Burning your tongue on hot tea
- Finding a tea bag string has fallen into your cup
- Trying to dunk a biscuit that's too big for the cup
- Realising you've put salt instead of sugar in your tea
Players draw a slip and act out the scenario while others guess. The more dramatic the performance, the better!
Free Printable Tea Party Games!
To help get your tea party started right, we're offering three free printable games from our complete Tea Party Games Bundle:
- Tea Party Word Scramble - A challenging list of tea-themed anagrams
- Tea Party Selfie Scavenger Hunt - Ready-to-use photo challenges
- Cake Scattergories - A fun word game using the letters in "CAKE"
For even more tea party fun, check out our complete Tea Party Games Bundle.
With these game ideas, your tea party will have everyone talking long after the last cup is drained. Whether you're entertaining children with candy dice games or challenging adults with tea trivia, these activities add just the right amount of structured fun while maintaining the elegant, relaxed atmosphere that makes tea parties so special.
The best part? You won't be running yourself ragged as host—these games practically run themselves, leaving you free to actually enjoy your own party!
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