Best Birthday Party Games For 7 to 12 Year olds
Birthdays are special. Even disappointments like getting the same gift twice or forgetting a birthday becomes a bittersweet memory over time. Birthday parties revolve around 3 major ‘events’ – cutting a cake, unwrapping gifts and a delicious dinner. But what do kids do in between?
Left alone, they would love to run around, create a ruckus and bring the house down! The opposite is worse. The kids may do nothing except watch TV or play mobile games. And what would they remember? “We ate the cake, did nothing, ate dinner, did nothing, and went home.” Oops, one seems worse than the other!
That defines the role played by games in birthday party planning. Birthday games for kids make it a ‘party’, not just a visit to a friend’s place. Children love playing because that’s when they can be themselves. If your child has a favourite game, do be sure to include it in the party checklist.
In addition, we have some game ideas for you. These are more interactive than just hitting a piñata, or playing four corners or musical chairs. We’ve put our collective experience with children to use in getting this together. So we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
1.Themes for all ages:
Theme parties never go out of fashion. Choosing the theme will depend on your kids age group and interests, but the advantage is that all of them can give you game ideas. If it’s a group of superheroes, ask them to show off their imaginary powers.
The treasure hunt game goes very well with pirates. For teenagers, themes can range from retro Bollywood to pastels and floral, with song and dance or dumb charades adding to the mood. As adults, we sometimes take things a little too seriously. Kids games are meant to be fun, so make sure an atmosphere of peer pressure is not created around details of costumes or decorations.
Check out Galaxy Raiders. It’s a fun board game that goes well with space themes.
Alpha Steel works better when planning a future themed party.
Mystic Arts is a magic themed card game, see our trailer.
2.Home wonderland:
Kids love visiting amusement parks. In the post pandemic world, that’s one birthday treat we are all unsure about, though the parks have opened. Nor do all of us live in mansions with gardens and courtyards that can be turned into miniature Disney Lands. Keeping in mind the reality of living in an expensive city with small homes, here’s a party game suggestion for kids of any age: transform your home into a wonderland using your imagination! We have a board game called Terra Loop built around the same theme of freeing up your imagination as you guard your mountain or castle.
3.Little magicians:
Magic is a mix of alertness, logical thinking and performance. Some kids love basking in the admiration of their audience, others like watching tricks and try to decipher how it happened.
Including a magic show for kids is not just a cool kids game for parties, it’s also a great ice breaker. It may end up being even more special if the performance is by the kids themselves! While older children can try out slightly complicated tricks with magic trick kits, children as young as 5 years old could try 7even.
It’s a little trick with coloured shapes, simple but an amazing party trick. What’s more, it’s DIY and won’t cost you a penny.
4. Good old b’day games:
Musical chairs, Piñata, Passing the Parcel, Chinese Whispers – there are many traditional games for a birthday party. Personalise them by choosing themed music tracks, introducing tongue twisters as the trick line, and including fun activities like mimicking famous personalities or cartoon characters.
Birthday games for kids are all about fun and frolic. Winning and losing are both experiences to enjoy, and provide photo-op sessions and memories that will evoke nostalgia years later.
5. Artists in the house:
No we are not talking about allowing scribble sessions all over your walls, or a teenage tattoo party. Kids are risky artists. But they like decorating things and have loads of dormant creativity within them. That’s one of the reasons why festivals from Diwali to Christmas continue to charm them. Instead of just playing games maybe plan a creative session.
Get them DIY paper blocks or cardboard cars to colour and display, with a prize for the best ‘entry’. Get them balloons, streamers, wall stickers, confetti, etc, and let these become a part of the decorations at home. Be sure to move furniture to prevent injuries and always make safety a priority.
Any game for a birthday party can revolve around painting objects or decorating a space. Thematic fancy dress games with few rules and no winners are great fun.
The proudest moment for the host child might be the display of his or her favourite magic trick. But can we call these activities ‘kids party games’? Perhaps none of them are, come to think of it. But then games were born out of the spirit of enjoying basic activities with a live audience.
A party game brings back the innocence and charm that organized sports lack. And it’s best to keep it that way to ensure kids have a great time instead of worrying about competition.
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