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Your kid’s birthday – this is one time of the year where everything has to go right. Apart from the gifts, the catering and the sheer logistics, the games that are played form a pivotal part in the direction in which the party is headed. A bad sequence of games can make all your hard work go to waste. A good game plan (no pun intended), can even make a hastily planned party, a smashing success.
If you are lost on how to go about entertaining the little ones for hours, always turn to little games that give them, along with their peers. Here are some interesting birthday party games for children that can keep an army of little ones engaged.
Things to Consider While Choosing Birthday Party Games
Choosing what games to set up for little kids seems quite easy, but there are certain things to understand before you do it. In order to ensure that nobody in the party is left out, here are some things that you may want to consider when you choose games.
- Focus on the average age of all the children attending the party and choose games that can be played by all the children, and not a select few.
- If you have planned a themed party, don’t be afraid to stray from the theme a little when you choose a game; especially if the game could clearly be a lot of fun.
- Limit intellectual games, and instead, try and have a lot of light-hearted games to keep the excitement alive. Children have enough intellectually stimulating plays in the school and at home.
- Keep the games short. Don’t drag them for too long, as kids will get bored of them. Long games are unlikely to get much attention, and will only drag down the spirit of the party.
- Avoid making the games gender specific. Try to choose games that do not dabble with gender stereotypes. Don’t have games like ‘princess dressing sessions,’ unless you are sure that everyone can take part in it.
- Plan well and prepare ahead. Handling multiple kids can be a challenge. Plan in advance about how each game should go, to avoid any chaos.
Amazing Games for Kids Birthday Party
Once you’ve figured out the kinds of games that are ideal for your kid’s birthday party, you can take your pick to plan for a wonderful day. Here are some fun ideas for birthday games for kids.
1. Prize Walk
This game is similar to cakewalk and is ideal for kids between two and four years of age.
How to Play the Game
Write numbers from 1 to 30 on square charts and stick them on the ground, within a circle. Make smaller chits with the same numbers and shuffle them up in a basket. Play some music and have the children walk around the circle. Instruct them to stand on a number when the music stops. If their number is picked up from the basket, they will win a prize. The game can continue for a set number of rounds.
2. Bubble Wrap Race
This simple game is undeniably fun and appropriate for kids over 3 years of age. What better? It only requires some space and a lot of bubble wrap.
How to Play the Game
Roll out a large sheet of bubble wrap on the ground in an open space. Now instruct the children to cross over the bubble wrap without popping any of the bubbles. The kid who crosses without any noise wins the game.
3. Photo Scavenger Hunt
This game is one that kids of all ages can play, and it can be played anywhere. The difficulty level needs to be changed based on the age of the children. Young children can have a simple version of the game whereas older kids can have a slightly more challenging version of the game.
How to Play the Game
Sketch out a map for the kids, indicating where they may need to go and give them picture clues of what they need to find. Keep rewards or chocolates along with each of these clues. If you are conducting this game in a public space, ensure to send an adult to chaperone the kids.
4. Balloon Bursts
This game is great for kids over 4 years of age and is sure to get you a lot of laughs.
How to Play the Game
Write some challenges on chits paper and insert them into different balloons before inflating them. The kids will have to bop the balloon in the air for as long as the music is playing. When the music stops, the person who was the last to touch the balloon has to pop it and perform the challenge within it. It could be anything, like dancing, licking their elbow, etc. Get creative with your challenges.
5. Paper Boat Race
This interesting game is ideal for kids over the age of 5 and needs only some paper boats and a tub of water.
How to Play the Game
Make paper boats and hand one, along with a straw, to each kid. The kids will have to use the straw to blow air onto the boats and propel them forward on a plastic tub. The first person to successfully take the boat to the other side, wins the game.
6. Pin the Tail on the Donkey
This is a classic game that can be played by kids of different ages.
How to Play the Game
Put up a picture of a donkey without a tail. Ask the kids to line-up some distance away from the picture, and give each of them a tail with their names on it. Blindfold each kid, point them in the direction of the picture, and ask him/her to pin the tail as accurately as possible. Once each kid has had a turn, select the kid who pinned the tail closest to the donkey, as the winner.
7. Musical Chairs
This is a game that never gets old and can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. Adults can play the game too, if they’re up for it!
How to Play the Game
Place the chairs with the seats facing out in the form of a circle. The total number of chairs should be one less than the total number of kids playing. Turn some music on, and ask the kids to run around the circle. When the music stops, every child has to find a chair to sit on. The one without a seat is out of the game. Continue this game until only one kid remains. Make the game exciting, by asking the kids to dance around the circle of chairs until the music stops.
8. Balloon Pop
This game can be played by both, the kids and the adults attending the party.
How to Play the Game
Using strings, tie inflated balloons to the ankle of every player. Now, play music and allow the entire party have a fun dancing session. The moment the music stops, they must try to pop the balloon of the person next to them, by stomping on it, while keeping their balloon safe. The person whose balloon bursts is out of the game. The last person standing with an intact balloon wins.
9. Passing the Parcel
There is nothing better than a good old game that has been passed on for generations. This is a game you would’ve definitely played and enjoyed during childhood. If you’re looking for indoor games for your kid’s birthday party for a rainy day, this game is just right.
How to Play the Game
Tell the children to be seated in a circle and give them a pillow or softball to pass on as the parcel. The objective of the game is to pass on the parcel to the person next to them as soon as possible. Play some music and instruct the kids that as long as it plays, they will need to continue passing it. The kid who has the parcel when the music stops, is out. This person will have to entertain the group by performing a dance or singing.
10. Carrying Marbles with a Spoon
This version of the lemon and the spoon game can be so much more fun, and the kids can get competitive as well.
How to Play the Game
Place two tables some distance apart and keep several bowls with marbles on a table. The other table should have empty bowls. The kids must transfer the marbles to the empty bowl on the other end. To do this, have to hold spoons in their mouth and balance the marbles on the spoon, from one table to the other. The kid who transfers the most number of marbles, wins the game.
11. Bowling Alley
Who doesn’t love games that involve knocking things down? This game recreates a simple version of a bowling alley for the kids, using items that can be found within the house. Alternately, you can purchase a bowling playset.
How to Play the Game
Use tape to create a bowling lane that measures two feet in width and about five feet in length. You can also alter the measurements, based on the age of the kids attending the party. Arrange the pins or some same sized bottles or cans on one end of the lane that you have created. Place some throwing balls or kid-sized bowling balls on the other end. Instruct the kids that they will need to roll the ball, so that it hits the pins. The kid that makes the highest number of pins fall, wins the game.
12. Three-Legged Race
Do you have plenty of space that can be used for fun outdoor games? Here’s one of the outdoor birthday party games for kids that can be interesting and hilarious to watch.
How to Play the Game
This classic game has teams of two members each. Tie together the legs of two kids in a team, so that they can only move forward if they move in sync with each other. Now, the kids will have to race against the other teams and reach the end of the line, as fast as they can. The winning team is the one that crosses the finish line first.
13. Obstacle Course
This game is great for kids of various ages, and can be set up easily with household items. All you need to have is enough space to spread out an engaging obstacle course.
How to Play the Game
You can pretend like the ground is the river and have items like pillows, mats, and chairs set up around it, to form a course that children can walk on, to reach the end. All the while, they need to ensure that they do not step into the river. The kid that completes this obstacle, without stepping into the river, wins the game. If the kids are older, you can set up more complex obstacle courses to increase the challenge.
14. Escape the Monster
This game can be exciting for kids over three years of age and involves every player, until the absolute end of the game.
How to Play the Game
You will need a lot of space for this game. Ask the kids to spread around and choose one kid to play the monster. The objective of the other kids is to not get caught by the monster. If they get caught, they turn into a monster too. Kids who are caught can also begin to play monster and catch the other kids, until the last kid remains.
15. Simon Says
Simon says is a classic game that can get you a lot of giggles throughout the party. It can be played by kids of all ages and even adults, as well.
How to Play the Game
Select an adult or a kid to be the leader ,Simon. Instruct the kids that they will only have to do what the leader asks them to do, if he/she begins the command with ‘Simon says’. The leader can have a lot of fun with this game and act out some silly things for the entire party to follow. He/she can also confuse them by doing an action without saying ‘Simon says’. The kids who follow a command that hasn’t begun with ‘Simon says,’ are out of the game. You can have more fun by allowing kids to take the place of the leader and alternate chances for everybody.
16. Minute to Win it
This is based on the hit show of the same name, where players have to complete a series of challenges, with a minute to finish each one. You can make fun tasks, based on the age of the kids and watch as each of them tries their hardest to win.
How to Play the Game
Stack a few tables together and set up a task on each table. Get as creative with the tasks, but keep in mind the age group of the kids. Some games can be Cookie Face, where the kids must place a cookie on their forehead and eat it, without using their hands, and Suck it Up, where the kids must transfer 20 MnMs from one plate to the other, using a straw. Divide the kids into teams, with one team performing at a time. Each kid is assigned a task, which must be completed in a minute. The first kid sets off the timer and must finish the task within a minute, after which the second kid can begin his/her task, and so on. At the end, the team who took the least time to finish the relay, wins.
Kids’ birthday parties can be a fun event where you can interact with the kids your child is friends with. It can act as a social function for parents to meet and interact, as well. However, planning a fool-proof party for your little one can be a long and tiring process. The key is to prepare well in advance and incorporate these little fun games and ideas in order to keep them occupied and excited, throughout the party.
