Family & Social Child Developement

Here are some birthday party games that will liven up your kid’s birthday party!

Games for kids between 2-3 years old

Color Time! 

Fun with colours is something kids of this age group enjoy. Let their imagination run wild with vibrant colour markers, crayons or paints to be used on poster board with each child’s name written on its back. The paper can be taped on top of a table if it is a small gathering. If the weather is pleasant and it is a day party, the poster board can also be taped to a fence. 

Dancing and games

Dancing is something young kids love. Play popular numbers and let them enjoy freestyle dancing. Another game that can be coupled with music is the stop and go dance game. Let the kids dance freestyle and suddenly stop the music or shout freeze. Whoever moves is out of the game. The last one remaining is the winner. 

Parade 

Kids between this age love parades. You can make your very own party parade using musical instruments at home – drums, flute, horns etc and have them follow you around the house. You could also use streamers, balloons and ribbons and have a dance parade. 

Treasure Hunt

Pick and choose party items or knick-knacks and hide them around in the party area or the backyard. Show them an example of the items you have hidden and ask them to find them. The one who finds the most items gets to help hide the items for the next round. Make the children return the hidden items to the basket and hide them again. After the game gets over, divide the treasure hunt equally amongst the children. Treasure hunts can also be modified and organised for older age groups with an increased level of difficulty. 

Games for kids between 4-6 years old

Playing with balloons 

A game kids love no matter what their age is. Just inflate a bunch of balloons or fill them up with water and let the kids enjoy. 

Musical Chairs

An all time favourite of kids between this age group, this game can involve a large number of the party group in one go. Arrange chairs according to the number of kids and make them walk besides them along with music. Once the music stops, kids have to sit on the chair next to them. Keep reducing the number of chairs after each music interval. The kids who are unable to find a chair to sit have to leave the game. The last one sitting dons the winner’s hat. 

Egg and Spoon Games

Kids race with each other in teams while holding a ping-pong ball or an egg or any other small ball on a wooden spoon in their mouth. The team that has all their players finish the course first is declared the winner.  

Hula Hoop-la Game 

After dividing the kids into teams, make them swirl the hula-hoop around their waists. The team who does it for the longest time wins. You could also make the team members hold hands and without letting go of their hands make them move the hula hoop over their bodies to the end of the line and back. The team that drops the hoop finishes last. 

Limbo Game 

This game involves just a stick that is moved closer to the ground after each round of kids trying to go underneath it without touching it. Begin with keeping it four feet off the ground and let the kids start passing from underneath it. If the kids touch the stick, they get disqualified. The player to successfully make it below the limbo stick without touching it and at the lowest possible height winds it. 

Games for kids between 7-9 year old

Wonder Jar

Pack a number of colourful items in different jars and ask the kids to guess the number of objects in them. Ask the kids to write their guesses on a piece of paper along with their names. The one that gets closest to or gets the actual number of objects wins and also gets all the contents of the jar. 

The Drama Game

Fill different bags with five items each and distribute them amongst the group of kids. Ask them to prepare short skits using all the items in the bags. The group that uses all the items in the bag most effectively wins the game. The parents present can become the jury to decide the winner. 

Charades

Write down names of birthday theme items on a piece of paper and mix them in a bowl. Make two groups of kids making one group enact the name while the other group has to guess what’s being described. The group that gets the maximum correct answers wins. 

Games for 10-12 year olds

Fun in the kitchen

Let the kids have a field day in the kitchen as a part of the birthday party and let them enjoy cooking a pizza or a pancake. 

Outdoor fun

If it’s summer time and there is enough room in the backyard, a number of games can be played outdoors including Volleyball, basketball or even cricket. And if there is a pool and the weather permits, nothing beats the fun in the water. 

Movie time

If it’s some quiet fun that you are seeking, organize a movie evening as a part of the birthday party. Have substantial finger foods and popcorns stocked up to keep the kids munching and enjoying their favourite movie. This could be followed by a movie quiz too.

Karaoke

Music always livens the atmosphere. Get the kids to croon along their favourite numbers. You could also turn this into a contest with the non-singers turning into judges or even dancing to their tunes. 

Sources:

http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com

https://hobbylark.com/party-games/Party-Games-for-10-14-Year-Olds