Having a birthday party for your child can be a challenge to put together. One of the main issues is keeping the children busy and happy. There are a thousand games that you could have the children play while attending the party. The question is, will the games that you choose bore the children? There are ways to avoid the hum-drum games such as pin the tail on the donkey.
Tips on birthday party games that won't bore the kids:
• Balloon Busters
This is an easy game that is great for indoors or outdoors. All you need are some balloons, air, two chairs and kids to make it successful. Be sure that the children don't have on shorts that expose the upper half of the leg in any way. If they do, they will get stung by the balloons as they pop.
You will need about 20 to 30 balloons, depending on how many children there are. Blow the balloons up so that they are nice and tight. You don't want to make it too hard for the children to pop.
Divide the children into two even teams. The chairs should sit side by side. Line the children up at the opposite end of the chairs and as far away as possible. There should be an adult stationed at each chair and one to keep the children in line.
The first person on each team will run to the chair. The adult "supervisor" will have a balloon ready on the chair. The child must sit on the balloon to pop it. If it does not pop, the child will have to do everything he/she can to burst it only using his/her behind. Once the balloon pops, the child runs back to the line and tags the next person on their team. This continues until all of the balloons have been popped. The team that gets their balloons popped first wins. You should have a prize for each member of that team. A piece of candy will do.
• Balloon Toss
This is a great outdoor game for hot summer days. You will need balloons, water and children for this game. Fill the balloons with water but not too much. The balloons shouldn't break easily. Each child chooses a teammate. They will face each other in the line and begin to gently toss the balloon back and forth. They should be fairly close to each other to start. After a minute or so, stop the children and have them move back five steps. Begin again for another minute or so. Repeat all actions until there is only one team left. When a teams balloon breaks, that pair is out of the game.
• Piñata
Everyone wins with this game and it never gets old. Each child takes a turn hitting the piñata with a stick or bat. The piñata should be filled to the brim with lots of candy. Each child takes a turn hitting the pinata until it breaks open letting loose all of the candy inside. Once it breaks, the children rush in to grab up as much candy as they can.
You can make your own piñata by using a balloon, newspaper and homemade paste. Mix the paste by using a little bit of flour and water. Tear the newspaper into strips. Blow the balloon up so that it is nice and tight. Be very careful with the balloon so that it doesn't burst before it is supposed to.
Take the strips of paper and lay it in the glue. Get it nice and wet then place the strip on the balloon. Carefully smooth it out and repeat. You will want to make sure to put several layers on the piñata so that it won't be too easy to break. After the layers are all on, allow the piñata to dry overnight. Cut a large hole in one side and smaller hole in the top. Put the rope through the top hole and knot it by reaching inside. Put the candy inside the bigger hole. Tape the hole up and decorate in any many you would like. Kids love to help with this task so let the birthday boy/girl join in on it. You can decorate with paint, streamers or use any wonderful idea that might come to you.
When the day of the party arrives, hang the piñata in a location that allows for height adjustment. If you have several different ages coming to the party, you will want to make sure that every child can reach it. Line the children up, littlest first to make sure everyone gets a chance. Blindfold the child and place the stick or bat in his/her hands. Guide the child to the piñata and encourage him/her to swing at the piñata. Three to four swings is generally enough. Move through the line until the piñata is broken open. The kids will rush in to grab up the candy.
These games will keep the children from becoming bored. Kids love to play games that involve physical activity. Your child's birthday party will be a smashing success if you play these surefire birthday party games.