Games for a children's birthday party are something truly wonderful for the kids. After my daughter decided on a birthday party at home, I immediately did some research to see what was out there. After some digging, I put together a plan and thought that if you ever want to host something like this at home, you'll have a few ideas at a glance:
Ideas for children's games at the birthday party
Treasure hunt
- Treasure chest with gifts
- Notes with clues
A treasure hunt is definitely a highlight for the children. This can be designed very simply, with small clues hidden throughout the house that lead to new clues until a treasure is finally found. The children can also solve small riddles or complete tasks and always receive a clue as a thank you.
Ideas for clues for the hiding spots:
- Clue hidden at the toilet: I am a chair with water
- Clue hidden at the window: Through me, the room becomes nice and bright
- Clue hidden in the bed: In me, you rest at night
At the end, it is nice for the children to be able to take home a certificate as proof of their diligence.
If you don't have any ideas here, you should check out . Fun treasure hunts are offered for many different themes and every age group. You can also choose between treasure hunts outdoors or indoors.We decided on the
Cooking pot
A classic among games for children:
What you’ll need:
- scarf
- Sweets or small gifts
- Wooden cutlery
- A child's eyes are covered with a scarf, and they are given a wooden spoon. Now the gift is hidden under the cooking pot and placed in the room or in the garden. The blindfolded child must now find the pot. The other children can help by calling out to the child whether they are walking in the right direction. By indicating "warm" (right direction) or "cold" (wrong direction), it goes a bit faster, and then it's the next child's turn.
Sack race
In the middle, a few chairs (one less than the number of birthday guests) are placed back-to-back. The children must walk in a circle around the chairs as long as the music is playing. When the music stops, every child must find a chair and sit on it. The child who doesn't get a chair is eliminated, and another chair is removed. The winner gets a gift.
This also brings atmosphere and movement to the party:
What you’ll need:
- chairs
- Music
- Each child gets a sack. The start and finish lines are laid out using the ropes. If too many children want to play, you can simply divide them up. The winner (or the best 3, etc.) gets a gift.
In the middle, a few chairs (one less than the number of birthday guests) are set up back-to-back. The children must walk in a circle around the chairs as long as the music is playing. When the music stops, every child must find a chair and sit on it. The child who doesn't get a chair is eliminated, and another chair is removed. The winner gets a gift.
Turtle race
For those who don't want it too wild but still want movement for the children, because this isn't about speed but about skill:
- upholstery
- Each child gets a sack. The start and finish lines are laid out using the ropes. If too many children want to play, you can simply divide them up. The winner (or the best 3, etc.) gets a gift.
Here you need a track where the 'turtles' can walk. Either it is straight, then the children can go there and back. Or the children walk in a circle and start in opposite directions. The children line up in 2 rows and position the cushion as a shell on their backs. The children must now walk the track on all fours. The children who have brought the shells to the finish line without dropping them have won and can choose a gift.
Who has the stuffed animal?
Nice game with counting and reaction
- Stuffed animal
- Each child gets a sack. The start and finish lines are laid out using the ropes. If too many children want to play, you can simply divide them up. The winner (or the best 3, etc.) gets a gift.
The children stand in a circle, one stands a bit apart and looks at or away from the children (so they cannot choose specific children). Then the child standing apart begins to count silently to 10 or 20, at their own pace, depending on their mood. Meanwhile, the children in the circle must pass the stuffed animal around. When the counting child reaches 10 or 20, they must say the number out loud and turn around: the child who is currently holding the stuffed animal must be eliminated and now do the counting. This continues until only one child is left – this child has won the game and gets a gift.
Drawing sports
- Paper
- pens
- Each child gets a sack. The start and finish lines are laid out using the ropes. If too many children want to play, you can simply divide them up. The winner (or the best 3, etc.) gets a gift.
The children are divided into 2 groups, ideally 2 tables or 2 ends of a table. One child per group goes to the game leader and receives a card with a term to draw: dinosaur, rowboat, sunset, scissors, laptop, lion, etc. The children read silently, go to their place, and start drawing. The children of the respective group must guess the term; the artist may only shake their head or nod. The group that figures out the word first gets a point or a gift. Then the next "artists" come to the game leader until every child has drawn once. The winner is, of course, the group with the most points.
Hand pictures
- Paper
- pens
- Each child gets a sack. The start and finish lines are laid out using the ropes. If too many children want to play, you can simply divide them up. The winner (or the best 3, etc.) gets a gift.
The children trace their own hand with a pencil using their other hand. A mark is made on the back so you know who actually drew the hand. Afterward, the pictures are collected, mixed well, and shown: the children must guess their own hands.
Blind drawing
- Paper
- pens
- Each child gets a sack. The start and finish lines are laid out using the ropes. If too many children want to play, you can simply divide them up. The winner (or the best 3, etc.) gets a gift.
One child at the party had the idea of "blind drawing" after the "hand pictures." I thought that was great. One child announces what the children have to draw: ladybug, airplane, fish, etc., and the children draw with their eyes closed. The paintings are often very funny in retrospect!
Blind farmer
Not an easy game for the children, but really very funny.
- Blindfold
- Each child gets a sack. The start and finish lines are laid out using the ropes. If too many children want to play, you can simply divide them up. The winner (or the best 3, etc.) gets a gift.
The children sit in a circle, one child stands in the middle and is blindfolded. Now the children quietly swap places, and the child in the middle (the farmer) points to a child and says an animal: e.g., cat. Now the child must imitate the animal sound, and the 'farmer' must recognize which child is behind it. If the farmer guesses the child, they must swap places, and it all starts over again.
Variation: The children stand and sit down when the farmer has guessed the child through the animal sound. Here, the children will certainly only get a turn once each. Then the next farmer comes into play.
Chocolate eating contest
- Bar of chocolate
- Gloves
- scarf
- hat
- Board
- Knife and fork
- Dice (up to 6)
The children sit at a table and get the die. Each child rolls until they roll a 6. Then it starts: the child who rolled the 6 gets to snack on chocolate – BUT only with a scarf, gloves, hat, and with a knife and fork. Meanwhile, the other children keep rolling. A very funny game where you get to snack less than you think.
Planning is very important
For a children's birthday party, you should prepare as much as possible. All utensils, such as gifts or pens or blindfolds, should be ready at hand. I wrote down a list with the order of all the games mentioned above. Always plan for substitute games here, because it can of course happen that the children don't want to do them, or e.g., some cannot (injuries or illnesses will likely rule out movement games!).
For me, the children were all around 8 years old, mostly girls, and we had about an hour.
We tried the following games that afternoon:
- The Hotel Riddle from www.grapevine.de
- Who has the stuffed animal?
- Blind farmer
- Hand drawing
- Blind drawing
Conclusion
The children first wanted to do the "Hotel Riddle," and I have to say, that was really great. The riddles were just right, and the children were very eager to find the thief. From our perspective, this treasure hunt was a clear highlight. Afterward, we played "Who has the stuffed animal?" – the children liked that very much, too; we played it several times. Then came the game "Blind Farmer," which was also very well received. This game was also played in several rounds. The hand drawing didn't work so well for us; the children recognized their hands immediately; we only played this game once. Afterward, one group wanted to do "Blind drawing." That was also very funny and was played several times and by more and more children.
From our perspective, these games were a complete success. Only the turtle race we couldn't do because one child had a knee injury. Time-wise, there was of course far too little time, and the party was extended by half an hour. All in all, the children were very well occupied, and according to the feedback from the moms and my children, the games were very well received. In between, the children also wanted to play 'freely' a little; that is practical if you want to prepare dinner, for example. But in principle, the children were very eager to participate, and it was a lot of fun for me to be able to spend the afternoon with this party group. The afternoon flew by.
Do you also have great ideas for games for me? Then I would be very happy to receive suggestions as a comment or via email!
Read also:Â Games with children for a birthday party at home
Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
