15 Hilarious Party Games for Kids Ideal for Planning Active Birthdays

Pulling out a long list of fun party games for kids from your back pocket can be the perfect birthday life saver and great way to kick your kids' party into high gear!

Here on this page I'll supply you with that wonderful list of fun kids party games you can use when you want to spend a bit of time relaxing while the kids are having loads of fun and are fully entertained.

Most of the birthday party activities on this list require a bit of physical space and are in this way best suited for the outdoors, however, there are also also a few great indoor games you can set in motion if the weather is bad or you don't have access to an outdoor area.

Anyway, here is list! Enjoy!

A List of 15 Great Party Games for Kids

1) The Hilarious Dress Up Race

This one is a great example of party games for kids who are a bit older, though small children may be able to play it with the help of an adult.

• Divide all of the children into two teams, and have the teams line up on one end of the room.
  
  
• On the other end of the room will be two boxes - one for each team - and the boxes will contain a dozen items of clothing.
  
  
• Once you yell "Start", the kids have to one by one run across the room or yard, put on all of the clothing over theirs, then take the newly added clothing off, and run back to touch the hands of the next person in line.
  
  
• That person will then run to the box and dress themselves, then undress, and the game will continue until all of the kids on one team have been through the dress / undress cycle.

It is a hilarious game, and it will be tons of fun to watch your kids struggle into crazy hats, massive T-shirts, and odd clothing.

Your kids are guaranteed to have fun on this one and you might just have a great laugh yourself!

2) Musical Chairs - a Wonderful Old Classic

This is one is a true classic that I clearly remember playing at birthday parties all through my childhood.

• Have all of the kids stand in a circle in the middle of the room or yard, and place one chair for each child in the middle of the circle.
  
  
• Now remove one chair, and turn on the music.
  
  
• The children will go around and around the chair, dancing as the music plays.
  
  
• When you turn off the music, the children have to scramble to sit in a chair. The one person that doesn't get a chair is out, and another chair is removed as the game continues.
  
  
• Each time the music stops, someone is eliminated, and the game continues until there is just one person sitting on the final chair.

But please, bear in mind that this game might not be suitable in all situations and with all kids as some might feel sad, down or even angry when being eliminated, so I advise you to use your best judgment when playing this game.

3) Musical Statues in the Crazy 'Stop Dance'

Do your kids like to dance? If so, this is going to be one of the best party games for kids to have fun!

• Turn on some music, and have your kids go all out shaking and dancing around.
  
  
• Suddenly pause the music, and all of the children now have to stand as still as statues in whatever position they are in. They just have to stop dancing and hold still until the music resumes.
  
  
• Anyone that moves, falls, shakes, or laughs is out. You can put on some music that will really get your kids dancing, and pause it when they are going crazy.

It will be fun to see them trying to balance on one foot, hold their leg in the air, or stay upright while leaning way over.

It's a great game, and it's great exercise for the kids.

4) The Silly Laughing Statues Game

This is a good game to play if you have a lot of kids, as all of them can play easily and at their own level.

• Have each of the kids pose themselves like a statue, and they can get into any position that they want.
  
  
• Once all of the children have settled into their position, an adult or child will go around the "statue garden" and see if they can make the statues laugh.
  
  
• They can say anything they want to make the statues laugh, but they can't touch the statues. They can make jokes, say silly words, tell fart jokes, or anything they want, but no tickling or touching.

The game continues until all statues laugh, or the child trying to make the statues laugh gives up.

5) Pass the Present

Hot potato is a fun game, but this hot potato game will be even more fun for all of the children. 

• Before the party begins, you will need to wrap the birthday child's present. If the present is a ball or something round-shaped, that's even better.
  
  
• Place an extra layer of wrapping paper around the present, and place a small toy or item between the main present and the wrapping paper. Wrap another layer of paper, and add another toy. Do this until you have about one layer of wrapping paper with a toy for each child that will be attending.
  
  
• When it comes time to play the game, have the children sit in a circle and pass the parcel around to the music.
  
  
• When the music stops, the child that is stuck holding the parcel will have to unwrap one layer, and they get the toy they find inside.
  
  
• Turn the music back on, and keep passing the parcel around. Make sure to stop the music at the right time so that each child gets a toy, and stop the music on your birthday child last to give them their special present at the center of all the wrapping paper.
  
  

6) Treasure Hunt

Kids love a good treasure hunt, so turning your child's birthday into a fun treasure-seeking adventure can be a great way to go.

Hide some items around the house or yard, and make clues that will lead the children to the items.

You can divide the kids into teams, and give them each clues that will take them on a different route to reach the "treasure" at the end of their quest.

The treasure can be something simple like special snacks for all of the kids (chocolate coins make a great treasure), or there can be a toy for each child in the loot at the end of the hunt.

The point is that the kids have to use their heads to find the treasure, so make the clues a bit cryptic while still being easy enough to figure out within a few minutes.

7) Capture the Flag

If you have a lot of kids that need to use their energy by running around, this outdoor party game will be an ideal way to tire them out. 😉

• Place a flag at each end of the yard, and put some plastic lawn chairs as obstacles around the course.
  
  
• Divide the kids into two teams, and place one team on each side of the yard.
  
  
• The goal of the game is for the teams to run across, nab the other team's flag, and run back before the other team can stop them. You can draw a line down the center of the yard, and that line will mark each team's territory.
  
  
• If one player is touched in the territory of the other team, they go to "jail" until one of their players can "free" them by running and touching them without getting caught.

It will definitely run your kids hard, and it's a fun game for them to play at your birthday party.

 8) Mother Hen and the Colored Eggs

This one of party games for kids ideal if there are many kids present.

• Set up a little obstacle course that your kids have to run through, using a tire swing, lawn chairs, a table, your garden climbing set, and so on.
  
  
• Have all of the kids huddle at the beginning of the course, and select one child to be the Wolf.
  
  
• The kids will need to assign one of their participants as Mother Hen, who will hand out the colors to the children simply by saying, "You are green, you are yellow, you are red ... etc".
  
  
• When each child is assigned a color, the Mother Hen will be given a color as well and finally, a family color is assigned to everybody.
  
  
• The Wolf comes up to the group and asks for eggs of one color. If anyone has been given that color, they have to run around the course and try to make it back to the 'Henhouse' before they are caught by the Wolf.
  
  
  
• If the Mother Hen's color is called, she has to run, and the game ends if she is caught. If the family color is called out, everyone has to run.

It's a game that will have your kids running for their lives, and it's a game that you can play for hours - though you'll probably need to switch out the Wolf now and then.

9) Egg Race

For this one of party games for kids, you're going to need a lot of boiled eggs and spoons.

• Have all of the children form a straight line at one end of the yard, and give them each a spoon.
  
  
• On that spoon, place one boiled egg, which they are not allowed to drop.
  
  
• They have to race to the line at the other end of the yard, but without dropping their egg.
  
  
• If an egg drops, the child has to pick it up and go back to the beginning.

The goal is to be the first to cross the finish line with the egg still on your spoon.

10) Balloon Pop

This game will have you all laughing very hard, and it's a fun game that will never get old no matter how old you get!

• Divide the room into two teams, and hand each person a balloon to inflate. Tell them to blow it up to their desired size, and tie it off.
  
  
• They will then form a line, and each person will take turns running to the opposite end of the room and sitting on a chair.
  
  
• They will place the balloon between their bottom and the chair, and the goal is to pop the balloon as quickly as possible.
  
  
• Once the balloon has popped, they run back and touch the next person in line.
  
  
• The game continues until one team has popped all of their balloons.

What makes this game fun is that some people will only blow up their balloon part of the way, but this will just make it harder for the balloon to be popped. They will have to jump on the balloon repeatedly before it pops, making everyone enjoy the game a whole lot more.

It's hilarious to see someone jumping on a balloon to try and pop it, so it's a great game for everyone to play!

11) Animal Partners

• When everyone arrives at the party, hand them a piece of paper with the name of an animal on it. Tell them to show no one the paper, and to tell no one what their animal is.
  
  
• You will have prepared a hat with two pieces of paper for each animal, ensuring that everyone that gets a piece of paper has an animal partner.
  
  
• When it comes time to play the game, simply tell everyone that they need to make the noise that their animal makes, or mimic the motions of their animal.
  
  
• They have to go around the room until they find their animal partner, and the first ones to pair up will win the game.

Imagine a room filled with adults and kids clucking like chickens, trumpeting like elephants, and barking like dogs, and you can get an idea of just how funny this type of party games for kids can be!

12) Animal Actions

If your kids are a bit older, this type of party games for kids is one that they will love. The adults will love it too, but you might be surprised to find that the kids are better.

• Have everyone sit around in a circle, and assign one person to be the elephant. 
  
  
• Everyone else in the room will be given an animal, and they have to come up with a simple action for their animal. Make sure the action isn't too complex.
  
  
• Once the game begins, the elephant starts out by performing his action (crossing his right hand in front of his face, and reaching around his arm with his left hand to touch his nose), followed by the action of another animal.
  
  
• The person that has that animal assigned to them will perform their animal's action, followed by another.

The point of the game is to get people to trip up, which will then send them to the lowest spot to the left of the elephant.

Every time someone messes up, everyone to their right will move a seat to the left. The goal is to hold the elephant's spot for as long as possible, while everyone else is trying to dethrone the elephant and take his place.

It's a game that you can enjoy for hours, as everyone will be laughing as they see each other performing simple, crazy animal actions!

13) Feather Table Hockey

This game will involve a ping pong table and a feather, as well as children that have strong lungs. 😉

• Have three children stand at each side of the ping pong table, and place a feather in the middle of the table.
  
  
• Let the children blow the feather to the other side of the table, and a point is given to the team that makes the feather touch the table on their opponent's side.

Whichever team blows the feather off the edge of the table loses a point, and the winner is the team that gets to 11 points first.

14) Ping Pong Ball Air Hockey

Got a large dining room table that you can play on? 

• Hand out a straw to all of the children that want to play the game, and have them stand all around the table.
  
  
• Divide the children into teams, and drop a ping pong ball onto the table.
  
  
• The children will have to use their straws to blow the ping pong ball off the other side of the table, and they will get a point if they do.

This game is surprisingly difficult, as even a bit of momentum on the ping pong ball can send it spinning off the end of the table. limited, so it can be hard to keep the ball on the table. However, it's a great game, and it's one that your kids will enjoy!

15) Pin the Tail on the Donkey

• Use a large piece of cardboard to hang on your wall, and use tape or glue to attach a large drawing of a donkey to the cardboard (Or you might be lucky to find a poster online like the one in the picture).
  
  
• Cut out a tail from a piece of paper for each of the children, and stick a thumbtack through the top of the tail. stick a thumbtack through the top of the tail.
  
  
• Each child will take a turn being blindfolded, and they will have to grope their way up to the donkey, find where they think the tail should be, and use the thumbtack to stick the tail onto the donkey.

The winner is the child that gets the tail in the small circle that you've drawn onto the donkey's behind - the target for the tail!

These are just a few fun party games for kids, and these party games can give you an idea of what to do at your child's birthday party!

Your Positive Parenting Ally,
Birgitte

Parent Coaching

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