If you’re looking for games to keep kids entertained, you’re in luck because we tried out quite a few of them recently to celebrate Nina turning 8! She had a small birthday party at home, and I thought it would be fun to go “old school” and play some traditional group games with small prizes.

I’m pleased to report that everyone absolutely loved it. Check out the list below to see some of the biggest hits from Nina’s party. Some of these fun game ideas could also be adapted to be played among siblings on a rainy day, a holiday or when friends come over. 

1. Musical Statues

In this fun and simple game, you put on music while the children dance around. Then, you pause the music at random moments, at which point the kids must stop and stand as still as a statue. Anyone who moves after the music stops will be eliminated, and this continues until there is one person left – the winner!

2. Greetings, Oh Great One!

Decide who will play first; this child will be “The Great One.” Put the blindfold on them while the other kids make a circle around them. You can give them a crown or other accessory to make this more fun. Then, turn the Great One around three times.

Point quietly to one of the kids in the ring, who will then go up to the Great One, shake their hand, and say “Greetings, Oh Great One!” using a disguised voice.

The Great One has to guess who it is. If they guess correctly, they will switch places with the other child, who will then become The Great One. If they guess wrong, turn them around three times and repeat the process with another child disguising their voice.

3. The Straw Game

For this game, you need two bowls, 10 straws and some small candies like M&Ms.

Each child will get 30 seconds to transfer as many candies from one bowl to the other using only the suction of the straw. You can make this even more challenging by having them keep their hands behind their back!

4. Straight Face

When it comes to funny games to keep kids entertained, it’s hard to top this one. Have each child write something funny on a piece of paper. Then, gather all their papers and mix them in a bowl.

Place the kids in a circle, and pass the bowl around. Each child will take turns drawing a paper and reading what it says out loud. Anyone who laughs or smiles “loses”. Keep passing the bowl until all the papers have been read and there is just a single winner.

5. Dress-up Relay Race

To play this fun twist on a classic relay race, prepare two sets of clothing. They should have identical types of garments, but it’s okay if their appearance is different. For example, each set might include one oversized T-shirt, a pair of colourful socks, a hat, and gloves.

Divide the children into two teams – one for each set of clothing. When the race begins, the first player on each team must put the clothes on, run to a set location and back, and then remove the garments. The next player must then do the same until one team finishes. This one caused a ruckus and was hilarious to watch!

6. Pass the Parcel

You probably already know how to play this classic favourite, but here’s a quick rundown. You wrap up a present in multiple layers of gift wrap. Then, the kids sit in a circle and pass it around to one another while music plays; whoever is holding it when the music stops takes off one layer of wrapping paper. This repeats until someone finally opens the gift, which they get to keep.

7. Face the Cookie

The basic premise of this game is getting a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands. Each kid has to tilt their head back, place a cookie in the middle of their forehead, and find a way to get it between their lips or teeth using facial muscles and gravity alone within the allotted time. My sides hurt from all the laughing watching the kids trying to do this.

8. Pin the Wand on Harry

For this twist on one of the most enduring birthday games, design one paper wand for each child (or find some online to print) and have kids try to attach them to a drawing of Harry Potter posted to the wall while blindfolded. Whoever gets the wand closest to the right position wins! The original game is actually called ‘Pinned the tail on the donkey’, but since Nina’s birthday party was Harry Potter themed, I tweaked this a little bit to fit the theme!

9. Memory Game

Gather a bunch (15-20) of small objects from around your house (key, coin, paper clip, etc.) Place them on a tray and then let the children look at it for 30 seconds. Then, cover the items with a towel and have them write down as many objects as they can remember. The child who lists the most correct items wins! This is one of those indoor birthday games that will really make them think!

10. Mr. Freeze

Prepare a small slip of paper for each child in advance, writing “Mr. Freeze” on just one of them. Have each kid take a paper and read it, but. Instruct them not to reveal what it says to the others. They should then move around the party like they normally would, but whenever Mr. Freeze freezes, everyone else has to freeze, too. Whoever freezes last will be out of the game, and this repeats until there is just one winner.

I prepared a few small prizes, wrapped them up, and had them ready at hand to dole out to the winners, and the kids were ecstatic!
I hope these party games to keep kids entertained will be as big of a hit for you as they were for us!