When you think of planning a birthday party, the first few things on your mind are likely the cake, food and drinks and party hats. But if you want to make sure everyone has a great time at your gathering, you might want to add some fun games that engage, entertain, and can include everyone.
Whether it is musical chairs or charades, balloon wrap races or three-legged races, there are a lot of activities that work for both kids and their parents at children’s birthday parties. These games hardly need any setting up on your part and planning the logistics is a piece of cake.
Birthday Party Games for Kids
There are tons of things you can do that are virtually free and also grab the children’s attention for a long time. Here’s a list of seven activities that they are guaranteed to love. And some of them work just as well for the grown-ups too.
1. Bubble Wrap Races
This one is pure joy. In fact, you might have a hard time getting them to stop afterward and every time they see bubble wrap. But at the party, it will leave everyone in splits.
All you need is a roll of bubble wrap, preferably large. Pick an open space anywhere in or outside the house and lay out the bubble wrap. Now, the simpler choice is to get them to burst as many bubbles as possible in a minute. The one who decimates the wrap, obviously, is the winner.
But if you’re not a fan of all that noise and want to add some structure to the game, here’s what you can do. Roll out the bubble wrap on the floor and make the kids walk on it barefoot. The idea here is to get through the patch of the wrap without bursting any bubbles.
This takes care of the noise aspect and you’ve still got yourself a game that entertains. You can also turn it into a competition and have races with the same rules. And it works for anyone above the age of three.
2. Three-Legged Races
Next up is a party or picnic classic. If you have some outdoor space to use, this game is a perfect choice. Whether you are trying to keep the kids engaged or planning something for the grown-ups, three-legged races will certainly do the trick. This game lightens the mood like no other and gets people moving too.
If you are not familiar with the rules of this game, here’s how it goes. Ask the participants to form teams of two. Tie one leg of each participant to one leg of their partner. Then you make them race to the finish line.
When you do this for kids, you want to make sure the path is clear so that they don’t hurt themselves by accident. Since adults are more careful, you can throw some challenges, make it a little obstacle path, just to make things a bit interesting.
3. Popping Balloons
If it is a kid’s birthday party, there will be balloons. And once again, if you are okay with the sound aspect of the game, popping balloons is a classic choice! For this game, you need to form groups.
Tie the balloons to every player’s leg, close to the ankle. Play some music and let everyone dance. Stop the music abruptly and that’s time for players to stomp on the balloon of whoever is next to them while saving their own.
The last balloon standing wins. This is yet another game that fits all ages and the kids love stomping and popping balloons. So, they will definitely enjoy it.
4. Musical Statues
Similar to that is another party classic. Pick some upbeat tracks and get the participants on the dance floor. Stop the music abruptly and that’s the cue for participants to stop like a statue. If someone misses the beat, they are out.
Anyone older than four years of age is bound to enjoy it. And with kids, it is a bit more fun because they are likely to get carried away with the music. You might want to clear out some space so that no one trips or bumps into a piece of furniture and hurts themselves.
If that sounds tricky, turn it into musical chairs. Get a headcount of the participants and get participants minus 1 number of chairs. Play the music and ask them to move in a circle. When the music stops, they must sit on the nearest chair. The one that misses is out. This goes on till two participants and one chair is left. It is very engaging and safe too.
5. Charades
We don’t have to tell you the perks of charades at a birthday party. It can keep people of all age groups engaged and you don’t need anything to play this. Form teams, pick a category and one player mimes the word or name to their team while they are being timed. The team that guesses the most words or names wins. It’s yet another party classic and has the potential to go on forever.
6. Mummy Wrap Races
When the birthday is closer to Halloween, there is the anticipation of a theme. If you feel pressured every year, here is an idea that might get you through the next 12 months.
Get all the kids to form small groups. One of them must be chosen as the mummy or an adult can volunteer too. Get out rolls of toilet paper and get the teammates to wrap the mummy. Whichever team manages to cover their mummy top to bottom wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How Can I Make My Child’s Birthday Party More Fun?
A: We’ve given you a list of games to pump some energy into the party. There is bound to be a cake. And the child will get presents. You can make it better by planning interesting return gifts and some great food. We can’t get specific about that because it depends on the age group.
Q: What Can You Do for a Birthday Party at Home?
A: Games like charades and mummy or bubble wrap races can be held at home. Musical statues or chairs is also a pretty good idea.
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