Children's party games and instructions to play them

There are loads of party games to amuse young children in a party mood ? some lively, some quiet, some messy (and let?s face it ? children just love a mess!) and some creative ones too. Here are just a few party games, old and new to help you to organise your child?s best ever Birthday party celebration. There are many variations on party game instructions but we hope that these simple instructions will help you to play these games easily with your children and have loads of fun. Good luck!!

Simon Says

(Or anyone you choose ? a cartoon character or even the Birthday boy or girl)

Instructions: Simon can be you or one of the children. All Simon has to do is stand in front of everyone else and tell them what to do. The participants must do as their told, but only if the words ?Simon says? comes before the instruction. If Simon doesn?t say ?Simon Says? then the participants must do nothing at all!! Anyone who does what their told without the words ?Simon Says? is out, and the last one left in is the winner.

Pass the Parcel

Instructions : Wrap a prize (or one centre prize and several little prizes) in lots of layers of paper. Everyone sits round in a large circle. Play some music and the parcel is passed clockwise around the circle. When the music stops whoever is holding the parcel at that time removes one layer of packaging. If there is a prize in that layer the ?unwrapper? wins it. When one layer is unwrapped the music starts again and the parcel continues on its journey. The game is over when the last (centre) prize has been unwrapped.

Musical Chairs

Instructions: Arrange two rows of chairs back to back ? one for every child taking part. Then ask all the children to sit on a chair. Play some music and whilst the music plays the children all have to walk around the two rows of chairs, but they mustn?t touch them. Remove a chair, so there is one more child than there is chair. When the music stops all the children have to find a chair to sit on. Whoever is unable to sit down is out. Remove one or two chairs every time the music plays until there?s just one chair left and the first person to sit down is the winner.

Musical Statues

Instructions: Play some music and ask all the children to dance. When the music stops all the children have to stop completely still (like a statue) in whatever position they are in at the time. The last one to stop moving is out, or (if you can?t decide who stopped last) the first one to move after they?ve stopped.
The winner is the last one still to be in the game.

Musical Bumps

Instructions: Just as Musical statues but the object this time is to sit on the floor when the music stops. The last child to sit down is out. The winner is again the last child playing.
Dead Lions (A perfect way to quieten everyone down, and a welcome relief after all the hubbub that?s gone before!!)
Ask all the children to lie on the floor in a comfortable position. The idea is simply to stay absolutely still longer then anyone else. Anyone who moves, laughs, makes a noise etc. is out, but can then help watch the remaining lions for movement. The last ?dead lion? is the winner.

Pin The Tail On The Donkey

Instructions: You can buy these ready made (So Raise Your Glasses supplies them) or make your own donkey and a separate tail with a little blue tack to stick them together.
Each child in turn is blindfolded, and handed the tail. They must try to place the tail in the correct position on the donkey. Write the child?s name and a cross in the place where the tail was placed. The nearest placement to the correct position is the winner.

The Coachman

Instructions: You need a storyteller for this one. It doesn?t have to be complicated, but it does have to mention all the parts of the coach and those riding on it as often as possible in the story. Each of the children becomes one part of the coach or the people on it, for instance one child would be the wheels. The other parts that the children could be are :
- the coachman  the footman  the passenger  the front horses
- the back horses  the reins  the door  the wheels  
- the baggage  the axles  the roof  the seats etc.
If there are more children than parts you can have the front and back wheels or give the same part to two children.
Get all the children to sit on the floor facing the storyteller
Each time the child?s part is mentioned in the story, he or she has to get up, turn right round once and sit down again. Whenever the coach itself is mentioned all the children get up, turn round and sit down again. The game ends when the children have had enough (which usually takes hours!) or when the storyteller finishes the story.

Captain?s Aboard

Instructions: This is a game best played in a large room or a hall. It needs a bit of space!
The children simply have to follow commands. The last one to get where they need to be or complete the command is out, and the last person left in is the winner.
The commands and their responses are:
Fore! Children all run to one end of the room
Aft! Children all run to the other end of the room
Port! Children all run to the left hand side of the room when facing the ?fore?
Starboard! Children all run to the right hand side of the room
Captain?s aboard Children stand to attention and salute
Man overboard Children all lie on their backs with their arms and legs in the air
Freeze Children all freeze in whatever position they are in at the time. Any
 movement and they are out
Scrub the decks Children all get on their hands an knees and scrub
Lookout Children all put their hand to guard their eyes from the sun, and look in all
 Directions
Climb the rigging Children all run on the spot with knees as high as possible
Squeak, piggy, squeak
One child is selected to be blindfolded. All the remaining children then sit down in a circle around the blindfolded child. The blindfolded child then moves carefully to the edge of the circle and sits on one child and asks ?Squeak, piggy, squeak?. The ?piggy? must squeak loudly.  The blindfolded child has to guess who squeaked. If they guess correctly they receive a prize. Then, whoever was the ?piggy? is blindfolded and selects another ?piggy?. Make sure everyone gets to have a go.

Japanese Tag

Instructions: One child is nominated to be ?it? and he or she must catch any other child by touching them. The child that has been touched must place their right hand on the place on their body where they were touched and stay in that position until they catch the next child etc.

Chocolate Dinner

Instructions: You?ll need a large bar of chocolate, two dice, a hat, a scarf, a pair of gloves, a knife and fork and a plate.
All the children sit in a circle. Place the chocolate (unwrapped) on the plate in the middle of the circle, and beside it the other items
Each child in turn throws both dice close to themselves. If they throw a double of any number they get up, go into the middle of the circle, put on the hat, scarf and gloves and then try to cut a piece of chocolate off the block with the knife and fork. If they succeed, they can eat what they have cut off. However, whilst they are doing this, all the other children are still throwing the dice in turn. As soon as anyone throws a double, the child in the centre must stop what they are doing, take the clothes off and return to the circle. The new double thrower takes over, puts the clothes on and tries their luck with the chocolate.

Please view our childrens birthday party supplies for gift ideas, baloons, childrens games and tableware.

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