Birthday Party Game Ideas

Are you looking for fun birthday party game ideas to use at your next party? What do you play and what activities do you do at your child's next birthday party? What about games for birthday parties that adults will enjoy? No matter what the theme of your party, the following birthday party game ideas can be easily used for loads of fun.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey - Adapt It!

This is one of the birthday party game ideas that is a classic! If you are just having a birthday party with no particular theme, then you can't go wrong with the standby of pin the tail on the donkey game. You can usually buy this traditional game at your nearest discount or party store.

However, if your party has a theme such as Dora the Explorer, princess, or Thomas the Tank Engine, then you will want to adapt this game to fit the theme. When doing this for your child's party, you must first think about what comes to mind when everyone thinks of your particular theme and its characters.

For example, when I think of Dora, I think of Dora's backpack. The pin the tail on the donkey game for a Dora party would probably be called the "Put the map inside the Backpack" game.

For your daughter's Disney princess party, buy a poster of Cinderella. Then you can play "Does the Slipper Fit?" Each player had to try and pin the slipper as close to Cinderella's foot as possible.

For your son's Batman party, make a big cut-out of the Batmobile. Then go to my local key shop and ask them if you can purchase any keys that they had messed up on (you might get them free or at a very cheap price).

Each guest gets a key on which you write their names with a Sharpie marker. This game is called "Unlock the Batmobile." Whichever player gets their key closest to the Batmobile's door handle is the winner. Everyone gets to take home their own key that they use during the game.

How to adapt your own "Pin the _______" game

If you don't know how to create your own version of pin the tail on the donkey, you can follow these steps to make an adapted version:

1. Decide the most important thing that the guests will think of when they think about the theme of your party.

2. After you have decided what to focus on, find a picture that doesn't have a copyright on it. Print this picture out if on the computer or make a copy of it if it is in a book. Coloring books are great resources for pictures.

3. Sometimes you can skip step 2 altogether if you can find a poster of what you are looking for. This is easy when it comes to themes such as a princess party or Thomas the Tank Engine.

4. After you have a copy of your picture or you have printed it out, you must find an overhead projector to borrow. Your child's teacher and your church are always good resources for overhead projectors. If you are good at drawing, then you can just draw your own picture on poster board.

5. Take your picture to your nearest photo copy store and have them copy it onto overhead film. Then place the overhead picture onto the overhead and project it onto a blank white wall. Tape a piece of poster board onto the wall and trace the projected picture onto the poster board.

6. Take the picture off of the wall and color it as you wish.

7. You will then need to make multiple copies (enough for each guest plus some extra) of the item that the guests will be trying to pin onto the picture. For instance, in the original pin the tail on the donkey game, there are usually tails for each guest. In a princess game, there would be enough slippers for each guest to have their own.

8. For extra durability, you can also have your local photo copy store laminate the poster and the individual pieces. This makes it easy to play your game as you can just put a piece of double sided tape on the back of each piece for easy placement.

9. Write each guest's name on their individual piece before starting the game or you can use different colors for the different pieces in order to tell each person's piece apart.

Printable Party Games:

You're never too young or too old to celebrate with fun printable games! Many you can print right from your home computer for hours of fun. Even if you are last minute party planning? Just print great birthday party games and you are ready for guests!

Limbo Birthday Party Game Ideas

The original limbo game is just usually played with a stick of some sort. This game can be easily adapted to fit any theme.

For your daughter's princess party, make an old broom stick look like a giant wand. Just wrap the broom in purple crepe paper. Then cut out two identical stars and decorate them with gold glitter. Tape these back to back on the end of the broom. There you have it- a huge princess wand!

For a theme like Dora, you could make the stick look like a map. You could also use an oar and tell your guests that it is the oar that Dora uses to paddle across Crocodile Lake.

You can see how it is very easy to decorate the limbo stick any way that will go along with your birthday party theme. This is really quite fun, and even the most timid guest will usually want to join in!

Treasure Hunt- Not Just for Pirates!

A treasure hunt is another one of those birthday party game ideas that doesn't have to only be used for a pirate themed party. You can adapt a treasure hunt for any theme you may have. Let's use the Dora theme again. You could easily adapt a treasure hunt to get from one place to the other in order to get to your final destination like the pinata or the cake.

Another party that a treasure hunt is fun to adapt for is a butterfly garden party. First, you sprinkle little artificial flowers around the yard. On one of the flowers, you attach a clue to lead them to the next destination or activity. The clue on the flower might say something like,

"Isn't it great?

Isn't it fun?

Picking beautiful flowers

In the sun?

But it sure can get hot

On a day like today!

Why don't you head on over

To the oak tree to play?

On the oak tree in your front yard, have construction paper butterflies pinned to the tree. Have everyone take off a butterfly. Someone's butterfly will have a saying on it that says something like this:

"You found some flowers

And even some butterflies.

Your next surprise

Will sure to soar high in the sky!

Now don't run too fast

And don't be too slow!

But carefully walk

To the garden where flowers grow."

When the kids get to your flower garden, have a box sitting there with kites inside. The kites can be your party favor for your guests. Be sure to have enough boy kites and girl kites to go around. Girls don't usually enjoy taking home a superhero kite and the boys don't take kindly to taking home a pink girly kite.

The small kites can usually be found at your local discount or dollar store. What a great inexpensive keepsake for your guests!

Birthday Party Game Ideas - Pinatas

One of the most beloved birthday party game ideas to use is the pinata. Kids love pinatas! Today, you can find a pinata to go along with just about any party theme. These can be found online or at party stores and at your local discount or grocery store. If you are really crafty and patient, you can also make your own pinata.

Hide-and-Go-Seek

Hide-and-Go-Seek is Hide-and-Seek with a touch of dress-up! Both girls and boys love this game.

First you have a costume or mask (can be paper printed off of the computer) that you make the person that is "it" wear. Then you give all of the other players an item to hold or stick on their shirt.

For example, if you were having a Dora party. You would give the person that is "it" a fox mask to wear so they can pretend to be Swiper. You then give all the other players items that might be in the show. You do this while the person that is "it" is out of sight so he/she will not know who is holding what object or picture.

Before the person that is "it" begins counting, you tell them what item they are having to look for. They then begin to count. The others hide. When the seeker finds someone. The hider must show him the object. The game is over when the seeker finds the hider with the correct object.

Birthday Party Game Ideas - Summary

You can't go wrong when using any one of the above birthday party game ideas. Adapting a simple game to match your theme of party is pretty easy and can be a lot of fun. Just keep it very simple. This is the part that makes it so much fun. You know the game, and you know the rules of the game. All you have to do is get a little creative and adapt it to fit your theme.

Elementary age kids love it when there is a twist on something familiar such as a game that they are familiar with like hide-and-seek. Enjoy and have fun with these birthday party game ideas! They can be as simple as you like or as elaborate and creative as you like.