Guide to Picking Fun Games for Birthday Parties

A person’s birthday only comes around once each year, and it should be celebrated for many reasons. It is a time when people acknowledge the anniversary of their birth. It was the beginning of your life, and every time you have a birthday, it indicates that you still have a chance to fulfill your goals and missions in life. It is the best time to celebrate and give thanks for another year. Aside from that, celebrating your birthday also provides you the opportunity to bond with the people you love.

People celebrate their birthdays in many different ways. Some are into going to different places, while others prefer to eat at restaurants with their loved ones. But most of the time, many prefer to throw birthday parties, particularly if they are celebrating milestone birthdays. Milestone birthdays pertain to special landmark ages that deserve a little more attention than a simple cake and card. These anniversaries are also occasions to reflect on the past and plan for the future.[1]

If you decide to throw a birthday celebration, you must get ready for a lot of things. You have to think of what theme the party will have, where it will be held, the number of guests, the food and drinks to serve, and how the program will flow. When hosting a birthday party, it is also important to keep your guests entertained. Therefore, including fun parts in the party is great, such as special numbers and enjoyable games.

If you are thinking of incorporating some games into the birthday party that you are planning but haven’t decided on what games yet, we are here to help you. In this post, we are giving you a guide to picking fun games for birthday parties.

The Best Games for Different Types of Birthday Parties

There are a few key factors you must think about if you’re going to organize or create games for birthday parties. Some of those include the type of party you are hosting and the age of the people who are going to play the games. Birthday parties are held for different ages, starting from 1st birthday parties up to senior birthday parties. Therefore, it is important to match the games that you will prepare to the preferences of the celebrant and the guests to provide entertainment for everyone at the party. To help you choose, we have compiled below some of the best games that you can play for different types of birthday parties.

1st Birthday Party Games

When your baby turns one, it is an important milestone to celebrate. Activities can add a lot of fun to first birthday parties, and those include playing some games that can make the party become very exciting. When thinking of games, they need to be conducive for guests, including toddlers, older kids, and adults. Below are some examples of fun games to play at 1st birthday parties:

Bubble Smash: If you are looking for a fun game that can be enjoyed by toddlers, this one is a great idea. Toddlers can surely have fun running behind bubbles. To play this game, you will need to have a bubble-pumping machine, some plastic cups, and bubble liquid. Provide each toddler a plastic cup and show them how to chase and catch bubbles. Turn on the bubble-pumping machine and let the kids chase the bubbles. If you do not have the machine, you can also ask the older kids to blow the bubbles for the toddlers.[2]
Obstacle Race: You can set up this game for crawling babies. What you need are some ropes, soft toys, balls, soft blocks, and bouncy balls. Using the ropes, create a race track. Put small obstacles like toys, blocks, and balls along the path. Let the parents stand at the finish line while the infants sit at the starting line. Ask the parents to encourage their children to crawl to them when the game begins.[2]
Who Danced What: This game is perfect for bigger kids attending the party. It can help them dance and brush their memory skills. All you need for this game is chalk and some music. Use the chalk to draw a circle on the floor and let the kids stand around it. Each youngster should move to the center of the circle and dance as the music plays, starting at one end of the circle. The next child needs to imitate the dance moves of the first kid, then make his or her own moves. The third kid needs to imitate the first two and add his or her moves, and so on. Any child who is unable to recall the order will lose the game. Continue the game until only one kid remains.[2]
Switching Dance Partners: This game enables parents and kids to dance together. What you need are a flag and a handkerchief. Let one child hold the flag and pair the rest of the children with their parents. Ask all participants to stand in pairs surrounding the kid with the flag. As the music plays, all pairs need to dance. When the flag holder tosses the flag in the air, everyone needs to switch their dance partners. If the flag holder finds a partner, they will get the chance to dance, and the child with no partner will become the next flag holder. Continue the game until all kids get a chance to become flag holders.[2]
Banana Peeling Game: For this game, you need some ropes and bananas. Pair the kids with their parents and let them stand next to each other. Tie the right hand of the parent and the left hand of the child together. Then, put five bananas in front of each team and ask them to peel them using their tied hands. The team that can peel the most bananas in time wins.[2]
Number 1 Pull Strong Piñata: To sum up the party, gather everyone and let the birthday celebrant pull a piñata that contains small toys, candies, chocolates, and confetti. Some piñatas are required to be hit by a bat. However, since it is for a 1st birthday party, the celebrant can only pull a string with the help of the parents.

7th Birthday Party Games

A seven-year-old’s birthday party can be a lot of fun because children at this age are exuberant and enjoy participating in team games and traditional party games. They are able to comprehend complicated rules and the idea of winning and losing since they are already big kids. Also, unlike younger kids, they will not get too upset if they are out or don’t win. Below are some of the best games that you can play at a 7th birthday party:

Scavenger Hunt: It is great to play scavenger hunt at parties as it can adapt to your theme and venue. This game also does not involve too much supervision. To play the game, you need to list the things that you want your guests to come back with. Send them off to find the things in groups or pairs. You can also ask them to get items from other people, such as photos with the celebrant, a sock from an adult, and more. The first team that comes back with all the items on the list wins.[1][3]
Capture the Flag: This game is best for outdoor parties that are held in a large open space. Divide the kids into two teams. Each team will be given a flag. Each team must attempt to capture the other team’s flag without being tagged in order to win the game. The space will also be divided into two territories. When there are in their own half of the space, they are safe. They could, however, be tagged if they go into the other team’s territory. You can choose what happens when they are tagged, such as becoming frozen or joining the enemy team. The team that can capture the flag of the other team and gets back to their territory wins.[3]
Duck, Duck, Goose: This is a classic party game. Get all the kids to sit in a circle, then select one or have a volunteer. The person who is chosen will round the circle on the outside, tapping each child on the head as they pass and yelling “duck.” After a while, when they tap a child on the head and call out “goose,” all of them need to run around the circle and get back to the place they were sitting. The kid who was the “goose” needs to chase them. If the first child can get back before being caught, he or she will sit down, and the chaser has their turn.[3]
Doughnuts on String: To play this game, you need to tie mini doughnuts onto pieces of string, one for each player. Hold or tie them at a height that kids can reach using their mouths. With their hands behind their back, the kids need to try and eat the doughnuts. The fastest player to finish wins.[3]
Musical Chairs: This is a classic party game but can give lots of fun. Arrange a row of chairs so that they are facing alternately in opposite directions. Play some music and ask everyone to dance while walking around the chairs. When the music stops, they have to sit in a chair. The kid without a chair is out, and one chair should be removed. Continue playing until only one kid remains.[3]
Hot Potato Party Game: This is a classic musical potato passing game. The goal of the game is simple. You just need to pass the potato while the music is playing. When the music stops, the one holding the potato is out. The last player remaining wins.
Head Hoop Basketball Party Game: This game includes two headbands, two hoops, two nets, six stent tubes, ten white balls, and ten red balls. Set up the shooting basket. Pick two players who will wear the headbands with nets on their heads. They will begin shooting the balls on the net on top of their heads. Whoever shoots the most ball at the end of the timer wins.

Birthday Party Games for Teens

If your teenage son or daughter is asking for a birthday party with games that they can play with their friends, there are lots of games to choose from. Teens are still like kids that can lose their minds over a good game. To help you, below are some of the best birthday party games for teens that you can choose from:

Knees and Elbows: This is one of the classic passing games that can be played at parties. Have the players stand in a circle and provide each one of them with something to hold between their knees. It can be anything, like a ball, a balloon, etc. They need to pass the items around the circle using only their elbows and knees. To make the game more challenging, divide the players into two teams and let them work to get the items down the line. The team that finishes first wins.[4]
Taste the Rainbow: Pour some Skittles into a bowl and place it in the middle of a table. Provide each player with a straw and cup. They need to use their straws to suck up the Skittles. The first person who can collect each Skittle color into their cup wins.[4]
Wacky Duck: This game can bring out the silliness in teens while giving them a chance to get closer to one another. All the players will sit in a circle with one blindfolded person in the center. The blindfolded one will get spun a few times as everyone swaps seats. Once all of them have their new spot, the player with the blindfold will “feel” the other players using a wooden spoon or something comparable. If they stop at someone, they will sit on the person’s lap and demand that they make a funny noise or quack like a duck. The blindfolded person will try to guess who that is. If they are correct, they can take a seat. Otherwise, the game continues.[4]
Blind Makeup Artist: Split the players into two teams. One each group, there will be an assigned makeup artist who will be blindfolded. They need to apply makeup to one player while the rest of the team guides them. The team with the model that has the best makeup wins.[4]
Who’s Most Likely To … Voting Edition: This game contains 250 prompt cars to cast your vote on who in the group is most likely to … know how to use a fax machine, have a picture with the most famous person, and more. Everyone will cast their votes in secret, then reveal the answers altogether. The teens can also share stories and reasons and provide pieces of evidence to support their votes. It also includes six dry-erase boars, six markers, and six clean-up cloths.
Truth or Dare Card Game: This is a great game for sleepover parties for teenagers. The players need to sit in a tight circle. Choose a player that will go first, then spin the bottle around in the middle of the circle. When the bottle stops, the player that spun the bottle needs to draw a card from the deck and ask the person facing the tip of the bottle, “Truth or Dare?” Each player has the chance to choose to complete a dare or to answer an intrusive truth question. It is a great bonding game for teens.
The #UpsideDownChallenge Game: In this game, a player will wear specialized goggles to compete with friends to do challenges with his or her vision flipped upside down. There are different challenges to complete, such as writing your name, connecting dots, drawing pictures, pouring water, and more. It is a great interactive board game for teenage birthday parties.

Birthday Party Games for Adults

Hosting birthday parties for adults can be loads of fun when incorporated with games. Adult birthday parties are much simpler compared to kids’ and teens’ birthday parties. Most of the time, they are just held at home with a few food and drinks for everyone, such as a backyard BBQ party or maybe a simple lunch or dinner party with your closest friends and family members. These top birthday party games for adults are some of the most entertaining and humorous games you may play at your upcoming gathering:

Giant Jenga: Playing Giant Jenga is a level up compared to the simple and classic Jenga game. However, you can make it more entertaining by writing drinking challenges or truth or dare challenges on each Jenga piece. Whenever a player pulls out a piece, they need to do the challenge written. Whoever makes the tower fall will receive a punishment.
Pong Wars Drinking Game: This is the ultimate battle of the beverages. Let the guests pick a side on whether they will be on the beer side or the prosecco side. This kit includes six plastic beer cups, six plastic prosecco coupes, and three ping pong balls. The mechanics of the game is the same as that of beer pong. The goal is to bounce the balls into the opponents’ glasses. When it lands, the other team needs to drink.
Werewolf – A Party Game for Devious People: This game can be played by up to 35 people or two 20-person games. It includes cards that showcase a character using a simple but distinguishable character along with its name and description. It is a game of lies, deceit, and accusations. All of the players will vote on who they believe is a werewolf based on different scenarios. The main goal of the game is to survive the night.
Ladder Golf: This is a great game if the party will be held outdoors. The goal of the game is to throw bolas onto the highest rung, which gives players three points. The second rung gives two points, and the lowest gives one point. The player that can get 21 points first wins.
Cards Against Humanity: This game is coined as a party game for horrible people. It will surely provide laughter at a party. Finding the best card to fit the question card is the object of the game. It may seem innocent, but when you read the cards, you will understand why it is not. This game will give you a taste of your friend’s sense of humor by the last round.
What Do You Meme: This is another hilarious game that is perfect for parties. This game will put the players’ meme skills to the test as they try to make the funniest meme at the table. Everyone will surely laugh when they read the cards aloud.
Spikeball Game Set: This is another active party game that can be played at an outdoor party. It is like a mini version of volleyball. All you need is four people, and some open space and you are ready to spike.

Conclusion

Playing games at birthday parties, no matter the age is indeed a fun experience for both the celebrant and the guests. Just make sure that the games you will choose will match the age and personalities of the people at the party. Preparing great prizes for the winners and some consolation prizes for those who joined the games is also a great idea. We hope this post helped you learn more about picking fun games for birthday parties.

References

[1] Clare, B. D. (2020, July 22). The Ultimate Guide to Milestone Birthdays. The Ultimate Guide to Milestone Birthdays – Big Domain. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.thebigdomain.com/big-journal/ultimate-guide-milestone-birthdays

[2] Lagudu, S. (2022, November 10). 20 best 1st birthday party games ideas. MomJunction. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.momjunction.com/articles/first-birthday-party-games_00468841/

[3] Netmums, E. (2020, August 5). 15 party games for seven-year-olds. Netmums. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.netmums.com/activities/party-games-for-seven-year-olds

[4] Kaye, D. (2022, January 12). 30+ truly fun party games for teenagers that won’t be met with Eye Rolls. Scary Mommy. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.scarymommy.com/parenting/party-games-for-teenagers