Bar Mitzvah / Bat Mitzvah Party Ice Breakers
Fun, fun, fun is what any birthday party is all about. And for Jewish parents who have a son or daughter about to enter adulthood, a bar or bat mitzvah celebration is inevitable. After all, at a young age of 12 for girls and 13 for boys, these children still want to have fun and excitement during their parties especially after the formal religious service.Parents as well as the party planners involved need to make this event very special and memorable for the celebrant. One of the best ways to achieve this goal is to include exciting and interactive games and activities or ice breakers during the party. These activities are meant to help the guests get to know one another and feel comfortable when they’re together.
Ice breakers may vary from the simple sit-down types to the more interactive funny games and dances. Whatever you choose, what’s important is that they’re well planned and conducted properly for an easy flow of the activity. And don’t forget to provide some small prizes for the winners.
Below are some of the popular games you can use for your bar or bat mitzvah party.
Musical chairs
This game never fades whether it’s in a kid’s party or an all-adults gathering. The chairs can be arranged in any way (in a row, circle or scattered) while the guests circle around them and move around in a circle dancing as the music plays. When the music stops, everybody must find a seat. The one who can’t find a seat will be out of the game. This goes on until only one person remains.
Nametags
Each participant should have a nametag and as the game begins, the host or DJ asks one guest to add a descriptive adjective that starts with the same letter as his or her name. Examples would be Pretty Pamela, Curious Cris and Darling Diane. This game, although a simple one, perks up the imagination of guests and can really be fun.
Mitzvah Trivia
This activity will surely make the celebrant feel special as guests answer trivia questions about the birthday boy or girl. If the game host is not the parent, he or she can interview the celebrant prior to the party to get personal details such as favorite food, color, teacher, movie and dream destination to use in the trivia questions.
Hula hoop contest
This is ideal for a bat mitzvah party since it’s mostly girls who know how to hula hoop. Groups are formed in this game. The first group starts to hula hoop along with the music and if one member drops a hula hoop, the group is automatically called out. The winning groups from each round will face off to determine the winner.
Karaoke
This will test the singing skills of kids and adults alike. You can even have two separate monitors – one for the children and another for the adults. Each person or a group can sing along as the lyrics of the song appear on the TV screen. The one who sings the best is the winner.
Dancing Time
Apart from games, dances are a good way to have fun. You can have a dancing session with an instructor teaching some dance steps to both the young and old guests. Some of the popular dances are the Macarena, YMCA, limbo, cha-cha, conga line and the traditional Jewish hora dance. The limbo dance can actually be made into a contest with the participant who can pass through the lowest level declared the winner.
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