Children's indoor birthday party games

How do I choose the right birthday party games?

Variety is key:

There are many different games for children's birthday parties: fast-paced active games, funny singing games and calm but exciting games that require concentration. It's best to have a good mix of games ready so boredom doesn't set in. That way you can also respond with a suitable game if, for example, there has been a quarrel or the children get too rowdy.

Choose games appropriate to the number of guests:

Games like Blind Man's Buff or Musical Chairs are more fun with many children. Others, like pot-hitting (Topfschlagen) or storytelling, also work with three or four children. Think about which games are suitable for the number of birthday guests and, for active games, move a few pieces of furniture aside if necessary.

No pressure to play:

You've prepared a large selection of games, but all the birthday guests are playing a game they invented in the children's room or are happily running around? Let the children decide what they want to do, because birthday games should be an offer, not an obligation. That also applies if a child doesn't want to take part. Maybe they'll enjoy the next game more.

Far from old-fashioned: classic children's birthday games

Geburtstagsspiele | Dekorierter Tisch, im Hintergrund spielen Kinder

Blind Man's Buff, pot-hitting (Topfschlagen) or Musical Chairs: Many active games were played the same way at children's birthday parties a hundred years ago. The great thing about the old birthday games is that they require hardly any preparation and few materials. This way you can be flexible at the party and, depending on the mood, decide whether to suggest a game or let the children play by themselves.

Blind Man's Buff: A child's eyes are covered with a scarf or cloth. Another child spins them a few times in a circle and then they must walk around and try to catch one of the other children. If they catch a child, they have to guess who it is. The captured child becomes the next Blind Man's Buff.
Musical Chairs: A number of chairs (one fewer than the number of players) are arranged in a circle with the seats facing outward. Then music is played and all the children walk or dance in a circle around the chairs. As soon as the music stops, each child must sit on a chair. The player who doesn't get a chair is eliminated. Then a chair is removed from the circle and the music starts again. This is repeated until only two players and one chair remain. Whoever sits on the chair last has won.
Spin the Bottle: All the children sit in a circle with a bottle in the middle. First a task is chosen, e.g.: "Whoever the bottle points to must hop on one leg across the room!" Then the bottle is spun and the person the bottle neck points to must complete the task. Afterwards they may name the next task and spin the bottle.
Chocolate-eating with obstacles: For this game you need a bar of chocolate, well wrapped with several layers of newspaper and packing tape, as well as a hat, gloves and scarf, a knife and fork and a die. All the items are placed in the middle and the children take turns rolling the die. As soon as a child rolls a six, they must put on the hat, gloves and scarf as quickly as possible, take the knife and fork and try to unwrap the chocolate bar with them. The other children, meanwhile, of course keep rolling — hoping that the next six will come up and another child will take over the hat, gloves and scarf.
Freeze Dance: All the children dance together to music until it suddenly stops. As soon as the music goes off, all the children must freeze in the position they were in. Whoever moves last is eliminated. Whoever remains at the end has won the round.

When it gets too loud: quiet games for the children's birthday party

Telephone: A child thinks of a word and whispers it into the next child's ear. That child whispers what they understood into the next ear and so on, until the last child has to say the word out loud. Usually something completely different comes out in the end.
I pack my suitcase: This one requires concentration: the first child starts with "I'm packing my suitcase... a swimsuit." Now it's the second child's turn: "I'm packing my suitcase a swimsuit and... a ball." Each child repeats the previously said items and must show a good memory.

Birthday party games & accessories