19 Engaging Activities for Kids at Your Next Party
This post has 19 excellent games and activities for kids to keep everyone entertained at your next party.
Whether you are celebrating Christmas, bringing in the new year surrounded by family and friends or a simple dinner party keeping kids entertained can be difficult.
Beyond opening the playroom or putting on a movie, let’s look at some ideas to not only entertain the kids but also ensure they have an enjoyable time as well.
Alternatively, these ideas or activities and games for kids work well for your child’s next birthday party, by incorporating activities throughout the party you can guarantee the children are entertained all party long.
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Start The party off easily as soon as the children start to arrive. By having a couple of activities set up and ready for everyone to keep them happy and occupied.
Face Painting Station
Start off the party with a face painting station. Either hire a face painter or give it a go yourself with some non-toxic, washable face paints. This idea is great as you do not need to be an artist to make kids happy with face paint.
Activity Table
Set up an activity table with crayons and pens ready for the activities. Provide a stack of printable activities and coloring pages that are cohesive with the theme of the party. I.e. Christmas printables at Christmas time or New Year’s activity to bring in the new year.
Storytime Corner
Create a cozy corner with pillows, blankets, and a pile of books. Either read stories to the children or encourage discover the book by themselves.
Movie Time
It seems obvious, however, have a couple of movie options available. Let them pick and encourage them to go and discuss which movie to watch among themselves.
The act of discussing, compromising, and then choosing which movie means there is more chance they will all watch it.
Kids Activity Lucky Dip
Have a hat or bowl with activity options written on pieces of paper. Get them to pick an activity at random one at a time to not only spread out the activity but add a bit of excitement into introducing a new activity.
Balloon Timer
Place ballons ready to be poped every hour, inside each ballon in a new activity. Such as puzzles, train sets, decorating clay pots, beaded bracelet making, etc.
The options are endless, try and have enough balloons that each kid gets to pop a balloon (limiting the fighting).
Alternatively, instead of times have the kids pop a random balloon and do the activity inside.
Here are some activity ideas for the kids:
Jigsaw Puzzle Station
Bring out age-appropriate jigsaw puzzles to a table. Kids can work together or individually to complete them. Additionally, you can set a timer for added excitement, encouraging friendly competition.
DIY Party Hats
Provide plain hats along with stickers, markers, and other craft supplies. Children can decorate their party hats, fostering creativity.
Paper Plate Crafts
Stock up on paper plates, glue, scissors, and colored paper. Kids can make various crafts, from masks to animals, using these affordable materials. In addition, consider having a “craft corner” where kids can display and discuss their creations with one another.
Cupcake Decorating
Bake plain cupcakes ahead of time or buy enough for each kid and let the children decorate them with colorful frosting, sprinkles, and edible decorations. Simultaneously, you can have a designated area for cupcake decorating, allowing kids to move freely between stations.
DIY Friendship Bracelets
Provide beads, strings, and instructions for making friendship bracelets. It’s a creative and social activity that kids can enjoy together. Furthermore, you can introduce a “bracelet exchange” session where kids swap their creations, promoting camaraderie.
Puppet Show
Supply brown paper bags, markers, and craft materials for kids to create their puppets. Encourage them to put on a puppet show for the entertainment of everyone.
Cookie Decorating
Bake or buy plain sugar cookies and provide different colored icing, sprinkles, and edible decorations. Kids can unleash their culinary creativity. Subsequently, you can arrange a “cookie display” for everyone to admire before indulging in the delicious treats.
Activities for Kids that everyone at the party can enjoy
Plan or organize entertainment and activities for not just kids to enjoy but everyone.
An easy way to engage the whole party in activities that adults will find as fun as the kids.
To illustrate, you could incorporate classic games like charades or a trivia quiz that appeals to all age groups.
Balloon Animals Workshop
Hire a balloon artist or watch online tutorials to learn how to create simple balloon animals. Children can enjoy the process and take their creations home. Additionally, consider turning it into a friendly competition by having a “best balloon animal” contest.
Treasure Hunt
Organize a simple treasure hunt with clues leading to a hidden “treasure.” This classic game keeps kids and adults engaged and excited. For instance, you can create themed clues related to the occasion or the party venue for added intrigue.
Musical Chairs
Set up a lively game of Musical Chairs with upbeat music. It’s a classic party game that requires minimal preparation and keeps everyone active. However, it’s crucial to be mindful, as Musical Chairs between adults can get out of hand very quickly. Spoken from personal experience.
Outdoor Activities For Kids And Adults
Bring the party into the yard, let the kids run wild, and bring them together every now and then with some outdoor games and activities. In the meantime, you can set up a shaded area with refreshments for adults to relax and socialize.
Bean Bag Toss
Set up a simple bean bag toss game using buckets or cutouts with different point values. It’s a fun and inexpensive activity that improves hand-eye coordination. Furthermore, you can keep a scoreboard to add a competitive element and celebrate the winners.
Bubble Station
Create a bubble station with an inexpensive bubble solution and wands. It’s a timeless and entertaining activity that kids of all ages enjoy.
Sack Race
Arrange a sack race using old pillowcases or sacks. This classic outdoor game adds an element of friendly competition and physical activity to the party.
