Kids' Party Games 37 Fun Games for Kids' Birthday Parties

If you want a party game that is very amusing for the onlookers, this game idea is up for the job. You can play it with kids, teenagers, and young adults.

Divide the contestants into pairs. If you only have one sleeping bag, you can let one pair compete at a time. With multiple, everybody can compete at the same time!

Hand out a sleeping bag to each pair. The pair climbs into the sleeping bag and zips it up. When the game starts, they must change their socks with each other. Then they unzip the sleeping bag and climb out.

The pair that are quickest will be the winners.

This is the perfect party game when you want to get your guests moving. It is also ideal as a children’s party game when the kids are energetic and need to expend some energy.

Play dance-friendly music that suits the group and let everyone dance. Every once in a while, you stop the music, and everyone must freeze. Now you must judge who is moving too much and is out and must leave the game. Once you’re done, you start the music again. Keep going until only one player is left - the winner.

At a children’s party, it might be more fun for no one to lose and have to leave the game. Instead, everyone can just have fun!

Dizzy Bat is a very fun game to play and even more fun to watch. Holding this activity on the soft grass in the backyard is not bad since some people get very dizzy from the spinning and might fall.

Play this lawn game individually or in teams as a relay.

Prepare the game by making a starting line and then placing a stick/bat at a 50 feet’s distance from the start. Place one stick for each participant and make sure to have a lot of space between the sticks.

The goal is to run to a stick and pick it up. The players must now hold one end of the stick against their forehead and the other against the ground. Then they have to run seven laps around the spot where the stick meets the ground. The stick should be kept in place in the same spot on the ground while running.

When players have spun around seven times, they have to run back to the starting line. The first one to get back wins!

Team Relay Dizzy Bat Competition

This can turn into a relay team competition where the whole team competes.

One team player starts and runs to the stick, spins around, and runs back. Then the next player of the team does the same thing and so on.

The first team to have all members finish and back at the starting line wins the game.

This is a fun and delicious candy game!

Give each player a shoestring licorice lace. Tell them to put the very tip of it in their mouths and their hands on their backs.

When the competition starts, they must try to eat the licorice lace as fast as possible using only their mouths. No hands! They have to keep them at their backs during the whole game.

The first to swallow the whole string candy wins.

In this outdoor game, kids and grown-ups alike can partake. Play it as a fun easter game outside, during birthday parties, or any other gathering. Especially kids will find this game loads of fun to play.

Give each player a spoon and put the handle in their mouths. They must then balance an egg in the spoon and run a course as fast as possible. The fastest runner wins.

During the competition, no one can touch their egg or spoon with their hands. If the egg is dropped but doesn’t crack, the player can pick it up and start over from the beginning. But if it does crack, the player is out of the competition.

The course can be as simple as running to and rounding something, but you can make it as advanced as you like.

Egg and Spoon Relay Version

Make the game a relay by letting the teams pass the spoon and egg over to the next participant once they’ve completed the course.

The team that first finishes win the competition.

This is a fun and fast-paced outdoor game that includes water. The game can be played in both teams and individually, and mixed ages in the groups are no problem.

Play it at birthday parties for kids or with family and friends when having an outdoor party.

To prepare the game, you need to fill a bucket with water for each team and place it at the starting line. Then, you put an empty bucket/bowl some distance away from each participant/team. The buckets/bowls must be the same size for all the teams/players. You also provide them with a dry sponge.

When the game begins, the players must dip the sponge into the water and then run away and squeeze as much water as possible into their empty bucket/bowl. Then run back and redo it (or hand the sponge over to the next player if you play in teams).

It is not allowed to touch or move the empty buckets/bowls.

The team/player who first makes the water pour over wins the game.

This is a very easy game to play with the kids. It works fine to play with very young children as well as older ones. The game can be played indoors as well as outside in the garden.

The game begins with one person hiding the egg timer and setting it at a proper time. Start with five minutes to see how it works out and adjust to the next round if needed. The other players wait in another room during this time.

Now, the players must find the egg timer before it sounds. Play in teams or individually. The first player to find it hides the timer in the next round.

This is a super tasty eating competition where the contestants use only their mouths to eat sweets hanging from strings. No hands allowed! The player to eat the most sweets in 1 minute wins!

This is a great outdoor game if you’re hosting a children’s party or a Halloween party.

How to Setup the Playing Area

First, you tie the candy or fruit to shorter pieces of string and tie these strings to a longer string. Then, hang up the long string in the playing area, such as between two trees.

You can play this inside too, of course. Just make sure you don’t tie the string to something that’ll tip over when the sharks hit the candy, so to speak.

The Type of Sweets to Hang Up

Try to find a candy size that suits the participants. Smaller kids need smaller candies, and something bigger might fit adults. Eating should be fun, easy, and tasty!

Marshmallows and donuts are popular choices here.

Tip: To make things easy, we suggest you buy candies with holes in them as those are super easy to hang up.

This one is best played outside in the backyard or garden.

The game objective is to kick a soccer ball at targets. For example, hitting a specific tree or stone or having the ball stop in a particular zone.

If you have a lot of space, you can play with rules similar to golf where the players get a point per kick, and the fewest points win.

If you play in your backyard, you can challenge your contestants and let them try to hit a target three times. If they hit one time, they get 1 point. If they hit all three times, they get 3 points.

Then you can move on to a new target and let everyone play again.

Some Suggestions on Targets You May Use:

• A flagpole.
• A swimming pool.
• A tree.
• Hit a garage door.
• Get the ball to stay in a particular bush.
• Get the ball through the front door of a kid’s playhouse.
• A soccer goal.

Relays often make perfect outdoor games, and this fun relay game will surely get everyone going.

Hanger relay is a game that works fine to play at kids' birthday parties but also as a fun outdoor party game for adults, students, or teenagers. Since the game needs some space, you can play it in your garden, lawn, or as a field game.

Divide the participants into teams. The first player in each team puts the hanger between their knees (the long way) and squeezes a coin into one eye. Then, they hold the hanger like a bicycle handlebar with both hands.

When the start signal sounds, the participant must try to make it through a course (rounding a tree/bucket) and at the same time try to sound like a motorbike. Then the equipment is handed over to the next team member, who repeats the procedure.

The team that finishes first wins the game.

Limbo is a classic party game that is fun to play at kids' birthday parties, as a student party game, or as an entertaining activity during your garden party. It really works for any kind of party.

The rules are straightforward. Two people will hold the bar (unless you happen to have a suitable frame to hang it on).

The challenge is for all participants to walk under the bar while only bending backward, and no hand must touch the ground. The bar is lowered after each round.

The person who walks under the bar at the lowest height wins the game.

Be sure to have some pleasant music playing in the background during this party game.

Fun Alternatives

• Let everyone compete, with the only rule being jumping on one leg.
• Play in couples, and the only rule is that the team must get under the bar while one player is carrying the other.

This game is fun to play at a kid’s party or as a party game for adults. It works great for mixed ages as well.

Prepare by placing 10-20 objects on a table. Make sure the names of the objects are well known to all players.

Version 1 - Single Player

Let a player study the objects for 1 minute. Then hide them from view by putting a table cloth over the lot. Now, the player must remember and name as many objects as possible.

The players take turns to play, and the one to recall the most objects wins.

Version 2 - Multiple Players

Let 2-3 players simultaneously study the objects for 1 minute.

Now have the players take turns to call out names of objects. Each correct guess rewards 1 point. The game ends when all objects are named, or no one can remember anything more.

Make sure the number of objects is divisible by the number of players to give everyone the same chance to get points. For example, three players need 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 objects.

Version 3 - Remember the Correct Order

Arrange the objects into a row in a specific order. Let a player study them for 1 minute. Now, the player must guess the correct order of the objects, from left to right. They get 1 point for each correct guess. If they make a mistake, they’re out.

Then, rearrange the objects in a new order before the next player.

The one to get the most points wins the game.

In this game, the participant needs to memorize a piece of text. This fun relay version is a perfect game to play outside.

Divide your guests into teams and have each team member spread out in a large area with 50-100 yards distance between them.

Now, a piece of text is read aloud to the first person in every team. 1-2 sentences will be enough. Then, the participants must run to the next team member and repeat the text. This person then runs to next and so on till the last team-mate.

The last person in the team must reproduce the text on a piece of paper (or record it on their phone).

The team that can write down the correct words at the proper places in the text in the shortest time wins the game.

This party game is fun to play for both kids and adults. It’s also a game where all ages can compete simultaneously. Those not participating will have a great time watching the game, and it is easy to prepare.

I’ve mostly played this outdoors, but it’s a game that works fine indoors, too. If you have the space, that is.

Prepare the game by positioning a couple of chairs with at least seven feet between the chairs. Put an empty bowl on one chair and a bowl filled with cotton balls on the other. Before the competition starts, give each contestant some vaseline on the tip of their nose.

The participants must move as many cotton balls as possible from the cotton bowl to the empty bowl. No hands allowed, only use the nose! It is okay to shake and swing the head to drop the cotton balls in the empty bowl during the game, though.

The player who moves the most cotton balls in 2 minutes wins the game.

This game can be played both in teams or individually. However, it is the most fun if several people are playing simultaneously. Here you’ll need two chairs per player or team.

If you are playing in teams, you simply make it a relay and compete for about 5 minutes total.

This game is played in pairs but can easily be made into a relay. First, each team gets a fruit or a tennis ball. The most commonly used is fruit like an orange. The pair will then move the orange through a course or a specific distance.

The competing pairs stand face to face with their hands on their backs. The couple then places an orange between their bellies. The goal is to move as quickly as possible from start to finish without dropping it.

If the orange is dropped, the pair must pick it up and move back three steps before continuing.

You can easily make this a relay where a pair simply passes the orange on to the next couple after finishing their distance.

This children’s party game can easily be themed for the season. For example, use pumpkins for the Halloween party, eggs for the Easter party, etc.

In this party game, the participants are not allowed to use anything but their mouths.

The tricky part is that they have to use their mouth to find and pick up small objects hidden in bowls filled with overcooked macaroni. With their hands on their backs the whole time.

Turn this into a competition by counting how many items the players can collect in, say, 30 seconds.

When hosting a children’s party, you can put silly things in the bowls. At an adult party, you can hide some unexpected stuff in the macaroni bowl. And for a Halloween party, you can use scary items such as plastic spiders or fake finger bones.

This may be a good choice if you want to try a different version of the popular game Dance Freeze. This game is just as much fun at a kid’s birthday as at a party for teenagers or students.

In this game, the participants not only freeze when the music stops. In addition, they must follow some instructions for each dance round. For example: get down on your butt the fastest and then freeze.

Turn the game into a competition by kicking the round’s slowest player out of the game. The final round has only two players, and the fastest one to follow the instructions wins!

Make judging easy by filming everything with your phone.

Some Suggestions of Instructions

• Get down on your butt.
• Lay down on your belly or back.
• Stand on one leg.
• Stand with only one foot and one hand touching the floor.
• Have the butt and the butt only, touching the floor.
• Put one foot as high up in the air as you can.
• Have one cheek and two knees on the ground simultaneously.

This is a fun game to play at a children’s party if you have a lot of participants.

Divide into teams of 5-7 people. Now, each team must place themselves in a row.

When you announce an instruction, the teams must order themselves according to the instructions. The quickest team gets 1 point.

Some Suggestions of Instructions

• Place themselves in order of their lentgh with the shortest player standing first in line.
• Place themselves in alphabetical order due to their names.
• Place themselves in order of birthday month with january first in line.
• Place themselves in alphabetical order of the color on their shirts.

This is a fun party game that will engage competitors of all ages. The rules are simple.

Give each contestant a paper. In 30 seconds, everyone must fold some kind of a paper plane. When the time has passed, everyone takes turns trying to throw their plane from the same starting point.

The participants have two throws each in which the goal is to make the plane fly the farthest away from the starting point. Any direction is fine. The best throw for each participant is the throw that counts.

The game can be played both indoors and outdoors. It’s certainly more of a challenge outdoors (due to the wind), and more fun since the planes can fly further away.

If you play the game outdoors, it can be a good idea to throw from a high vantage point or let the participants use a chair.

Playing indoors, you can make the game trickier by adding some rules. For example, the plane must pass through a particular doorway, or maybe it must land somewhere on a sofa.

This is a hilarious party game to play both in teams and individually. You can have mixed ages and play both indoors and outdoors. The game is also entertaining to watch for your other guests, making this the perfect party game idea.

Each player ties a string or yarn around a pen and then ties the other end around the waist. Let the pen hang from the back. Place an empty bottle 10 yards from each player/team.

When the start signal sounds, the competitors must run to their bottle and try to get the pen into their bottled without using their hands by squatting.

The first player to drop their pen into the bottle wins the game.

Relay Version

The game can easily be made into a relay game. Do the game as described above. When a player succeeds with their pen, they must run back to their team and hand it over to the next person in line. That person ties the string around their waist (with the pen hanging from the back). Then, the player runs to the bottle and repeats the challenge. The team where every member has managed to get the pen into the bottles wins the game.

Tampon Version

Use a tampon instead of a pen. Fill the bottles (preferably plastic ones) with water halfway. When the tampon enters the bottle, it will swell and get stuck inside it. To win, the players now must run back and cross the start line (no hands), with the bottle hanging behind them.

Pennant banner toss is a game that works fine to play both indoors and outdoors (if it’s not too windy).

Put up a pennant banner and mark each triangle flag with a number. Then, if you want to make the game more exciting, you write some of the numbers with a minus sign.

Then, one player will try to toss the balls at the triangles. If they hit one, they get the points written on it (of course, the player receives minus points if they hit those triangles). Each player gets to make five tosses.

If you have young players, they get to stand closer to the pennant banner. You can use any balls you already own, like tennis balls, for example. Or some fun items like shoes and toilet rolls.

If you want to make the game harder, you let the pennant banner hang free. The easier version is to attach the pennant banner against a wall (suitable for kids' birthday parties).

Holding a pentathlon is great fun for summer parties. The game is simply to compete in five different events, and the one who gathers the most points wins the pentathlon. The events are often simpler games where points are awarded, for example, for hitting targets with a ball.

An important thing to consider when holding a pentathlon is to mind the scoring. Make sure no event awards too many points compared to the others. For example, it is not supposed to be possible to get 50 points for throwing 3 bull’s eye darts in one event and then a maximum of 5 points in another event.

Common events in pentathlon

• Throwing horseshoes - Each participant get a bunch of horseshoes that they are to throw at a stake so that the shoe encircles the stakes.

• Throwing darts - The participants throw darts at a board or water balloons and get points for each hit.

• Buckets - Place buckets on the ground or hang them in different heights and let the participants throw tennis balls at them. Different buckets can award different points depending on the difficulty.

• Fill cans with sand or gravel and place them in a tower with three in the bottom layer, two in the middle and one at the top. Let the participants throw tennis balls and try to topple as many cans as possible.

If you don’t want to use traditional games for your pentathlon events but instead try something different you can follow these links for our collections of more modern games. There are games that go well with individual competitions and team competitions.

No preparation at all is needed in this party game. All you have to do is to divide your guests into teams. You need at least two groups.

Start the game by informing everyone to remove their shoes. All shoes are then mixed and put into a pile.

When the start signal sounds, the teams must run to the pile, find their pair of shoes, and put them on. It is not allowed to throw away any shoes while searching. The first team to put on their shoes will be the winners.

You can play the game both indoors and outside. I’ve played it at kid’s birthday parties and with adults only as a fun team party game. It has always been an appreciated party game that doesn’t take up to much time.

Please choose an area (not too big, it’s meant to be a bit crowded) where the game will be played. Then have everyone tie a balloon to each ankle.

Then let everyone place themselves in the selected area. When the game begins, the players must try to stomp each other’s balloons. It’s not allowed to grab hold of another player or use anything but the feet to pop balloons.

A player who has lost both balloons is out of the game and must immediately leave the playing area. The last player with at least one balloon left wins the game.

Team Version

When playing in teams, you let all team members wear the same color on the balloons. Then, play as described above.

Play the game and have every team pop the other team’s balloons. No hands are allowed. When only one color remains in the game, you have a winning team.

In this game, the players compete individually. It’s a fun game to play with both kids and adults.

The contestants stand behind a line. Each one holds the end of a long string and an object tied to the other end. It can be whatever you want (a banana, a doll, or something more prominent). Try to make it fun, though! Depending on the strength, if you have adults participating, you can have hilarious items like chairs, carpets, a tent, or a sleeping bag.

When the game begins, the participants must pull the object towards them without moving their feet. The one who first gets their object past the line will be the winner.

Ring hunt is a nice indoor game to play with the kids. The game’s goal is to be the first to find the hidden ring.

One participant enters a room and hides a ring. The other players wait outside. A popular rule is that the ring must be hidden in a place where it can be seen (from some angle).

Therefore, the ring cannot be put in a closed drawer. But to place it in the bottom of a vase is okay.

When the ring is hidden the other participants are welcome into the room. They have 5 minutes to try and find the ring. After the five minutes have passed, it is okay to hint if the ring is hidden high, low, or in between.

If another 5 minutes pass, it’s permitted for the player that hides the ring to announce if someone is getting close to the ring or very far away.

The player that finds the ring will hide it in the next round. A fun way to vary the game is to switch rooms after a few rounds.

You probably are familiar with this game since it is such a popular game and has been so for many decades.

Sack race if often a favored activity at kid’s parties, but it is also an entertaining game for adults. The onlookers will sure enjoy it too. Challenge the guests at your garden party or arrange it at as a student party game. The game works well both as an individual and a relay team competition.

Each participant gets a sack and stands in it with both legs, with the sack reaching the waist. When the start signal sounds, the goal is to hop from start to finish.

The participants might have to round something and hop back to the start again or just hop forward to a finish line from the starting point. The first one to reach the finish wins.

The sack is just handed over to the next team member if you play in teams.

Put together a scavenger hunt and set your guests on a mission of collecting stuff.

Divide your guests into teams and hand out a list of objects to be found. Then, play it in your garden, neighborhood, or out in the woods.

Prepare the game by making a list with suitable objects of different difficulty to find. The more difficult to find, the more points the objects are worth. Then, decide a time limit for the teams to gather their things. For example, 10-15 minutes is often enough.

If the game mostly has adult or teenage participants, you can come up with some artful objects on the list.

The winners are the team that manages to get the most points during the game.

Alternative Version of the Game

Play the game in different rounds. Announce one object at a time to the teams. The team that finds the object first and returns it to you wins that round and gets 1 point. Then you announce a new thing for every team to collect.

The team that, in the end, ends up with the most points wins the game.

Some Examples of Objects To Be Found

• A leaf - 1 point
• A yellow flower - 2 points
• Something you can eat - 3 points
• A white stone - 4 points
• A feather - 5 points

Play this game outdoors on a lawn or as a field day game. It’s an excellent activity for a kid’s birthday party too.

Place the water-filled plastic bottles at a suitable distance from the players. Arrange the bottles however you like, but keep in mind the game is the most fun when it’s possible to topple all bottles in one kick.

Let the players play one at a time and give each player three attempts at kicking the soccer ball at the bottles. The goal is to topple as many as possible. Don’t reset the bottles between kicks, only between players. A player gets one point per overturned bottle.

The player to gather the most points wins the game.

The players will be up for a candy hunt in this fast-paced, outdoor game. It is the most fun to play in a garden with lots of trees or bushes. Play both adults and kids at the same time! The kids will surely enjoy it.

Prepare the game by placing spaghetti string candy all around your garden. Hang them from tree branches, in the bushes, or at other objects found in your garden. The most important thing is that there are MANY candies. They should also be easy to grab when in a hurry.

When the game begins, all players must run and collect as much candy as possible. The game ends when all candy is taken.

The player who managed to grab the most spaghetti string candies wins the game. But, of course, everyone gets to keep the candy they have collected.

This is an entertaining balloon race game for both children and adults. The participants will feel a bit goofy, and the spectators sure will be entertained.

The game works well both as an individual and a team competition.

Each player receives a blown-up balloon to place between their knees. (Give kids smaller balloons than grown-ups.)

When you start the game, the contestants must waddle or jump to try and move forward and round a predetermined point and then hurry back without dropping or popping the balloon.

When someone drops their balloon, they have to pick it up again and run back to restart from the starting point. The rounding point works as a checkpoint. If a player drops their balloon after passing this checkpoint, they only have to run back there, not start all over from the start.

If the balloon pops, the person must run back to the start and blow up a new one. Then return to the place where it popped and continue.

Balloon Race Relay Version

The game can easily be turned into a team relay. The team member that just finished then passes on the balloon to the next member in the team. Each team has its own course and object they must round.

This is a fun party game that needs almost no preparation at all. All you need is a paper bag and participants.

The game is fun to play at a kid’s birthday party but is even more fun when played with adults only.

If you use a paper bag, you cut off the handles (if there are any). When the game starts, the participants will try to lift the paper bag using only their mouths one by one. Hands must be placed behind their backs, and only the feet are allowed to touch the floor.

Every player has one try. If they fail, they are out of the game.

The players who lift the paper bag will compete in the next round. After each round, you cut off a piece of the paper bag to make it smaller. This makes it more challenging for the competitors to succeed.

The player that manages to pick up the paper bag closest to the floor, in the end, wins the game.

Alternative Version

After each successful “bite” in the bag, you cut out a piece of the paper bag where the player’s mouth was biting. This will make the paper bag go smaller for each successful player.

This is a super easy and simple party game that only needs some kind of blindfold for each contestant and a wall. It can be fun to play as a children’s party game or a challenging party game for adults, students, or teenagers.

The contestants all stand in line 15 feet from a wall with their backs facing the wall.

Make sure there is enough space around each contestant so they can’t bump into each other too easily. Now let everyone put their blindfolds on. When the game begins, the contestants must walk backward. The goal is to get as close to the wall as they can without touching it. Arms must be held across the chest during the game.

If a contestant touches the wall, that person is out of the game but must quietly stay still until the game is over. Then, when everyone has stopped and is confident with their choice of distance, the blindfolds are removed, and the person closest to the wall without touching it wins.

This is a very fun game containing toilet paper rolls. The kids will really enjoy it but don’t be afraid to challenge teenagers and adults too.

Prepare the game by making a pair of glasses of the two toilet paper rolls. Please don’t cut them shorter since this will ruin the game. Use rubber bands or something else you already have at home to keep them together. Also, attach some kind of yarn at the back that can easily be adjusted to fit different head sizes.

Then, put some objects in a row. It can, for example, be plastic bottles containing water. The goal is to make it like a slalom course.

Now, the players will, one at a time, put on the toilet roll glasses. Then they are given a soccer ball and placed at a starting point.

They must now try to get the ball through the slalom course, only using their feet. Every tipped bottle gives an extra 15 seconds as a punishment. The game ends when they have crossed the finish line.

The player that manages to finish the course the fastest wins the game.

Unroll the toilet paper is a short game that, for example, works well to play as a birthday party game for kids or as a student party game.

Provide each participant with a roll of paper. When the game starts, the goal is to unroll all the toilet paper and then yell “I am done!” through the roll.

The first player to yell the sentence wins.

Walk Competition is an outdoor game that requires almost no preparations. All you need to do is choose a route the players will walk during the game. It can, for example, be around the house, rounding a tree, or something else that suits you.

You then inform the players of the route of your choice.

When the game starts, all participants must walk the chosen course. The goal is to try and walk the route in precisely 3 minutes. They are not allowed to stop walking during the competition.

The one arriving at the finish closest to 3 minutes after the start wins.

To make it easy for yourself, you can record the competition with your video camera on your phone to easily decide the winner.

In this game, you let the participants compete in couples. The rules are simple and easy to follow.

First off, give each team a water balloon.

One player begins by tossing the balloon to their partner. Next, the partner tries to catch the balloon without breaking it. If the balloon breaks, the team is out of the game. If the toss and catch are successful, they get to take two steps backward each. Now, it’s time for the second team member to toss the balloon.

The team capable of tossing and catching the balloon, without it breaking, the longest distance wins the game.

A Friendly Version for Kids

If the catching team member touched the balloon but didn’t catch it and the balloon does not break, that team gets another try at the failed distance.

In this party game, all you need is crackers (or similar).

Provide each player with three crackers each. When the game begins, the players must eat their crackers.

The quickest player in eating the crackers and then whistling loud wins the game.