9 Entertaining Movie Night Games for Teens and Preteen's Parties

I know how fun and popular movie night themed birthday parties have become for teens and preteens but they also come with a setback which a lot of parents don't particularly love - their kids watching non-stop and having almost zero interactions with their friends and peers. 

Let's be honest our kids have more than enough screen-time then they need to be exposed to. So, when my kids have the opportunity to socialize I'm all for it. When they are among their friends I want them to interact with each other as much as possible rather than being glued to their devices. Especially on a movie-night birthday I want my kids to be able to have opportunities to socialize and interact with their friends rather than just getting together to watch a movie the entire time. While watching a movie is great fun I'm going to share with you some excellent movie night games that you can incorporate to the party to make it more interactive and no less fun. Trust me when I say this, the kids will have a blast! but before the games - 

Here are a few tips for a successful movie night birthday for kids, preteens and teens:

• Base all games on the most trending and popular cartoons, movies or shows for the age group you are hosting. Choosing a movie or cartoon that is not age-appropriate will only lead to clueless kids and the game will flop before it even begins.  
• Have all the questions and challenges pre-prepared on cards so the games are structured and run smoothly. The last thing you want is chaos and confusion. It'll break all the momentum. Don't forget to set a time limit for each game that you choose to bring to the party to keep on schedule. 
• Keep a simple instruction sheet for each game to ensure smooth and fast flow. This also allows for any adult to step in and take over with minimal confusion.
• Always plan a backup game
• Keep in mind that this isn't a classroom so there shouldn't be any hard and fast rules. The primary objective is for kids to have a load of fun. Allow the kids to pass when they don't want to answer. I personally recommend grouping kids into teams that way no one has to feel singled out. 
• This one is definitely linked to the previous tip - no forced dares as these kill the vibe instantly. If a kid says 'no' leave it at that and move on. 
• For super shy kids or kids that just don't want to actively play offer other roles so they  still feel a sense of participation like designating them as the 'scorekeeper.'
• Don't forget to include the input of the birthday kid. Let them feel like they're a part of the birthday planning and that their opinion is valuable. This will only enhance the birthday experience plus sometimes as adults we tend to overlook what's important and interesting to kids. Your kid knows his interests more than you and is obviously going to be much more aware of what's popular among their age-group so discussing ideas with them will only make the games more relevant and fun to the kids. 
• Balance games so that the kids get to move around with games that allow movement after a game that's had the kids sitting for a while. I personally like to choose one movement/active game, one creative/mental game and then finish off with a social game. You don't have to have the same order but definitely consider picking a game from each category to keep the games balanced but still fun. 
• Schedule games before the movie starts. Don't fight it because the games won't happen in between or after that. 
• Plan snacks that don't interrupt games. Avoid anything messy like sauces etc. 
• End each game on a high note while the kids are still engaged and want more. Don't push for more until kids are tired, bored and exhausted.
• Have a bag of small prizes to throw at winners to keep the excitement alive. Even small rewards like candy and chocolates will do the job just fine. 

Here's a list of my favorite kid-approved movie-night games: 

1. Guess the Movie in 5 Seconds                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        One person names a popular scene from a movie and the kids have 5 seconds to guess the movie. You could even have kids name a movie and the kids to have to guess the main lead/character. 

2. Movie Soundtrack Challenge                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Play 5-10 second clips of popular movie soundtracks and the first person to shout the movie title wins the point. Use trending teen movies like Harry Potter, Marvel, and Hunger Games.                                                                                                                               
3.  Decode the Emoji                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Whoever decodes the most clues wins the game.                                                                    Show the kids emoji clues like:                                                                                               🧙⚡🏰 = Harry Potter                                                                                                             🦖🏃🌴 = Jurassic Park                                                                                                                          
4. Finish the Movie Quote                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Read a partial quote from a popular movie the kid that finishes the quote wins the point. Don't forget to keep it age-appropriate so the kids are able to guess the movie quotes.                                                                                                                                              
5. Popcorn Challenge                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Blindfold two contestants and place a bucket in front of each. Their teammates give instructions while they try to toss popcorn into their buckets. The team with the most popcorn-filled bucket wins.                                                                                                                    
6. Movie Charades                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  One person acts out a movie name, a popular scene or character silently using gestures and body language while the other kids guess what the person is miming. The winner goes next until the time runs out. This one is a classic so you can never really go wrong with it plus I love it so much because it forces kids to use their creativity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Prepare cards ahead of time from genres teens love:                                                              - Horror                                                                                                                                              - Action                                                                                                                                            - Anime                                                                                                                                              - Rom-coms                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               7. Would You Rather                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Use pre-set questions like:                                                                                                           - Would you rather survive The Hunger Games or Jurassic World?                                       - Would you rather be stuck in a horror movie or a rom-com?                                               - Would you rather play Harry Potter or Voldemort?                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Have the kids move to one side or the other of the room to vote.                                                                                                                                                                                                   8. One-Minute Movie Pitch                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Divide the kids in two teams. Each team gets a random genre + object + character and they have 5 minutes to come up with an amazing movie idea. Once the timer goes off, they have to pitch their idea in a minute. The team with the best pitch wins.                                                                                                                                                                                9.  Movie Night Truth or Dare                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Prepare a list of movie-themed truth or dare questions.                                                      Truth: What movie made you cry?                                                                                              Dare: Act out a dramatic movie scene for 10 seconds!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Here's my suggested movie night schedule:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Arrival + snacks                                                                                                                          2. Games (30-45 mins)                                                                                                                  3. Pizza                                                                                                                                            4. Movie                                                                                                                                          5. Cake and farewell                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Note: If you think parents will arrive before the movie concludes. I suggest pausing the movie completely in the middle for the cake and happy birthday song. I also like to keep a snack stand so kids can help themselves to popcorn, candy and drinks during the movie.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  I hope these ideas help you make your child's movie-night birthday a blast. I would love to know something you did to make your child's movie night lots of fun for the kids in the comments below!