10 Popcorn Games for a Great Family Fun Night

Are you looking for creative ideas for a great family fun night? I’ve got 10 of them. You are going to love these easy popcorn games (with my favorite – Orville Redenbacher’s) for a family fun night together, especially indoors, but you can take the fun outside as well!

It was a rainy day, and with the kids stuck inside, tensions were building. By the end of the day, we needed a release from work pressures, confinement, and drizzly doldrums. It was the perfect time for a family fun night.

Nothing gives us warm fuzzies quite like fresh-popped popcorn, and you should hear the excitement erupt when I announce it’s time for a movie night with popcorn, so I decided to make our entire night revolve around fun popcorn activities. And this time, we decided to save the movie for another day… but I know that won’t be too far off. 

I typically rely on Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn for the best light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth popcorn that brings everyone in the fam to a happy place. The real buttery goodness is a favorite for most of the family (and truth be told, I like Kettle Corn just about as much).

What usually bothers me about most brand’s bags of microwave popcorn are the kernels that spill out when we pour our freshly popped corn into bowls (annoying right?!), but with Orville Redenbacher’s, I appreciate how there are very few kernels left in the bag. Plus, it is also the only leading brand of microwave popcorn with no artificial preservatives, flavors, or dyes.

So, grab your favorite popcorn bowl, and pop up the tastiest, buttery treat for a family fun night full of popcorn games that everyone will enjoy.

Family Fun Night

Okay, so there’s nothing like starting your night with the delicious scent of warm, buttery popcorn. You will likely want to pop more than one bag.

“It’s popcorn time!”

I don’t think it matters quite what I do in the kitchen, my family seems to get excited (we’re a crazy bunch), but if your family is like mine they will come running with cheers of glee when they hear popcorn (or ice cream, or cookies, seriously). But the icing on the not-so-literal cake was that my kids were extra delighted to discover I had games planned. 

I sent everyone to wash their hands, two “Happy Birthdays,” because it’s hard to resist snacking on the communal game popcorn. But we do pour everyone their own bowl, too.

Okay, let’s get into it. Time for some crunchy, delicious fun. 

10 Popcorn Games

These popcorn games are intended for a family fun night, but you could do them anytime you need some activities to entertain the kids. Snow days, rainy days, or lazy summer days are all great reasons to have a popcorn game night. 

While we were keen on indoor game ideas for our family fun night due to inclement weather, these popcorn games couple easily be taken outside as well!

We love the immediate spark of happiness eating popcorn brings, so my husband and I weren’t missing out on the family fun. In fact, the first game on my list is my husband’s favorite.

Popcorn PIG

This is a variation on the traditional basketball game of “PIG.” Set up a bowl at one end of a long table or on the kitchen counter. Step back and take turns throwing trick shots with popcorn. If you make it in then everyone else in the family needs to try to replicate your masterful shot.

Popcorn Charades

This is not your traditional Charades. Take from a large bowl of popcorn and “act out” the word or phrase with popcorn on a table (think Olaf reshaping himself). To make it even easier for the younger ones, grab some one-word flashcards and “draw” the shape of the object on the table with the popcorn and let everyone yell out answers as you go. It’s a whole new twist on a classic game. 

Popcorn Relay Race

This is the perfect popcorn game to get the wiggles out. You’ll need a few large bowls, two small cups, and a clear space to run. Divide your kids into two teams.

They will take turns scooping up cups of popcorn and racing to fill their bowl at the other end of the room.

If you rather avoid a rivalry during family fun night have them work as a team and time it. See if they can beat the original time as a team.

Popcorn Toss

Does anyone remember Bozo’s Bucket Bonanza? Oh, that hair though!

For this popcorn game, line up bowls or cups, Bozo had 6 buckets, but we went ahead and started with just three. Don’t forget to put number values on them, low to high. 

Create a foot line and toss popcorn from there. Add up the number of points from the “buckets”. Highest accumulated points win.

This game could be played in teams as well.

Popcorn Art

You might debate me on whether this is a popcorn game or a popcorn craft, but it is a ton of fun for family fun night. I consider this a game because we make it a challenge. 

Give each child the same number of popcorn and all the needed art supplies (i.e. construction paper, glue, and markers). The challenge is to see how creative they can be. 

Popcorn Bingo

If you have a bingo set that’s awesome. You can simply use the popcorn in place of the chips. 

If you don’t, no worries. 

Find a free bingo printable online. In fact, this is a great way to change up this game easily with different bingo printouts. You can even make it educational too.

Popcorn Race

This is one of the most hilarious popcorn games we did during family fun night. My kids like doing this on the floor, but you can race on a table as well.

No, not with your feet. Take a straw and blow a piece of popcorn across the floor or table. Just be sure to have an established finish line. You could use painter’s tape, the end of the table, or the transition of a doorway. 

Be creative and have fun.

Popcorn Garland

You may think of this as a winter activity, but we don’t have snow here in Florida. Making a popcorn garland for the birds is fun at any time of the year. The birds will appreciate it even in summer. 

We set the kids up with their needle and thread and see how long each can get their popcorn garland in a certain amount of time. 

This is fun to do while listening to music or watching a family favorite show. Hello, twist on family movie night!

Popcorn Catch

This popcorn game is a sure-fire way to have lots of laughs during your family fun night. Use plastic bowls or cups to catch thrown popcorn. 

We set up a designated thrower, me, so it is fair that everyone has the same opportunity. I’ll toss 15 pieces of popcorn to each child in turn and count how many they have in their cup at the end. The highest number wins.

Popcorn Rainmaker

Okay, this is another popcorn craft verses a popcorn game per se, but everyone has fun doing it. You’ll need a paper towel rolls, tape, plastic wrap, popcorn kernels, aluminum foil, construction paper, stickers, and markers. 

I like to have Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Kernels in the pantry, verses flavored microwave bags, for making popcorn buffets or popcorn crafts just like these. You never know when you’ll want it. Follow these steps to make your rainmaker.

• Tape a double layer of plastic wrap to cover one end of the paper towel roll.
• Make a crumpled wavy “snake” of aluminum foil to fit the length of the paper towel roll. It needs to be thick enough to slow the popcorn kernels.
• Put about 1/4 cup of unpopped Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Kernels into the paper towel roll.
• Tape another double layer of plastic wrap to the other end of the paper towel roll. Test out your rainmaker to make sure it works properly.
• Cover the paper towel roll with construction paper and secure it with tape. 
• Use stickers and glue to decorate the rainmakers.

Get Poppin Popcorn

We love “family fun night,” but this themed night using the popcorn games above has been one of our best nights in quite a while. I count any time that the family is together, laughing and asking for “just one more” over and over and over a success. 

So, get poppin popcorn.

And now my littles will forever remember these fun moments and tender feelings when they smell the delicious scent of warm buttery popcorn. And I’m pretty sure we’ll get asked to play a game or two on our next movie night as well.

I love the idea of smell association.

If you like scents that bring feelings of calm and happiness you may want to try my homemade playdough recipe with essential oils. Or if you are looking for more activities to entertain your children try these 10 fun outdoor summer activities to keep your children entertained this summer.

Do you have family fun night at your house?  What do you like to do?  Let me know in a comment below!