Twenty-five party games sorted by age, from the second birthday where nobody understands rules to the ten-year-olds who want something difficult. None of the games needs anything bought, all of them work indoors in an ordinary flat, and most take five to ten minutes.
Party games are not there to make the children have fun. They are there to rescue the three moments when a party otherwise goes off the rails: when all the guests have arrived and nobody knows what to do, when the sugar rush from the cake hits, and when the last twenty minutes before pick-up feel like two hours. Have five games ready. You will use three.
2 to 3 years: no rules, no winners
The youngest play alongside each other, not with each other. Anything that needs turn-taking falls apart. Anything everyone can do at the same time works.
- Dance freeze. Music on, everyone dances, music off, everyone stands still. Nobody is out. Five minutes, then they want it again.
- Bubble chase. An adult blows soap bubbles, the children catch them. Can be done ten times in one party.
- Keep the balloon off the floor. One balloon per two children. Adults sit on the floor and help.
- Animal parade. Now everyone is an elephant. Now everyone is a frog. Now everyone creeps like a cat. The adult leads, the children copy.
- Shared treasure. Hide a bag with something for everyone, give the clues out loud so everyone finds it at the same time. No treasure hunt with a winner before the age of five.
4 to 6 years: simple rules, quick rounds
Now turn-taking works in short bursts, and the children want a game that feels like a real game. A winner is fine if the round is short and everyone gets to win at some point.
- Fiskdamm, the fishing pond. A classic for a reason. A sheet across a doorway, an adult behind it, a fishing rod made of a stick and a piece of string. Everyone gets one go.
- Musical chairs. Chairs in a row, one fewer than there are children. With four-year-olds: don't remove any chairs, let everyone fit every time. The music and the running around are the game.
- Kim's game. Ten things on a tray, the children look for a minute, a towel goes over, remove one thing. What is missing? Good for three rounds.
- Follow the leader. The children walk in a line behind a leader and do what the leader does. Change leader every lap so everyone gets a turn.
- Ring toss. Roll newspaper into rings and tape them. Throw at a stick standing in a bucket. Three throws each.
- The teddy toss. A soft toy is thrown around a circle. Whoever catches it says their name and their favourite ice cream. A good first game when the guests don't know each other.
- The mummy. In pairs, one roll of toilet paper per pair. One wraps the other up. It uses a lot of toilet paper and everyone laughs.
7 to 9 years: team spirit and a bit of competition
Now you can split into teams. Make the teams at random, never by letting the children choose. And have the teams play against the adults at some point, children love beating the parents.
- Treasure hunt with clues. Eight notes, each leading to the next spot, the last one to the treasure. Everyone finds it together. Our Treasure hunt for a kids' party has clues to print out.
- Charades. Animals and jobs for seven-year-olds, films and fairy tales for nine-year-olds. Two teams, one guesses and one acts.
- Balloon stomp. A balloon on a string around each ankle. Pop the others', protect your own. Outdoors or in an empty room.
- Spoon relay. A potato on a spoon, run a course, hand over. Team against team.
- Whisper down the line. A sentence is whispered from ear to ear. It always comes out wrong, and the mistake is the fun part. Works best with at least six children.
- Quiz. Team against team, questions by age. We have Quiz questions for kids.
- Wink murder. Everyone closes their eyes, an adult picks a murderer with a tap on the shoulder. The murderer winks at people, who then die dramatically. Who is it? Seven-year-olds may need an adult as the murderer the first time.
10 to 12 years: difficult, fast, slightly embarrassing
Now the children say games are for little kids. They don't mean it. They want something with a bit of pressure and a bit of laughing at each other, and they absolutely do not want an adult leading it too enthusiastically.
- Name that tune. Play two seconds of a song, team against team. The children's own playlist, not yours.
- Paper planes. Everyone folds a plane in five minutes, then a contest for distance and then for accuracy into a bucket.
- Who in the room. Notes with statements: has flown in a helicopter, has a strange phobia, can wiggle their ears. The children guess who it is about.
- Blindfold taste test. Seven things from the fridge on small spoons. Guess what it is. Nothing disgusting, that is what makes them trust you.
- Escape room at home. Five riddles that each give a digit, the digits open a combination lock on a box with the treasure. Takes an hour to prepare and half an hour to solve. Take riddles from 100 riddles for kids with answers, sorted by age.
- Newspaper fashion. Teams of three, a pile of newspapers and tape. Ten minutes to create an outfit on one member of the team. Fashion show afterwards.
The running order that keeps the party calm
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Guests trickling in | Something everyone can do on their own: drawing, building, bubbles | Nobody has to wait for everyone to arrive |
| Everyone here | The first real game, calm and all together | Gathers the group |
| Before the food | The wildest game | Hungry children need to run, not sit |
| After the cake | Something quiet: Kim's game, charades | The sugar and the crowding make everyone hyper |
| The last half hour | The treasure hunt | The party ends on a high and everyone goes home with something |
How our nannies do it
Several of our families book their regular nanny as an extra adult at the party. She knows the child, she knows which friends tend to squabble, and she can lead a game while you welcome parents at the door. It is the same hourly rate as usual, and it is often the hour you are most grateful for.
Would you like an extra adult at the party whom the children already know? Book a free meeting and we will tell you how it works.
Read more: Children's birthday party at home · Treasure hunt for a kids' party · 100 riddles for kids with answers, sorted by age
Frequently asked questions
How many games do you need at a children's party?
Plan five or six, expect to get through three or four. A two-hour party is about 40 minutes of games, the rest is food, presents, cake and running around.
Which games suit a third birthday party?
Games without winners: dance freeze, bubbles, a shared treasure hunt where everyone finds the same treasure. Three-year-olds can't cope with losing, and they can't cope with waiting for their turn for more than half a round.
What do you do if the children don't want to play?
Nothing. Let them run. The games are there to rescue the moment when things get chaotic, not to fill every minute. A party where the children make things up themselves is a successful party.
Do you need prizes for the games?
No, and with small children it is best not to. From the age of seven a small shared treasure at the end can work, but games where one child wins and nine lose produce more tears per minute than anything else at a party.