Pirate Party Games

Pirate parties are very popular with both boys and girls and can be great fun for both young and old(er) children. UK-Entertainers have put together a complete information package for anyone organising a Pirate Party, we have a FREE printable pirate invitations to send to all your 'Land Lubbers' and some articles to help with the entertainment and catering of your Pesky Pirate guests.

Large supermarket chains now carry many child (and adult) pirate items for sale such as coins, eye patches, Jolly Roger flags, bandana hats and plastic / foam cutlasses, as well as full pirate outfits. This is a great way to collect prizes for games or make up pirate loot bags for the end of a party in a reasonable cheap way.

At UK-Entertainers we have put together a selection of party games suitable for any Captain considering organising a Pirate Party. They have clear and easy to follow instructions and detail any resources required and how the Pirate Captain is to manage the games at the party. This pirate party games article can be used alone or in conjunction with our Pirate Party Food article to make your Pirate Party Heave HO!

Read on (with caution) if you dare to find out how to get your party pirates to walk the plank, swab the decks and wage water cannon war on enemy pirates!

Walk the Plank
Resources: A long thin length of wooden plank, bricks for older children, buckets sponges and water (for outdoor fine weather plank walking!)

Walking the plank is a classic Pirate activity. Place the plank on the floor (for young children) or balanced on a few bricks (for older children).  Each child takes a turn to walk the plank. Variations can be added depending on the age of your pirates walking forwards / backwards, hopping, shuffling sideways etc.

If you are holding your Pirate Party in fine weather and outside, you could let the remaining pirates throw wet sponges at the 'plank walker' to try to topple them off. NB This wet version requires your quests to bring a change of clothes and best done towards the end of the party!

Treasure Hunt (Version 1)
Resources: Foil wrapped chocolate coins.

Hide the treasure around the house and / or garden prior to your guests arriving. Explain to the pirates what they are hunting for and set them off on their treasure hunt!

Treasure Hunt (Version 2)
Resources: Treasure for each child and assortment of wrapping paper.

Wrap each child’s treasure in a different coloured / patterned paper, saving a sample piece for the child. Hide the treasure around the room / garden before the party. Give each child their own unique sample of wrapping paper to match to their piece of hidden treasure.

Pin the Patch on the Pirate
Resources: A Pirate picture, eye patches for each pirate in eye patch shape, sticky tack, and blindfold.

Hang the pirate on a wall, door or cupboard. Each pirate has an eye patch with their name on it and are blindfolded in turn, spun around a few times and then try to place the eye patch on the pirate as close to his eye as they can (without peeping). Prizes can be given to the two closest or to all for participating.

Pin the Flag on the Pirate Ship
Resources: A Pirate ship picture, Jolly Roger Flags for each pirate, sticky tack, and blindfold.

As with Pin the Patch on the Pirate, hang the ship on a wall, door or cupboard. Each pirate has a flag with their name on it and is blindfolded in turn, spun around a few times and then try to place the flag on the pirate ship as close to the top of the mast as they can (without peeping). Prizes can be given to the two closest or to all for participating.

Musical Islands
Resources: Paper, hula hoops, music.

This is the same as the traditional Musical Chairs. The island can be hula hoops placed on the floor or paper cut in random island outlines spread out around the room or garden. You will need one less than the number of pirates playing. As the music plays the pirates move around the islands. When the music stops each pirate must stand on / in and island. The pirate without an island stands out of the game. Remove an island each round until you have a winner.

Sleeping Pirates
Resources: Open area

One pirate stands / sits at one end of the room with their back to all the other shipmates at the other end. The shipmates have to creep as quietly as they can towards the pirate. If the pirate turns around and catches a ship mate moving them they have to walk the plank and are out of the game. The winner is the ship mate that touches the pirate without being caught.

Water Cannon War
Resources: Water bombs, outdoor area and fine weather!

Pirates are paired up and given a water cannon ball (full water bomb) per pair. They have to throw it back and forth between the pair without breaking it, taking a step backwards each time they manage to catch it. The pirate that misses the catch and gets wet steps out of the game, and remaining dry pirates pair up to challenge each other until a winner is found or a full scale water fight breaks out, whichever is first!

Pirate Piñatas
Resources: Pirate Piñata and stick / baton.

Piñatas are now readily available from large supermarkets in a variety styles, pirate ships, hats, treasure chests etc. Once filled with sweets or other prizes, they are suspended above the party and each pirate guest takes a turn to try and hit and break the Piñata to release the goodies inside. Children can be blindfolded (or not) for this activity.

A low cost alternative will take some work but will be just as effective. Making a Cannon Ball Piñata from an inflated balloon covered in a few layers of Papier Mache, filled with prizes and painted black, provides a cheap home made alternative.

Peg Leg Race (Three Legged Race)
Resources: Lengths of material, enough for one per pair of pirates.

Pirates pair up, if possible with pirates who have similar length legs! Standing side by side (facing the same direction!) gently tie the two pirates inside ankles together (one left and one right). Line the pairs of Peg Leg Pirates up and decide upon a finishing line. The winners are the Peg Leg pair who manages to make it across the line first!

Gold Nugget Hunt
Resources: Pebbles, gold spray paint, sand tray / pit.

Prior to the party spray paint pebbles with the gold paint to make golden nuggets. Once dry bury them in a sand tray or sand pit. Your pirate guests have to dig for the buried treasure, with the winner being the one who finds the most golden nuggets.

Sink the Galleon
Resources: Two Large pieces of cardboard, paint, newspaper and masking tape.

Draw the outline of a pirate ship on each piece of card and cut them out. Decorate each ship with the paint making sure you have different flags of rival pirates. Prop the galleons up facing each other with several shoe boxes or similar items. Scrunch newspaper into balls to make cannon balls and secure with masking tape. (Cannon Balls can be painted black if desired).

Divide your pirates into two teams and give them dastardly names such as “Lewis’ Looters” and “Captain Jack’s Crew”. Each team stands behind their pirate galleon with a supply of ‘cannon balls’. On the command, each team fires (throws) cannon balls at the other teams galleon to try and sink (knock over) their boat.

Cannon Ball Explosion
Resources: Black balloons, sweets (optional).

Blow up the black balloons and tie the ends to be cannon balls. The sweets can be inserted before inflated or kept aside for prizes. Scatter the ‘Cannon Balls’ around the room and on the captains command the pirates jump, sit on, squash or by any other means burst the cannon balls. Quite an explosion!

Glass Eye Goo
Resources: Large bag of marbles, white nail polish, permanent marker pen, bowl, jelly / jello.

This game is not for the faint hearted nor young children. Paint 3 or 4 of the marbles white with the nail polish, when dry draw an eye on them and place in a large bowl with the other unpainted marbles. Make the jelly / jello as per the instructions (Strawberry or raspberry is best as it is red . . . like blood!) Add jelly over the marbles and ‘eyeballs’ and allow to set.  Each pirate takes a turn to dip their hand into the bowl whilst blindfolded or looking away to try to pull out a glass eye. The pirates that find a glass eye in the goo win a prize.

Swab the Decks
Resources: Two brooms, ping pong balls, marker pens.

Divide the ping pong balls in two and mark one set with the pens to distinguish them ie colour one set. Your pirate guests are divided into two teams each with a broom and a set of ping pong balls. Each pirate member of the team takes a turn to “Swab the Decks” sweeping their set of ping pong balls to the end of the room and back again, when the next team member takes the broom and repeats the process. This can be made easier by using only one or two ping pong balls or larger heavier balls, and increased in difficultly by adding more ping pong balls per team.

For an added twist mark one ball per team with a skull and cross bones and the opposing team have to steal this ball from the opposite team as they are sweeping.

Sharks
Resources: Large space and a prize.

One child is the shark and the other children stand at one end of the area and try to run back and forth past the “shark” without being caught. If they are caught then they too become a shark and continue to try and catch the others as a shoal. The last child uncaught by the sharks is the winner.