Birthday Party Games - Barberton,OH

I have a really fun game we've played at my son's birthday party a couple of years and it is always a hit. Get a bunch of balloons-- the big ones are the best. Go to the dollar store and stock up on small candies, little army men, stickers- anything small enough to fit in a balloon. Then take the little things and cram a few into each balloon before blowing it up (this can be challenging which is why I use the word cram:) Then blow them all up nice and big and tie them off. To play the game put all the balloons behind one line and all the boys behind another across the room. When you say go the kids run across the room grab a balloon and run back to the starting line where they sit on it, pop it and get the treats. I gave them each a bag to collect their treats as they go. That way it fills the treat bags too-- its kind of an alternative to a pinata- it uses their energy and what kid doesn't like to pop a balloon with their butt!! Hope this helps - its always been fun for us!!

It looks like you have already received a ton of GREAT ideas! If you'd like another website to check out go to www.amazingmoms.com It's a great website!!

That could be a good age to do an easy scavenger hunt or treasure hunt. You could either have them work as one big group or divide them up into 2 or 3 groups. Have easy clues for them to follow and at the end of their clues they find a "treasure"/prize.

R.

Why not do something mystery themed that will keep them busy the whole night?

If he's into mysteries, send them on a tressure hunt around the house with random envelopes placed for them to find at each of the treasure sites with the clue to their next stop. They can only take one envelope per team and to win they have to show proof that they've been to each spot.
At each spot they can have a task to do (such as the old pop a balloon by sitting on it game or hit a paddleball twenty times in a row before continuing...)
This can be adapted to many things boys like: video games, pirates, Sherlock Holmes, etc...

My daughter is 11 and we have been having slumber parties for a long time now (almost every year since she was 6). At that age they will usually make their own fun. But I would advise having some movies and plenty of snacks (my daughter and her friends love m&m's, pretzels, chips, pizza, and such). My daughter said to suggest a game called I Never. What they do is each child has a certain number of snacks (we'll say 10 jelly beans each), the first child says "I never..." and they fill in the blank with something they have never done before (such as I've never been in an airplane), any of the kids that have done what was said would have to eat one of their snacks (so anyone that has been on an airplane before would eat a jelly bean), the winner is the last child to have any snacks left. My daughter and her friends have been playing this game since she started having slumber parties and they always seem to have fun with it. I wouldn't plan too much though because the kids will usually have their own ideas of what they want to do. Good luck and be prepared to stay up late.

You can take almost any board game and make a life sized version of it. Take paper plates and put numbers colors etc on it, but the kids get to be the characters. You can use cards you make up, or cards from a game on hand (go back three spaces, advance to a blue square, etc.). You can make large dice out of a cardboard box, or you can use regular dice or even the big stuffed dice (in the auto section of walmart). I find this a great "special time" between parents and child pre-party time. I also have a game I made with numbers (I made this when my oldest was about 3, to help him recoginize his numbers and colors - but it has been a HUGE hit for years!) I took small paper plates, wrote a number in the middle and a color around the edge. I then made bean bags (I made 6 plates and 6 bean bags). You can do almost ANYTHING with this (my 8 yr old and his best friend like to do math). I hope this helps since they are both cheap and easy games, yet so fun. Good luck!

~Have them make their food like pizza use pitas and sauce from a jar. OR ice cream sundays, it cheep they can add their own toppings!
~prize walk(like a cake walk)
~limbo
~bean bag toss(you could make one with a cardboard box and make your own bean bags.
~balloon stomp. tie a balloon to the kids ankles and they have to pop each others balloon with out getting theirs popped. (not waering shoes of course)
~musical chairs
Can go to wal-mart and buy 22 2liter bottles of pop(.58 cents each) for a ring toss. each got at least two big bottles of pop.
~glow sticks(6 for a $1 at the dollar store) are always a hoot

Just off the top of my head! Have a great party!!

Go to family fun website it has alot of games and birthday party information. Also the library has alot of birthday books. Just type in childrens birthday parties.

jo

Hello K.. Pin the tail on the donkey/rabbit/horse is an old standby. Pinata is fun. Hot Potato. You can also get a prize/gift and hide it and have a scavenger hunt. Good luck, and have fun.

Hi K.. Has your son chosen a theme of any sort? That usually makes chosing games a lot easier, at least for me. My kids are about your eldest son's age, a few ideas to keep the kids busy and happy could be at home bowling (using soda bottles with a bit of water in the bottom for weight and a ball) flash light tag, board games, movie rentals chosen by the kids, making their own pizzas using pre made dough or even english muffins, and simply letting the kids play what ever comes to their minds. When my kids have had friends stay over for their birthday's these things have always been their favorites. It usually seems that when I plan out games or what not for them to do, they always rather to go off on their own to play what ever comes to mind. They're just happy to be together and have the chance to play. As for the little guy, I always find that when one of my children has friends over it gives me a great opportunity for some one on one time with the other. We sit down and watch a movie together, make some sort of craft or goodie like cupcakes or cookies, play a game or color together. Both kids seem to really enjoy the chance for some special one on one time with mom and don't get upset that they don't have friends over too.