Birthday Party Games for Everyone

When you have a birthday party, you need to have birthday party games. Having planned birthday party games will help keep things running smoothly, not to mention keep guests from getting bored while waiting for cake and present time.

One popular birthday party game that is often played at birthday parties for children of all ages is Musical Chairs. The rules for this game are simple. You’ll need enough chairs for everyone playing the game (minus one chair so during the first round, one player will get out) and a tape player or other device that you can play music on. The participants gather around the chairs while you start the music. They circle around the chairs until you stop the music. Once the music stops, the players must scramble to find a chair. The one player that cannot find a chair is now out. Remove a chair and start again. Play stops when there is only one player left.

A variation on the game Musical Chairs that can be enjoyed by all is a birthday party game called Unwrap the Present. For this game you’ll need a box, a small prize of some sort and lots and lots of wrapping paper (or newspaper), and a tape player. You will want to wrap the prize inside the box in several layers of wrapping paper. Pick any number you wish and just wrap it. To play, players sit in a circle and pass the prize around the circle until the music stops. The person that ends up with the box unwraps one layer of paper and play begins again. The person that gets to un-wrap the last layer of wrapping paper gets to open the box and keep the prize. This birthday party game can easily be modified to fit children from preschool to teens and even adults. The prize would just need to fit the age group and should be more general than specific. In other words, if boys are present at the party, they should not end up with a toy that many feel really is a girl’s toy. For adults, the prize inside the box could be something like a gag gift if everyone is comfortable possibly receiving something ‘racy’, or something more general that anyone can use in any situation.

One birthday party game that is great for teens is called Shopping Lists. Some people suggest having an equal number of boys and girls to play this game, but others do not have a preference. Players should be lined up in two rows several feet apart, anywhere from 15-25 feet apart with girls on one side and boys on the other (or however you will be playing the game). The boys will be given a pad of paper and something to write with. The girls will be given premade shopping lists with a predetermined number of items (but all lists should contain the same number of items). The shopping list can contain anything you wish from groceries to random items, but every shopping list should be different so teams cannot copy other lists. On the word “go!” the girls should shout across the way to their partners who will then try to accurately copy down what she wants him to buy when he goes shopping. The first team to accurately copy down the shopping list is the winner.

Another great birthday party game that can be played with children in the latter part of elementary school up to the adult age is called Tied in Knots. There are no supplies needed for this game except for the party attendees themselves. Everyone stands in a circle and holds out their right hand, randomly grabbing the hand of some one else. Once everyone has some one else’s right hand (and hopefully already in a knot) they reach out with their left hand and grab some one else’s left hand. Once everyone is connected and knotted together, it’s time to untangle. Players must find a way to untangle the knot without letting go of the connection. This may mean stepping over or under some a connection or turning around, but whatever they do, they cannot let go! Once they’ve figured out how to break the connection prizes can be awarded or they can be transitioned to another activity.

The next birthday party game, Noise Finder is great for preschool aged children or children in the early years of elementary school. You’ll need a tape recorder nearby so a noise can be recorded on it. If you are having a themed party, the noise can be geared towards that theme. Children should be instructed to leave the room while you hide the tape player (make sure to turn it on!). Once the player is hidden, the fun begins. Children then will have a certain amount of time to run around the room and find the source of the noise. The child that finds the noise will then receive a prize. This game can be played as long as there is an interest. The children will want to play this birthday party game again and again.

Alternatively, a variation of the above birthday party game can be called String Hunt. This can be used to give everyone their party favors or hide prizes at the end of the strings. The game can be set up inside or outside. You’ll need several different yarn colors so each child will have and know what color is theirs. The string should be tied to an object the children can hold while they are following their string; the other end will be tied to their prize or party favor. When setting up this game, you should make sure that all strings overlap each other so it will be a bit more difficult for the children to find the prize at the end of their string. If you play this outside, strings can be tied to trees and other stationery items so the children can run along their strings to find out where their prize is located. This is a very active birthday party game and will get everyone moving.

Just remember when planning what birthday party games to play, that you take into consideration the age and interests of the people that will be in attendance. If you remember the above, you’ll be sure to come up with games everyone will enjoy.

Reference:

• www.partygamecentral.com