Best games for parties for kids

You may not have a built-in checkerboard in your backyard, but it's easy to set one up for a birthday party. Cut large squares from sturdy poster board, and tack them to the ground in a checkerboard pattern.

Use plant stakes or other stakes with rounded tops for safety. Or chalk up your driveway to create the board. Make big beanbags or use two colors of Frisbee disks for the checkers.

Have kids take turns moving their pieces across the board. Set up teams to involve everyone in the fun. Editor's Tip: You can also use large square flooring tiles to make the board.

Inexpensive tiles are available at home improvement stores. On-the-go kids will love wheeling and squealing on this obstacle course. Ask each child to bring his or her favorite set of wheels. It's a good idea to have a few extra vehicles available. To create the course, arrange orange cones or other soft items in your yard or a nearby park. Include curves, turns, and small hills, depending on the ages and abilities of your racers. Fuel the kids' excitement by timing each racer as he or she pedals to the finish line.

To make the course more challenging, set up stations along the way where children must stop to perform a task, such as blowing bubbles. Pumpkins aren't just for the porch! Make the most of the season's harvest with this easy outdoor game of tic-tac-toe. Who's the fastest of them all? Set up an outdoor course and find out! Beat the summer heat with this cool kids birthday party game. Blocks of ice become the base for this pretty painted game. Simply drip washable tempera paint onto frozen ice shapes and get melting!

As the ice melts, it will create cool paint designs. An old-fashioned favorite, pickup sticks gets a gigantic twist when the sticks are as big as the kids.

Paint the ends with bright colors: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple, for example. To start the game, drop the sticks on the ground in a big messy pile, and let the kids take turns picking up a stick. If a stick other than the one the child is removing wiggles, the child must return the stick and forgo his or her turn.

At the end, the player with the most sticks wins. Editor's Tip: Add a challenge to the game by assigning each player a color. The first player to successfully remove all the sticks of the assigned color wins the party game. All it takes is a few dice to get the party started! You can make these outdoor dice with wood, but we chose small cardboard boxes—perfect for younger children.

Have a little Picasso on your hands? Get painting outside! Set up all the materials kids will need to paint or draw outside in a space surrounded by nature. Let each child create their own work of art inspired by flowers, plants, and nature. Try making homemade sidewalk chalk paint and letting the kids decorate your driveway. Set up a fun game of DIY disc golf right in your backyard!

To create this outdoor game for kids, hang an oversized hula hoop from a branch or clothesline. Try a fun take on the classic game of catch. Have each player throw the disc through the hoop. The first one to complete ten shots wins! Beat the summer heat with a game of squirt bottle tag. The child who stays dry the longest wins. This summer craft for kids doubles as a fun outdoor game!

Have each child create their own paper airplane using construction paper and tape or glue. Once the planes are completed, head outside and see which ones take flight. The paper plane that goes the furthest wins. Keep the kids entertained with the cheap outdoor activity idea. Create an oversized version of one of our favorite classic summer games—croquet. To make, use wooden dowels to stake pool noodle arches into the ground. Be sure to make the arch tall enough that an inflated beach ball can pass under it.

To play, give each child their own pool noodle and see who can get the ball through the arches first. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team.

If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Save Pin FB More. Have your partygoers sit in a circle cross-legged. If they are caught, they sit in the centre of the circle and miss being selected for further turns. Balloon Relay Race Running and balloons is always a good idea when it comes to classic party games.

Divide your guests into relay teams of four players, two on each side of the play space. You can play a balloon relay in a number of different ways — our favourite requires players to place an inflated balloon between their knees and jumping across the play space. Other versions require players to choose their own way of travelling across the space with the balloon but no hands allowed!

This can be fun when played in pairs — each pair has to travel across the space with a balloon squashed between heads, backs or bellies! Alternatively, you can give each player an inflated balloon, have them race to the other side of the yard and sit on a chair and pop their balloon before racing back and tagging the next person in line.

The first team to get this completed from start to finish wins! Have party goers stand in a line a few metres away. Limbo Two adults hold either end of a broomstick or similar loosely, at stomach height. The children take turns going under the stick without touching it, bending their knees and leaning back as necessary. Then get the children to race while holding the egg on the spoon.

The first child to make it over the finish line without dropping their egg is the winner. Top top: Hard boil the eggs first to save on mess and get the kids to decorate them with felt tips before the race.

Pair up the kids and tie one leg of one to one leg of the other child. To do this, you could use pieces of ribbon or string. Then get the kids to race from a start to a finish point. Their legs that are tied must stay together the whole way throughout the race. Always race on soft ground as they may fall over during the race. Set up chairs in a circle and play music. While the music is playing get the children to circle the chairs, as soon as you stop the music the children must find a chair to sit on.

Each time you stop the music remove one chair. If a child is not on a chair when the music stops, that child is out. Top tip: Create two circles of chairs so the kids have to do a figure of eight round them. The added dimension and possibility for collision will up the excitement levels!

There are many karaoke consoles on the market from Singstar to iSing. Hook it up to your TV and get singing. Print off the lyrics to your favourite songs and sing along to the CD.

Get one child to hide. The others then must go find them. If they find the person hiding they must join them in their hiding place. The aim is to get as many kids as possible in the space leaving one or two children looking. Top tip: Play in one large room and turn the lights off to make the game harder — make sure any obstacles are removed and hard edges covered.

Get a large bucket and fill it with water then add apples — simple! Blindfold the kids and get them to try to pick up the apples using only their mouths. One referee spins the wheel and tells players where to place their hands and feet on the colored mat. Green light allows kids to move from one area to another, while red light stops them from moving. If they're caught moving during a red light, they have to go back to the starting line.

Kids stand at the starting line with a parent several feet across the room. Play a simple game of catch using ping-pong balls, soft plastic balls or other soft toys that are safe to throw inside. Materials : homemade or store-bought costumes; music; homemade stage; a cool story idea.

Plan a mini-production with your child to entertain the rest of your family members, or challenge the whole family to host one show each! Materials : empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls; colorful construction paper. Toilet paper rolls, construction paper and other up-cycled items inside the house make for a fun game of croquet. Materials : device with an internet connection; Zoom or Google Meet account; another family to connect with. Which indoor game is your child most excited to try? Tag us on social media to show us the games they love to play.

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Plus, the optional Premium Membership will keep your child extra engaged with math and give you more useful tools to support them with your own parent account. Category Parent Resources. Contents Skill-building indoor games for kids Physical indoor games for kids Indoor party games for kids DIY indoor games for kids Indoor group games for kids. Finding new ways to keep kids entertained at home can be tough — this year, especially.

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Family band party Materials : utensils; plastic bottles, small buckets or empty yogurt tubs. Card memory game Materials : deck of playing cards. Cooking show Materials : pots, pans and utensils; kid-friendly recipes ; plus a camera to film your show. Treasure hunt Materials : store-bought or homemade prize; treasure map.

Reading games Materials : books use this list to help you get started ; a comfortable place to enjoy a good read. Magic show Materials : magic set or rope, cards and coins. Encourage your child to bring out their inner magician. Juggling Materials : soft inflatable or plastic balls. Your child can learn how to juggle using lightweight and soft items found at home.