Kids Games & Activities: Fun Ideas for Birthdays

Whenever kids get together there should be a ton of activities to keep them busy. The following list can be used as a guide for birthday parties or any occasion that children are invited to.

Hide & Seek

Hide and Seek is a classic game that can be played indoors or outdoors and does not require any materials. One child covers his or her eyes and counts to twenty while all the other children hide. Once the child who is “it” has reached twenty he or she shouts, “Ready or not, here I come!” This game can literally go on for hours.

Arts & Crafts

Arts and Crafts are only limited by the child’s imagination. You can put out crayons and paper or complicated projects that require tape, glue, glitter, scissors, pipe cleaners, buttons, and so on.

Face Painting

Face-painting does not need to be done by a professional. As long as you have non-toxic, washable, make-up or paint there are tons of designs that are simple. A few examples are flowers, butterfly, cat, dog, or even the child’s name.

Pin The Tail On The Donkey

Pin-the-tail on the donkey is usually a birthday staple but you can customize the game for any event. Think of pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern for a Halloween party or pin-the-tail on the bunny for Easter.

Bouncy Castle

Renting a bouncy house or castle is sure to be a hit for children of all ages. It will keep them in one location and provide hours of amusement. Be sure to have the kids remove their shoes.

Musical Chairs

Musical chairs is also an easy set-up that requires little adult help. Place plastic chairs or mats on the ground and play music. Each time the music stops, all of the children must sit down. After every round one chair or mat is taken away.

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is best done outside with a chalk outline and rocks to throw on the board but an inside version could also be done with large sheets of paper or construction felt. The object is to jump over the space that the rock lands on.

Jump Rope

Jump roping can be done by each child with small ropes or by a longer rope with one child at each end. Rhymes are usually song when a child jumps in. You could also provide two long ropes for double-dutch which is more challenging.

Hire A Magician

Hire a magician for an hour or two. There is sure to be one in your area that specializes in tricks for children and perhaps ask for volunteers from the audience.

Sports

Sports round out the list of activities. If you have a large group of children a sport with teams such as baseball can be done. For smaller groups consider basket ball, volley ball, or other favourites.

These are just a few of the dozens of activities that can be planned for kids at a party. Share your ideas in the comments