Fun Party Games for Kids

Party games just aren’t what they used to be! Why not start a revival at your child’s birthday party?Some classics have never gone ‘out of fashion’ but there are many brilliant but often overlooked games that are simple, free and have nothing to do with screens.You might enjoy them so much you have them at your own adult party too...The success of running games at a party is dependent upon your organisational skills and preparation; but don’t let that put you off. It’s child play.

Musical Games

Music is an essential part of play: very young children recognise nursery rhymes and associate them with fun and movement. Parents can spend hours doing the same, favourite, actions to music for babies and toddlers. Make sure you learn the words too!

Musical chairs and musical statues are timeless favourites. Have one adult in charge of keeping the music going while others watch for movement when the music is stopped at irregular intervals in musical statues (if they move, they’re out)and remove one chair at a time in musical chairs (so that there are more kids than chairs and eventually, 2 kids, 1 chair, to get your winner and runner-up.)Pass-the-parcel is always popular. Prepare the parcel in advance by wrapping several suitable gifts between layers and layers of paper, with the big prize as the last present.

Without looking, a parent should stop and start the music at random, while the parcel is passed round in a circle between the sitting children. Whoever holds the parcel-each time the music stops-rips off a layer of paper. As soon as the music starts again, the parcel must be passed on until the last one is unwrapped.

It is advisable to cheat a little by keeping an eye out to make sure every child gets a go and ‘wins’ a present.Little inexpensive gifts and sweets are ideal parcel fillers.

Team Games

Split the kids into two equal groups and get them to stand in two lines, all facing you at the front.Some rowdy music helps this one along...Give the front child of each line an inflated balloon and tell them to hold it under their chin: hands behind their backs!

The challenge is for them to pass it all the way along their line, from chin to chin, without their hands touching it or the balloon dropping to the floor. Then, they pass it back, so the person who started with the balloon ends up with it. The first team to finish wins. (If you can get any double-chinned relatives involved it soon becomes quite riotous...)

What’s That?!

(A dining table is perfect for this one. Prepare the mystery objects in advance so there’s no cheating from the kids who can see.)

Divide the children into two teams. One at a time, the children from each team approach the table-wearing a blindfold.

On the table are two of the same ‘mystery objects’ that the children must identify. (Change them regularly so they are not all guessing the same.) Simple soft objects that the children may be able to identify by touch work best, for example: half an orange in a plastic cup, Plasticine, cotton wool, an uncooked crumpet, feathers, marshmallows, soap...and so on.

If every object is placed in a plastic cup it makes it harder for the other team members to prompt.Guide the children wearing the blindfolds to the table. A clear distance of about 4 steps to the table helps to build the tension.

When they have had 3 guesses for their object, remove the blindfold and pass it to the next child in the line.

Get another adult to write down one point for every correct answer. The team with the most points wins.

No need to spend a fortune or make fancy props; these games are simple but fun.