You’ve got the balloons, cake, and decorations, but what to do with the kids for two to three hours? Many of the party game ideas out there are too advanced for kids ages 2 to 4. But the games we’ve rounded up here are classic fun for preschool-age kids and toddlers—and most are great for kids through age 6 or 7.
The best games for the toddler- and preschool-age set are ones where there are no winners and losers. The object of the game is simply to have fun!
Musical Chairs
In the traditional game of musical chairs, kids sit out when they can’t find a chair. But in this sillier and just-as-fun version, everyone wins.
Set out chairs (or cushions, placemats—even paper plates for outdoors) and start the music. We recommend the first round with the same number of chairs as kids, to help them learn the game. When the music stops, kids must find a chair. After the first round, remove a chair and restart the music. When the music stops, kids race for the chairs. The child who can’t find a chair finds another child’s lap to sit on.
The game continues with kids piling up on top of one another, which makes for lots of laughs!
Freeze Dance
It’s easy to play and required no special equipment except music. Find a great dance song (some personal favourites: “No More Monkeys” by Asheba, “All Around the Kitchen” by Dan Zanes, “Here We Go, Zudio” by Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem) and and everyone dances. Stop the music at various intervals and everyone has to freeze in whatever crazy dance position they’re in.
Start the music again quickly to keep things moving. You can try the variation where kids are “out” if they move, but make the kids who are “out” the spies: they look to spot which frozen player is moving.
Tag
It may seem simple, but don’t underestimate how much kids this age love an excuse to chase each other. This is a game where no one is “out”—they just become “it” and get to chase everyone.
Plus, there are numerous variations on tag that can make it even more fun. For instance, in Blob Tag, the child who is “it” tags someone and they join hands and continue to chase the other kids, then the next tagged kid joins the blob and so on. The final child left becomes “it” for a new game.
Bean Bag Toss
A simple bean-bag toss (aka cornhole) game requires a little prep work, but you can pull it out for parties and picnics again and again. You could go all out and make a sturdy wood version that your kids can pass on to their kids, or with no special tools you can make this foam bean bag board using instructions from The Mother Huddle and make easy no-sew bean bags out of colourful socks!
Simon Says
This is another classic game that’s especially fun for young kids. Give instructions such as “Simon Says touch your nose!” and “Simon says hop up and down!”
In the traditional version, you occasionally give an instruction without preceding it with “Simon says” and kids are out of the game if they comply. But we think this game is fun enough for little ones if you vary the speed of instructions, and ask them to do silly things like walk like a duck or act like a robot.
Duck, Duck Goose
We all remember how to play this one, right? The first child who is “it” walks around the circle of seated children, tapping them on the head with “Duck, Duck, Duck…” and then “Goose!” The child who was chosen as Goose gets up and chases the first child around the circle and tries to tag him/her before the s/he can sit in the Goose’s spot. If the Goose tags the child, the first child continues to be “it”. If the first child makes it to the Goose’s spot safely, the Goose becomes “it”.
The great thing about Duck, Duck, Goose is that no one really loses, they just take turns chasing. It’s best for preschoolers, as younger toddlers may not be able to get the concept of running around the circle to find the Goose’s spot.
Pass the Parcel
Before the party, wrap a small gift multiple times—either in multiple layers of wrapping paper, or just one box inside the other. (The latter may be easier for little kids’ not-so-nimble fingers.) Make more layers than there are kids.
Have kids sit in a circle close to one another. Start the music. Kids pass the parcel to one another until the music stops. When you stop the music, the child who has the parcel unwraps a layer of wrapping or opens a box and then passes it to the next child, and so on until someone finds the box or layer with the gift.
A shareable gift is a good idea: candies for everyone or small toys. The child who find the gift layer will be excited to get to open it and choose the first candy or colour of toy, and no one loses out on a prize!
Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Everyone sings the song while pointing to their heads, shoulders, knees, and toes. Speed it up to make it more challenging, and throw in some different body parts—eyes, elbows, mouths, and nose—to mix it up. Or leave out one of the body parts to see if kids are paying attention.
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
This game is fun for kids in nearly every age bracket. It’s a great way to tie your party game into your party theme: pin the tiara on the princess, the peg leg on the pirate, the smoke on Thomas’s funnel, etc. We love how Krissy at B-Inspired Mama made a custom pin-the-tiara-on-the princess game using a life-size image of her daughter as the princess!
You’ll need to create the image and “tail” yourself, and provide a handkerchief or other blindfold. Of course, you can buy a classic pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey set or many other variations from a party store, too.
A fun variation is a blindfolded create-a-silly-X game where kids pin funny body parts on a monster, toppings on a pizza, or decorations on a cake. No doubt you can come up with something that will work with any party theme.
Treasure Hunt
For a game with prizes that everyone gets to take home, try a treasure hunt. Kids love looking around the house or the backyard for plastic eggs filled with candy or small toys. (Yes, this is basically an Easter egg hunt!)
You can also wrap tiny gifts or just hide chocolate coins and have the party favour be a cool bag or treasure chest to collect them in.
Scavenger Hunt
The difference between a treasure hunt and scavenger hunt is that kids keep the “treasure” but in a scavenger hunt it’s all about the thrill of the find! An online search will reveal thousands of scavenger hunts for kids, but many of them are only appropriate for older kids or kids who can read.
For the younger set, give them a sheet with pictures of what they’re looking for. You can stage it: hide the objects (more or less in plain sight works best for this age group) or use things kids can see outdoors for an outdoor party. We love these printable picture scavenger hunt cards from Gina Bell at East Coast Mommy, which would work for school-age kids and preschoolers alike.
PHOTO: EVIL PEACOCK
READ MORE LIKE THIS:
- 5 great backyard party ideas for kids
- 13 wonderful birthday traditions for your child’s special day
- Download the Ultimate Birthday Party Planning Checklist!
Get even more birthday party ideas and find party planning resources in Toronto and the GTA in our birthday party venues and planning directory.
Sign up for our newsletters to get parenting and family fun articles delivered to you!
