Party Games Ideas

Kids Party Games

Kids party? It's now easy to plan kids parties that your guests and children will remember forever. To put on a great children's party start with our birthday ideas and party themes and then find everything from party cakes to birthday invitations all in one place. You are on your way to making memories for your child's birthday party. Party games make kids birthday parties come to life! Party children anticipate the birthday games as a key part of the birthday party fun. Kids activities range from musical chairs to pass the parcel to pin the tail on the donkey – all wonderfully fun games for your children’s party.

Doggy, doggy where's your bone?

Number of Players:

4+

What You Need:

1 simple object - a paperclip, coin or similar
 

Activity:

One child is chosen to be "IT" and plays the role of the dog. He or she sits in a chair with their back to the group. A paperclip, coin or another object is placed under the chair. This is the "bone". While the dog is turned backward with his or her eyes closed (blindfold is optional) someone quietly steals the bone and hides it - usually they just sit on it or hide it in their cupped hands. Then everyone sings: "Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone? Somebody stole it from your home." Then the dog has three chances to guess who took it. If the dog guesses right then he gets to do it again. If he guesses wrong, than the person who had the bone gets a turn as the dog. Usually, all of the children will try to look "guilty" by sheltering their laps or holding their hands together as if they have the bone. So, it's fun for all of the kids regardless of who is the "dog".

Hot Potato

Number of Players:

5+

What You Need:

Music; small beanbag or stuffed sock
 

Activity:

Arrange the children sitting in a circle. Pass a beanbag around the circle to music, pretending that the beanbag is a very, very, very HOT POTATO. When the music stops, the person holding the beanbag is out. The music starts again and the remaining children continue passing the HOT POTATO until the music stops again. The last person in the circle is the winner.

Lolly relay

Number of Players:

5+

What You Need:

2 pairs of mittens, lollies
 

Activity:

Divide the children into two teams and have them form lines. Give the first child in each line a pair of mittens. Give everyone a piece of wrapped candy. When you say "go", the first player in each line puts on the mittens, unwraps the candy and pops it into their mouth, Then, they quickly take the mittens off and hand them to the second person in line. The second player does the same,and so on,down the line. The team that finishes first wins.

Pass the Parcel

Number of Players:

6+

What You Need:

Wrapping paper; tape; chocolate or small gifts; music
 

Activity:

Wrap a bar of chocolate (or some other small gift), in a layer of wrapping paper. Now wrap it in another layer with a new bar of chocolate/gift and repeat until you have 9 or 10 layers (or however many children there are). Sit everyone in a circle and play a short snippet of music. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping and gets that treat. Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed; restarting and then stopping the music each time. You can use different treats for each layer to add a bit of mystery and keep the children interested longer

What's the Time Mr Wolf?

Number of Players:

4+

Activity:

One child is chosen to be Mr Wolf, who then stands at one end of the playing area. The other players stand in a line at the other end of the playing area. Mr Wolf turns his back to commence play. The players call out, "What's the time Mr Wolf?" and Mr Wolf turns and then answers with a time (eg. 3 o'clock). He then turns his back again while the children advance while once again chanting "What's the time Mr Wolf?" To which Mr Wolf will continue to respond until the players come very close to Mr Wolf. Once the line of players is close to Mr Wolf, he can respond to the chant with "It's dinner time!" at which point, he will chase the players back to the starting line with the aim to catch one of the them, who will then become Mr Wolf for the next round of the game.

Outdoor|Active|Sports

Outdoor activities makes summer fun for kids activities! There are great outdoor games for children whether you have a small garden or need a group game. Find outside games like Red Rove, Kick the can, Hit the door and Mother May I with our activity finder – easy to learn and free.

Piggy in the Middle

What You Need:

A ball
 

Activity:

Place 2 of the children about 10 metres apart and the 3rd child in the middle - they are the "piggy in the middle". The two players throw the ball to each other while the one in the middle tries to catch it. If the ball is dropped, any of the 3 players can recover it. If the person in the middle catches or recovers the ball, the person who was the last to throw is now the "piggy in the middle".
 

River Ball

Number of Players:

20-40

What You Need:

1 ball and a netball or basketball court
 

Activity:

Divide yourself into two teams. One team is at one end of the court the other team is at the other end. The middle third is the river. One person from the team throws the ball and the other team has to catch it. If they catch it you continue with the game. If they drop it then the person who dropped it or is the closest to the ball is out. The only way the person can get back in is if one of their team members catch the ball or one member of the other team drops the ball. If the ball goes in the river you are out.

Treasure Hunt

Number of Players:

4+

What You Need:

Lollies
 

Activity:

Think Easter Egg hunt - but this one is relevant year round. Just hide lollies around the yard or a certain room in the house - using the children's age as a guide to how difficult they are to find. The small boxes or individually wrapped lollies tend to work best. Small boxes of Smarties are always a winner! Just tell then children when to start and the games not over until the last lolly is found. TIP: provide each child with a lunch bag or similar and print their name on it. This will save discussions later on which bag/treasures belong to who.

Tug of War

Number of Players:

6+

What You Need:

A rope - longer is better
 

Activity:

Split the children and adults evenly on either side of the rope. It works best with the smaller/weaker players towards the middle and the stronger players at the ends. Find a spot on the ground to mark as the middle. The objective is for one team to pull the other over the mark on the ground. To start, someone yells "GO" and everyone starts pulling as hard as they can....until one team crumbles and they're all pulled across the line.

Pickle

Number of Players:

3+

What You Need:

Tennis ball or other soft, catchable ball
 

Activity:

Set up 2 bases around 5-6 metres apart. 2 of the children stand on each base and are "it" while the remaining children go to one base or the other. The game starts with the 2 children on the bases throwing the ball to each other. The object of the game is for the remaining children to time running from one base to the other without being tagged by "it". If you are tagged, then you are "it", replacing the child who tagged you out with the ball in hand. The game continues until the children are too tired to run. Most kids will love "stealing bases" again and again and hoping that the children on the bases will throw the ball wild allowing everyone to steal bases all at once.