Birthday Party Games

Its birthday time and you are in charge of the entertainment! Save yourself a few dollars on the clown and take some notes. Games for kids don't have to be expensive! As a Mom of four, I've had plenty of opportunity to wrack my brain thinking of cheap fun games.

A lot of the games my kids love involve balloons. If you've got a warm weather party happening then the number one pick is usually a water balloon fight. However, if you're in the same shoes as I am...I get to have three indoor parties a year. I didn't get very good odds on that category.

My kids like to play a game called concentration. While keeping balloons afloat in the air each child calls out words from a pre-chosen category. For instance, if the category is ice cream flavors, the child who cannot come up with a flavor sits out.

Another popular game is balloon stompers. This game involves tying inflated balloons to every kid's ankle as they jump around trying to pop each others balloons!

Is there anyone out there up for a game of musical freeze dance? Simply pop in a favorite C.D. or simply use the radio and let the fun begin! Gather all the kids in one room and let them dance to the music. When the music stops so do they! Frozen in their tracks! Be sure to have a camera ready, I have a stack of awesome blackmail pictures!

How low can you go? It's limbo time! A broom works great for this game. It's always a crowd pleaser, no matter the age!

One of my own personal favorites is Telephone. Have all players sit in a circle on the floor. Whisper a silly message into the first players ear such as, "A pink and purple polka dotted elephant wore green sneakers to the ball". This message gets whispered into the next players' ear continuing until you reach the end. The last person to receive the message reveals the end result which is usually nowhere near the original!

If you're looking for a game that can be played throughout the party, "Who am I" will be a hit. Before guests arrive have a stack of celebrity photos from magazines cut out. Pin one photo on each child's back without them seeing. The kids can only ask each other questions that require a yes or no answer. The first to guess who they are wins!