5 Year Old Birthday Party Games

Something that's pretty easy is tying a balloon to the kids ankles and telling them to pop their own balloon. Or if you have enough older ones (more then 5) they can try to pop each other's balloons. Game lasts as long as the balloons do!

I love to have some sort of craft. Even paper airplanes with fancy origami paper is different for most kids. Or if you have the room, do rock painting - espically if you can find rocks close by. If you have room (ie: at the park) put together a scavenger hunt (find a flower, empty soda can, pinecone, something blue...)

Hope that helps
D.

Hi these have worked for me
1. Relay races.
2. Carrying an egg on a spoon about 15ft. and then back.
3. the shapo ball from Tupperware, racing against another child ( this is also a great game for grownups too!).
4. Hang donuts from a string and try to eat them with not using your hands.
Hope you have a great party. J.

three legged races are always fun. I just wanted to really comment on the 20 tries at the basketball thing. That seems like an awfully long time to stand and wait your turn, for someone that little. Of course, I may be wrong, it's been so long since I've had one that little, but I would think the other kids would get impatient waiting for someone to try to make a basket, 20 times, unless it is spaced out, and each child gets one try until the end of the line, and then it's started over with the second try, and so on and so forth. Sorry for the run on sentence and lack of correct grammar. I'm tired but just wanted to make that point.

They will probably have a hard time with organized activities until they are at least 5, maybe older. A big hit for our parties was crafty things. Since you are having a pinata, give each child a paper bag and have lots of crayons, stickers, stamp pads & stamps, etc so they can each decorate their own pinata bag. If it is an outside party, you can bury some dinosaurs in the sandbox or float a bunch of toys in a baby pool and have he kids try to catch them with nets. Just really unstructured things, where there are no rules, no time-frame, no winner, just fun to do stuff. For the older kids (and even the younger ones) have another kind of craft thing. We went to a party and the kids played in teams to throw as many newspaper balls into a box. There were 2 boxes and 2 teams. The older kids (6 and 7) were into it, the younger ones (3 and 4) were not so interested. Have a great party!

My kids and their friends have always loved sack races (I just bought inexpensive pillow cases), the limbo (I used my flag pole), and musical chairs. At this age, the game was the fun and I discovered prizes weren't critical. Often the kids want to play the games again and again!

How many kids are you having? Three activities are enough for a 5 year old.

When they arrive, have them do a craft... like gluing do-dads on their own party hat, etc.
That way when they arrive, they are busy.

Then proceed with a game, food, a game then cake and presents....I would do the pinata last!
Party should only last 1hour or a little longer.

What is the theme of your party?
You can coordinate games to match the theme.
How much time would you like to spend to prepare?
- From the looks of your post, you'd prefer fairly easy.

Example: CARS THEME
> CAR RACE
-- What you'll need
+ 4 cars that when you pull back a little they will go forward
+ Long flat surface like a rectangular table or an empty slab of cement or driveway area
+ 4 Players at a time
-- How to play
+ Each player starts their engine by reving their car, then lets go.
+ The winner is the car that gets the furthest first.

> SUPER HERO OBSTACLE
-- What you'll need
+ A line to indicate starting point and ending point.
You can use duct tape on the grass or chalk line or a jump rope or little trianguler cones.
+ Hoola hoops or drawn circles or areas to indicate circles that players will hop into
+ 2 tickle tunnels (plaything crawlers) at beginning or just before end
+ 2 teams of players
+ You can get a creative or basic as you like
+ With your age group, less easier obstacle is best, but at this age, they are
also very proud of their accomplishments and parent cheering is recommended
-- How to play
+ Each team player (if 2 teams, then 2 obstacle set ups.
+ Games coordinator indicates how to get from point A to point B by demonstration too.
You can even have a "practice game" before starting.

WHERE TO FIND GAMES to buy, rent, hire or get ideas from.
+ BUY http://USToy.com ... look at carnival games section. There is a location in O.C. discounts to teachers. I'm there at least once a month. They also match all advertised competitors pricing. You just have to take in the printed ad.
+ RENT http://clowns4all.com/games.html dba CHARMandHAPPY.com
+ ACTION GAMES ideas http://www.partygameideas.com/kids-games/

TIPS TO COORDINATING YOUR OWN GAMES
+ http://clowns4all.com/games.html

Please keep us posted and let us know what worked best for you and have fun ;0).

Thanks much!

____@____.com
- Artist Entertainer with a Twist of Charm -

http://www.CharmandHappy.com
877-725-6967 office
###-###-#### cell
Whittier (Los Angeles) CA

A LITTLE ABOUT ME TOO:
- Step mommy to three (8, 11, 12) since July 2009
- Mommy to be, due approx. Oct 25, 2009

The old stand-bys like Simon Says and musical chairs are always fun too. My brother in law is a hoot and puts on a spoof type magic show that involves the kids - even the adults love to watch him because he's hysterical.

limbo, freeze dance-very unexpensive and fun!

I once had a three legged race and it was so much fun, there were kids from ages 3-10 in the race. THe only thing was, use something thick to tie their legs together because I used yarn or something like that and it kinda hurt on their legs. Musical chairs is also really fun.

One of my favorite games that I did at one of my son's party's was I read a book that had fun clues in it and they had to look around for that clue. Each clue was in a bag with a certain symbol or small picture from the story and they had to find 5 items. That was the goody bag that they went home with.

Might try the attention of the ones not shooting at the time. How about a sack race, or three legged race? They all stay involved in the same thing.

How about a treasure hunt? Hide things around the party venue and make a list of clues.

20 tries - yikes! Way too many! The children who come last will be dissolved in tears by their turn. Three tries is more like it for that age group. But it seems kind of unfair for the younger ones. When my boys were little we played a party game - a parent and volunteers made the pages our of colored typing paper or construction paper. You draw several of each, two hands (made by tracing around someone's hands), two feet, (made by tracing), or a double circle type shape that represents a "butt". You put the pages in a circle, one for however many kids you have. Then it is played like "musical chairs", but when the music stops, you have to put down whatever is on the paper nearest you, if it is hands, you have to put your hands on the paper, if it is feet, you have to put your feet on the paper, or if it is a butt, you have to sit on it. Children are eliminated if they put the wrong part down, or if they are too good at it, put one fewer than the number of kids you have (like musical chairs). This game got a lot of laughs. You could also play "butt volleyball", where each kid has to keep his bottom on the floor, and the ball is one of those light weight cloth covered balls - or a balloon would do.It is fun for little kids because the ball goes slow enough that they have a chance of touching it. You could just volley the ball around a circle, or put up a string for a net (or party streamers) and set up teams and play it like volleyball. But make the court small because people can't reach very far when both "cheeks" are on the floor. Have fun!

Potato sack races.... you can get the potato sack and other party favors from: www.orientaltrading.com

Also, egg on a spoon.... and then with the egg on a spoon they "run" to the finish line without dropping it.
Of course, have fun simple prizes for them.

Face painting
tattoos
musical chairs
treasure hunt... hide something in the yard, and then they find it
hula hoop contest

Good luck,
Susan