For an active afternoon, there's nothing like some Amazing Race party ideas to get everyone involved! The best part is that not everyone needs to have seen the show in order to get the hang of events and have a great time.
Basic Amazing Race Party Ideas
You probably already know the basic outline of The Amazing Race even if you've never seen an episode. Two-person teams race around the world competing for a million-dollar cash prize. Along the way, they have various challenges. In essence, it's an elaborate and exotic scavenger hunt with some physical challenges thrown in for good measure.
The most obvious of the Amazing Race party ideas is a classic scavenger hunt, perhaps with a few extra bells and whistles thrown in. As with the show, you can require that the teams not only fetch something, but have to engage in some sort of activity. Keep it simple so that the emphasis is on fun, not work.
Problems With Scavenger Hunts
One problem with a scavenger hunt is logistics - a lot of parents have to be willing to help get the teams around either in cars, buses or taxis. It can be fun for the kids but pretty tough on the parents, and the costs can add up as well.
Competition is also a concern. With kids under pressure to compete so much in school, parents might prefer it if at a party, they could just relax and have fun. It's nice to play games just for the enjoyment, rather than a prize. There are, however, some ways around this and one is to not have the prize be anything overly special. This way, no one feels bad if they lose, especially the birthday boy or girl.
Finally, fun though the event is, if it's for a child's birthday party, the honored person doesn't get to fully enjoy the experience with all the guests. But there are ways to have your Amazing Race party and eat your cake too.
Keeping It Simple
For younger kids, you can pare down your Amazing Race party ideas to a simple afternoon event in a park or even a decent-sized backyard. You can designate different areas as locations around world, using pictures or props. Egypt, Paris, London, and Australia can all be easily represented. Teams can still race from place to place and engage in an activity, but everyone stays in the same general area, requiring less parents on "staff" and keeping things lively.
Older kids will want a longer party, but you may not have the wherewithal for a big race. One option in that case is to break up the activities with some things that can be done with the whole group sitting at a table. In fact, you can have all the guests do "pre-production" for the show by setting up arts and crafts and letting them draw or otherwise create what will represent each country they visit. Have them work in teams and challenge guests to only use what's on the table, making things much easier on the hosts.
In a big park, you can reserve some game areas and have an Amazing Race party where the teams go from spot to spot and engage in an activity. This can be as simple as shooting a few baskets or playing two-on-two volleyball. You can also set up classic games like ring tossing.
If the party is for educational purposes, you can liven things up using the theme of The Amazing Race (maybe combined with Dora the Explorer) by having teams go from place to place and learn something about each one. At the end, have a timed quiz to see who learned the most. It can be a stealthy way of teaching geography while everyone has a great time.
No matter what scavenger hunt options you choose, an Amazing Race party theme is sure to keep guests engaged and entertained.
