Games for Young Children
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009Duck Duck Goose - now don’t shake your head at this suggestion.
Duck duck goose can be turned into anything. Good guy good guy bad guy for a superhero party. Princess, princess, Witch for a princess party. Dora, Dora, swipper for a Dora party. The possibilities are Endless!
Kiss the Frog - AKA Pin the nose on the donkey
Honestly, I think pin the nose on the donkey is the dumbest game ever but Kiss the Frog is fabulous. I found this while planning a princess party for my daughters first birthday but I changed it up a little. Basically you make a frog out of poster board paper, blind fold the girls and give them a pair of lips stickers or cut out lips with tap and there you have it. Now what I did differently was put bright lipstick on the girls and had them actually try and kiss the frog and if I do say so myself this was WAY more fun. What little girl doesn’t love putting on a little lipstick?
Hide and Seek - I know I know but just like Duck Duck goose this can fit with ANY theme
At our princess party this was Save the Princess. The girls/princesses hid while the boys/princes tried to “rescue” them. Each prince was assigned a princess that they needed to find. This would also work for a super hero party, you could either have the good guys or the bad guys hide while the others went to either capture them or attack them.
Read a Story - Ok, not really a “game” but it works
I’m not a fan of cheap, breakable or edible party favors, the kids just cry after they are broken or eaten. So I give books instead. I can usually find some for about $3 each that go with the party theme. We take a little break from the running around games and read them the book that they will each get to take home.
Treasure Hunt - It’s not just for pirates anymore
This is always a fun one for a pirate themed party. The pirates can search for a lost treasure by using a map or clues that eventually lead them to their party favor. BUT you can also use this for other types of parties. We had a Batman party and after one of the games we had Joker card fall out with a clue and then began the hunt for the Joker but it ended with the party favors instead (the Joker came later). You could have a Dora party and send them on an adventure exploring and following different clues. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could follow clues to find a bad guy. This could really work for ANYTHING. Just be creative.
Obstacle Course
This is my favorite for Super Hero parties. Set up a obstacle course with bad guys rolling exercise balls at the hero, tying up a bad guy, things to jump over and crawl under. My mom has cardboard bricks that we would set up as a wall at the end for the superhero to knock over and rescue the damsel in distress. My brother did an Indiana Jones party complete with the rolling boulder (exercise ball), guns (nerf guns), and snakes (plastic ones of course). The children had to take a water bottle that looked like some great archaeological treasure and replace it will a bag of rocks and then make their way out unharmed.
Beat up Daddy - What kid doesn’t love wrestling with dad?
Now if your husband is willing to help out (I had to do some convincing) then he can make for the perfect punching bag. Simply dress him up like a bad guy or villain and let the kids attack. 
