Surefire Birthday Party Games

As the mother of four children who are now teenagers, I often shudder when the time to plan a birthday party comes. We have had the entire range of birthday parties at our house - the brawl, the complete failure, and the ultimate success. I've dealt with screaming children, crying preteens, and surly teenagers (and sometimes all of these within one party!), and I know that one thing holds true with every birthday party: birthday party games can make or break your party, and some definitely work better than others.

The Balloon Pop
This is a great game, because it works for all ages. Even adults and teenagers get in on the action in this birthday party game.

In this game, everyone will find a partner. The "Master of Ceremonies" (and it's usually Mom) hands out a balloon to each team of two. When the Master of Ceremonies blows the whistle (or claps her hands, or yells "GO!"), the partners on each team stand back to back with the balloon in between them, trying desperately to pop the balloon.

Who wins? Well, that depends on your party. For older kids, whoever pops the balloon first wins. For the little ones, who may have issues with "losing," it may be best to wait until all the balloons are popped and then give everyone prizes.

The Dizzy-Yard Dash
This birthday party game provides GUARANTEED laughter, and usually at least a few good falls.

The only thing required for this game is a stretch of land and some blindfolds. It's usually done best in groups of four to eight. Each personal participating in the "run" stands at the start line, where they put on a blindfold. They are then spun around and around until they are good and dizzy (usually about 15 times). When the Master of Ceremonies yells "GO!" the runners head for the finish line. As they are dizzy, however, they usually go veering off in every possible direction, to the delight of the crowd, who are usually doubled over with laughter by the time their friends crawl across the line.

Who wins? For the bigger kids, whoever crosses the finish line first. For the little ones, though, it works best if everyone wins. We've handled this by handing out prizes to each little one as they cross the finish line.

These are only a beginning: birthday party games are limited only by your imagination and creativity. It is easy and fun to incorporate a theme into each game, or have the games be a them unto themselves. We've had entire parties centered around blowing bubbles, which ended with everyone trying to encase their partner in a giant bubble made from dish soap. The point of any birthday party game is to have fun, blow of some steam, and bring people together. If you keep those objectives in mind, your birthday party game is bound to be a hit.