This birthday left right game is the perfect quick and easy birthday party game for guests of all ages or as a birthday classroom game for kids.
This is a simple birthday party game idea that can be played with a large group or a smaller group and other than the left right birthday game story included below, you only need a gift or prize to play.
You can also grab a printable version of the birthday left right party game in my online store.
Birthday Left Right Story Game
The left-right game is one of the easiest birthday party games to play with a group. It’s one of the few games that can be adapted easily to play with a large group, yet still works with a smaller group of 4 or more too.
The game also suits players of all ages, so it doesn’t matter if you’re hosting a kids’ birthday party or if you’re hosting friends at home for a birthday celebration. This is an exciting gift exchange game that is fun no matter the player’s ages!
For more birthday activities, be sure to check out these fun birthday party games, balloon party games, birthday scavenger hunt and saran wrap game.
Alright, let’s get onto how to play the left-right game:
Left-Right Game Rules
The right left game is great for large groups but you can play with as few as 4 players. Fewer people means the gift doesn’t have the chance to pass very far.
You also need a game narrator to read the right-left story.
The narrator is typically the party host (or parent if it’s a kids party), but it can be whoever is a confident reader with a big voice, clear so everyone can hear the story.
You can get a printable version of the birthday left-right game here, along with instructions.
The other thing you will need is a gift to pass around the circle. More details about this are below.
Have all the players sit or stand in a circle. This can be with chairs or on the floor.
Depending on the size of your group and the space you have, this can be sitting on the floor or the floor, standing in a circle or sitting on chairs.
Hand the gift to a random player and have the game host start reading the birthday story.
Each time the word LEFT is mentioned, anyone holding a gift must pass the gift to the left. If the word RIGHT is mentioned, the gift must be passed to the person on their right.
This gift passing continues until the end of the story. Anyone holding a gift or treat at the end gets to keep it!
GET MY FULL PRINTABLE BIRTHDAY GAME & ACTIVITY BUNDLE!
Birthday Left Right Game Story
I have put together an original story for your fun party game themed around birthday celebrations. I originally created this for my daughter’s 11th birthday but using extra silly names to have the kids in a fit of giggles:
Slumber Party Fun
Once upon a time, in a quaint little town named RIGHT Town, there was a cheerful girl named Lily. Lily was about to turn eleven and couldn’t wait for her birthday to arrive. Her parents were planning a grand slumber party and invited her best friends from school and her cousin.
On the morning of her birthday party, Lily woke up and LEFT her bedroom to find that a beautifully wrapped gift was LEFT on the dining table. “RIGHT on time for my birthday!” she exclaimed. She picked it up and shook it, RIGHT then and there, trying to guess what was inside. Then, she LEFT it RIGHT on the table as her mum called her for breakfast.
RIGHT when they were about to start eating, they heard a knock on the door. She LEFT the table to see who it was. It was her best friend Amelia, who lived across the street. Amelia handed over a small, beautifully decorated box. “Happy Birthday!” she said, and Lily’s eyes sparkled with joy.
The day continued and presents kept coming from LEFT and RIGHT from family and friends and Lily was so excited. RIGHT as the sun went down, it was time for the slumber party to begin.
There was laughter and merriment filling the air. Lily and her friends danced RIGHT along to their favourite tunes. They LEFT no snacks behind and they played games across the yard.
When it was time for sleep, Lily had Amelia to her LEFT and her other best friend Dora to her RIGHT. Lily’s mum had turned their living room into a cozy space, with just the RIGHT amount of blankets, mattresses and cushions.
When the party was over the next morning, a tired but happy Lily LEFT her friends at the door. They all wished her happy birthday once again and LEFT for their homes. Lily and her parents then cleaned up the LEFT-over party decorations, and RIGHT before bedtime, she opened all her presents.
She finally opened the present she had left RIGHT on the table the morning before and to her surprise, it was exactly what she had been hoping for. A brand new pair of pink sneakers and they were just the RIGHT size.
As Lily LEFT to get ready for bed, she thought about the marvellous party she had. She fell asleep with a smile RIGHT across her face, knowing she would remember this birthday forever.
And that’s exactly how birthdays are supposed to be – filled with joy, laughter, and a little bit of surprise from LEFT and RIGHT, RIGHT?
THE END
Birthday Party Day Left Right Game Variations
The most basic version of this birthday party game is played with a single gift or wrapped prize being passed around the circle and one winner.
If you have a large group of players, you can have multiple prizes. Hand them out around the circle fairly evenly spaced at the start of the game and the same rules apply, with several winners at the end.
This is recommended with large groups so that everyone has the chance to be passed a gift at least once during gameplay. It wouldn’t be much fun otherwise.
If you want everyone to win a prize, such as when playing with young children as a party game, like this birthday left-right game variation, you can use lollies or little prizes, such as these party bag fillers, to pass around instead.
Have one larger prize if you want, so one person still gets a bigger prize at the end (and it gets everyone excited for the big prize) or keep it even so each child gets the same.
To mix things up a tad more, you can yell out SWAP at random during the middle of the game and have each person switch seats with someone across from them. This helps to make sure the gift exchange game doesn’t end up with everyone holding their own gift at the end.
Or try a game of Left Right Across – the same but with an across prompt where you pass the gift across the circle instead.
Check out the Saran Wrap game for another epic birthday party game! This is our favourite party game!!
Get The Birthday Left Right Across Game Printable
Want a printable version of my birthday left right across game? Get a printable copy of this story in my shop HERE. It includes gameplay instructions with the left and right words bolded for easy ready and emphasis.
Find all my other left right games below:
- Halloween left right game (with free printable)
- Christmas left right game
- Valentine left right game
- Easter left right game
Conclusion: Left Right Birthday Game
If you’re looking for an easy and fun birthday party game for a large group or even just a fun activity for a group of kids. This is such a simple game to play and a great option when you need some easy party games for your party schedule!
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