"Good Guess"- Find a variety of items that your guests can guess "How
much…" For example, "How many jellybeans in a jar," "How many words on a
page in a book," "How many crackers in a bag of oyster crackers," "How many
pages in a magazine". Award a prize to the person who has the closest guess
for each item.
Feather Blow"- Give each of the kids a feather. When you say, "GO!" the kids
have to start blowing the feather in the air. Whoever can keep the feather in
the air the longest (using only his/her breath) is the winner. This game can
also be played in teams (the team to keep the feather in the air longest using
only breath wins)
Pass the Orange: This fun-filled game is inexpensive and simple. The only
supplies it requires are 2 oranges and people with both a neck and a chin.
Divide the group into 2 teams. When the person (not actually playing the
game) says "Go!" the people must pass the orange from neck to neck using
only chins and necks. The team that can get the orange to the last neck in line
the quickest without dropping the orange wins.
Tug of Water: Set up the sprinkler in the middle of the lawn and turn it on.
Divide the group into 2 teams and have each team hold an end of the garden
hose. On the word "Go!" have the teams try to pull their opponents into the
sprinkler.
Go Fishing: Buy some plastic toys and attach a piece of magnetic tape to each
one. Drop the toys into the bottom of the pool. Give the kids fishing poles
made from sticks and string, with magnets tied to the bottom of the string. Let
the kids fish for their "prize" in the kiddie pool.
Toss n' Soak: Fill up a plastic pool with water and have kids stand around the
outside of the pool. They must toss the ball back and forth to one another and
try to catch it. If the ball hits the water, the child who failed to catch the ball is
"out." Whoever is left standing last wins.
Keep it Dry: Give each player a small object that changes when it gets wet,
such as a stone, cotton ball, or a marshmallow. Players must try to swim from
one end of the pool to the other without getting their object wet. The swimmer
with the driest object wins.
Name and Number - As people walk into the party, put their name on one side
of an index card, and a number on the other side. As everyone walks around
with their name showing (on the index card that is taped to their shirt), they
have to try to introduce themselves to as many people as they can. After a bit of
mingling, tell everyone to turn over his or her name tags, so that the number
on each card is showing rather than the name. Now give everyone a
numbered piece of paper, and see who can fill in the most names next to the
corresponding number.
POOL PARTY BASH 6YR OLD
Pool Party Bash- 6 year old We made invitations on the computer and
decorated them with fish and other pool related stickers. We rolled them up
and placed them in plastic message bottles ordered over the internet. We
added a little sand and fish confetti and plugged them up with corks. The post
office mailed the bottles for the cost of $.60 each. The kids loved receiving
messages in a bottle for this great event. We rented the fitness center pool for
three hours to host this summer event in the dead of winter! BRRRR! We had
a lot of swimming contest and party games such as, noodle races, raft relays,
and splash contest. After swimming we watched NEMO and ate snack mix
which consisted of goldfish crackers, gummy fish candies, peanuts, and
pretzels. We enjoyed busting the fish pinata which was filled with LIFESAVER
candies. I made a swimming pool cake with all edible items. For party favors
we gave each person a sand bucket which we decorated with fun foam fish
and the children's names. Each bucket was filled with a squirt toy, beach ball,
goldfish crackers, and goggles. The kids had a splashing good time even
though the snow was on the ground outside. My child still talks about the fun
he had at this party!
"Duck Duck Goose"- This is an old favorite! Gather the kids in a circle, and
choose one child (usually the birthday boy/girl) to be the "ducker". The
"ducker" gets to walk around the circle, tapping (not hitting!) each child on the
head, electing to say "duck", or "goose". If the "ducker" says, "duck", then
nothing happens. But if the "ducker" yells, "Goose!" then the "goosed" child
gets up and runs around in an effort to tag the "ducker". If the child cannot
catch the "ducker", then that child becomes the "ducker". If the "ducker" is
caught, then he/she has to sit in the "soup" (the middle of the circle) until
another "ducker" is caught.
CREEPY CRAWLIES
Objective: A guessing game where you guess what kind of insect you are!
Categories:
Groups, Birthdays, Kids, Halloween
Game type:
Passive. Little or no movement is required.
Players:
3 or more players
Needed: Papers with insect names
Rules: Divide into teams of 3 and have players face each other in a
triangle. On the back of each players chair stick a paper with the picture or
name of an insect. Allow each player to view the insects on the chairs of the
player facing him/her. Players then ask yes/no questions to each other to
guess what kind of insect they are. For example, ' Does it have 6 legs?' 'No'
etc. First team of three to guess all the insects wins!
CLOTHES PIN RELAY
Objective: A relay race where teams try to drop clothes pins in a cup from
between their knees.
Categories:
Relay Race, Birthdays, Kids, Adults, Baby Showers, Singles
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
6 or more players.
Needed: Clothes pins (one per player) and 2 cups
Rules: Divide into two teams. Determine a start and finish line about 10
feet apart. Place a large mouth cup (something with an opening about 4-5
inches across) at the finish line for each team. Each player must place a
clothes pin between their knees and waddle to the finish line and drop the
clothes pin into the cup without using their hands. Teams race against each
other! After both teams are done, the teams who managed to get the most in
the cup wins!
BUCKET TOSS
Objective: Toss a ball into five buckets of water in order to win.
Categories:
Outdoors, Kids, Swimming Pool
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
2 or more players.
Needed: 5 buckets One small ball Water
Rules: Line up 5 buckets with water in them (first bucket close and the
fifth bucket would be farthest). Mark a start line about ten feet away (or closer
for pre-schoolers). Each player stands at the start line and tosses a small
ball into the buckets of water starting with the closest. The ball must land in
the buckets in numerical order (first bucket, second bucket etc.) If a ball lands
in a bucket out of numerical order then the child's turn is over. The child who
tosses the ball into the buckets in order wins!
BUILD A BUBBLE
Objective: See who can create the biggest bubble while racing against
the clock.
Categories:
Groups, Birthdays, Outdoors, Kids
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
2 or more players.
Needed: Bubble making hoops Bubble soap mixture
Setup: For this game you'll need at least two bubble hoops. This are fairly
cheap at any toy store or you can make your own by bending coat hangers etc.
Soap: Mix two tablespoons of liquid detergent and about 1 cup of water.
The ideal mix depends on the container so feel free to experiment
beforehand. Pour into a couple of pie pans.
Rules: Choose one player to act as judge and timekeeper. Set a time
frame for each round. 15 seconds is a good amount. Start the clock. Use the
bubble hoops to dip into the soap and blow bubbles. The participant who can
make the biggest bubble wins. You can have a single elimination bubble
blowing tournament by pairing off players in groups of two and having
multiple rounds until you have the grand master bubble blower!
BALLOON BATTLE
Objective: A fun birthday game. Be the last to not let your balloon get burst.
Categories:
Birthdays, Kids
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
2 or more players.
Needed: Balloons and string - enough for all players
Rules: Divide the group into two teams. Tie the balloons to everyone's
ankles. Say "go" and watch the teams trying to burst the other team's
balloons first. The team with the last balloon wins. As your balloon is burst
you withdraw from the game.
ANNIE-I-OVER
Objective: A game where you want to be the last person to not get tagged.
Categories:
Outdoors, Kids, Teens, Tag
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
6 or more players.
Needed: A tennis ball or other small ball A house over which you can
throw a ball and run completely around with gates on both sides
Setup: The group can either choose one person to be the 'runner' with the
runner on one side of the house and the rest of the group 'throwers' on the
other, or the group can divide into even teams and put one group "the
runners" on one side of the house and the 'throwers' on the other side. The
throwers have the tennis ball.
Rules: The game starts when the throwers throw the ball over the house
and yell "Annie-I-Over!". If the ball doesn't make it over the throwers yell
"Pigtail!" and try again. Once the ball makes it over the house the runner(s) try
to catch it before it hits the ground. If the runner(s) does not catch the ball,
they must yell "Annie-I-Over!" and throw the ball back over the house. (It is a
good trick to wait a few seconds before throwing the ball back to psych out the
other team). If the runner(s) catches the ball, they proceed to quietly run
around the house on either side and tag anyone by throwing the ball at them.
If a player is tagged they also become a runner. The trick is that you never
know if a runner will catch the ball or not or which way the runners will come
once they catch the ball. Also, you never know which runner has the ball! After
a person becomes a runner, he or she can then catch the ball and try to tag
other players.
ALL ON ONE SIDE
Objective: A game where you try to not let the balloon touch the ground!
Categories:
Kids, Teens, Singles
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
6 or more players.
Needed: A balloon and a volleyball net
Rules: Your whole team starts on one side of a volleyball net with no one
on the other side. The object is to get your team to the other side of the net
and back as many times as possible. Using a balloon for a ball, each player
volleys the balloon to another player on the same team and then scoots
under the net to the other side. The last player on the team to touch the
balloon taps it over the net and scoots under. The receiving players try to keep
the balloon in play and repeat the process
BEAT THE BUNNY
Objective: This is a game where you quickly pass balls around a circle.
Categories:
Kids
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
2 or more players.
Needed: Two balls of different sizes
Rules: Sit in a circle. The small ball (the "bunny") is started first and is
passed from child to child around the circle. When the bunny is about half
way around, the farmer (large ball) is started in the same direction. The goal
is two is to touch the bunny with the farmer. The farmer can change directions
to try and catch the bunny, but the bunny can only go one way. If someone
drops the bunny, they are out. If someone is holding the bunny when tagged
by the farmer, they are out. Last one in wins.
BLOCK TOWER
Objective: Kids build a block tower as high as possible.
Categories:
Kids
Game type:
Passive. Little or no movement is required.
Players:
2 to 6 players.
Needed: Wood blocks
Rules: Have a pile of blocks and ask the children to sit around them.
Then ask each child to add a block one at a time. The round is over when the
tower collapses.
Variation: For each block in the tower that is placed, put a piece of candy
in a bowl. When the tower collapses, divide the candies among the group.
BLINDFOLD COTTONBALL RACE
Objective: Transfer as many cotton balls from one bowl to another using
only a spoon. The catch? You'll be blindfolded.
Categories:
Birthdays, Kids
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
4 or more players
Needed: Bowls, cotton balls, blindfold, spoons
Rules: This games works best when you play two players at a time.
Blindfold the players and give each a spoon. Place two bowls in front of each
player, one of which Is has 20 cotton balls. The other bowl is empty. Say go!
Each player must transfer as many cotton balls from one bowl to the other in
30 seconds. The trick is that they are so light you can't really feel them on you
spoon and this makes it hard. The winner is the player who transfers the
most.
BOLA
Objective: A game of jumping rope for many people at once.
Categories:
Outdoors, Kids, Teens
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
2 or more players.
Needed: A Bola (see instructions below)
Rules: To make a "Bola", stuff a rubber softball into a long sock and tie a
knot in the sock just above the ball. Now tie a rope to the sock. Lie down on
your back and start spinning the Bola, slowly letting out the rope. When you've
got it rotating at a full radius, everyone can begin jumping into the circle. You
may increase the speed, or have two people join hands, and jump in
partners. If you're nicked by the Bola, you may continue or sit out. Go until only
one winner is left.
BROKEN DOWN CAR RACE
Objective: A relay race where each player is a different broken car part!
Noisy fun!
Categories:
Relay Race, Birthdays, Kids
Game type:
Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players:
6 or more players.
Needed: None
Rules: In the broken-car relay, each team runs three continuous races.
In each race they will pretend that they're part of a car with a problem, such
as a stuck horn that's blaring incessantly or windshield wipers that won't
stop moving. The children run the race acting out what's broken. For
example, if the car is stuck in reverse, the children will run backwards.
Before each race begins, tell the runners what problems their car will have.
Choose a starting point and a turnaround line that are about 20 feet apart
and then divide the children into two teams, or have them pick which team
they want to be in. Each team should line up single file behind the starting
line.
At your signal, the race begins. One by one the children run to the turnaround
line and back while pretending to be the car with the first problem.
After all the children on one team have had the first problem, they run again,
this time with the second problem and then the third. The first team that
completes all three of the relays wins the race.
Variation: Shorten the number of races to prevent restlessness if there
are too many of them. Young children may have a hard time figuring out what
motions to use while they run. You can always give them ideas or help them
to come up with their own.
