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Once you have the theme, activities to keep the kiddies happy
during the party are a must. Many of the traditional games that
we played when we were kids can be adapted to fit your child's
birthday party theme. Below you will find a short description
of some traditional games, and examples of ways they can be adapted
to your child's birthday party theme. Be creative and you will
be able to use many of these games with virtually any theme.
Whatever the theme, simply substitute words from the theme for
"duck" and "goose." For example, use "choo,
choo, train" for Thomas the Tank. Use "prince, prince,
beast" for Beauty and the Beast. As long as you explain the
new words to the children, any words you select will work just
fine.
Duck Duck Goose
This classic children's game is perfect for any party. Gather
your guests to sit in a circle and let the birthday child begin
as the "Goose." He/she walks around the circle tapping
each child on the head, saying "Duck" with each tap.
When he/she is ready to choose the next person to be the Goose,
he/she says "Goose" when tapping that person on the
head. That child gets up and chases the birthday child around
the circle. If the new Goose does not tag the birthday child before
he/she makes it all the way around the circle and sits in the
open spot, then the new Goose becomes "it." If the new
Goose tags the birthday child, then the birthday child remains
"it" for the next round and the game continues.
Don't Wake the Dinosaur
This is a fun game where one child is selected to be the Dinosaur.
The dinosaur hides his face and lays on the ground as if asleep.
The other children creep up on the dinosaur and ask "Are
you asleep?" The dinosaur answers "Yes" several
times. He then at one point answers "NO!" and the children
scatter to avoid being tagged. The first child tagged is the dinosaur
the next round, or you may select yourself. For Cinderella, you
could make the dinosaur "the evil stepmother." For Finding
Nemo, make the dinosaur "Bruce."
Mother May I
If using an animal theme, allow the children to address the mother
animal. For example, "Mother Doggie, may I take two steps
forward?" If using a story, movie or TV show theme, select
the "bossy" character. A perfect candidate for this
job is Bob from Bob the Builder. Or you may simply choose the
main character, such as Spiderman, Barbie or Shrek.
Simon Says
Play this traditional favourite as described in the last game
by replacing "Simon" with a character from the theme.
Have the children play with the typical rules of listening carefully
to the directions by "Simon" and following them only
if "Simon" says.
Hot Potato
You can use virtually any item for the "potato" for
this old favourite. If your child has chosen a character party,
and has a stuffed or plastic toy of the character, use it. For
a sports theme, use a ball or other item from the sport. Even
a storybook about the theme would work well. Use music about/from
the theme topic for an added bonus.
"Name it" Tag
This is a fun version of tag which has one basic rule. The only
way the children can be safe from "it" is to stop in
place (before being tagged) and name something or say something.
For example: with any show/movie/cartoon theme, the children
are safe while stopped and singing the theme song. (It must then
turn his attention to another child.) With animal themes, the
child might have to stop and make the animal's sound (barking,
meowing, roaring, etc.) to be safe. For older children, you might
have them stop and name a character or scene from the show/movie/cartoon/book,
or name an item from the sport/activity. They then have until
the count of 10 to be safe, then must begin running again. It
the theme topic has several familiar songs (such as Barney, Blue's
Clues, many movies) the children may stop and sing any song from
the show/movie/cartoon/book.
Blind Drivers Bluff
Blindfold the person who will be the "driver." (It
usually works best to let the birthday child be the first driver.)
Spin the blindfolded player around several times. The other players
move around the driver making car and truck noises. The driver
tries to locate the players by their sounds and tag the person
closet to them. The first player who is tagged becomes the driver
and the game continues.
There's A Bug On My Back
Pair up your party guests (three's okay too) and put a sticker
or a picture of a bug on each child's back. Have the guests try
to guess what the bug is by asking questions that can be answered
with only "yes" or "no." For example, "Do
I have legs?," "Can I fly?" and "Am I Green?"
Instead of using a bug, add stickers or pictures related to the
theme.
Musical Animal Acts
Everyone gets into the act with this fun variation of musical
chairs. Set up one fewer chair than the number of guests at your
party. Start the music and have the children walk in a circle
around the chairs, until you stop the music. When the music stops,
each participant tries to sit in one of the chairs. The player
left standing must pull the name of an animal, written on a piece
of paper, out of a hat. Then, they must act it out while the other
guests try to guess what the animal is. Start the music again
and repeat the game until all the animals in the hat have been
acted out. Children can act any scene from a storybook or movie
scene related to the party theme.
Jungle Knots
This game will make your party guests tumble with laughter. Instruct
your guests to stand in a circle facing inward. To begin, everyone
extends his or her right hand into the ring and takes a hold of
someone else's hand. Then, they do the same with their left hands.
The object of the game is to see if they can untangle the "knot"
by stepping over, ducking under people, or turning around. Whatever
happens, they can't let go of hands!
Floating Balloons
Pass out a large balloon to each guest. Let them blow up their
balloon and offer your help tying each one securely. The object
of this game is to hit the balloons up into the air and keep them
afloat for the longest period of time. This is a fun and easy
way to start or end any party!
Roundabout Relay
Your guests will jump for joy during this fun relay. Before the
party, cut four large shapes out of cardboard. (boxes work well
for this activity). For added fun, make the shapes theme-specific
to your party, (i.e. Flying saucers for an Alien or Star Wars
party). At the party, divide your guests into two equal lines
and give the first person in each line two of the cardboard shapes.
These become the only thing they can step on as they travel from
the front of the line, across the room, around a chair and back
to the line again.
The game begins by having the first child on each team place
one cardboard shape on the ground and step on it. Then, they place
the other cardboard shape on the ground in front of the first
and step on it. Next, they pick up the first cardboard shape and
place it on the ground in front of the other, etc. When they reach
the finish line, they hand the two cardboard shapes to the next
player in line. The team to make it all the way around the course
first, wins!
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
This game can be made theme-specific by pinning any object that
is relevant to your party's theme, (i.e. for a Pirate party, you
can draw a treasure map and have your guests try to pin treasure
chests nearest the area where "X" marks the spot). When
it's time to play the game, mount your poster on the wall and
place a piece of tape on the back of each object the children
will be pinning on the poster. Before each child takes a turn,
have them close their eyes, spin them around, and point them toward
the poster. The child who pins their object closest to the designated
spot, is the winner! You may want to play this game several times
to give your guests more chances to win.
Ha, Ha, Ha
The object of this game is to keep a straight face while the
other players try to make you laugh. All players form a circle
and one player begins by saying, "ha." The next player
says, "ha, ha," followed by the next player who says,
"ha, ha, ha," and so on around the circle with each
player adding another "ha" to the string. Each player
must pronounce their "ha ha"s as solemnly as they can,
to avoid laughter as long as possible. Any player who laughs or
makes a mistake must drop out of the "ha ha" circle.
However, that player then gets to try to make the remaining players
laugh in any way they can (except by touching them or talking).
The player who keeps a straight face the longest, wins!
Jelly Eating Competition
Make one bowl of Jelly for each child (plus have a few extra
on hand). Line the bowls along the ground. It's a good idea to
place a tablecloth or other protective covering on the ground
for easy clean up. Put a characters name like (Scoop, Muck, Dizzy,
etc.) on each bowl; it'll make calling the race more fun. Each
player places their hands on the ground beside their bowl and
must keep them there throughout the game. When the command is
given to start, all the contestants begin eating their Jelly.
The first one to clean their bowl completely wins. Be sure to
have a camera ready to capture the memorable moments this game
is sure to make!
Decorate A Birthday Banner
There may be a young Matisse coming to your party and here's
a great way to find out. Purchase a large piece of white butcher
paper from your local arts and crafts store. At the top of the
banner, write "Happy Birthday (your child's name)."
Mount the paper on a wall within easy reach of your guests. You
can also lay the paper on the floor if you're worried some of
the artists may mistake your wall for their canvas.
Provide a variety of crayons and waterproof markers and let the
children create their own masterpieces. Don't forget to ask each
artist to write their name and age besides their drawing. You
can even encourage them to write a special message to the birthday
child. After the party, fold it up and save it, or if you'd prefer,
take a close-up picture so you can tuck it inside your photo album
later.
Story Time
Invite your guests to sit in a circle to hear a wonderful story!
While the children listen, you can also have them colour a picture
related to your party's theme. This activity will not only keep
the children entertained, but it will also help calm everyone
down as the party comes to an end.
Where's the Slipper?
This pass-around activity requires a small amount of advance
setup time. You will need a small pair of doll slippers, scissors,
tape, wrapping paper, and music. First, wrap one slipper. Cut
a small piece of wrapping paper and wrap the slipper again. Repeat
wrapping individual layers around and around. Remember to use
as little paper as necessary, to make the unwrapping easy. About
halfway through the number of layers you choose to use, insert
the other slipper, and keep wrapping. Make enough layers so that
each guest has the opportunity to unwrap at least one layer.
At the party, seat your guests in a circle, start the music and
have the children begin passing the wrapped ball quickly from
one person to another. Stop the music. The guest holding the ball
removes a layer. Continue until you find the first slipper. Then,
reverse the passing order until the second slipper is uncovered.
A small prize may be awarded to the person who finally finds the
matching slipper, or you can choose to wrap a candy or small trinket
in each layer, rewarding all of the guests throughout the game.
Balloon Wrestling
Instead of wrestling one another other for a prize, let your
guests have a match with a balloon! Before the party, insert a
small, light-weight party favor such as a sticker into the opening
of a balloon before inflating it. Then, blow air into the balloon
and repeat until you have a balloon for each guest. Decorate the
party area with the balloons as you normally would.
When the party is almost over, give a balloon to each guest.
Tell your wrestlers that they must pop the balloon by sitting,
jumping, kicking it, etc. in order to win the match. They'll love
the great surprise they find inside and will have a lot of fun
trying to pop the balloon!
Edible Jewellery
You will need at least two feet of string for each guest,
candy or sweet cereal with holes, and small bowls to put
them in. Before the party, fill the small bowls with the
candy or cereal and place them within easy reach of your
guests at the party table. Give each child a length of string
and let them create a necklace, bracelet, anklet, etc. They'll
have lots of fun creating their own yummy, edible jewellery!
Round Up the Herd
For this game you will need two brooms, a long string to mark
your course, six balloons (and a few extra in case any should
pop). Set up an obstacle course in your party area using boxes,
chairs, bushes, trees, etc. Mark the path of your obstacle course
with string. Divide your party guests into two teams and line
up both teams at the starting line.
Give the first person in each line a broom and three balloons.
(Be sure to use different colored balloons for each team). They
must use the broom to herd their wild ponies (balloons) through
the course. Each player must herd their balloons through the entire
course to complete their turn. The first team to finish the course,
wins! If a balloon pops during a player's turn, he or she must
take a new balloon to the starting line and begin again.
Message Mix-up
Seat your guests in a circle. Help the birthday child think
of a message related to your party's theme. The birthday
child then whispers the message to the person on their left,
and so on. When the message has travelled all the way around
the circle, the person on the birthday child's right tells
the message out loud. Then the birthday child tells the
original message.
Expect the unexpected when you learn the original vs. the final
mixed-up message. Try again with another player starting the message
and continue until your guests are ready for a new activity.
Paint A T-Shirt
Kids love picking out their own clothes and they will
love designing their own personalised T-shirt! Ask guests
to bring their own T-shirt to paint, or purchase inexpensive
T-shirts at a discount or thrift store. Before painting,
line the inside of each T-shirt with cardboard or waxed
paper, so that colors don't bleed onto the other side of
the shirt. Use sponges dipped in fabric paint or fabric
pens to decorate the shirts. Lay the shirts in a safe place
to dry, and heat-set painted shirts in the dryer if necessary.
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