Is your child’s birthday party coming up soon? Are you planning on hosting a birthday party to remember? No matter where you are planning on holding the party, the theme the party will be or the activities you have lined up, there is nothing quite like playing a mix of traditional party games to ensure your child’s party is remembered as the best one yet!
The best part of playing fun and child-friendly party games is that they are often completely free to play and require very little in terms of pre-party preparation and some only require a few small prizes for the winner; meaning they are suitable for parents on all kinds of budgets.
As a parent, we understand just how stressful and time-consuming organising and planning an awesome birthday party for your child can be. To help reduce the stress, hassle and worry for you we have put together our list of the best party games that are suitable for all ages!
Of course, no party would ever truly be complete however without a great playlist to match the games! To help you with that, we have also put together our top ten parent-approved songs that will be sure to get your little ones up and dancing for the best possible party.
Before we get into the top ten games, it is important to remember a few things when you are deciding what games to incorporate into your party. These include:
The age of your guests
Depending on the age of the guests coming to your party, you will want to ensure that the party games you choose are suitable for them. It is important to ensure that they are not too challenging for younger guests, similarly you should make sure the games are not too young for older guests.
Keep it fun!
This is a party after all, so make sure you keep the games light-hearted and fun – children do not want anything too complicated or which require too much intellect to participate in.
Keep them short
Games that drag on too long will quickly see guests losing interest – so keep them short and fun. By doing that, you will also be able to incorporate multiple games into your party!
Plan in advance
This is definitely one of the most important rules to remember. Make sure that you have everything planned and in place ahead of starting the game; from the music you will play, the prizes to be won and the rules. If you do not, chances are you will have chaos on your hands!
With those tips in mind, it is time to get planning the perfect games and here are our Partyfind TOP TEN favourites:
- Musical Chairs
A child’s party staple, musical chairs is one of the most popular games to play for a reason. Requiring very little in the way of preparation, you simply need to arrange a number of chairs in a circle and your guests will walk around the chairs whilst the music plays. When it stops playing, guests should rush to grab a seat. The last person standing is out of the game and another chair is removed until only one winner remains.
- Musical Statues
In a similar style to musical chairs, musical statues is another popular party game to play and again does not require too much in the way of preparation. Very easy to participate in, your guests will need to dance and jump around when the music is playing and then stand as still as a statue when it stops; anyone who has not frozen is out of the game!
- Pass the Parcel
After all of that running around, you could bring the energy down a level with another children’s party classic – pass the parcel. Taking a little more effort to prepare, you will need to wrap a small prize (an inexpensive toy or a packet of sweets is a great choice) in lots of layers of paper and then the game will see children sit in a circle moving the parcel onto each other whilst the music is playing. When it stops, the person holding the parcel takes a layer of paper off and the game begins again until someone unwraps the prize.
- Sack Race
Holding the party outdoors or in a large hall? Then consider adding a sack race to your party. If you do not have a load of empty sacks lying around, then using a large pillowcase is just as good. Split your guests into small teams and create a relay-style race – with the first team to complete the race being the winners.
- Wheelbarrow Race
Not so sure a sack race will work? Then adapt it slightly and create a wheelbarrow race instead! Suitable to be played in both pairs or as a team, one person has their hands on the ground whilst another carries their legs and the aim of the race is to cross the finish line first!
- Balloon Burst
Becoming an increasingly popular game, balloon burst is a lot of fun and is guaranteed to get your guests laughing. Inflate a packet of balloons and insert a special challenge such as ‘do your best dance’ or ‘say a funny joke’ inside. Taking one balloon at a time, the game is to keep the balloon in the air whilst the music is playing and the last person to touch it before the music stops has to pop it and complete the challenge!
- Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Another classic party game that everyone would likely have played at some point in their childhood, pin the tail on the donkey is a simple game for guests of all ages to take part in. You will need to source a suitable picture of a donkey in advance and also a tail to pin on it, and the aim of the game is to blindfold each participant, place them in front of the picture and get them to pin the tail as close to the right location as possible.
- Simon Says
A very popular game for younger guests, Simon Says is another very easy game to play that requires almost no planning or resources. One adult, or one party guest, will picked to be Simon and everyone else will have to do what they say – but only if they begin by saying “Simon Says”. Anyone who completes a task that didn’t begin with that phrase is out of the game.
- Piñata
Requiring a little more preparation, you will need to prepare (or purchase) a piñata ahead of the party and ensure that there is somewhere to hang it at the party. Each guest will then take turns to put on the blindfold and take a swing at breaking the piñata open. When it has broken, everyone at the party can share the sweets!
- Limbo
Another popular and very easy game to set up, two adults will hold a long broomstick, or something similar, at a certain height and party guests will take turns passing underneath it. Once everyone has had a go, the height is lowered and guests go again – anyone who falls over or touches the ground is out of the game and the winner is the person who limbos under the lowest height.
Whilst these games are sure to get your party guests active, jumping around and having fun, many of these games require the perfect soundtrack to accompany them. Even if they do not require music, what kind of party would be complete without it?!
So to make sure your party is a big success, we have put together our top ten songs to play at your child’s party:
- Katy Perry – Roar
- Taylor Swift – Shake it Off
- Smashmouth – I’m A Believer
- PSY – Gangnam Style
- DJ Casper – Cha-Cha Slide
- Black Eyed Peas – Let’s Get It Started
- Pharrell Williams – Happy
- One Direction – That’s What Makes You Beautiful
- Hannah Montana – Let’s Get Crazy
- Rihanna – Please Don’t Stop the Music
So if you are planning your child’s perfect birthday party, make sure you include some of these party games into the day and make it the best party yet! To ensure that the day is one to truly remember, add small prizes to give to the winner of each game. These prizes do not need to be big expensive gifts – some little toys, chocolate bars or packets of sweet will all go down a treat with you
