Table Of ContentPENNY WARNER
KKiiddss’’ PPaarrttyy GGaammeess
&& AAccttiivviittiieess
Hundreds of Entertaining Things
to Do at Parties for Kids 2–12
Penny Warner
Kids’ Party
Games and
Activities
Hundreds of Exciting Things
to Do at Parties for Kids 2–12
Illustrated by Kathy Rogers
Kids’ Party Games & Activities
Electronic book published by ipicturebooks.com
24 W. 25th St.
New York, NY 10010
For more ebooks, visit us at:
http://www.ipicturebooks.com
All rights reserved.
Copyright 1993 by Penny Warner
Originally published by Meadowbrook Press in 1993
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
e-ISBN 1-59019-917-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Warner, Penny
Kids’ party games and activities/by Penny Warner ;
illustrated by Kathy Rogers.
p. cm.
1. Games. 2. Amusements. 3. Children’s parties. I. Rogers, Kathy.
II. Title.
GV1203.W33 1993
793’.01922—dc20 92-41900
CIP
DEDICATION
To Tom, Matt, and Rebecca, who still love to play games.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There were many parents and teachers who generously
contributed their favorite games to this book. Many thanks to
Kelly Ball, Linda Barde, Edith Bassett, Kirstin Branton,Cathy Bray,
Heather Buchanan, Trude Evans, Christine Hunter, Jill Johnson,
Michele Kane, Terry Kelly, Bruce
Lansky, Jim Bohen, Marianne Mendonsa, Tawna Redick, Julie
Roberts, Heather Thorton, and Doreen Warner. A special thanks
to Elizabeth Weiss and Jay Johnson.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Entertainers
Clowning Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
PRESCHOOL 2–5 Fire Fighter! Fire Fighter! . . . . . . . . . 62
Traditional Games ’Toon Town. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Duck Duck Goose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Tell Me a Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Pin the Tail on the Donkey. . . . . . . . . 4 Making Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Treasure Hunt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SCHOOL AGE 6–9
Hot Potato. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Red Light, Green Light . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Traditional Games
Musical Chairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Gumby Lotto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Snatch!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Suitcase Relay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Copy Cat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Twenty Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Simon Says. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Blind Man’s Bluff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Octopus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Up, Jenkins!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Penny Pitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Contemporary Games
Airplane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Giggle and Howl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Marco Polo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Balloon Burst. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Tug of War. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Chain Reaction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ha Ha Ha. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Sense-Sational. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3-D Tic-Tac-Toe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Surprise Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Bingo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Handy Candy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Slap, Clap, and Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Loose at the Zoo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Dinosaur Dig. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Contemporary Games
Funny Paper Race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Mummy Wrap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Price It Right. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Group Activities
Puzzle Hunt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Magic “Moosh”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Caterpillar Crawl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Pumping Iron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Daffy Dress-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Tongue Teasers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Making Waves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
The Invisible Gift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Mystery Puzzle Pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Ticket, Please. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Outings and Events Alphabet Game Show. . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Down on the Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Group Activities
Zooming to the Zoo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Mystery Masterpiece. . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Pumpkin Patch Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Puppet Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Scientific Expedition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Face Painting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Under the Sea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
v
Water Frolic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Mystery Melodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Super Sundaes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Crazy Olympics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Box Office Trivia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Outings and Events
Murderer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Day at the Ballpark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Jingles and Slogans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Outdoor Overnight. . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Rob Your Neighbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Starship to the Planetarium. . . . . . . 130
Eyewitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Takeoff to the Airport. . . . . . . . . . . 132
Baby Bottle Race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Kites at the Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Product-Ability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Entertainers
Group Activities
Abracadabra—A Magician! . . . . . . . . 136
Rewrite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Call the Police!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Freaky Friday. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Karate Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Talent Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Funniest Home Videos. . . . . . . . . . . 142
Designer T-Shirts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Artist Party. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Secret Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
PRETEEN 10–12 Outings and Events
Traditional Games Pets on Parade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Charades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Slumber Party. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Gossip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Bicycle Rally. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Scavenger Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Pajama Breakfast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Romancing the Story . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Day at the Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Spoons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Entertainers
Quick Draw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Fabulous Fortune-Teller . . . . . . . . . 206
Relay Races. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Bake Me a Cake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Truth or Consequences. . . . . . . . . . 162 Dancing with a DJ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Contemporary Games
Chaos Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Puzzle Bags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
vi
INTRODUCTION Preteen section (ages 10–12) has games and
activities that are more sophisticated for kids
leaving childhood and entering adolescence.
IT’S PARTY TIME!
You’ll find that many of these games can be
enjoyed by kids older and/or younger than the
Whether it’s a birthday party, a club meeting, or age range specified. You know the guests best—
a classroom event, you want to have the best read over some of the selections and decide
party ever. You’ve planned the theme, sent the what your group can handle.
invitations, and bought the goodies. The party
room will be decorated, the cake will be a Within each of the book’s three major sections
masterpiece, and the crowd will gather for a you’ll find five types of party activities, including
fun-filled event. traditional games, contemporary games, group
activities, outings and events, and entertainers.
It sounds great. But how do you guarantee a Whether you choose timeless favorites, new
terrific time for all? And what do you do classics, or creative events, plan ahead! If you
between the time the kids arrive and the time choose games that are too simple, the crowd will
they go home? get bored. If the activities are too difficult, the
The answer is simple: plan plenty of games and kids might get frustrated, fight, or cry. If it rains
activities to keep the kids entertained and during your outdoor games, the kids will be
delighted. And it’s easy, with the help of Kids’ disappointed, and if they are cooped up inside
Party Games and Activities. This book contains too long, they’ll wear you down. And if you don’t
hundreds of exciting things to do during any have enough for the kids to do at the party,
children’s gathering. The games and activities everyone will watch the clock in despair.
are appropriate for ages 2–12, the instructions Remember, be prepared, creative, and ready for
are clear and simple, and the preparation is anything, then approach the event with humor
inexpensive and easy. and patience. That way the party will be fun
for you, your child, and the excited
The book is divided into three major throng of guests.
age groups, with each section
containing a wide range of age- How do you decide what types of
appropriate activities. The activities to plan? It’s easy! Just
Preschool section (ages 2–5) decide how much time you have
offers easy-to-learn and easy- for preparation and how many
to-master games and activities materials you want to buy, then
let your child help you choose
for children who are gaining
the games, activities, or
better control of their bodies
events. And always have a
and acquiring stronger
contingency plan! For example,
language skills. The School if you choose to have a stay-at-
Age section (ages 6–9) home party, pick a variety of
contains lots of physical and indoor and outdoor games,
mental challenges for children active and quiet games, and
who are skilled at both fine and competitive and noncompetitive
gross motor activities and who enjoy games. If a game doesn’t seem to be
races, puzzles, and creative fun. The working, abandon it and go on to
vii
another—memorize the instructions so you will take: the welcome, games and activities,
don’t have to consult the directions during each opening of presents, cake and ice cream, and
game. Group activities are fun for a creative good-byes. Let the guests’ parents know
crowd and work best with lots of supervision when the party ends so you won’t have to
entertain beyond a set time.
• Invite your child’s good friends and try to
keep the group manageable. You don’t have
to invite everyone your child has ever met
to the party. But then again, you may have to
include an entire class at a classroom event.
In either case, have a few parents on hand to
help keep the event under control.
• Hire a babysitter to help during the party if
and parental help. Entertainers provide a fun you can’t round up adult volunteers. Helpers
show-and-tell celebration and can make it easier will be invaluable during game time. They
on you, if entertaining a group of children isn’t up can work with kids who have difficulties with
your alley. Or take the kids on a party outing for the activities, supervise play while you lead
an exciting, fun-filled day. the game or decide the winners, and watch
the kids while you prepare the food.
PARTY HINTS • Plan to have both quiet and active games to
balance the kids’ energy levels. Start out with
These helpful tips will ensure a successful
a quiet introduction game, if the kids don’t
time:
• Choose a theme for the party. Ask your child know each other, then let them release all
that party energy with an active game or two.
what he or she would like as a focal point for
Then settle down again with a quiet game.
the event and decorate around that theme.
When you’re finished playing, have cake and
Perhaps a favorite toy, a special movie, or an
open presents.
often-watched TV show would make a good
theme, complete with food, favors, and fun • Over-plan the games. A party can turn to
to match. chaos if there aren’t enough games and
• Let your child help with the party activities planned, so be sure to have a few
alternatives if the games run short.
planning. Find out what your child wants to
do, and plan the event around that theme. If • Tie in the games and activities to the party
it’s something outrageous, such as “go to theme by renaming the games or using props
Disneyland,” suggest alternatives that to complement the theme.
incorporate his or her ideas and match your • Have prizes for both the winners and losers,
budget (such as a “Mickey Mouse Party,” and don’t place too much emphasis on
with a cake, decorations, and activities to winning. Preschoolers don’t need competitive
match). games and might get upset if they have to
• Think the party through. Plan your time— leave the game because of a mistake. Preteens,
two hours in the afternoon is best—and try however, usually enjoy competition.
to imagine how long each part of the party Schoolage kids fall somewhere in between,
viii
so use your own best judgment when fun. If possible, take Polaroid snapshots to
choosing games. hand out to the guests as they leave.
• Keep the sweets to a minimum and provide • Expect problems—and roll with them. Be
some healthy snacks, so the kids don’t get prepared to make adjustments if the kids
too strung out on sugar. This will help keep don’t enjoy a game or have trouble following
the games under control, too. the game’s rules. Adapt to fit the needs of
your guests, and change the rules to please
• Let the weather be your guide. Make sure the group. The goal is to have fun!
your activities can be adapted to indoor or
outdoor play, if necessary. I hope the ideas in this book will help you plan a
wonderful party for your child. May your event be
• Keep the cameras handy (both video and a success!
still cameras) so you have a record of all the
Penny Warner
ix
