It’s time to party like a 3-year old for your little one’s upcoming birthday. You’ll want to keep your energetic kiddo and their friends fully entertained with some fun games. Toddlers don’t have the longest attention span, so games with simple rules are ideal. Read on for our top picks.
- Pin the Tail on the Donkey (or Another Animal)
Pin the tail on the donkey is a classic and can be reworked to fit your party’s theme or child’s favorite animal. You could do pin the tiara on the princess or pin the nose on the clown. Hang up a large poster or DIY drawing of the character on a wall, then outline the target. Make objects with tape on the back for kids to stick on the poster. Blindfold kids one at a time and let them each have a go at pinning the object closest to the target.
- Ring Toss
Buy a pre-made ring toss set or DIY your own according to a theme. The rules of the game are self-explanatory. Give kids a certain number of rings and have them take turns. Maybe give a prize to the child who gets the most rings in place. You could opt for a bean bag toss instead.
This “Triceratoss” was made using a foam board and party hats.
- Cupcake Walk
This is the same idea as a cake walk, but with cupcakes or other prizes. If using cupcakes, wait till the end of the party to play this game, so that kids can eat some healthier food first. Print out small pictures relating to the theme of the party i.e. different Disney characters. Tape them to floor in a circle. Play music while kids walk around the circle. Then, stop the music and call out a character. The kid standing on that character gets a cupcake. Keep going until everyone has a cupcake.
- Musical Chairs
This is similar to the cupcake walk. Set up a circle of chairs with one less than the number of kids who are playing. When the music stops, kids have to find a chair. Continue removing one chair each turn.
- Craft Time
Choose any easy craft that just requires painting something that’s already made. Or, print off some free coloring sheets and provide plenty of crayons for simple clean up.
- Gumball Guess Game
Fill a jar with gumballs or any other candy and have kids guess how many are in the jar. Parents may have to write their child’s name and guess on the paper. Wait till near the end of the party to go through the guesses and announce or count out how many gumballs are in the jar. Whoever had the closest guess wins a prize.
- Hopscotch
This is great for an outdoor party. Use chalk to draw a Hopscotch and leave out chalk for kids to play with during the party.
- Water Balloon Toss
Here’s another great outdoor game for the summer. Fill up tons of water balloons ahead of time. Draw a line in chalk, with colorful tape, or use pool noodles on grass. Pair kids up with each other or an adult. Have everyone take a few steps back from the line then toss a balloon to their partner. Continue taking steps back, then throwing until all of the balloons are popped.
- Treasure Hunt
Before the party starts, hide items around the backyard or just one room of your home. Make sure there are enough so that every kid can find one even if some aren’t found. Choose small items related to your theme that can be traded in for prizes after being found. These could be small stuffed animals, rubber ducks, or anything else you can think of.
- Cupcake or Cookie Decorating
Set up a cupcake decorating station. Cover the table with a disposable tablecloth for easy cleanup. Have a few colors of frosting and bowls filled with candy and sprinkles to decorate.
This set-up is so cute for an artist themed party.
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