We did these at the weekend for dd1's 4th birthday party. I typed them out for the couple of helpers that I had
Party Games
How do I dance
Put on some music so the children can enjoy a dance. Stop the music and say ?How do we dance? We dance by shaking out arms? Put the music back on and dance that way. The next time you stop the music suggest a new way to dance such as weaving our hands in the air, turning around, bending our knees, wiggling our elbows or clapping our hands.
Helpers: Please join in.
Circle Name Clapping Game
This is a good game to introduce the children to each other at the start of the party. Go around the circle asking each child her name. When a child says her name you then clap the syllables and get all the children to copy it.
Helpers: One big circle and all helpers should join in and say their names as well.
Circle In and Out the dusty blue bells
One child is chosen to begin and the others join hands and form arches by raising their arms. The chosen child dances in and out of the ?bluebell? arches as everyone sings the verse. When she gets to the end of the first verse, she stands behind a child in the circle and taps them on the shoulder. That child then stands in front of the first child, who holds her waist and the two of them start weaving back through the bluebells again for a repeat of the verse. A new child joins the line for each chorus, until it all ends in mayhem.
In and out the dusty bluebells,
In and out the dusty bluebells
In and out the dusty bluebells
Who shall be my partner
Helpers: All the children into one circle. Three children should be chosen to be leaders ? make Annabelle one of them please. Space the children as far away from each other and try to keep the lines from joining each other.
Lively Hop bunny hop - prize
Ask all the children to hop around the room until you shout ?Danger a fox? when they must stop and stand very still. Anyone who moves is out. When you shout ?ok, danger?s gone they can start hopping around again.
Helpers: All the children together. We?ll go a couple of rounds before we start elimating children. Once we start to elimnate we?ll have to go fast otherwise we?ll lose the attention of any children that are out.
Circle Bish bash Saucepan
Props: x2 saucepans, x2 blindfolds, x2 wooden spoons
Blindfold one child and sit her down in the middle of the circle on the floor holding a wooden spoon. Then quietly place the saucepan upside down in front of her. She has to ?bash? about with the spoon until she finds the saucepan ? and makes a good crashing sound by hitting it. Once she?s found it, blindfold another child and put the saucepan in a different place
Helpers: Two teams
Lively Line Magic Mirrors
Divide the children into two lines and get them to face each other. Call the first team to be a mirror and the second a reflection. Ask all the mirrors to mime an action such as pretending to eat a meal or brushing their teeth, and then ask all the reflections to copy the mirror?s movements. Mirrors can move their hands, heads, arms and upper body, but not their legs or feet. Then swap.
Quiet Wobbly sweets - prize
Props: bowl of sweets to go on foreheads
All the children lie on their backs, on the floor. Go around and place a small sweet on each child?s forehead. When every child has a sweet ask them to do things that might make the sweet fall off. If the sweet does fall off, the child can eat it but is then out of the game. The last child with the sweet still on his forehead is the winner.
Things to do:
ï‚· Raising their feet in the arm
ï‚· Shaking their arms
ï‚· Touching their noses
ï‚· Sticking their tnogues out
ï‚· Bending their knees up and down
ï‚· Singing Baa Baa Black Sheep
Helpers: All the children together. When a sweet falls off the child should be encouraged to get up and stand to one side and allowed to eat their sweet.
Lively Musical bumps ? prize
The children all dance to the music but when it stops they sit down as fast as possible on the floor. The last one to bump down is out each time.
Helpers: All the children together. A sweet should be given to each child as they come out.
Quiet Bunny in the burrow
Props: two large opaque blankets
The children all lie on the floor, with plenty of room between them. Ask them to close their eyes very tightly, as the bunnies are all in their burrows under the ground. Carefully put the cloth over a child from each team then tell the others its time to wake up and open their eyes. The child under the blanket stays still while the others gather round and try to guess who is missing.
Helpers: We?ll start with Simon and Annabelle under the blankets.
Lively Conga Dance (into tea)
La la la la la Oy?.
TEA
Savory out first ? sweets out last.
Quiet Pass the Parcel
Props: two boxes of presents/sweets
Two boxes of sweets/presents are passed around the circle.
Helpers: If the box falls between two kids, both should be allowed to help themselves. Helpers please ensure that the kids don?t linger over the boxes. The music will go off for a short while and them back on. Also we?re going to attempt to give every child a present so helpers should be ?encouraging? the box to move faster round those with presents. At the end those without will be allowed to help themselves.
Circle Make me Laugh
One child sits in the centre of the circle. He has to look as serious as possible and all the other children have to do their utmost to make him laugh. They aren?t allowed to touch him (no tickling allowed) but can make any silly face or noise they like. As soon as the central child laughs or even twitches a smile, she is out and another child has a turn.
Helpers: two teams, keep it going whilst most children are entertained.
Simon Says - prize
Over to Simon!
Helpers ? All children together and help Simon spot who is wrong.
Chasing game Swap the Sweets
Props: two plates, two bowls, two wrapped sweets for each child.
Simple relay race between the two teams. Each team has a plate of sweets at one end of the room and an empty bowl at the start/finish line. At the command ?GO? the first member of each team has to run to the other end of the room, collect a sweet, then bring it back to be put in his team?s bowl. The next player runs down to collect their sweet, and so on. Each player should run twice, until all the sweets have been collected. The first team to empty their bowl is the winner.
Helpers: try to encourage them to walk and don?t let them scarper with their sweets
Lively Make believe animals
Start the game by saying, ?When the music begins, I want you to hop around the room like rabbits?. When the music stops, the children have to freeze until you tell them the next animal to be and the music starts again.
ï‚· Slither like a snake
ï‚· Leap like a frog
ï‚· Swim like a fish
ï‚· Flap like a bird
ï‚· Prowl like a cat
ï‚· Trot like a pony
ï‚· Scamper like a mouse
Helpers: All the children together ? just join in with them.
Quiet Sleepy Lions
All the kids on the floor pretending to be asleep. The winner is the one who stays the stillest or hopefully has really fallen asleep.
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