15 party games for five year olds
Charlotte Thomas
Social EditorPlanning a birthday party for your five year old and looking for fun party games? We've got loads of ideas to keep kids entertained. From indoor games to outdoor activities, these simple games will keep children happy and make sure they have lots of party fun!
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If you're planning a five-year-old's birthday party, you're going to want some fun games and activities to keep the kids occupied.
At five, children enjoy games and structure and are used to following rules at school. These great party game ideas are perfect for younger kids and will keep them happily entertained. Just make sure you have plenty of small prizes such as sweets and stickers to give to everyone, to avoid any tears.
If you don't want to play too many games at your party, you could also set up a craft table to give kids another activity to enjoy.
1. What's the time Mr Wolf?
You might well remember this game from your own school days.
Pick a confident child – or maybe an adult to start with – to be Mr Wolf. Mr Wolf stands with their back to everyone while the rest of the kids line up at the other side of the room.
The children then ask, 'What's the time Mr Wolf?'
The wolf says a time, such as 'three o'clock'. The children have to take that many steps towards the wolf and then ask the time again.
At any time when the kids ask the time, the wolf can say 'dinnertime!'. The wolf then turns around and chases the other children round the room. If the wolf tags someone before they get back to the start line, they become the wolf.
2. Balloon relay
It's a noisy one but, as long as you don't have kids who are scared of loud noises, a balloon relay is always good fun.
Split kids into two teams. Each team has a basket with one balloon per child in it.
When you shout go, the first contestant in each team runs to their basket and grabs a balloon. They then have to sit on it until it pops! As soon as it's popped, they run back to their team and tag the next player in line.
The first team to pop all their balloons wins.
3. Limbo
It's a favourite at adult parties but kids love limbo too!
Using a bamboo pole or broom handle, get two adults to hold it a a kid-friendly height. You can decorate the pole to make it look pretty or fit in with your party theme. The children then take it in turns to pass under the pole bending backwards so their back is facing the floor.
Each round, the pole gets lower. If anyone touches the pole with any part of their body they're out. The last child remaining is the winner, although with kids you might just want to play for fun.
4. Duck, duck, goose
Get all the kids sitting in a circle then pick out one child or ask for a volunteer.
This child then walks around the outside of the circle, tapping the head of each child as they pass and calling out 'duck'.
After a while, instead of 'duck' when they tap a child on the head they call out 'goose'. They then need to run around the circle to get back to the place they were sitting. The child who they called ‘goose’ has to chase and try to catch the first child.
If the first child gets back round the circle before being caught, they sit down, and the chaser has their turn. If not, the same child goes again.
You can adapt this game to suit your theme by changing the words used, so you could have 'ghost' and 'witch' for a spooky party, or 'sailor' and 'shark' for a pirate themed party, for example.
5. Simon says
Old-fashioned party games like Simon says are still popular today and they're really easy to do.
Get an adult or choose a confident kid to be the person who gives instructions such as 'Simon says put your hands on your head' or 'Simon says walk like a zombie'. The sillier the instructions, the better!
The children have to follow the instructions, but only if the person says 'Simon says' first.
If 'Simon' doesn't say Simon says, and the child follows the instruction, then they're out. The same applies if 'Simon' does say Simon says, but the child doesn't follow the instruction.
Last one standing is the winner.
6. Sardines
Looking for a twist on hide and seek? Sardines is basically the classic game in reverse. One person hides and everyone else looks for them. It's best played in a large space like a whole house or big garden.
Seekers count to a certain number – whatever you like, although between 50 and 100 will allow plenty of time to hide – and one person goes and hides.
When the group has finished counting, they spread out and look for the person hiding. When they find them they join them in the hiding place. The last person to join the group is the next person to hide.
7. Animal treasure hunt
This is ideal for an animal-themed party but you can vary the shapes to fit your theme – you could have unicorns, rainbows or pirates, for example.
Cut matching pairs of large animal shapes out of coloured card, making each pair a different colour.
Chop one of each pair into four pieces and hide the pieces around the garden or house.
Split the children into pairs, and give them one animal to find per pair. Show them the complete example so they know what they’re looking for. The first pair to complete their animal is the winner.
8. Blind man's buff
Blind man's buff is like a fun game of tag.
In a large space, such as a church hall or garden, choose who s going to be 'it'.
This person is blindfolded and has to try and tag the other kids. To make it a bit easier, have the other kids call out the tagger's name, then quickly dodge out of their way. When someone is caught, they then become 'it'.
If you want to add an extra layer of fun, when the person who's 'it' catches someone, they have to guess who it is before they become 'it'.
9. Memory game
Test your guests' memory with this classic memory game, good for smaller, quieter parties.
Put some small items on a tray, for example a comb, teaspoon, eggcup, scissors, or you could use items connected to your party theme if you have one. Between 6 and 15 items is ideal.
Give each child a pencil and paper. Let them look at the tray for a minute, then cover it with a tea towel.
The children have to write down what was on the tray – the one with the most right answers is the winner.
As a variation, you can place some small toys, stickers and gifts on a tray and take away one item at a time while the kids aren't looking. Get them to call out what's missing. The first person to guess the missing item correctly, wins it.
10. Musical corners
Choose four pictures, one for each corner of the room. These can be themed around your party – so if it's a princess party, you might have a princess, a castle, a fairy godmother and a horse, for example – or you can keep it simple by using colours.
Pin a picture in each corner of the room and keep four matching pictures in your hand.
Play some music and get the kids to dance. When the music stops they need to choose a corner of the room to run to. You then hold up one of the four pictures in your hand. All the kids in the corner with the matching picture get a small prize, such as a sweet.
Try and make sure all the kids get a sweet at some point in the game.
11. The chocolate game
Suitable for around five years and above, kids love the chocolate game.
You'll need:
- a large bar of chocolate
- a plate and knife and fork
- a hat, scarf and gloves
- a dice
Put the chocolate on a plate and get the kids to sit around in a circle. Each child throws the dice in turn, passing it round. When someone throws a six, they need to put on the hat, scarf and gloves and try and eat the chocolate using only the knife and fork.
Every time another child throws a six, they take over from the child in the middle who has to pass over the clothes etc, which is when the fun starts. You'll be surprised how often people throw a six!
12. Musical chairs
Put out a row of chairs with alternate chairs facing in opposite directions. If you have a small group you can put the chairs in a circle. Or you can use cushions or bean bags on the floor instad.
Then start playing some fun, upbeat music. The kids have to walk around the chairs while the music plays, and sit down in one of the chairs as soon as it stops.
At the end of each round, take away a chair and then start the music up again. The child left without a chair when the music stops is out. The last child with a chair is the winner.
13. Pin the tail on the donkey
The old ones are always the best and you can give this classic game a modern update by fitting it to your party theme – pin the parrot on the pirate's shoulder, the wand to Harry Potter, or the horn on the unicorn, for example.
Get a large piece of card, draw a donkey on it and make a tail from a separate piece of card or some wool with blu tack on the end.
Blindfold each child, spin them round and get them to attach the tail where they think it should be. Write the child's name in the spot where they stick it.
The winner is the child who gets closest to where the tail should be.
You can buy ready-made kits to play this game. See more details here at Amazon.
14. Sandy scavenger hunt
Treasure hunts outside are always great fun but if you only have a small space for party games, try this sandy scavenger hunt instead. It works particularly well for pirate-themed parties as you can search for buried treasure!
Put some little pieces of ‘treasure’ such as wrapped sweets, chocolate coins, and little toys on a tray, evenly spaced out.
Pour sand all over them, so they're completely hidden.
Give each child a little flag with their name on (make them from cocktail sticks with a slip of paper attached), then let them take it in turns to stick their flag into the sand.
When they’re all done, uncover the treasure – each child wins the items closest to their flag.
15. Mummy wrap race
If you've got a Horrible Histories fan at home then they'll love this Egyptian-themed party game, it also works well for a spooky Halloween party.
Divide the children into groups of three to five and give each group a toilet roll. One child is going to be the mummy and the others have to wrap them in toilet paper (keeping their eyes, nose and mouth free).
The team who finishes their toilet roll and wraps their mummy first is the winner. Or you could give them a time limit, and see who has the most impressive creepy creation when time runs out. Mummy fashion show, anyone?
Are you planning a child's birthday party? Have you got any great kids' party games to recommend? From tug of war to charades, red rover to blind man's buff, share your faves on the forum thread below.
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