It’s your son or daughter’s birthday and now you would like to organize a children’s party. But which games and activities are suitable for children aged four to six? At this age, short, easy games and simple activities such as tag, decorating the tablecloth, eating licorice laces and grabbing a grab bag are fun. Choose multiple indoor and outdoor activities so that you do not have to adjust the program at the last minute. During the party, see which games the children like and allow more time for them.
Choosing games and activities for a children’s party
Young children cannot concentrate for very long. They also need time and space for themselves. That is why it is wise to choose short, easy games. Don’t plan the party from start to finish. Children would still like to play for a while with the toys available. Start by choosing a few indoor and outdoor activities. When the weather is good, the children can go outside. In bad weather you stay indoors. Although, a treasure hunt in the rain can also be a lot of fun. Put on boots, a poncho over your clothes and then splash in the puddles.
Decorate a tablecloth
Required: plastic tablecloth and markers
There are plastic tablecloths for sale that the children can color in with special markers. It’s fun to do this at the beginning of the party. The table looks extra festive with a colored cloth.
Night watch
Make the room dark. Send one of the children to the hallway and give the other children a number. Then the children can go and hide. The child standing in the hallway may come in and say: ‘The night watchman is there and the clock is striking.’ The night watchman calls a number and the child with that number makes an animal sound. The night watchman has to guess which animal the child is imitating and goes looking for the animal.
Skittles
Needed: plastic skittles or bottles filled with some water and a small ball.
Line up the cones. Give the ball to one of the children. Each child is allowed to throw three times. The child with the most knocked over cones is the winner.
Throwing water balloons
Required: water balloons, water balloon syringe, water
Games with water are always good on a hot day. Fill the water balloons before the party starts and store them in buckets or a laundry basket. With a water balloon syringe you can fill one balloon at a time. It takes some time because you always have to put new water in the syringe. Another way to fill the balloons is the Bunch O Balloons system. You connect this system to the garden hose or water tap. Turn on the tap and the balloons fill with water. This way you can fill up to 100 balloons at the same time. As soon as the balloons are full they fall off the system. You don’t have to tie them because they close automatically. Place a bucket underneath and you will catch them immediately. The children can pelt each other with the balloons, but they often also enjoy making one of the parents/guardians wet.
Pass water
Needed: cups, water
Give each child a cup with water. Have the children make a line. The child at the front of the line must empty the cup towards the back without looking back . The child standing behind the front child catches the water and so it continues.
Make drawings with sidewalk chalk
Needed: sidewalk chalk
With sidewalk chalk you can make the most beautiful drawings on the sidewalk or on the street. Give each child a section of sidewalk and a box of sidewalk chalk. Give the children an assignment, or let them draw freely. They can take the leftover sidewalk chalk home afterwards. After the party you can remove the drawings with water and a broom.
Eating licorice laces
Required: bag of licorice laces.
Divide the children into pairs. Tie a knot in the middle of the licorice laces and give each pair a licorice lace. All children put one end in their mouth and keep their hands behind their backs. After giving the starting signal, the children must try to eat the licorice lace. The winner is the one who gets to the knot first. The winners can then compete against each other. With licorice laces and some round chips, the children can also make a tasty chain that they can eat afterwards.
Bad luck sticker
One of the children can be the tagger, the other children run away. The child who is tapped must hold the place where he was tapped. This way he has to try to tap someone else. Do the children no longer like this? Then come up with a variation on this tapping game. In warm weather you can play a tapping game with wet sponges. The tagger tries to hit someone by throwing a wet sponge. It becomes even more fun when there are multiple taggers.
Dress up bag passing game
Needed: bag, clothes
Put different types of clothes and some other items such as sunglasses, shoes, etc. in a bag. The children pass the bag to each other while the music is on. The moment the music stops, the child, with the bag in his hand, takes something out without looking and puts it on. Continue until everyone is wearing something.
Switch trick
One of the children is allowed to go into the hallway. The other children wear something from each other such as a shoe, glasses, pin, etc. The child who has been waiting in the hallway has to guess what has changed and who the things belong to.
Grab bag
Needed: container, scraps of newspaper or Styrofoam, gifts.
It’s nice for the children to have a quick grab before they go home. Wrap a number of small gifts and place them in a container with Styrofoam or newspaper scraps. The children can grab one by one.