Organising a birthday party can be challenging! Planning decorations and preparing snacks is essential, but it will be the games that will make your party a blast.
Why not throwing in some educational games!? It will make for a fun learning opportunity for your children and their friends. There are many learning-focused activities that all kids will enjoy, regardless of their age and gender.
For toddlers
1. Solve the puzzles
Most young kids enjoy jigsaw puzzles and dividing them into competing groups to solve the puzzle will make this activity even more fun. All you need is a few large-sized coloured puzzles of cartoon characters or animals and divide the kids into two (or more) groups. Distribute one puzzle per group and set a time limit to solve the puzzles. The first group to finish gets a special prize, and every participant gets candies or chocolates.
2. Dress-up game
To prepare this game, you need to print and cut out different animal shapes. Give the cut-outs to the children before the game starts and provide paint, glue, and other materials for them to decorate. After they finish, put all their art on a box or a small table, and add wings, tails, beaks, and feathers for them to use or any other props that represent animals. If the group is too big, ask a parent to join you in helping the kids out.
Ask one child to choose an animal, and once they are ready, they need to mimic and make the sound of the animal they’re dressed up as, for the other children to guess.
3. DYI goody bags
Another simple but great idea for young kids’ birthday parties is to get them to create their own goody bags and fill them with all the art and crafts that they will create during the party. Just get plain colour paper bags and provide the materials for them to create their art. Each time they finish a craft, ask them to place it inside their bags. The kids can also decorate their own bag.
Before the end of the party, fill it up with some yummy treats as well. It will be an extra surprise for them.
For young kids
1. Who am I?
This game is one of my favourites, as the kids will learn about famous historical figures who changed the world. Prepare sticky notes in advance with names of famous inventors, explorers, authors, etc, according to the kids’ school grade. Attach a note to the head of the player, making sure the person can’t see it.
The group will take turns giving clues to the player until he or she guesses who the famous person is. The player is only allowed to ask yes or no questions. Once they guess, a parent tells them an interesting fact about the person’s life and explains the reason he or she changed the world.
2. Solve the mystery of the missing toy
This game takes some time to prepare, but it will be a guaranteed success, as most kids love to play detective.
First, you need to ask your child to choose a soft toy he or she loves, and then write a short story about the missing toy. Prepare cards with clues and hide them all around the house. Read the story to the kids and hand over the first clue. Ask them to be the detectives and help solve the mystery. Each solved clue will lead to the next clue, which will eventually lead to the hidden toy. Once they rescue the toy, reward all of them with a prize or sweets.
For tweens and teens
1. Create a story game
Give the participants pens or pencils and have them sit in a circle. Copy the first line from a famous book onto a page in a notebook. Pass around the notebook and have each person add a line or two to the story. Once everyone has written their lines, the party host reads the story out loud. You can print and give each participant a copy of their story to take home.
2. The memory game
For this game, you will need to place random things on a table, like books, objects with different shapes, clothes, hats, electronic items, etc. Prepare a set of questions (the more questions you have, the longer the game will last). Hand over a paper and pen to each participant. Allow them to take a look at the things on the table for 30 seconds.
Now take them to another room and ask questions about the objects that were placed at the table. The person who writes down the most correct answers wins the game. There can be easier questions, such as “how many objects did you see?”, or more trick questions such as “who is the author of the book placed beside the remote control?” The options are endless, and it will be fun and a good workout for the brain.
Taking the party outside? Have a look here at our post about organising parties at a park!
