Whether you are hosting a birthday party or carnival, fun party games are essential for ensuring that a children’s party is a complete success! Many of them are true classics which have become established over the years and which we had so much fun playing when we were kids. Pot hitting, blind man’s bluff and egg and spoon races are still very popular and do not require much preparation. I will tell you about 10 party games which are easy to plan and make every party that little bit more fun:
1 Freeze
The music (preferably the favourite music of the child who is hosting the party) is put on, all the children dance along to the music however they like and, when the music stops, everyone has to stop as if they were frozen to the spot and must not move. No moving about, no laughing, no pulling faces… you have to stay as still as possible, which is not that easy! People who don’t freeze in time are eliminated.
2 Chinese Whispers
All the children sit on the floor in a circle. A child thinks of a sentence and whispers it into the ear of the child sitting next to them. This child then whispers what they heard to the next child and it continues like that around the circle. However, you can’t repeat what you whispered if the person you are whispering it to didn’t understand straight away. The last child in the circle then says the message they received out loud (which is often quite different from the sentence you started with and makes it particularly funny!) and the first child tells everyone the original sentence.
3 Charades
The children are divided into two groups. Someone whispers a phrase to a child and they have to try and show the rest of their group what it is without using any words. They can only use physical actions. The rest of the group has to try and guess what it might be. Then it’s the other group’s turn and they get a new phrase.
4 Musical chairs
This party classic is an absolute must! Chairs are spread out around the room but there is one less chair than is needed for the number of children. While the music is playing, the children run around the room and, when it stops, everyone has to find a seat. The person who doesn’t find a seat is knocked out of the game. One more chair is removed for each round.
5 Pot hitting
No children’s party is complete without pot hitting! A small sweet treat or gift is hidden under a pot. A child is blindfolded and they are given a spoon. Turn the child around a few times so they forget which way they are facing and the child then kneels down. Now, of course, you can help them to find the pot by using the words “Colder!” and “Hotter!” to guide them in the right direction. When they hit the pot, the child can remove the blindfold and take the sweet out of the pot. Then it’s the next child’s turn.
6 Egg and spoon race
This is also a party classic but is still very popular! You need a spoon and a hard-boiled egg (no raw eggs please! Better safe than sorry!) or a potato. Now the children race a certain distance against each other without dropping the egg or the potato.
7 Guessing objects
Put three to five objects (matchbox car, bouncy ball, toy figure, spoon etc.) into a fabric bag and let the children guess what the objects are by touching them.
8 Word alarm
While a story is being read out loud, the children are allowed to raise a “word alarm”. Whenever a certain word that you have previously agreed is used in the story, a certain action has to be carried out. The children have to raise their hands or are given instruments beforehand which they have to use to make a sound when the word is used.
9 Animal Parade
One child does an action and everyone else copies it. Waddle like a duck, moo like a cow, jump like a kangaroo… when everyone has had a go at the action, the next child comes forward for their turn and comes up with something funny for everyone else to copy.
10 Blind man’s bluff
All the children form a circle. One child stands in the middle of the circle and is blindfolded. The children in the circle now tease the child in the middle by tugging at their clothes or gently nudging them. The child in the middle, the ‘blind man’, has to try and grab one of the other children and pull them into the middle. If they’re successful, this child then takes a turn as the ‘blind man’.
Lots of fun and a successful party
In principle, if you don’t want to participate in a game, e.g. you don’t want to act anything out or don’t like the idea of being blindfolded, then you don’t have to. It is important that the wishes of the children are always respected and that nobody is forced to do anything! You can also just watch and enjoy that if you don’t feel like having a go!
I hope you have lots of fun and your party is a success!
