60th Birthday Party Games

These 60th birthday party games are tailored to those still working or those fortunate enough to enjoy early retirement in a sunny locale. They work hard and may want to play just as hard. For instance, a pool party may still be fine for the active 60-year-old but the water volleyball might be better geared toward younger guests while older ones are made more comfortable in a sheltered picnic area.

The water volleyball sets for this 60th birthday party game are similar to land or sand volleyball with the net made of PVC tubes and mounted on floats. Teams of three to six players try to deliver the ball to the other side's court by tossing it into the air and then serving the ball over the net in a way that can't be returned but is still in bounds. The boundary lines are the pool walls. Each missed ball is scored. Game play ends when a score of 25 is reached by one team.

If a pool is unavailable, warm weather and an inexpensive set of horseshoes can provide hours of casual competition at your one and only big 60th birthday. The rules are simple and preparation only involves placing the stakes 40 feet apart in six to eight inches of sand. A square shaped sand pit at least 43 inches by 31 inches surrounds each stake. Participants are divided into two teams of equal number. Each team is given two horseshoes. Each player from a team pitches from behind his stake toward the stake at the other end. Then the other team plays to complete the inning. One point is awarded for shoes landing within six inches of the stake; one or two points for those leaning on the stake; and three points for shoes that sit encompassing the stake (called a ""ringer""). Game ends with a 40 point score by either team.