Birthday parties can be a blast, but they can also be a daunting social gathering that requires a lot of planning, and money. These best activities for kids’ birthday party will impress kids of all ages.
If you’re starting to get a little nervous by just reading the last sentence, do not worry–there are plenty of ideas for fun games here for any household party guests will love.
After all, younger children and older kids just want to have fun and be with their friends at parties. I’ve collected a mix that speaks to most ages and is pretty adaptable for every kid’s birthday party themes!
Happy birthday to your little one! Enjoy some fun activities and birthday cake with your young children.
1. Escape Room
A favorite activity for so many in recent years, an escape room is the perfect vibe between fun and using critical thinking skills.
Now depending on your birthday boy or girl, you can cater to their needs while creating the room for your kids birthday parties.
A 5-7 step problem solves a decent amount for a party. Try using a combination of unscrambling a word on a balloon to lead to the next clue.
Then a coded message that will make more sense as you find more, rhyming notes, math equations, this emoji decoder, etc.
Whatever you think will work best for the kids that’ll be playing at your child’s birthday party.
This is one of the most fun party games for teenagers.
2. DIY Dream Catcher Craft
Grab cardboard and a small bowl. Trace the bowl on cardboard, make a smaller circle a ½ inch from the original, and repeat for however many attendees will be at the party.
For those that aren’t into doing that, these rings should do the job. You’ll also need some yarn; this is a great pack bundle and a hot glue gun to attach strings across the ring’s opening.
You can go simple and add a tail or do a bit of a character like a unicorn or any other animal by adding some defining features.
3. Pinatas
There are several ways to pull off a homemade pinata–a balloon, cereal box, individual pinatas from toilet paper tubes, or get extra crafty with flexible cardboard to make a number!
However you choose to make this classic party game, you’ll also need the adhesive of flour, water, and a small handful of salt.
The trick is to use strips of a brown paper bag in the mixture to create a base layer and then go back over it with tissue paper.
Once dried, cut into it to load the goodies in and poke two holes into thread a string through the top, reseal with more glue mixture.
Make sure it’s dry before use. It’s sure to be a huge hit for younger kids and older children.
Find a unicorn pinata? Check out these cool unicorn party ideas!
4. Make a Monster
A collaborative group activity during a birthday is always fun, and this is in the same realm as pin the tail on the donkey but a little different at the same time.
Find a silhouette or a few if you want everyone to create their own, or see how it all comes together as a group, and print them out.
Next, you’ll want to draw a key of what dice rolls mean they should draw–ex. One is eyes, two ears, three noses, and so on.
Grab markers or crayons for the kids; easy as that, and they are ready to play!
5. Zip-Bom Group Game
A game that gives endless giggles–the short of it is you can either say Zip (to the person on your left) or Bom (to the person on your right), but the trick is not to show your teeth while doing it!
It’s goofy, fast-paced, and free to play, no additional cost! This is one of the best kids’ birthday party ideas for larger groups.
Sit in a circle, and whoever starts with a Zip to the person on their left.
If you’re deciding to say Zip, you can only say it if you’re facing left, same with Bom, but on the right, if you get it wrong, you’re out!
6. Animal Charades
A classic tried and true party favorite, but with only one category accessible to any partygoer–animals!
Depending on the age group, print a picture set of animals and put them into a hat, or write them out if old enough.
7. Make a Robot
Making a robot takes a bit of planning, but the possibilities of it are endless.
Depending on what materials you plan on using, kids make a giant robot together or make small ones out of notecards.
If going for a bigger bot, start collecting boxes or tubular household items, ask friends, or hit a local store for backup.
Pull out the markers, googly eyes, paints, or whatever to make those robots come alive!
8. Water Balloon Painting
Maybe best for a summer birthday, a water balloon painting is sure to make a splash at any party. You’ll need a tarp, some sturdy tape, paper, water, balloons, and washable paint like these.
Fill the balloons with water and put them at each station for the kids.
The kids will then dip them from the colors given and let them roll them on the page, reminding them if it’s thrown, the page won’t be able to take any more paint.
9. DIY Friendship Bracelets
Nothing is more excellent than sitting around with friends and making your own friendship bracelets!
So many designs and color options; you can even use yarn to make bracelets if you don’t have thread.
I’d suggest looking up some video tutorials on different patterns because, as I mentioned, there are so many!
You will need yarn or thread, scissors, a piece of cardboard to anchor your work, and maybe tape if you need extra security.
This also makes a good idea for party favors that little girls will love.
10. Slime
What kid doesn’t absolutely love slime? As we all know, there are endless possibilities and recipes out there. Slime is a great place to start your party planning!
I like to make birthday slime differently; by different, I mean adding sprinkles because it is a birthday!
You could even make a slime birthday station with a designated slime captain because kids need to get supervised.
Is your toddler the birthday boy or girl? They’ll love these fun indoor activities for toddler birthdays!
11. Candy Dice Game
Simple and sweet and made of a big pile of candy and rolling a die.
All you have to do is create a dice key–1 take a piece of candy, 2 give a piece to a friend, 3 put a piece of candy back into the pile, and so on.
12. Sprinkler Water Game
Sprinklers will never not be the best entertainment in the summer for those of us who don’t have pools.
Choose or poll the crowd on what kind of classic game they’d like to play around a sprinkler–musical chairs, red rover, tug of war, or any other backyard activity will do.
13. Pin the Tail on the Donkey
As all the adults reading this, do I need to say more? Pin the tail on the donkey is a classic for a good reason.
It is one of the most popular competitive games for little kids, right in your own living room.
This great game is easy to set up right in your own living room, or in a large open space at the party venue!
A fun trick is to print off a favorite character, put them up on a magnetic board, and fashion a tail out of a magnet.
That way, there’s a little more interest in a recognizable animal and no danger with pins.
14. Photo Scavenger Hunt
A fun twist on a classic is to use photos. Whether the kids want to take photos as they hunt for them or you hide pictures of various characters, it’ll be entertaining for sure.
15. Outdoor Movie
Two of my favorite things are spending an evening outside and watching movies; them together, say no more!
Grab any comfy outdoor stuff, lay it out over a tarp (especially if it’s wet), or ask guests to bring their blankets.
Break out the speakers, snacks, and a projector–this one’s a fair price with your party supplies, and look forward to a great time for everyone on the guest list!
This is one of the best teen birthday party activities!
16. Cookie Decorating
Easy, and you could maybe skip a traditional cake–cookie cake, anyone? Make everything from scratch or nab store-bought dough, icing, and sprinkles.
17. Obstacle Course
An excellent way for sugar-fueled children to expend that energy is to create an obstacle course for them!
Utilize anything you may have in your garage or backyard and let them create it even, no work necessary and never-ending fun for them.
18. Egg Hunt
Hide treats or small toys in the eggs, hide them in the backyard, and let partygoers hunt for them to their hearts’ content.
You could hide a prize egg, and whoever finds it could get awarded a special prize.
19. Musical Chairs
Easy, free, and a game that never gets old, musical chairs.
Place the chairs in a ring facing outward, have the littles walk around them as the music plays and whoever’s left standing is out; remove a chair each round too.
20. Potato Sack Race
Don’t worry if you don’t know where to find potato sacks. They’re a bit of the past, but these will do great.
Have the kids all line up at one end of the yard and when someone shouts ‘Go!’ have them jump to the finish line, and whoever crosses first wins.
21. Tug of War
Divide the party into two and have each team pick up the opposite end of the rope; whoever’s last standing wins.
Make sure this activity has space because whatever team falls, we don’t want them hurting themselves.
22. Bean Bag Toss Game
Making your own is pretty simple, upcycle any board you can cut into safely to make various-sized holes, put any personal touches you’d like, and let kids throw bean bags at it.
If you don’t have bean bags, a small ball will do well, and if you’d instead buy a board, my friend has this one, and her kids love it.
23. Water Balloon Toss
A few ways to play this game include tossing it to a friend and backing up with each throw into rings or a board. However, if you’d like to play or score, this game is up to you all!
24. Hot Potato
Kids sit in a circle, passing a bean bag or small ball as the music plays. If you drop the hot potato, you’re out; whoever is left with it when the music stops is out.
25. Chocolate Making
Very few people in the world don’t like chocolate, and this is a pretty safe way to have children make something all their own by making bark.
Give everyone a small silicone round or two or other vessels to let them add any toppings they’d like.
Once everyone gets done, they will be popped into a freezer and let set. Let the kiddos take them as part of a goodie bag when leaving; no sugar highs and crashes at this birthday party.
26. Balloon Stomp
Loud but a clear favorite for some children. Each kid gets a balloon attached to their ankle or shoe, and the purpose is to be the last one with an unpopped balloon.
Again, this can get a little crazy, so set up some clear expectations at the beginning and have any proper accessories to help make the game more accessible.
27. Indoor Photo Booth
With a bit of creativity and gumption, anyone can make their own photo booth. First, decide on what materials you want to pull together for the project.
Mini polaroids and disposable cameras are fun, but using a secured laptop or tablet’s camera with a timer works too!
Designate an area for the photo booth and accessorize and decorate it to your liking. Add a theme, goofy photo booth props like these, or even costumes.
If doing digital, you can connect these photos to a private website so all the attendees can view them post-party and print their own.
These easy DIY party decorations are perfect for any party theme!