Fun Games for Kids’ Parties
Beware. If you’re not careful, despite all your greatest efforts, planning and creativity, your super-duper, once-in-a-lifetime, game-changing kids’ party could become a bore fest. Fear not. As a devoted, loving organizer of children’s bashes, you already have to hand the tools that will see you through: determination, endurance, baby soft toys. Further, with these games up your sleeve, you’ll have those little people eating out of the palm of your hand: see more. Not literally – that would be unhygienic and something we would therefore not advocate. What we most certainly would advocate, however, is a good time had by one and all – even you.
For tips and tricks and games and other fun ideas for your kids’ party, read on:
1. Disgusting Snacks
Start with their stomachs. Rather than lemonade, biscuits and other such ordinary things, offer snacks aimed to disgust. This generally means green, red and gelatinous matter, which you can then spuriously claim to be bogy water, blood and guts sandwiches or sugared eyeballs etc. Helpful ingredients include avocados (nutritious!), peas, watermelon, jam and lychees.
2. Bubbles
Especially great for super-tiny little ones, bubbles fascinate endlessly and are somewhat of a lifesaver for those with little time to prepare extravagant, complex activities, like pin the tail on the donkey. This game need only last 5 minutes or so, but it’ll be a great way to freshen things up and get your (critical, judgemental) audience giggling away. Don’t have a bubble machine to hand? Yes, you do. The tiny tots themselves. Too tiny to blow bubbles or wave big bubble wands in the air? Get the bigger kids to do it for them – everyone’s a winner.
3. Cardboard Boxes
Parents jest that their babies take more pleasure in the packaging than the toy inside. It’s entirely true. Don’t ignore this fact; make use of it. Have several boxes available and for children 1-3 years of age, they’ll be quite happy throwing things inside, using them to construct fortresses, hiding in them and, then, after ooh, about 3 and a half minutes, utterly destroying them.
4. Baby Photo Guessing
This is a good one for older kids. Have them bring along their baby pics, and then organize a guessing game, hanging the baby photos on the wall with pieces of paper for people to write down the name of who they think it is. Plenty of entertainment will ensue as your guests attempt to recognize the baby versions of their friends’ faces. The person with the most correct guesses wins a disgusting snack of their choice.
5. Play-along Musical Chairs
We all know that old favourite, musical chairs. Give it a twist by handing each participant a musical instrument. Tambourines, maracas, triangles, recorders – let’s not expect anything pleasant in the sound department to come of this, but it’ll mean any kids knocked out in the early rounds (you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs) will still be able to feel part of it all and play along (kind of) with the music.
Truth is, children’s parties have always been more fun than adult ones – so get creative and join in the fun!
These are great! I used to love bubbles when I was a kiddo. I used to make my mom blow a bunch of bubbles and then I’d try to pop them all. I’d be like “more, mom, more!” I could be a tyrannical wee one sometimes.