games for children's birthday party?

Question

I am getting ready to have a birthday party for my daughter who is turning 5. I have been trying to find some fun games that don't cost an arm and a leg, but are fun and age appproprate. Most of the stuff that I have looked at is either to young for her or to old. Does any one have any ideas on how to keep them entertained and not break the bank?

Answer 1

Here is a great website with lots of birthday party ideas. My son just had his 5th birthday party (a Cars theme) and we got most of our ideas from here. Not only was it the best birthday party I've seen in awhile, but my son and I had a blast preparing for it! You can get anything from simple game ideas to elaborate party plans. Have fun!


http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/

Answer 2

Ok so I am 25 years old and I am such a big kid. Everything I do for my kids are things that I remember LOVING as a child. Here are some games/activities I loved! My 2 1/2 year old son loves to play the 3rd one here at the house with his own toys! 1. Pinata full of candy and cheap little toys 2. Scavengar Hunt 3. Fishing Pond - You will need a helper for this activity. Use an old fishing pole, or make one using a stick and some string. Attach a clothespin on the end of the fishing pole's string. Let each guest take a turn "casting" their line over an object (couch, table with table cloth, or table turned on it's side). Have your helper stand on the other side and attach small gifts, favors, or treats to the clothespin. When they're done, the helper gives a slight tug on the line. When the kids "reel" in their lines, they'll be delighted to see what they've caught!

Answer 3

Some of these are really great answers! .. musical chairs may be frustrating to 5 year olds though. Just to add some more to this, a "peanut" race is fun and gets a lot of energy out of the kids before you do a sit-dowbn activity like opening presents. If you have a back yard and it is warm enough, outside is ideal for this but inside works too.

Get ahold of a garbage bag full of packing peanuts- they are free from places like Home Depot, all you have to do is ask. Spray paint some red, green, pink, purple, blue, ect. and have about 15 that are yellow (call them "gold")

while the kids do something contained, like eat, scatter them all over the playing field. Hide some and have a bunch just lying on the floor/ground. Just like easter eggs!

Give each child a paper bag and set them free to collect as many as they can. Once they are done- count 'em up and see who the winner of that is, then see who has the most "gold" ones.

Have prizes on hand for winners- get plastic tiarra's at the dollar store, glow-stix, matchbox cars and bouncy balls. Have the prizes in your bedroom, which for the party is off-limit. Take the winner in there to choose a prize so it is alluring to others. Do this for every game.

A craft table is a great idea for down time. Have washable tempra paint, smocks, brushes and chunky wooden shapes to paint.

Another quiet game can be a guessing game. Use all 5 senses for this one. Have things to (blindfolded) smell and guess what it is, like vanilla, apples, mint toothpaste and maybe something gross (but funny) like dirt: put these in baby food jars and tape around the outside of the jar so no one can see inside. Guess what you are smelling? guess the most, win a prize. Have a cardboard box all taped up and cut a hole in it. Put things in there for them to identify without looking. A pinecone, a hair brush, a sock, an orange... How about sight recognition: cut cout pictures from a magazine of things the kids would definatly recognize then cut them up like puzzle pieces and lay them out in a random order, who can identify that object? Try a car, an animal and a house for 5 year olds.

Have a great party!

Answer 4

1. Duck, Duck Goose
2. "Cold potato" use a bag of frosen pea & stop and go music.
3. Balloon Bouncing -Everybody lies down on their back in a circle, & try to keep a balloon up as long as possible. Start with 5 balloons and let the kids pop each one after it hits the ground.
4. If you decide to give away gift bags maybe have a treasure hunt for them with a simple map of your house or outside if its nice.
5. Over-the-sofa fishing Before the party, make 1 fishing pole with a broom handle cord and clothes pins. Recruit a grown-up to hide behind the sofa with the party bags. Before each guest leaves make them heave over the couch to see what's biting...

GAMES EVERYONE KNOWS BUT FORGOT ABOUT:
1. Simon says
2. Red light, Green light
3. Pin the tail on the donkey
4. 3-legged potato sack race
5. Balance a bean bag on top of your head
6. Pinata
TIPS:
Keep the party short (2 hours)
Keep your guest list no longer than your child is old.
Remember the party is for the kids not the grown up
ETIQUETTE-DO NOT send invitations to the school unless the hole class is coming!
Keep a plan (schedule) for control
Have a craft/activity table for down time
If your child is super-focused on the presents have him/her open them as the guest arrives (get it over with)
Make sure you remember your camera
Oh and HAVE FUN

Answer 5

I know a fun game sort of like musical chairs, but not as dangerous. You put numbers on the floor in a circle. 1-10 or however many children there are. then put those numbers on paper in a hat. Have the children walk around the numbers while playing music. when the music stops they have to stand on the number they are on top of, then you draw a number from the hat and that child wins a prize. keep playing until everyone wins a prize.

Answer 6

One fun thing we have done is have a treasure hunt. While a helper kept the kids busy taking a group picture, other helpers and I quickly hid little plastic animals (it was a farm party) and candy all over the yard, rather like an easter egg hunt. I passed out tin "milk pails" for the kids to collect in. It was really fun! They took the stuff they collected and the pail home as a party favor.

Also, do you know that renting a bouncer is very inexpensive? YOu can get one for four hours for as little as $70.

Answer 7

Musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, get plastic eggs filled with trinkets and have egg hunt, plastic egg on spoon for egg race, find someone that can do balloon animals, put trinkets in balloons and have them pop them and keep whats in the balloons, dress-up, duck duck goose. Try Bright Ideas .com, a lot of good ideas.

Answer 8

Panning for gold is a fun game. Get a small plastic swimming pool and put sand in it. Take a bag of gravel (can use the kind for fish tanks) and spray paint the gravel gold. Then put the gravel in the sand. Use aluminum cake pans, make holes in the bottom and let the kids pan for "gold".

Answer 9

Musical chairs and dress up are a few I can think of. There are games on sites like pbskids.org and nickelodeon that don't require many materials.

Answer 10

The girls will have soooo much fun.

You don't really need to have games. Play music and let them dance. Make tiaras. Play dress up.

Put trinkets in balloons and blow them up and have them pop the balloons to get play jewelery.