Musical Chairs

Musical chairs is a favorite game for kids. You can do it the traditional way or try it backwards for a fun twist! The kids get a kick out of trying to walk backwards. If you have a theme, try looking for music that matches it. For cartoon and movie themes, the soundtrack would be a great choice for instance. If all else fails, ask your child and they might have some great ideas!

You can also make the “chair” match the party theme. For a dinosaur party, you could cut out cardboard eggs for the kids to sit on. For pirates you could cut out treasure chests and for a princess party, you could make slippers or crowns.

 
Pin the Tail on the Donkey

This is a classic that never goes out of style. You can also adapt this to almost any theme as well. If you have a princess party, you could do pin the slippers on the princess or pin the kisses on frog. For a circus or animal party, you could do pin the tail on the elephant. The possibilities are nearly endless.

 
Treasure Hunts

Treasure hunts are also a lot of fun. Kids love hunting for prizes. Choose prizes that fit your theme and let the kids go. They will be scrambling all over the place to find elusive treasure. Their prizes can also be their party favors as well.

 
Charades

This will really keep the kids busy and even the younger ones can get in on the action. If the guests are under 5, it might be better if they play individually and just enjoy guessing the clues. Older kids are able to enjoy the team competition. Fit the theme of your party by choosing words or phrases that match.

 
Hot Potato

Have the kids get into a circle. Turn on some music and have them pass a bean bag around. When the music stops, the person holding the bag is out. Stop the music frequently so the game moves quickly and no one is out for too long.

Duck Duck Goose

Or if you live in Minnesota or South Dakota, it is called Duck, Duck, Grey Duck but the premise is the same. Have the party guests sit in a circle and one child walks around tapping each child’s head saying duck each time. When they say goose, the chosen one gets up and chases the other child around the circle. If the first child gets back to the empty spot first, the second one is “It” and walks the circle until they choose their goose. This is another one that you can fit to the theme of any party. For a pirate party, it could be first mate, first mate, captain for instance.