In between always likes to play a trick on someone. Fancy stepping answers this urge. A group of guests who do not know the stunt are assembled in one room. Then the host places four objects a little distance apart across the living-room floor. Good things to use are a whole raw egg, a plant, a cut glass vase, and a silver tea pot the more fragile the things the better. Then a victim is brought into the room and told that he will be blindfolded and will have to step over the fragile objects without touching them. To help him gauge the distance, permit him to step over the articles with his eyes open.



Much atmosphere is created by repeated cautioning as to the value and fragility of the objects. The victim is then blindfolded, spun around three times and started on his perilous course. While he is being spun the objects are quietly removed from the floor. The victim then starts out working diligently to step over the things that are no longer there. It is terrifically funny to watch people stepping high, wide, and handsome over a bare spot on the floor.

A game that rates tops in hilarity is a Costume Race. Choose two Dads to head the two teams. Have each team include some mothers as well as half the kids. Then present each captain with a suitcase of clothes. A skirt or loose beach slacks, a flower hat and a pair of mittens make a hilarious costume.

The object of the game is to have each contestant dress in the clothes, then race out the front door around the house and in the back door carrying the suitcase. When he reaches the starting point he takes off the clothes and repacks them and passes the bag to the next man on the team. The excitement and hilarity in the dressing and packing reduces the onlookers to limpness from laughter.

Of course, the team completing the race first is the winner. At one of our recent parties one father, with tears of laughter running down his cheeks, remarked, I thought this was a kids' party. I haven't had so much fun in years.

We seldom give prizes at any of our family parties. We have learned through experience that in games where everyone participates the fun of winning seems to satisfy without a prize. To avoid any unnecessary delays we always make a list of games ahead of time and collect the props needed for each game. As our games do not call for expensive equipment, we only need to assemble from around the house the props needed. As each game is finished we refer to our list, kept in a handy spot, for the next game. The youngsters soon spot the list and at the end of each game race to it to see What is next? As our list contains only the names of the games, it serves as a teaser.

Keep your refreshments simple and serve them buffet style. The children like to sit on the floor to eat and the parents enjoy eating from trays or plates held in their laps. The informality of it all will please everyone.

The advantages of the family parties are quite apparent. The kids have a rollicking good time. You, as hostess, get the cooperation of the parents in promoting the games and keeping the youngsters exuberant spirits in check. And the kids themselves, besides the good times, learn how to be host and guest and learn the fellowship that comes from hospitality. With our family of growing boys we have had many such parties and every one of them has proved to be a howling success, and we do mean Howling.