100 Fun Party Games for Kids of All Ages

2. Red Light, Green Light

One person is the stoplight and stands at one end of the yard. The rest of the players (the “traffic”) line up at the other end. The stoplight faces away from the traffic and yells, “green light!” The traffic moves forward until the stoplight turns around and yells, “red light!” Anyone caught moving must return to the starting line. The first person to reach the stoplight wins.

3. Capture the Flag

Create two teams, and have each team hide its flags in its territory. Teams try to steal the opposing team’s flags and bring them back to their home base. Some players guard their team’s flags while others hunt the opposing team’s flags. If an opposing team member tags you, you’re either out, frozen until someone unfreezes you, or you join the opposing team. For a nighttime party, try Glow in the Dark Capture the Flag!

4. Steal the Bacon

Divide the kids into two groups and assign each player a number. Each team should have a one and a two, for example. Set a boundary line for each team and place your “bacon” (a ball or other object) in the middle. When you call a number, that player from each team tries to grab the bacon and get it back over to their line.

5. Tug-of-War

Tug-of-war is one of the most classic group games for kids. Two teams of players stand on opposite ends of a rope. Each team tugs on their end of the rope to try to get it past the center point and onto their own side.

6. Cornhole

This classic backyard game involves tossing beanbags into the hole of an opposing target. The GoSports Portable Cornhole Set is very highly rated!

7. Horse

All you need is a basketball and a hoop to play Horse. The first player attempts a shot. Once they make it, the next player has to stand in the same place and duplicate it. If they miss, they accumulate the letter H. You keep going back and forth until one person gets all five letters in HORSE.

8. Hopscotch

Got some sidewalk chalk? Have party guests play this traditional game. Kids can even create their own rules and ways of jumping to ditch boredom.

9. Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a great way to get partygoers working together to solve clues and find hidden objects. Our list of scavenger hunt ideas for kids has some great tips on planning the perfect hunt.

10. Simon Says

In this beloved game, a grown-up serves as Simon and gives the players instructions. But the players should only follow those instructions if the grown-up says “Simon says” first. If players hear, “Simon says hop on one foot,” they should hop on one on foot. But if they hear simply, “Hop on one foot,” they should not do it. If they do, they’re out. The last player standing wins.

11. Opposites

This game is basically the opposite of Simon Says. If you say, “stick out your right arm,” players must stick out their left arm. If you say, “look down,” they must look up. If a player does what you say, they’re out of the game. The last player left is the winner.

RELATED: Outdoor Birthday Party Ideas

Parachutes are great for both indoor and outdoor birthday parties.

12. Parachute

There is so much birthday fun to be had with a parachute. You can put light balls on top and have kids wave the chute up and down to keep them in the air. Party guests can also take turns going under the parachute while the others wave it up and down like an umbrella.

13. Truth or Dare

If you don’t want this one to get out of hand, write the Truths and Dares on slips of paper ahead of time and place them in separate bowls. Each player chooses a Truth or Dare from the proper bowl. Try to make them as silly as possible for maximum giggles!

14. Follow the Leader

The birthday child starts as the leader. Everyone else lines up behind them and must mimic exactly what the leader does—their movements, actions, and silly gestures—as they move around. Whoever fails to follow correctly is out of the game. The last person following becomes the new leader.

15. Charades

Write a bunch of words or phrases on small slips of paper and put them in a bowl. The birthday child pulls out the first paper and acts out what’s written without making a sound. The first player who guesses the word or phrase gets to act out the next one. If you’re having a themed party, you can put all words or phrases related to that theme.

16. Keep It Up

How long can a team of players keep a balloon in the air before it touches the ground? Sometimes the simplest field day games are the most fun.

17. Obstacle Course

Check out our tips for building an indoor obstacle course. You can also apply them towards creating an epic outdoor obstacle course using tires, wooden beams, pool noodles, and other obstacles.

18. Ring Toss

Set up a simple game of ring toss with plastic cones and rings. You can also buy a complete ring toss set.

19. Twister

Twister is one of the most fun and hilarious party games for kids (and adults)! If you’d prefer to make your own version of Twister for an outdoor birthday party, use placemats, dish towels, or rubber circles of different colors. Use dice to indicate the colors on your homemade “dots.”

20. Hide and Seek

This is one of those classic party games for kids that never gets old! If you’re playing it outside, be sure to set boundaries for how far the kids can go.

21. Monkey in the Middle

One or more players is the monkey in the middle of a group of other players, who toss a ball back and forth to each other. The monkey(s) try to catch the ball. If one does, the player who threw it becomes a monkey in the middle.

22. I Spy

This is a fun game to play with even the youngest kids! One person says “I spy with my little eyes…” and then describes an object they see—”something green”, “something with wheels,” etc. You can use this game to segue into cake time by saying, “I spy with my little eyes, something delicious!”

23. Sardines

This is a fun twist on hide and seek, where only one person hides and all the others look. Whoever finds the hidden player joins them in the hiding place. This continues until the kids (squeezed like sardines) are found by the last remaining child, or everyone ends up hidden together.

RELATED: 35 Water Games for Kids

Nothing like a classic slip and slide on a hot day!

Fun Outdoor Party Games for Kids

24. Slip and Slide

Create your own Slip and Slide using a plastic tablecloth, stakes, and a hose or sprinkler. If you’d rather buy one, we like the JAMBO Premium 3-Lane Slip Slash and Slide.

25. Water Balloon Toss

If your party guests are too young for a classic water balloon fight, challenge them to gently toss the balloons to each other and try to catch them. If they break, that’s part of the fun!

26. Spider Web

Use rope or ribbon to create a spider web pattern on the grass. Have the kids try to jump between the ropes into the grass sections without touching the “spider web.” Whoever makes it into every open space without touching the web wins.

27. Sprinkler Tag

Turn the sprinkler on and let the kids run wild. Make it a game of sprinkler tag to see who can run under without getting hit. If you can’t cross to the other side, you’re out.

28. Mini Golf

Create a mini golf course using cups as holes, toys and other objects as obstacles, and pool noodles as golf clubs. Plastic golf balls are best for this activity. You can also hold the birthday party at a local mini golf course.

29. Duck Pond Matching Game

Place plastic ducks in a baby pool filled with water. Adding shapes and/or numbers onto the bottom of the ducks and challenge kids to find floating duck matches.

30. Bozo Buckets

To play this carnival-style game, all you need are six buckets and a handful of ping-pong balls. Place the buckets in a row and have players try to get a ball into each bucket. Award prizes for each bucket if you like; decide on a set number of strikes until it’s the next player’s turn.

RELATED: 1000 Ideas for Spending 1000 Hours Outside with Kids

A simple bubble machine can provide endless entertainment. Photo courtesy of the Little Kids

31. Pop the Bubbles 

For a toddler or preschooler’s birthday party, sometimes a bubble blaster is all you need! Just let the kids gleefully run around and see how many bubbles they can pop. Check out our list of the best bubble guns and bubble machines.

32. Break the Ice

Freeze some small toys inside large ice cube molds or bowls. Give the children safe digging tools and spray bottles so they can work to excavate the treasures.

33. Marco Polo

Having a pool party? Play Marco Polo! One player is “it,” and he or she closes their eyes and yells, “Marco!” Other players yell, “Polo”, and the person who is “it” tries to find them and tag them to be the next “it” person. This game is best played in the shallow end!

34. Frisbee

An old-fashioned game of Frisbee can entertain kids for a while. Or, you can cut a rectangular hole in each side of a cardboard box and challenge players to land the Frisbee in the hole for points.

35. Water Blaster Fight

Give them all a water blaster and allow them to squirt each other to their hearts’ delight!

36. Water Balloon Baseball

It’s like real baseball, but with plastic bats and water balloons.

37. Treasure Dig

Use a sandbox or fill a large bin with sand, Hide small toys like plastic animals, cars, or play jewelry, and give participants plastic shovels so they can dig for buried treasure.

Transform your surroundings into a real-life NERF battlefield with inflatable NERF BUNKRs.

38. NERF Wars

Gather up some NERF blasters and darts—and invite party guests to bring their own—and set up a backyard NERF battle! You can create obstacles and hiding places out of any objects, or try this NERF BUNKR Battle Zone.

Active Party Games for Kids

39. Wheelbarrow Race

Divide players into teams of two. One player is the wheelbarrow and the other is the driver. The wheelbarrow walks on their hands while the driver holds their ankles, trying to cross the finish line first.

40. Egg and Spoon Race 

Use either hard-boiled eggs or plastic eggs and hand out a spoon to each party guest. Line guests up and challenge them to get to the finish line while balancing the egg on the spoon, without letting the egg drop. You can add traffic cones or obstacles to make the game more challenging.

41. Dodgeball

Dodgeball is another game that’s perfect for large birthday parties. Teams of kids try to eliminate the opposite team’s players by hitting them with a ball. Just be sure to use a soft ball and instruct kids not to throw too hard or aim for the face.

42. Backward Race

It’s a normal race with an important twist—everyone runs backwards!

43. Flag Football

Flag football is a great choice for a kids’ birthday party with a large number of guests—and it’s not as dangerous as tackle football! This flag football set is a good, affordable pick.

44. Three-Legged Race

Have teams of two stand side by side and tie their inner legs together using rope or fabric. The players then race against the other teams to reach the finish line first.

45. Dizzy Bats

Before players race, they need to hold their foreheads to the top of a plastic bat and run around it several times as quickly as possible. Can they push through their dizziness to get to the finish line?

46. Freeze Tag

In this fun version of tag, players must freeze in place if they get tagged by the person who is “it”. Other players can unfreeze those players by tagging them.

47. Hula-Hoop Contest

Hula hoops are great physical fun. Who can move their torso to keep their hoop up the longest?

48. Jump Rope Games

Playing with jump ropes is a fun activity for an outdoor birthday party. You can even buy a jump rope for each guest and make that the party favor! Try some of our favorite jump rope games for kids.

49. Zombie Tag

If a player gets tagged, they turn into a zombie!

50. Duck, Duck, Goose

Have all the ducklings sit in a circle. The player who’s “it” gets up and walks around the circle saying, “duck, duck, duck,” while patting each player on the head. Whenever they want, they tap a player on the head and shout, GOOSE!” The goose gets up and chases “it” around the circle, trying to tag them before they can sit in their original spot. If “it” gets tagged, they sit in the middle of the circle for a round and the goose becomes “it.”

51. Flashlight Tag

This one is played at night. The person who is “it” tags a player by shining a flashlight on them.

52. Animal Race

Kids race to the finish line by moving like each animal you call out—hopping like a bunny, waddling like a penguin, slithering like a snake, etc.

53. Blanket Pull Race

Arrange kids into teams of two. Give each team a blanket. One person sits on the blanket and the other has to pull them across the finish line.

54. Animal Race

Kids race to the finish line by moving like each animal you call out—hopping like a bunny, waddling like a penguin, slithering like a snake, etc.

55. Wiffle Ball

Wiffle ball is just like baseball, but it’s played with a plastic ball and bat to avoid injury. Throw down some rubber bases to make a field.

56. Blanket Pull Race

Arrange kids into teams of two. Give each team a blanket. One person sits on the blanket and the other has to pull them across the finish line.

57. Potato Sack Race

Gather up king-sized pillow cases or invest in burlap sacks for an old-fashioned potato sack race. Ask children to step into bags, pulling the edges up around their waists, and jump their way to the finish line.

58. Balloon Stomp

Tie balloons to kids’ ankles with yarn. Players can then run around and try to pop each others’ balloons.

59. Bowling

There are several options for this fun party game. You can make a bowling set out of partially filled water bottles and a rubber ball or tennis ball. You can invest in a plastic bowling set. Or, simply host the birthday party at a local bowling alley!

60. Minute to Win It

Minute to Win It games are all about completing task as fast as you can within a minute. Many games use simple household items. Get some fun ideas from our list of 50 fun Minute to Win It games for kids.

RELATED: 100 Popular Kids’ Birthday Party Themes for Every Age and Interest

Share some delicious Swiftie-themed food and drinks! Photo by Ally Noel

Musical Kids’ Party Games

61. Name That Tune

Play short snippets of various songs and have the kids try to guess what song it is. This party game is perfect for a music-themed birthday party, like a Taylor Swift party!

62. Freeze Dance

Start the music and have students begin to dance. When the music stops, everyone should freeze. Those who keep moving are out. The rest must start dancing again when the music restarts. The last dancer standing wins.

63. Copycat Dance

Players stand in a circle, and the first player does an original dance move. The next student copies it, then adds their original move. Soon you’ll have one big, crazy dance!

64. Dance-Off

Gather kids in a circle and let them have an old-fashioned dance-off, taking turns going into the middle of the circle to show off their best moves.

65. Limbo

How low can they go? Have two grown-ups hold a stick horizontally and players have to bend backward to walk under the stick without touching it. The stick drops lower and lower as the game goes on.

66. Musical Chairs

Place chairs in a circle (one fewer chair than the number of players). Start some music and have everyone walk around the circle. When the music stops, everyone must sit on a chair. Whoever doesn’t have a chair is out. After each round, remove a chair. The last player standing wins.

67. Hot Potato

Get a soft ball or other object and sit everyone in a circle. Start the music and have kids start gently tossing the ball or object to each other. When the music stops, whoever is holding the “potato” is out. Continue until one child remains and is named the winner.

68. Pass the Parcel

Put a prize in a box and wrap it in layers of wrapping paper, newspaper, foil, and other wrapping materials. Players sit in a circle and pass the parcel around while music plays. When the music stops, whoever is holding the box unwraps a layer. The game continues until the final layer is unwrapped. Whoever unwraps that final layer wins the prize.

69. Elimination Dance

Put index cards with various descriptions of party guests, such as “has a ponytail” and “wearing a red shirt,” in a bag. As the kids dance, pull out a random card and read it. Any dancer fitting the description is eliminated. The last remaining dancer wins.

RELATED: 100 Best Board Games for Family Game Night

Sketch and guess your way to the finish line with Pictionary, perfect for a creative birthday party.

Creative Party Games for Kids

70. Pictionary

If you have the board game, great! But you really don’t need it—just have kids take turns drawing pictures on paper or an easel while the other guests try to guess what they’re drawing.

71. Marshmallow Challenge

Set out toothpicks and bowls of marshmallows and challenge the kids to come up with their best creations. See what they can come up with!

72. Mad Libs

You can find a Mad Libs book to fit just about any party theme, from Taylor Swift to Pokemon. Or, create your own Mad Libs that’s all about the birthday child!

73. Airplane Toss

Read our tutorial on how to make the best paper airplanes—with free printables. Show party guests how to make them, then have them toss their planes to see whose can go the farthest.

74. Telephone

The more people you have, the funnier this game becomes! Choose one person to kick things off. That person makes up the first line of a story and whispers it to the next person. Then that person makes up the second line of the story and tells the third person both lines. Once the story reaches the last person, they have to say the whole thing out loud. You’ll get a lot of giggles seeing what gets lost in translation.

75. Cupcake Wars

Set up a cupcake-decorating station. When the kids are finished, award each one a prize, like “most colorful cupcake” or “craziest cupcake”. Then you can stick a candle in the birthday kids’ cupcake and sing happy birthday!

76. Mummy Wrap

Divide kids into pairs and have them race to wrap their partner up in toilet paper, like a mummy.

77. Group Artwork

Set up a large piece of paper or canvas. The birthday child starts off by drawing or painting something. Then, each child takes turns adding something to the picture. (You may need to set up a timer for each kid.) After the last child has gone, they can all write their names on the back. The birthday child now has a creative and special keepsake!

Fun Indoor Party Games for Kids

78. Blind Taste Test

You can play this game with a variety of foods. The children wear blindfolds and have to guess the flavor of various chips, jellybeans, candies, or other food.

79. Cookie Face

Place an Oreo or other small cookie on each player’s forehead. They must try to get it into their mouth using only facial movements—no hands!

80. Bingo

Use this free Bingo card generator website to create themed Bingo cards, and use candy or small toys as markers to up the fun factor.

81. 20 Questions

To play this classic game, the caller chooses a person, place, or thing, and everyone else gets to ask 20 total yes-or-no questions to figure out what it is.

82. Would You Rather?

Or list of the 100 best “Would You Rather” questions will keep party guests entertained for quite a while.

83. Apples to Apples Junior

Compete to win over the judge by completing prompts with the funniest answers. This game is great for parties because up to eight people can play it. The recommended age is 9 and up.

84. UNO

This classic card game is fun, quick, easy to learn, and universally loved. The goal is to be the first to put down all of your cards by matching numbers or colors. That feeling of using the +4 card on your opponent will never get old.

85. What Do You Meme? Family Edition

In this hilarious game, players must choose the funniest caption to a meme (such as, “when you’re secretly proud of how loud you farted”) from the cards in their hand. Just be sure to get the family edition, as the regular version can get seriously raunchy.

86. Kids Against Maturity

If you’ve ever played Cards Against Humanity, you know how much fun it is—and how wildly inappropriate it is for kids. Kids Against Maturity is its child-friendly counterpart, with plenty of toilet humor and other wackiness that will have all the party guests howling with laughter.

RELATED: Mommy Poppins Gift Guide for Kids

Scattergories is an exciting party game for family and friends.

87. Scattergories

This game is a party staple for all ages. Come up with unique words that start with a specific letter in a given category. The more creative you can get, the better! The game is recommended for ages 13 and up, so this one is best for teen birthday parties.

88. Try Not to Laugh

Read some of our 75 jokes for kids. Anyone who laughs is out. The person who can keep the giggles in longest, wins!

89. Trivia Contest

Challenge players to a trivia contest using our 100 trivia questions for kids.

90. Who Am I?

Pick a category (like Disney villains or Harry Potter characters) and have everyone write down the name of one character on a small piece of paper. Fold the paper in half and pass it to the person on your right. Then everyone asks yes-or-no questions about who “they” are. The last person to guess correctly loses.

91. Heads Up!

This app is loads of fun at parties. Players take turns holding the phone up to their foreheads and waiting for the app to load with a word. The other kids will feed them clues about the word. When they guess it, they flick the phone down to get a new word. Their goal is to guess as many words as they can before time runs out.

92. Laser Maze

In a hallway, tape lengths of red yarn or streamers in a zig-zag pattern across the length of the hall. Challenge partygoers to cross the hallway without touching a laser. This is one of the best party games for kids having a spy-themed party!

93. The Floor is Lava

Create a course out of blankets, yoga mats, crates, and other items. Kids must try to reach each item  without stepping on the floor (the lava). If someone falls into the “lava,” they are out. The last one standing wins.

94. Donut on a String

Hang donuts from strings and watch as everyone tries to eat them.

95. Balloon Tennis

Got extra balloons and paper plates in your party-supply order? Use them to play fun game of balloon tennis! Learn how to set up indoor balloon tennis.

96. Pillow Fight

Slumber party? Two words: pillow fight!

97. Guess the Number of Jellybeans

Put a bunch of jellybeans in a jar and have kids try to guess how many are in there. The child who comes closest wins the jar!

98. Escape Room

Turn a room or basement into a mini escape room. Use a combination lock to “seal” a suitcase or bag with treats inside. Drop clues around the room with the single digits (and positions) to the prize lock. Conceal a digit inside a mysterious math problem posted on the wall, hide paper clues inside balloons to pop or plastic eggs to open… the sky’s the limit!

99. Cup Stack

Place a bunch of large plastic cups on a flat surface. Challenge students to see how high they can stack the cups before they topple over.

100. Giant Jenga

This giant version of Jenga can stack to four feet tall, making it extra thrilling when the blocks come tumbling down!

Tips for Choosing the Right Party Games for Kids

There are several things to think about when choosing kids’ party games.

Consider the Group Size 

If you’ve got only a few kids, then board games, creative party games, and other kids’ party games that require only two to four players work great. But if you have many party guests, you’ll need some group games for kids, like tag games.

Assess the Energy Level

Start off with a few active party games, then wind down with some calmer kids’ activities.

Size up the Venue

Have a large space? Try indoor and outdoor games for kids that require spreading out, like obstacle courses, racing games, or Steal the Bacon. If you’ve got a smaller venue, you’ll do better with board games, art activities, and other kids’ party games that don’t need a lot of room.

Choosing Age-Appropriate Games

Party Games for Toddlers

For toddlers, focus on simple, repetitive games or kids’ activities with no rules, like popping bubbles and treasure digs.

Party Games for Preschoolers

Preschool-age kids can handle games with simple instructions, like Duck, Duck Goose and Simon Says.

Party Games for School-Age Kids

School-age children are ready for more complex birthday party games, like Musical Chairs and Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Party Games for Tweens and Teens

Tweens and teens like action, so they’ll do best with active party games for kids like NERF wars, dodgeball, and flag football.

How to Organize and Run Party Games for Kids

Where Can I Find Supplies and Equipment for These Games?

Amazon, Oriental Trading, and craft and hobby stories like Michaels and Hobby Lobby are all great places to find supplies for birthday party games. If you’re looking for something very unique or in a specific theme, Etsy is another great option.

How Can I Make Sure All Kids Feel Included and Have Fun?

This mainly requires paying attention and making sure every child gets a turn! You might try making a rule that a child can’t be chosen a second time until everyone has been picked once (like for Duck, Duck Goose). For games that require forming teams, have team leaders pick names out of a hat so no one feels the sting of being chosen last. And make sure to always have alternative party entertainment for kids who don’t want to play a particular game, like a coloring station or other solo activity.

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