If you are looking for some easy party fun that is budget-friendly and creative this spring or summer, look no further than a box of sidewalk chalk. When each guest arrives, provide him or her with several chalk sticks tied together with a ribbon. The party activities can take place around the chalk. For games and activities using this magic stuff, check out these ideas:

1. DIY Network has a great article on how to make sidewalk chalk for the especially creative!
2. Draw a Hop Scotch pattern and play.
3. Draw a Tic Tac Toe board and play.
4. Make a sidewalk mural together.
5. If an outside wall is available, cover it with large sheets of butcher paper, and have the kids enjoy making graffiti art with their chalk.
6. Have the kids think up a small rhyme or poem together, and then write it out and illustrate it using the chalk.
7. Play Hangman.
8. Make a pattern with dots, and have the kids connect the dots to make a picture.
9. Check out this FamilyFun.com Racing Rectangles game using sidewalk chalk.
10. Have the kids write their names with the chalk and decorate them as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for a few new classic games to play at your kids’ parties beyond Musical Chairs and Pin the Tail on the Donkey?

Why not try …

Read the rest of this entry »

What if you want to throw your child a great party, and yet you, as the parent, don’t have a lot of energy to keep up with the kids?

I was recently asked this question by a mom who was pregnant. She wanted her first child to have a great birthday party and have fun but also needed to not overexert herself.

Read the rest of this entry »

I still have a classic Magic 8 Ball ~ do you? If you are having a tween party soon, a very fun game uses the Magic 8 ball to spin some party magic. Here’s how it works:

Before the party, write down silly things to do like “Will I have to run around the room and balk like a chicken!” At the party have the guests sit in a circle pass the Magic 8 Ball around to music, like Hot Potato. When the music stops, the kid with the Ball will take a slip of paper from the basket, read the question to everyone, then shake the Magic 8 Ball and follow its reply. If the ball answers “yes” the kids do what the paper says. If the ball says “no” or does not give a definite answer, put the slip of paper back in the basket and continue playing. If the person does the action, then keep this slip of paper out of the basket so it will not be repeated.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Yo-Yo is such fun! Even as an adult, I find it relaxing to play with a Yo-Yo! It’s history is one of the oldest as far as toys are concerned. For kids aged 8 years old and up, a fun activity at a kid’s party is to play with the Yo-Yo. When the kids arrive, hand out different types of Yo-Yos and these can also be the party favors that the guests take home with them.
Read the rest of this entry »

Even if parents aren’t huge fans of their kids popping bubbles and chomping on gum ~ kids seem to love bubble gum!  It is a quintessential part of most childhoods.  When planning a kid’s birthday party, just using packs of Hubba Bubba and/or Bubblicious bubble gum, you can definitely keep the kids busy with a series of fun games.  Kids will have fun, and it is simple and budget-friendly too! Here are the Bubbly Yummy Games:

1. Split your guests into teams of 3-5 people or play this game individually. Get some paper plates, bubble gum, and canned whipped cream. Put a piece of bubble gum on the plate and swirl the whipped cream over it until the bubble gum is completely covered. Have the kids dig through the whipped cream and find the bubble gum. Players must keep their hands behind their backs and dig through the whipped cream with their faces. Once they find it, they must blow a fairly good sized bubble. Go through until every one has had a turn. The person who blows the bubble first is the winner if playing individually or the first team where all members have blown a bubble wins!
2. Three people are needed to play this game. All players gather in a circle and make a fist with both hands. Players hold their fists out in the middle of the circle. A counter must be chosen from these players; perhaps the oldest. The counter takes one of their fists and tap everyone’s fists (including their own twice) as they say this rhyme: “Bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?” Who ever they tap last should give a number between 1 and 10. Then the counter taps all fist again in order to the specified number. Whoever they land on has to take that fist out of the circle and place their hand behind their back. Then the counter then starts all over again with the “Bubble gum, Bubble gum etc.” and repeats the process until only one person is left with one fist in the center. Once both of fists are tapped, the player is out. If the counter lands on their own fist, they then only tap themselves once and if they land on themselves a second time they are also out.
3. Have a Bubble Blowing Contest.  You start by giving each of the participants 3 pieces of bubble gum, all of different colors.  Each participant then starts chewing their gum, on piece at a time.  The participants then blow a bubble with their bubble gum and remove bubble and hold it in their free hand.  If a bubble pops, it doesn’t count, the participant has to go back and re-blow the bubble.  Then they start on the next piece of bubble gum and the next bubble.  The person who has all three of their bubbles formed first wins.  You can certainly simplify this game to simply blowing bubbles and seeing who can blow the biggest one!
4. Guess the number of bubblegum balls are in a jar!
5. Have a bubblegum treasure hunt!  Hide giant gumballs throughout the party area for the kids to find.
6. Split your party guests into two teams and arrange the kids into two lines.  Give each kid a piece of wrapped bubble gum and a pair of garden gloves. At the start of the game the first kid in each line must unwrap the gum and stick it in his mouth. Once he’s successful (it will be difficult due to the gloves), he taps the next kid behind him to start unwrapping his gum. The first team to have all members chewing gum wins!
7. Have a Bubble Gum Relay Race.  Split the kids into two teams.  Have the kids race to the other end of the race, where they must unwrap a piece of gum, blow a bubble, take it out, place in the wrapper, throw into a garbage bin, and return to the line for the next kid in line to do the same.  The first team done, wins!

Read the rest of this entry »

A great game to play whether it be for a rainy afternoon, a family gathering, or a kids’ birthday is charades. It is easy in that it requires 4 kids to play, a stopwatch to keep time, and “idea” cards. These can be of anything or around a particular theme, i.e. if you are having a barnyard animal party, you can have the kids play charades around the animals in the barn.

This is a good party game, in particular, because it requires action and movement and everyone can take their turn to be in the spotlight. Have a collection of pictures gathered either of random stuff or to match your party theme. Have the kids each pick a card out of a bowl, and then they have to act that “idea” out for the kids to guess in a designated period of time.

Read the rest of this entry »