Popular Birthday Party Games for Young Children
It can sometimes be difficult to orchestrate a young child’s birthday party because often young children prefer playing solo rather than socializing with others. Also, many young children exhibit shy tendencies when they are away from their comfort zone in their own homes. While many parents turn to specialized kid’s party venues likeChuck E Cheese's,Pump It Upand MonkeyBizness; many families are opting to have their child’s birthday party at home to save money in these difficult economic times. To keep the birthday child and their guests entertained, there are a variety of different games that are great for young children.
Pin the tail on the donkey
This is a game that has passed the test of time when it comes to likeability. Young kids still love to play the game and parents can customize it to wherever their creativity takes them. While the classic pin the tail on the donkey game can be purchased at almost any party supply store or even dollar store, it can be a fun alternative to make the game beforehand to coincide with whatever the theme is for the birthday child. Whether it’s crafting a farm animal on a poster board and playing pin the tail on the sheep/cow/horse, printing out a large photo of the birthday child and playing pin the birthday hat or tiara on the birthday boy or girl, or printing out the cartoon themed character; there are endless ways to customize this game to suit a modern birthday party for a young child.
Bean bag toss
Bean bag toss games can be purchased through party supplies stores as well, but it can be more fun and less expensive to hand craft the game. All you really need is some pails, containers or even storage bins with some decorative numbers painted or labeled creatively with construction paper. Add in some bean bags and you have a great game to entertain your young guests. A few inexpensive prizes can be purchased beforehand and it gives the kids a feeling of specialness and being involved, even though they aren’t the actual birthday child. Another idea is to save the bean bag toss for the end of the party and let their prize be their going home gift bag.
Musical games
Musical games are great for young children because most kids are familiar with the typical toddler tunes like Old McDonald, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Incorporating something familiar and fun into a game is a great way to let everyone feel involved. Musical chairs is a fun game because it gives all the kids a chance to play without having to take turns or wait in line. Musical freeze is also a fun game because it allows kids to dance to the music and release some energy while having fun listening to the music. Musical gifts is a slight variation to musical chairs, except all the children sit in the chairs passing around a gift. When the music stops, the child holding the gift gets to unwrap it. The gifts can be small little treats but it lets each child have a special moment and the parents have the ability to stop the music so that each child receives a gift.
Birthday parties for young children don’t always have to include expensive venues, pricey inflatable rentals and big budgets. Many times, the simplest games can be the most memorable in the eyes of a young child. The goal is that everyone has fun and everyone is there to celebrate the special day for the birthday child.
