Once all of your guests have arrived, it is time for the fun to begin! You can go for wild, crazy games, or quieter activities. You can even combine them and have a wild time and a quiet time. The best way to choose the activities and games is to have the parent choose some games and then let the birthday person make the choices from the parents list. One rule I learned is let the kids have fun just being together playing. You can usually tell when it is time for games to begin by the way the kids act. If they are getting bored then start the games.
Games for the first, second and third birthdays are mainly for the parents. Games can be simple, Like pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs and pinatas full of candy is always a favorite of all ages.
Four and Five year olds love parties that are focused totally on them! I still remember one of my sons laid covered in plastic balls for what seemd like FOREVER when we spent his fifth birthday at Chunkey Cheese Pizza. I already mentioned my step sons fifth birthday. He was so excited to have a party focused on him. The kids who came were older than him, but at that age their main concern is themselves.
Six and Seven is when you start inviting kids that are their friends. If you send invitations to school friends be sure and send them through the mail, unless you are inviting the whole class. Too many kids get their feelings hurt when they are not invited. A few parent supervised games are always fun. But remember that this age loves to run and jump and be loud. So outdoor parties are best. One year we had the whole boys T-ball team over for a hot dog cook out and a sleep over party. No games were needed to keep these boys busy. Just being together kept them playing all night. Notice that I said that we only did this once!
Eight to Thirteen is when you need the birthday persons help in planning the games and activities. My oldest daughter had a slumberless (as I call it) party on her 8th birthday. All her friends brough slumber bags and blankets and pillows. They covered the living room from wall to wall with their bedding. They had enough snacks and videos to last all night, but the most fun was a little tape recorder that I bought her. The girls had a blast taping their silly and scarey stories. They played it over and over laughing at themselves. My daughter listened to the tape an untold number of times, and she still has that tape 12 years later. The next morning I took all 8 girls to Church and took their picture all together in front of the Church. After lunch Isent them home, and they slept all day and night!
BALLOON FUN
Kids at all ages love Balloons. We use them to decorate and for games. Heliaum Balloons are great fun. My 2nd oldest daughter also had a slumber party for her 8th birthday. I rented a heliaum tank and those girls had so much fun filling balloons up and then putting it in their mouth and talking silly. Another favorite is to buy water balloons especially for hot summer parties. Mark off a section, and let them get soaked throwing balloons at each other. Make sure you put down come in swimsuits or bring a change of clothes on the invitations. Also make sure they agree to picking up all the busted balloons afterwards. I usually offer a prize for the person who brings me the most busted balloon parts!
BALLOON FIGHT
Give each child a yard of string with a balloon tied to the end. Have them tie your balloon around their ankle, grab a rolled-up newspaper, and swat away! When your balloon pops you are out. The last one with a balloon left wins!
NOSE RACE
Line up two teams. The person at the front of each line puts a matchbox sleeve on his or her nose. At the word "GO" the person passes the matchbox back using noses only! If someone drops the matchbox, that team must start over.The first team to get it to the end wins!
STRAW RACE
Line up two teams. The first person at each line gets on his hands and knees with a straw in his mouth. They have to blow through the straw to move a little ball on the floor. They must move it to the end of the room and back without using their hands. The next peson in line continues until one team wins!
Another option to this game is have them hold a cotton ball by sucking the starw. They have to go to the end of the room and back without dropping it. If they drop it they have to pick the cotton ball up with the straw, and continue the course. The next person in line continues until one team wins!
Pin the Tail on the Donkey ~ Internet Game for kids
If you have some great ideas that you would like to share please email me at Sweet Azalea @ Geocities.com
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