Does anyone else play pass the parcel by people being out when the music stops?

[nappyaddict]

So the last person left in the circle wins the parcel's contents?

Does the person that is out unwrap a layer off the parcel or is the parcel just wrapped in one layer for the winner to open?

Noone is out, but whoever has the parcel in their hands when the music stops, takes off a layer of wrapping, until no wrapping left + last to hold gets main prize - we do add something small to each layer of wrapping, lolly, ballon etc + if thers lots of DCs have 2 parcels on the go - hth

Agree with rockinhippy.

If people (by which I assume you mean small children) are out, they drift off and get up to mischief making it even harder to monitor the circulation of the parcel. Much easier to keep them sitting in the circle until the game is over.

Yes, you want they where you can see them! Some will be out for five minutes if you do that and they will be up to all sorts-or bored.

I have got a bouncy castle so was thinking they could play on that when they were out? You have to be out for other games like musical bumps, musical statues etc.

A layer for each person, they open it have to go out but get a sweet and the last one in wins the prize

You're out for musical bumps and statues. You're not out for pass the parcel. If the children are small, the person doing the music should cheat to ensure that everyone gets a turn unwrapping and gets a sweetie out of that layer but the last layer (use different paper - eg proper paper for that, newspaper for the outer layers) must be fair, back turned.

The other game that is excellent to play just before the food is served to calm them down is Sleeping Lions. They have to lie on the floor and 'play dead'. You can have them out for moving, but better is to have a stash of little prizes (sweets, usually) and go round placing one on each appropriately still child, so that they all stay put and relax a bit.

No, I do a layer with a sweetie for each person, then turn my back and let the last layer be totally random. IME they all stay in the circle ond sit happily even once they have undone their first layer so they can have a chance to win the prize in the last layer. If they were going to be out you would have to have your back turned for the whole game to make it fair which may be a little awkward and they would probably start messing about, even if there is a bouncy castle as they wouldn't all want to play on it at the same time.