There are loads of ways to keep kids entertained. From family shows to picnics, bike rides to crafty afternoons, you won’t be short of ideas. But if there’s a special event coming up or you just fancy doing something a bit different, how about a tea party? This is sure to get the little ones smiling. So here are 10 games to throw into the mix alongside savoury bites, sweet treats and an array of child-friendly drinks.

1. Musical teacups

This is like musical chairs with a twist. Sit all players around a table with a row of teacups in the middle. There must be enough for every player minus one. When the music stops, players reach for a teacup and the person without one exits the game. Keep removing teacups as players are eliminated. Play continues until just one player is left holding a cup.

1. Tea party scavenger hunt

Divide the children into two teams. Give each team a list of flavoured tea bags they need to find around the garden. The first team to find all the tea bags on their list wins.

1. Blind taste test

Prepare several flavours of tea and serve them to blindfolded players. The players then need to guess the various flavours. If some of the guests don’t like tea, you could also do it with sweet treats such as jam, lemon curd, nutella and so on.

1. Tea bag toss

Line up several cups on a table and give each player a handful of teabags. The winner is the person who throws the most tea bags directly into the cup.

1. Pin the cup on the saucer

When it comes to children’s tea parties, you can be as creative as possible. Draw a big saucer on a piece of paper and stick it to a wall. Draw matching teacups and cut them out. Blindfold players and ask them to pin the cup on the saucer.

1. Sugar and spoon race

Place a sugar cube on a teaspoon and ask the kids to run from one point to another. If anyone drops their sugar cube they must restart the race. If one cube is too easy, try balancing two.

1. Cupcake icing competition

Place a piping bag next to a row of cupcakes as well as lots of sweets, sprinkles, chocolate and other bits for decorating. The person who creates the best masterpiece wins.

1. Tea party relay

Divide players into two teams. Give each team a cup and saucer and place two bowls of water several feet away and an empty teapot at the starting point. Players must then take it in turns to run to the water bowl, fill up their cup and race back to empty it into the empty tea pot. Cups must be balanced on saucers during the racing part. The team with the fullest tea pot wins. Always use plastic tea sets for this game and not your finest china for obvious reasons. 

1. Pass the parcel

Pass the parcel is an all-time favourite party game. Give it a tea party twist by wrapping up a tea set as the main prize. You might want to put a yummy treat or something quirky like a teaspoon in between each layer. When the music stops, a layer of paper is removed until the main prize is revealed.

1. Musical statues

Play musical statues with a difference. Instead of playing random music, get the kids to dance to I’m a Little Teapot. When the music stops, they should also get themselves into the shape of a teapot by making a handle with one arm and a spout with another.

At the end of the tea party, wouldn’t it be nice to present your little one with family theatre tickets to see The Tiger Who Came to Tea? This is one of the best family theatre shows in London this summer, packed with interactive moments, singalongs and plenty of clumsy chaos.