Kids' Birthday Party Games

Every parent faces the daunting task of planning the perfect birthday party for their child at least once in their lifetime, if not once every year. Unless you allow your child to host their birthday party at a specialty location like miniature golf, laser tag, or inflatable world, you will be trying to come up with birthday party games. Since most people can’t afford specialty parties every year, they typically host at least a few parties at home where every kid will expect to play birthday party games.

If the prospect of setting up the standard birthday party games like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and the stuffed piñata are not appealing to you or your child, then you must get creative with your party games. Try to come up with variations of games you have seen or played elsewhere and get your child involved in planning them.

Remember to keep games age appropriate and not too lengthy. Kids like to move fairly quickly from one activity to the next, so keep it simple. The purpose of birthday party games is not only to have fun, but also to make each guest feel like the are part of the party somehow. Try to only choose a few games and alternate between fast-paced, energy burning games and quite, still games.

Some classic party games that stand the test of time are Twister, charades, and musical chairs. Variations of these games are fun too, for example, instead of musical chairs, try the freeze dance game. Simply turn on some music, have the all kids dance and then freeze when the music stops. Each person who keeps dancing or who falls down when freezing is out. Play until there are only one or two dancers left.

Try to utilize the space you have for party games by clearing away smaller pieces of furniture if you must party indoors and provide a separate place for the party games and the cake and ice cream so the party can move along without stopping to clean up. Simple party games that get kids involved, keep them moving and make them feel part of the group will be a hit with the birthday boy or girl and every guest as well.