Classic Kids' Birthday Party GamesI have put together a list of classic kids' birthday party games. Most children know these games very well, and they will be excited to play them! If you're concerned that Simon Says and Hot Potato are only preschool party games, don't be. These games will be a hit among preteens as well! Make sure to review party games with themes: Treasure Hunt: Here is a great activity for any type of children's birthday party. Kids like it especially because they get to take their treasure home. 
Before the children arrive, hide the treats and toys in different spots all around the party room. (It's a good idea to schedule this game before any other activity. That way the kids can't find the hidden treasure accidentally while playing other games.) You can hide the items in plain sight camouflaging them well. For example, if you're hiding a blue jelly bean, place it next to a blue book, or put it on a blue surface. It's a good idea to hide things behind furniture instead of inside cabinets or between seat cushions. When the activity starts, hand a paper or plastic bag to each guest and have them find the treasure. Give them 5 or 10 minutes (depending on the group). Encourage them to place their items in the bags and to move swiftly trying to locate all the items. At the end of the game, identify the person who found the most goodies -- that child is the winner. "Treasure Hunt" Variation: Duck, Duck, Goose: This children's birthday party game is quite simple to learn. It offers action and suspense for the youngsters. Have the kids sit down and form a circle. They're the Ducks. Choose one player to be the Fox. That person walks on the outside of the circle, tapping on top of the Ducks' heads lightly and saying "Duck" at the same time. After doing this several times, the Fox picks the Goose by tapping a player and calling out "Goose." The Goose must get up and run after the Fox around the circle. The goal for the Fox is to run around the circle once and sit down in the Goose's spot. And the Goose must tag the Fox before he or she sits down. If the Fox sits down safely, then the Goose becomes the Fox. If the Fox is caught, he or she must start the game all over again. "Duck, Duck, Goose" Variations: Pin the Tail on the Donkey: This is an all-time classic. The game works well for young party-goers. It's appropriate for small and large groups. 
Before the party, clear all furniture in the game area. Put up a poster on the wall at kids' eye level. Have a tail for each child and write his or her name on it. Get the kids to form a line in front of the poster. One by one, blindfold them, spin them around a couple of times, and give them a tail to pin on the donkey. (Make sure that the blindfold is covering their eyes, but don't tie it too tight.) The goal is to stick the tail in the right spot on the donkey. The player who gets the closest wins the game."Pin the Tail on the Donkey" Variations: Simon Says: This game will be popular with a young crowd, but even preteens will love it! Choose one player to be "Simon." He or she must call out "Simon says (jump, hop, turn around, or any other action)," and demonstrate the action that the rest of the players must copy. The players should follow the command only if the action is preceded by the phrase "Simon says." If Simon makes a command without saying "Simon says", the group should ignore it. For example, Simon could say, "Jump up and down", and anyone who mimics that action goes out of the game. Simon might also do a movement without saying a word. All children who copy him or her are out. Simon might also trick the players by saying commands fast. The last person left in the game is the winner and becomes Simon next time around. "Simon Says" Variation: 
Pick one player to be the Blind Man and blindfold him. Everyone else forms a circle around the Blind Man. They move in the circle in one direction holding hands, until the Blind Man tells them to stop. At that time, the Blind Man points at one of the players and is given an opportunity to guess who that person is. If the Blind Man guesses correctly, they trade places. And if he doesn't, then the player steps inside the circle with the Blind Man. Then staying blindfolded, the Blind Man tries to catch the player while that person runs around the circle trying to avoid the Blind Man. When the player is caught, the Blind Man must identify who that child is by touching his or her hair, clothing, and other features. (The player must stay still while the Blind Man does this.) The Blind Man gets 3 attempts to identify the person correctly. If he does this successfully, he switches spots with the player (who becomes the Blind Man), and if not -- then the Blind Man attempts this again in the next round. You can let the kids play this game until everyone has a chance to be the Blind Man. "Blind Man's Bluff" Variations: Hot Potato: Hot Potato is a game that will really keep things "moving" at your party. Players sit in a circle around the leader who sits in the middle. The leader tosses a ball (Hot Potato) to one of the players in the circle. Then the leader closes her eyes. The players must toss (or pass -- depending on the age) the Hot Potato around quickly. The leader must have her eyes closed tightly all the time, so she can't tell who has the Hot Potato. The players continue to toss the ball randomly around the circle. If it goes out of play, the player who was the last to touch the ball must be the one to fetch it. The leader calls out "Hot Potato" at random, whoever is caught holding the Hot Potato goes out of the game. The game continues in this fashion, until there is only one person left -- he or she is the winner. "Hot Potato" Variation: Musical Chairs: This birthday party game is great for an active group of children. They can let of some steam without getting out of control. 
Place chairs in the room so they are arranged either back to back or in a small circle. Get the children to form a larger circle around the chairs. Pick one of the kids (or adults) to be the leader and play music as the kids march around the chairs. As soon as the leader stops the music, the players must quickly occupy available chairs. Whoever is left standing is out of the game. Remove one chair every round so there is one less chair than players. The game continues in this fashion until there is only one player left. "Musical Chairs" Variations: Return from Classic Kids' Birthday Party Games to Game Area Back to Kids' Birthday Party Guide Subscribe to Family Smiles |
