Party games with children under five are just so much fun.
Entertainers can be absolutely brilliant ... there was a wonderful one at a party we went to yesterday ... but nothing quite beats a good old game of musical bumps :-)
We will certainly be having a whole load of party games at my daughter's upcoming 4th birthday party which is in the first week of January.
(I say upcoming but with the Christmas break in the way, we actually have to get invitations out in early December, which means booking everything up in early November!)
Ideally, the party would be a small affair at our house but ... due to the local baby boom ... we just know so many young children, it's pretty hard to keep numbers down.
And so if I can get my act together and get a good deal we'll have it in a local church hall or a big room at the local pub, which will mean much more room to play our favourite party games.
From the experience of the our previous parties and the zillions of parties we seem to have been to over the last two years, my favourite children's party games are those in which no one goes out.
I am quite happy for there to be a winner, but as party hostess the last thing I want is children getting upset or running off and causing havoc somewhere else because they are "out".
So I liberally spray the children with stickers ... what child doesn't love a sticker? ... during the game, and give a proper prize to the winner right at the end.
I am also less keen on games where one person at a time does something, e.g. pin the tail on the donkey. In my experience, this is when you start losing children's attention and they peel off from the group. Once the group breaks up it's much harder to bring it back together.
I think, the party games we have enjoyed the most have been Musical Bumps, Musical Animals, Duck Duck Goose, What's the Time Mr Wolf and Pass the Parcel.
Sleeping Lions ... where they all lie on there tummies and try and be as still as possible ... is brilliant when you're trying to get the food set out. With the promise of a sticker if they don't move they really will stay still and quiet for 5 minutes!!!
There are loads of other great games as well to choose from and we definitely plan to try out some new ones from this list including Polo on a String and Musical Numbers.
I have to confess, I am also wondering whether we could get away with Pass the Balloon rather than Pass the Parcel. I don't know why, but it does seem the most enormous fag wrapping up the parcels when you've got so much else to get ready.
I would love to hear about your favourite games ... particularly any that aren't on this list. Do tell me about them and I will add them ...
And if you're looking for more great party ideas do check out the brilliant party links from other bloggers at the bottom of this post ...
30 Children's Party Games
- Musical bumps
- Musical statues
- Musical chairs
- Musical cushions
- Musical hoops (best played outside)
- Musical animals ... shout out an animal when the music stops and everyone pretends to be that animal
- Musical numbers ... you have to jump on a number square when the music stops & if you're on the number pulled from a hat you get a sticker
- Duck, duck, goose ... sit in a circle, one person walks round outside saying duck, duck, duck and then pats someone on the head and says goose - the goose has to jump up and chase them round the circle
- What's the time Mr Wolf?
- Honey bear
- Pass the parcel ... if you've got lots of kids, have two parcels
- Pass the balloon .. same principle as pass the parcel but saves you the faff of wrapping up loads of presents
- Polo on a string ... put a polo on a string, everyone sits in circle, someone in the middle has to guess where the polo is as everyone pretends to move it around
- Hot potato ... pretend a foil covered potato is hot and pass it around, whoever has it when the music stops is out
- Pin the tail on the donkey / Peppa / Gruffalo
- Bottom shuffle race
- Crawling race
- Hokey cokey
- Sly fox
- Chocolate egg & spoon race
- Fishing for presents ... have a big box full of small wrapped gifts with a magnetic washer attached to them, everyone fishes for presents in the box with rods make from sticks, string & magnets
- Walking the plank ... have a balancing plank and prizes for getting to the end without falling off
- Simon Says
- Mother May I
- Grandma's foot steps
- Pinatas
- Hide & seek
- Tag / catch ... best for outside parties
- Stuck in the mud ... have to stay still when someone tags you until you are untagged
- Sleeping lions ... everyone lies on the floor, either you're out if you move or you get a sticker if you're really still ... this is brilliant when you're getting tea out as it will keep them all quiet and out of the way ..
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