Traditional Children’s Party Games
If you remember the birthday parties of your youth, then the chances are they were low budget but remain a treasured memory. Forget expensive themes, party entertainers, and party bags costing over £10 a throw. The children’s party of yesteryear was an exercise in imagination and good old fashioned fun. So is it still possible to give your children the same party experience as you had? Absolutely. Just ignore the pressure to spend like Onassis, and you’ll still be able to create a party they’ll never forget with these simple games. Read on to find out how.
Games to Play
Traditional parties were always centered around the games, closely followed by the food. So get these right and you already have a winning strategy. Those traditional party games you played are still well loved, so here’s a rundown of the games that will make their day.
Pass the Parcel
Wrapped twenty times and despatched around the circle of children while music plays, the child holding the parcel when the music stops gets to take off a layer.
The Chocolate Game
All you need is a big bar of chocolate knife, fork, hat, scarf, gloves and a dice. Get the children around a table with the bar of chocolate in the middle, and whoever rolls a six has to quickly put on the hat, scarf, and gloves and eat the chocolate with a knife and fork. Meanwhile, the other children carry on rolling the dice, until the next person to get a six gets their turn at the chocolate!
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
This can be changed to any children’s favourite character if wished, and you can have fun making it together. The idea is to blindfold the children and see who pins the tail (or other item) closest to where it’s meant to be on the donkey or character. Whoever gets it closest is the winner!
The Memory Game
Provided the children can write, this is a great game when you need some peace and quiet. Place some random items on a tray, cover it with a tea towel, then unveil the tray contents to the children for one minute. Then cover it up, and ask the children to write down as many objects as they can remember from the tray. The winner is the one who gets the most objects!
Red River
Place sheets of newspaper in a trail on the floor, and line the children up. Then shout out who can cross the river. You say, “You can only cross the red red river if you have blue eyes/green trousers/a little brother/a red car” etc etc, making up whatever you like. The winner is the first one to get to the other side.
Doughnut Game
Suspend jam doughnuts from some string, and see which child can eat the doughnut without touching it or licking their lips. Tricky and messy but fun!
At the end of the party, don’t be tempted to hand out expensive party bags. Instead, buy cheap and cheerful party bag fillers, as don’t forget each child will already have won prizes too!
Wendy Lin is a successful female entrepreneur and mother. Although her many companies keep her very busy, she prides herself in her “super mom” abilities by always having time for her children.
