Indoor Child Party Games

There are many indoor child party games to choose from. I put together a list of the most popular games that you party guests will want to play over and over again.

These games don't have a common theme. They are great add-ons to a themed birthday party. If you're looking for games with a specific birthday theme, you can find them here:

Surprise Package: This is one of the party games that requires preparation, but it's fun and well worth the effort. It has humor, suspense, and a great finale!

You will need boxes of different sizes for this game. Before the game, place a grand prize in your smallest box and wrap it in gold gift wrap. Label it "Big Prize Winner!" so the kids will know it's the last box and the best gift. Set the gold box inside a larger box. Include a booby prize, candy treat, or small toy, and wrap the package.

Repeat until all of the boxes contain one gift, are wrapped, and are stored inside each other. Be sure to pick generic items that either boys or girls will enjoy. When you're finished you should have one large wrapped box with all of the other boxes and prizes inside it.

The players sit in a circle, and when you start the music, the kids pass the box around the circle as quickly as possible. When you stop the music, the lucky player holding the box is allowed to open it. (Don't tell the kids there are other boxes inside the gift). Once a player opens a gift he or she must leave the circle.

Play continues with the kids passing the box when the music is started and opening it when the music stops - you may want to warn the kids ahead of time that some of the gifts are a little strange! Soon there will be only two players left. The player who opens second-to-last box gets to keep its contents and hands the gold grand prize box to the winner.

"Surprise Package" Variations:

*Instead of having a mixture of prizes hidden in the boxes, collect similar, theme-related items such as various candy bars, stickers, or comic books.

*Instead of playing the music, have the kids pick a number from one to twenty. The player who calls out a selected number opens the box. Continue playing this way until all of the boxes are opened.

*For an added surprise, have the kids close their eyes while passing the package around and then open them when the music stops, to see who got the gift.

Snatch!: Kids love to be sneaky, and this game gives them a chance to be crafty - without getting into trouble. What's special about this child party game is that it's designed not to have a winner, so there's no direct competition between the kids!

While the guests are in another room, place various objects on the party table (arrange them in any way you want). Make sure the kids don't get to see what's on the table until you're ready to start the game.

The kids sit down at the table. Next, they take a good look at the small items, and remember what they are. A chosen player then turns his back and closes his eyes. While his eyes are closed, point to another player and have that player quietly take one of the toys or treats off the table, and hide them from view. The first player can then face the group again - he must determine which item is missing from the table, and who snatched it. Allow him or her a few guesses and then have the culprit confess and show the stolen item.

Return the item to the table before beginning the next round. The player who snatched the item leads the next round, closing his or her eyes and facing away from the group. Select another player to snatch an item. Play continues until everyone has had a chance to snatch and guess.

"Snatch!" Variations:

*While the guesser has his or her eyes closed, have the snatcher give him something personal instead of taking something away from the table. The player could take off a shoe or a sock. The guesser must identify who the shoe or sock belongs to - without looking under the table.

*If the players are older, place lots of items on the table to make identifying the missing item more difficult. In addition to the small toys or treats, you could fill up the space with a cake, paper plates, cups or napkins.

Ha Ha Ha: There are child party games that will bring a lot of laughter - this game is definitely one of them. The rules of the game are easy, but the challenge (keeping a straight face) is almost impossible.

The kids sit or stand in a circle. One player begins by saying "Ha," as solemnly as possible. The next player in the circle says, "Ha Ha," and the player after that, "Ha Ha Ha." Play continues with each player adding a "Ha" during his or her turn. The players must all keep a straight face throughout the game.

Any player who smiles or giggles must leave the circle; however, he or she can now move around the circle trying to make the other kids laugh. That child can make funny faces or noises, but cannot touch the other players. The game ends when only one player remains in the circle by having kept a straight face throughout all the laughter.

"Ha Ha Ha" Variations:

*Have the kids lay on the floor at right angles, with each child's head resting on another's tummy. Once the player's tummy starts shaking from laughter, the other kids will have trouble controlling their giggling!

*Instead of saying "Ha," the kids can say a silly word like "belly button" or "burp." Let them choose or make up their own silly words, too.

*Give the kids fake noses or funny hats to wear during the game. It will be harder for everyone to control their impulse to laugh.

Copy Cat: Since kids love to copy each other, any party games that allow them to do that work great. If you're looking for indoor party games that are quiet, (except for giggling), try this one.

All of the kids sit in a circle. The starting player makes a body movement such as clapping hands, wiggling nose, pinching ears, shrugging shoulders, etc. The next player in the circle copies the starting player's movement and adds a new movement. The third player must copy the first two movements in the order they were made and then add a third movement. Play continues in this manner around the circle.

If a player can't remember a movement or copies a movement incorrectly, he or she is out of the game and must leave the circle. The last remaining player wins.

"Copy Cat" Variations:

*The kids can say words instead of making body movements. Or they can make animal sounds, silly sounds, or even sing a line of a song.

*With kids who are older, play Copy Cat using the alphabet as a guide. For example, the first player might say, "Apple," the second player, "Bus," and so on through the alphabet with the kids repeating the previous words and adding one of their own. You can coach the kids along by saying "A," "B," or whatever letter they're working on, if they seem to hesitate a little.

*If you'd prefer to play a game that doesn't eliminate players, have the kids sit in a circle and take turns adding a line to a story started by the leader.

*Instead of having players leave the circle if they make a mistake, just say, "Oops, you goofed." Then either move on or have the player who missed start a new sequence. There won't be a winner, but this game will still be lots of fun!

Mummy Wrap: Kids love to act like scary monsters, and this party game gives them a chance to do just that. It's also a great icebreaker for kids who don't know each other well.

Divide the kids into pairs, with one player as the Mummy and the other as the Mummy Wrapper. On the count of three, all of the Mummy Wrappers must race to wrap their Mummies with the rolls of toilet paper as fast as they can.

To win, a Mummy wrapper has to be the first to wrap his Mummy from head to toe (except for the face). In the hurry and excitement of wrapping, the players will soon find that the toilet paper will tear, causing all kinds of delays, do-overs, and giggles.

"Mummy Wrap" Variations:

*Use rolls of crepe paper for more heavy-duty wrapping. Choose different colors for each "mummy" pair.

*Buy extra rolls of "mummy wrap" and play another round so everyone gets a chance to be "mummified".

*Have a mummy-wrapping contest and award a prize for fun categories like "freakiest", "silliest" or "most ghoulish". Decorate the party room with fake cobwebs, monster posters, and glow-in-the-dark accessories, and play scary music in the background.

Chain Reaction: Child party games that involve dancing are fun to watch! Kids will have a great time with this game.

All of the players should be scattered around the party room in view of each other. Choose one player to be "It" and have him or her leave the room while you explain the game to other players. Next, choose one player to be the Dance Teacher.

Start the music so the Dance Teacher can begin a dance move that the other players must imitate. The rest of the players should immediately begin imitating the Teacher's movements. The player who is "It" returns to the party room and tries to guess who is leading the dance.

The Dance Teacher must keep changing his or her dance steps throughout the song, little by little, so it isn't obvious who's leading. And the other players should imitate the Dance Teacher without giving away who it is. Remind the kids to be subtle when imitating the leader. Tell them to glance at the leader once in a while and not to stare, or they will give the secret away too easily.

When the player who is "It" guesses who the Dance Teacher is, choose another player to be "It" and continue playing until everyone has had a chance to lead and to guess.

"Chain Reaction" Variations:

*If you're looking for a less-active option, have the kids pretend to be statues, with the leader making a slight movement from time to time and the other players imitating the new pose.

*If this game seems too easy for your particular group, have the players stand in a circle so it will be more difficult for the player who is "It" to guess who the Dance Teacher is.

Airplane: Here is a birthday party game for older kids that's a variation of classic pin the tail game. They'll love the suspense!

Before the game, make an airplane for each player by cutting airplane shapes out of cardboard (write the players' names on the airplanes to prevent confusion over who wins). Hang a map on the wall of the party room and mark a "takeoff" spot in the middle of it.

At game time, line up the players at the opposite end of the room from the map and, while they're watching, put several obstacles in the middle of the room (furniture, pillows, or wastebaskets - nothing breakable!). Make sure you don't use any small items the kids could trip over or low tables they could bang their knees on. Give the players some time to study the placement of the obstacles and the "takeoff" spot.

One by one, hand the players an airplane, blindfold them, and point them toward the map. Each player must cross the floor without touching any obstacles and pin the airplane to the map as far away from the "takeoff" spot as possible. Encourage the kids to walk across the room slowly so they won't get hurt.

If a player walks into an obstacle before reaching the map, it's considered a plane crash and the player is out. If the child reaches the map but pins the airplane to the water, it's considered a crash-landing and that person is out. The player who reaches the map safely and pins his or her airplane farthest from the "takeoff" spot is the winner.

"Airplane" Variations:

*Provide crayons, paint glitter, and other art supplies and let the kids decorate their airplanes before the game. Or let the kids create their own fantasy maps.

*Spin the kids around before their turn so they get even more mixed up about where to go. (Don's spin them too hard or too long!)

*For an easier game, just have the kids try to reach the map and pin their plane on it rather than trying to avoid the water, too.

Slap, Clap, and Snap: This game is a classic twist on the traditional game categories. It takes some coordination and quick thinking, and will keep the kids entertained for a long time.

Have the players sit in a circle and choose one player to start. The first player chooses a category like "colors," "names," "foods," "TV Shows," or any other category he or she can think of.

Next, the player begins to slap, clap, and snap in rhythm by slapping her legs twice, clapping twice, and snapping her left fingers and then her right in an even rhythm. All of the other players do the same actions in the same rhythm so that everyone in the circle is slapping, clapping and snapping at once.

The starting player then calls out an item from the chosen category, saying it just after she snaps, without changing or loosing the rhythm. The next player in the circle follows in turn, naming another item in the category just after snapping.

Play continues in this manner around the circle and doesn't stop until a player can't think of an item, repeats an item, or misses the beat - that player is out of the game and must leave the circle. The next round begins with a new category. The game is over when only one player remains in the circle.

"Slap, Clap, and Snap" Variations:

*Play the game without a winner to avoid competition. Just continue the game after a player misses, but start a new category.

*Play an active, outdoor version, by having the kids bounce a ball back and forth between players. Each time a player catches the ball, she must name an item in the category and quickly bounce the ball to another player.