Pass the Parcel: Rules, Fair Music Stops and a Layer for Every Child

Pass the parcel is a classic birthday party game: the children sit in a circle and pass a parcel wrapped in many layers of paper while music plays. When the music stops, whoever is holding the parcel tears off one layer. The child who removes the last layer wins the prize in the middle. It is simple, it needs no space to run around, and it works for toddlers as well as older kids. Here are the rules, how to wrap the parcel, and how to stop the music so it feels fair to everyone.

What you need

• A small prize for the middle of the parcel, such as a book, a toy or a bag of sweets.
• Wrapping paper or newspaper, one layer per child (or more), plus tape.
• Optional: a small treat, sticker or forfeit card tucked into each layer.
• Music you can pause, and one adult in charge of it who cannot see the parcel.

How to wrap the parcel

Wrap the prize once, then keep wrapping layer over layer. Use a different paper or colour for each layer if you can, so it is obvious when a layer is finished. Tape each layer lightly: small hands should be able to tear it off in a few seconds, otherwise the game slows down. If you add a sweet or a slip of paper between the layers, tape it to the layer underneath so it does not fall out while the parcel is passed.

A good rule of thumb is one layer for every child playing, plus a couple of spare layers. That way every child can have a turn at unwrapping, and the game still lasts long enough to build some suspense.

Rules

1. Everyone sits in a circle on the floor.
2. The adult starts the music and the parcel is passed around the circle, always in the same direction.
3. When the music stops, the child holding the parcel removes one layer, and only one.
4. If there is a treat or forfeit in that layer, the child keeps it or does it.
5. The music starts again and the parcel keeps moving.
6. The child who removes the final layer wins the prize in the middle.

Two simple house rules keep it calm: the parcel must be passed, not thrown, and nobody may hold on to it when the music is about to stop. If a child grabs or refuses to pass, the parcel goes to the next child in the circle.

Does everyone get a layer? The odds

If the music really stops at random, the parcel lands on a random child each time, and some children will unwrap two layers while others get none. With as many layers as children, the chance that a particular child never gets a layer is (1 − 1/n)ⁿ, which is about one in three for any party size. The table shows what that means in practice, with as many layers as kids:

So with ten children and ten layers, you should expect three or four of them to finish the game without unwrapping anything, and it is almost certain that at least one child misses out. That is fine for older kids who enjoy the luck of it, but with little ones it often ends in tears.

A fair way to stop the music

Most parents now quietly make sure every child gets one turn. The adult in charge of the music watches the circle and stops it when the parcel reaches a child who has not unwrapped a layer yet. To make the order fair and not just whoever the adult notices first, decide it before the game starts:

1. Type every child’s name into the Random Name Picker.
2. Spin with “remove and spin” switched on, so each name comes up exactly once, and write down the order.
3. Stop the music when the parcel reaches the next child on the list.
4. The last name on the list gets the final layer and the prize.

Because the order is a random shuffle, every child has the same chance of winning the main prize: one in six with six children, one in ten with ten. If you prefer real surprise, you can instead use the Random Number Generator to pick how many seconds the music plays each round, for example a number between 5 and 20. Nobody can then accuse the adult of choosing, although some children may still miss a layer.

Variations

• A treat in every layer: each layer hides a small sweet or sticker, so every child goes home with something even if they do not win the prize.
• Forfeits: each layer holds a slip with a silly task, such as “sing a nursery rhyme” or “hop on one foot five times”.
• Questions: for older children, each layer has a quiz question or a riddle that must be answered before the next round.
• Two parcels: with a big group, pass two parcels in opposite directions so more children are busy at once.
• Small groups: with four or five toddlers, wrap two layers each so the game lasts a little longer.

Tips for a smooth game

• Keep each round short; 10 to 20 seconds of music is plenty for young children.
• Sit the youngest children next to an adult who can help them tear the paper.
• Have a few spare sweets in your pocket in case a layer was empty or a treat fell out.
• Collect the torn paper in a bag between rounds so the circle stays clear.

Pass the parcel sits well alongside hot potato, where the object is passed until the music stops but the holder is out, and musical chairs, the other great music game. For more ideas, see our list of kids’ party games.

FAQ

How many layers should pass the parcel have?

One layer per child, plus one or two spares, is a good number. That gives every child a chance to unwrap a layer and keeps the game to around ten minutes.

Should every child get a layer in pass the parcel?

With young children most parents make sure everyone gets one layer by stopping the music on a child who has not had a turn yet. With older children you can let the music stop at random, but then about one child in three will miss out.

Who wins pass the parcel?

The child who removes the last layer wins the prize in the middle. If you use a shuffled order from a random name picker, every child has an equal chance of being that winner.

What do you put in pass the parcel layers?

Small sweets, stickers, temporary tattoos or slips of paper with forfeits or questions. Tape each one to the layer below so it does not fall out.