Want to make sure your little ones have the best birthday party ever? We’ve pulled together a list of brilliant kids party games ideas to make sure your little ones have the best time with their friends!
We’ve also made sure to include some easy kids party game ideas in our round-up that are as straightforward as possible for adults to arrange, and for kids to understand. After all, with the party food, deciding on the best kids’ birthday cake, figuring out what to put in the kids’ party bags, sorting decorations, and all the tidying up, the last thing you need is a complex set of game instructions!
And if you’re hoping to also have a good time and get involved yourself, don’t worry, we believe these are all fun party games for kids entertaining for children (and grown-ups) of all ages.
But before we get onto all of the kids party game ideas, you’ll probably also want to remember to pick up a children’s birthday card for the birthday boy or girl in question! Luckily, we’ve also got you covered there too – just check out a few of the designs we have on offer below:
1. Musical chairs
All you need for a round of musical chairs is some music and the same number of chairs as there are guests at your party. Simply put someone in charge of playing the music, and as it plays ask the kids to walk or dance around the outside of the circle of chairs. When the music stops, every kid has to find a chair – but with each round a chair is removed from the circle!
Alternatively, if you don’t think you’ve got enough chairs then you can always do ‘musical statues’ instead. It’s basically the same except if they’re the last one to stop moving (like a statue, hence the name) once the music stops then they’re out!
2. Pass the parcel
Another time-honoured party classic, pass the parcel requires a bit of set up time but it’s not too complicated: just choose a present that the kids will enjoy and wrap it in several layers of wrapping paper or newspaper. When it’s time to play the game, ask all the kids to sit in a circle, and, as the music plays, they pass the parcel between them. When the music stops, the kid holding the parcel removes a layer of wrapping. Carry on until one lucky kid gets the present! For extra fun, hide sweets in each layer of wrapping.
3. Piñata
Hugely popular across the Atlantic but now easy to set up here in the UK, piñata is typically a large container made of papier-mâché that is colourfully decorated and filled with sweets. The piñata party game involves hanging the piñata from a string and then swinging it while blindfolded children try to whack it with a stick! It’s important to also make sure everyone stands well back, and it can be wise to include a strap on the stick so that it doesn’t fly out of anyone’s hands while they attempt to explode the piñata!
4. Apple bobbing
For something a little calmer than piñata whacking, you could let your kids have a go at bobbing for apples. Simply fill a bucket with water, add some tasty apples, and then let the kids have a go at dunking their heads in the water and trying to grab an apple with their teeth! It sounds ridiculous but it keeps them entertained. Just be sure to play this one outside, as it can get a bit splashy!
5. The chocolate game
Dice, a chocolate bar, some gloves, a hat, a scarf, and some cutlery are all you need for a hilarious hour or so of fun with the chocolate game, one of the classic kids party games. Place the chocolate in the centre of a circle of children and ask them to take it in turns to roll the dice. When someone rolls a six, they get to put on the hat, scarf, and gloves and attempt to eat the chocolate bar with a knife and fork – but the other kids will keep rolling and if another rolls a six they can take over the chocolate eating! This game is made all the more funny if you use an adult-sized pair of gloves.
6. Simon Says
No props required for this one! Just nominate one person to be Simon, and have them give the party attendees instructions such as: “Simon says, touch your toes!” The catch being, whenever Simon doesn’t say, “Simon says” at the start of their instruction, the kids have to ignore it. If they don’t, they’re out of the game!
7. Limbo
As long as you can find a stick and some music, you can limbo at your party! All the kids need to do for this fun kids party game is find a way of dancing under the horizontally placed stick while the music plays. Continually lower the bar, and see which kid can get the lowest!
8. Egg and spoon race
If you’ve got the space for your party guests to run around, you could have an egg and spoon race! Just give each child a spoon upon which to hold their egg, and start the race. It’s not easy trying to run while balancing a wobbly egg on a spoon, so you might find it’s not the naturally fastest child who wins!
9. Pin the tail on the donkey
To play pin the tail on the donkey, you just need a picture of a donkey (or any other animal) on the wall. This could just be a simple outline and doesn’t have to be a work of art! The kids then take it in turns to be blindfolded and attempt to pin or stick a tail on the donkey in the right position. The kid who comes closest wins a prize!
Of course, pin the tail on the donkey is the classic version of this game but if you’re having a themed party you could change it up to fit the vibe – for instance, if you’re hosting a children’s pirate party then it could be ‘pin the eye patch on the pirate’!
10. Water fight
If it’s a hot, sunny day and you want to make sure the kids are keeping cool whilst still having fun, why not have a water fight? Gather some buckets, water balloons, and some water guns, split the group into two equal teams and see who ends up being the most drenched after however long you say! Plus, it’s a great way to get the kids to let off some steam so that they’ll be tired for bedtime.
11. What’s the time, Mr Wolf?
A playground classic, we’re certain you or the kids will already be familiar with this one but if not, here’s a simple summary –
- Choose one child to play ‘Mr Wolf’ who will stand a fair distance in front of the rest of the children with their back to them
- The rest of the children stand side-by-side before all asking “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?”
- ‘Mr Wolf’ will then choose a number between 1 and 12 o’clock
- Depending on what number is chosen, the group will then have to take this number of steps towards ‘Mr Wolf’ counting as they do so (e.g. 4 o’clock means taking 4 steps, although how big these steps are is up to the player)
- The above step is then repeated until ‘Mr Wolf’ decides to randomly respond to “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?” with “Dinnertime!” – at this point, the players all need to run back to where they started without being caught
- Whoever is caught first then becomes the next ‘Mr Wolf’ and the game starts over again
12. Rock painting
If you’re after a more relaxed activity, rock painting is one of the easiest party games there is. All you need is some decent-sized rocks, paint in a variety of colours, paintbrushes, and you’re good to go.
You could also make it a bit of a competition by providing some inspiration of what to paint and offering a prize incentive in hopes of really bringing out everybody’s artistic side.
13. Cup stacking
A super simple kids party game idea is hosting a cup stacking competition. All you really need is a flat surface, some plastic cups (the number depending on how challenging you want to make it), and your phone’s stopwatch app at the ready to time how long it takes each person to stack them in a pyramid. Another great part about this is the fact that it can be kept indoors so you don’t need to rely on great weather!
Well, that’s it when it comes to our round-up of kids party game ideas. For more inspiration on making your child’s birthday one to remember, check out the rest of the thortful blog where we’ve got tips for planning a treasure hunt, a helpful guide to hosting a teddy bears’ picnic, superhero party ideas, and so much more!
