Ideas needed for party games for a 4 year olds party

twinmummy+2-2 · 26 November 2007 at 9:04PM

There's been some really great ideas already so not sure what's left.

Depending on what you're serving them, maybe they could be involved in preparing some of the food. Sandwich making always goes down well here. Pin the tail on the donkey (we'll do nose on snowman for Xmas). If there wasn't so many I'd suggest doing some of the decorate yourself plates which they could take home to be baked in the oven and set. (A really nice keepsake) but maybe too pricey. Mine also just love dancing and moving around. Dancing games, musical statues, musical chairs, funny dancing competitions all go down well.

Tracey, I'd also be interested in knowing things to do with a parachute. I bought one on offer ages ago and it's just been sitting under my bed. I'd really like some fresh ideas of what to do with it once the weather picks up again.

fesdufun · 26 November 2007 at 9:21PM

At a recent party I played magic numbers, pass the parcel (with two parcels to make it a bit quicker) and corners.

Magic numbers - write a number on a piece of card for each child - 1 to 17 if you have 17 children and spread them out over the floor. When you play the music all the children run around when the music stops they have to sit or stand on a number. You then call out a number at random to be the winner. Easy rules, children get to run around and only winners no losers as such.

Corners - Four pieces of card with a character from Scooby Doo stuck on each one. Place in each corner. Children run around when the music is playing and when it stops they run to each corner. Someone who isn't looking calls out a character and those children are out. Continue until only one child remains.

I had a two hour party - half an hour free play - half an hour playing organised games - half an hour free play - pass the parcel (to calm them down) then food. Seemed to work ok.

Good luck.

undercover_angel · 26 November 2007 at 9:51PM

PARACHUTE GAMES for those who are interested.

I'll list a few off the top of my head, but we have a book at nursery that has loads in. I'll try and find it out and post a few more when I get chance.

Popcorn- place loads of small balls on the top. Pretend its popcorn and start off 'poppin' it really slowly getting faster and faster till it is really 'popping'

Pass the Parachute- Sit down and try passing the parachute around the circle (kinda hard for littlies though)

Mouse Trap- Ask the children to look at what colour 'segment' of the parachute they are holding, then everyone pull the parachute up into the air, as this is being done, the adult shouts out a colour. Everyone holding that colour runs under the parachute and finds a new space. Everybody else counts down 5,4,3,2,1 then quickly brings the parachute down and shouts Mouse Trap and captures anyone left inside.

Roll the Ball- Place one large ball on the parachute and move it around slowly, getting faster but trying to keep the ball on the parachute.

Mushroom Tent- Everyone raises the parachute into the air and then drops it back down, as they drop it down, everyone steps inside and sits down on the edge, creating a mushroom like dome. We sometimes have little stories and songs inside ours.

Shark Catcher- This is fabulous but boisterous!!! Everyone lies down around the circle with their legs and lower body underneath the parachute. There is one person in the middle of the circle underneath the parachute (this is the shark) There is also 1 or 2 people standing around the circle (they are the lifegaurd(s). The shark has to go around the circle trying to pull the people lying down underneath the parachute, as they do the person being pulled shouts, "Help-Shark" and the Lifegaurd goes to rescue them. Once you have been pulled under, you become a shark too.

Blimey theese sound complicated when they're typed out but they're not honestly. There are sooooooo many more games but my minds gone a blank other than the usual shaking it around and singing "Jelly on a Plate" and asking the children what it reminds them off "Jelly, The Sea, Clouds e.t.c"

Anyway if anyone is interested I will have a look for that book when I get the chance.

Hope theese help!

Tracey

My posts are getting sooooo long! lol

Nenen · 26 November 2007 at 11:30PM

In my experience games where children are 'out' (eg musical bumps or musical statues) and they then have to go and sit away from the 'action' get terribly boring for the children who get out early on. Often the same children are out early in each game and they can then start to misbehave if they feel bored and resentful.... two strategies I've used to overcome this problem are:

1) Only play co-operative games where children don't get 'out' (lots of the parachute type games suggested by undercover-angel are excellent). Any 'games' where children make or do something in teams or pairs (difficult with 17 I know

) are good. There's a wonderful book (not sure if it's still in print) called 'The Co-operative Sports and games Book' by Terry Orlick.

2) If you do want to have games like musical statues then don't make children 'sit' out. Instead, 'draw' a line down the centre of the hall (use masking tape) or a line of chairs. All children start off in one half of the hall. When they are 'out' they go to the other side but can continue to dance and play... just aren't in the competition bit any more.

Other things little ones like are singing games like 'Here we go round the mulberry bush' 'The farmer's in his den' and 'The wheels on the bus'.

To be honest, the younger ones at three and a half is a bit young to play organised games for very long. If all else fails... and they start to get a bit too OTT have a Telly and DVD on standby!

DizzieLizzie_3 · 28 November 2007 at 2:54PM

My son is going to be 4 soon and for his last birthday we hired a hall. We found that hiring a bouncy castle and asking every one to bring a ride on worked really well. The games we played were good old 'Pass the Parcel', musical statues and singing nursery rhymes. The children loved it. Also I would recommend getting one of those huge parachutes (Tescos sell them really cheaply). The kids loved holding it and running underneath. You don't need to spend alot of money or do complicated things at their age, they will still love it. Good luck.

jillsamoneysavingexpertto · 9 June 2009 at 2:03PM

Hi there,

We just had a wonderful low cost party at home. We bought a treasure hunt party game from Lello and Monkey (online) and invited a dozen of my 4 year olds friends. It's quite hard to keep a party going for 2 hours, you need lots of party games, but the treasure hunt was the star of the show. Lello and Monkey also have FREE crafts and games to download from their website in a choice of themes. We paid £5.99 for the safari treasure hunt game and the make your own animal masks and pin the tail on the elephant game were free, including a suggested 2 hour party itinerary! Fool proof and wallet proof.

Hope this helps

Jill

diable · 9 June 2009 at 8:23PM

Musical chairs, Statues where you play music then it stops and you have to catch the one still moving, can't remember what its called but the kids are behind you and they creep up slowly and you turn around to catch them out. My children are 23 and 20 so I have forgotten most of the games, the best party at home was giving the kids all the pillows and cushions and having a massive pillow fight ;o)))

kennethhall250 · 8 October 2019 at 3:13PM

yeah...it was a good game

suejb2 · 10 October 2019 at 6:41PM

kennethhall250 wrote: »

yeah...it was a good game

The original post was 2007! They’l be celebrating a sixteenth soon. Party games are not needed.

zanuda · 13 November 2019 at 2:20PM

Some of these activities were already mentioned. I just want to tell that at the parties my kids attended it was extremely popular:

- pass the parcel (top of popularity)
- musical statues
- musical chairs
- piñata

Another thing, kids need a brake from noisy and active games. Either make something quite in the middle or arrange a tabe for quite activities with some colouring-ins, puzzles or something like that.

Ideas needed for party games for a 4 year olds party

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