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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

games for 5 year old's party

24 replies

lyra41 · 06/01/2011 16:44

Hi

I am having about 10 5 year olds over for my
ds's birthday party on Saturday.

Does anyone know any good games that don't end up leaving people out and only have 1 winner? Things like statues, bumps etc. tend to say "you're out" at regular intervals and could prove upsetting for sensitive souls.

Any ideas much appreciated.

Thanks

OP posts:
OracleOfDelphinium · 06/01/2011 16:49

Oh, go for the traditional ones. They have to learn that not everyone can be a winner at some point. Mine all survived their parties, and traditional party games featured strongly.

PandaG · 06/01/2011 16:51

bumps amd statues don't have to have children out and a winner if you don't want them to.

pin the tail on the donkey - there is a winner but no-one out

chocolate game - throw a die, if you get a 6 out on hat, scarf and gloves and attempt to eat wrapped bar of choc with a knife and fork. others kep on throwing die, when someone else throwa a six they claim hat & gloves etc and continue to try and eat choc. Advisable to have a few mini choc bars for anyone who ends up not having any of the big one

pass the parcel

lyra41 · 06/01/2011 16:52

thanks folks, that's very helpful.

OP posts:
scurryfunge · 06/01/2011 16:53

Pass the (rigged) parcel with mini prizes for in between the wrappers so everyone wins something.

You can still do musical chairs, statues,etc if you get to pick up a sweet on being out. Kids don't really care, so long as it is not always the same winner.

Tikkabillajive · 06/01/2011 17:00

You have to play Don't Eat Tommy Smartie - I found it on mn and it was a total hit at my dd's 5th birthday party last summer - so much so that all plans for other games were abandoned! Hang on, I will have a look and see if I can find the thread with the rules before I type them all out for you!

gillybean2 · 06/01/2011 17:05

pass the parcel (put sweets/balloons in each layer, use newspaper to wrap when it gets too big)

or this is fun too
www.yellowmoon.org.uk/product-Hot-Potato-Musical-Game-G151.htm
We didn't use the chip cards but if it stopped on you you had to do a forfeit and got a sweet and then came out of the circle so everyone got a turn.

Put four pictures up in the corners of the room. Play the music, they run to a corner when the music stops, if that picture is the one picked out of the hat they're out. If it goes on too long remove one/two of the corners.

Anything busy where they don't have to sit out too long is best really.

Carrotsandcelery · 06/01/2011 17:14

Duck, duck, goose? - They all sit in a circle and one person walks around the circle patting each person in the circle on the head saying, "duck", one at a time, until they decide to pat someone on the head and say, "goose". The person "goosed" has to stand up and chase the person who patted them round the circle. If the patter gets round and into their space before the person who patted them catches them then they sit down in the circle and the person patted starts patting.

It is my ds (6) favourite party game.

You can also do a treasure hunt. We did it one year by cutting out paper eggs. Each child had a 10 paper eggs in their colour to find. We had them blu takked to windows, doors, walls, etc all over the house. We did it before the party. They get a sweet when they find all theirs. They can do it in pairs too but it doesn't last so long. Those finished quickly can help the stragglers.

Flour mountain - bit messy - maybe lay out a large plastic table cloth on the floor for this one. On a tray make a mountain of flour in the same way you would make a sandcastle but using a bowl and flour. Then place a sweet on top. Child has to kneel, put hands behind back and take sweet off with teeth. Usually get a face full of flour too - makes for some fun party photos.

Pass the hula hoop. Give each child a straw. They stand in a circle. They put the straw in their mouth and have to pass the hula hoop round the circle from straw to straw. Usually very funny. If the crowd is big you can make two circles.

You can also play the same game passing balloons from between your knees to between the next person's knees with hands behind your back.

Kids also generally love disco dancing - you can give each child a prize eg best jumps, funkiest moves, etc. They all win so all happy. Prize can be sweet or plastic medal or button badge etc.

Carrotsandcelery · 06/01/2011 17:15

Drawing competitions also work well if you need to calm them down a bit - do it the same way as the dancing one - each get a "prize" for a different feature.

TmiEdward · 06/01/2011 17:20

Pinata!!

Get them online to fit your theme, or I have seen them in Tesco, or get the papier pache out and make one!

nowwearefour · 06/01/2011 17:25

squeak piggy squeak was a big hit at christmas with my 5 yr old ! we also hid lots of gold coins around the place and said go and find 10 each. then there was a peaceful 10 minutes when they ate them all !

Tikkabillajive · 06/01/2011 18:17

Sorry, my internet crashed and then my ds had a nosebleed! Here are Tommy Smartie rules that I'd copied from an old thread (thanks to whoever the original person who posted it was!) Guaranteed hilarity, I promise!

'Don't eat Tommy Smartie:

Get kids to sit in a circle. Take one kid out of the room. While she/he is out you pour a few smarties out onto a plate and get a child to choose one to be "Tommy Smartie". Bring child back into the room. Let him start eating smarties until he lifts "Tommy Smartie" when all the kids have to shout out loudly "DON'T EAT TOMMY SMARTIE!!!".

That's it. They love it. They all want to have a turn. They don't even get to eat many smarties if you just put a few on the plate each time. And because they all want a turn it takes AGES. Seriously, everyone should try it.'

Tikkabillajive · 06/01/2011 18:22

ps I wouldn't worry too much about the element of competition/ having 1 winner - IME at this age they pretty much know the form for parties and don't seem bothered about not winning.

Also, in games like musical statues, instead of being 'out' you can give them a lolly and ask them to come and help you be judge. Wink

Carrotsandcelery · 06/01/2011 18:30

Grin The Tommy Smartie game sounds great fun - anyone tried playing it in the pub?Grin

PandaG · 06/01/2011 18:47

we did tommy smartie with 10 year olds - using minstrels and maltesers, and called it 'don't eat Gnasher's Poo' - was a Beano party. Went down extremely well!

OracleOfDelphinium · 06/01/2011 18:57

No, no, no to pinata. DD went to a 6th b'day party with one. The children couldn't get it to crack open. When the mum finally managed it, there was a mad scrum for the contents. Half the children - including the b'day child - were weeping because the other half had grabbed all the good stuff.

If you go down this road, get a big bucket and ask them to put everything in it so you can share it out for party bags.

tassisssss · 06/01/2011 19:02

Tommy Smartie game is mine, I thank you, well I introduced it to Mumsnet but seriously it's amazing.

I'm happy to share it but should like it to be known as "Tassissss' Tommy Smartie game" from now on Smile .

(actually we had Ben Smartie at a Ben 10 party and Darth Smartie at a Star Wars party!)

PandaG · 06/01/2011 19:04

well thanks tassisssss - Gnasher's Poo was a real hit

Tikkabillajive · 06/01/2011 20:00

tassisssss it was you! I searched but couldn't find the original thread! Thank you - Tommy Smartie has become the stuff of legend in our family and to dd and her friends! Smile

tassisssss · 06/01/2011 20:04

You're so welcome. I nicked it off a friend so not really mine, but it's legendary here too and its popularity is spreading across MN which amuses me somewhat!

Tikkabillajive · 06/01/2011 20:21

Grin It's perfect for 5 yr olds I reckon - just the right balance of suspense and hilarity - plus it involves eating sweets!

peasandbeans · 06/01/2011 20:28

You can play musical islands. Put enough bit of newspaper (islands) on the floor for everyone, then gradually take them away till there's only one left. A bit like musical chairs, with the difference that its fine to share an island, so it gets more and more fun as everyone tries to squash onto less paper and they all have to help each other out to hold on.

tassisssss · 06/01/2011 20:40

Adored by 7 year old boys too!

ginbob · 08/01/2011 18:16

hope your party went well! I am planning to pinch a few of these brilliant games for my dd's 5th party coming up soon. There are some great ideas here....:)

Wendyhendy1 · 11/01/2011 11:17

you need to check out this website
Party Ideas for 5 year olds
they have great party games suggestions and even a party plans, so nothing can go wrong. We did the pirate treasure hunt for my son's 5th Birthday and it was a great success.

Have fun!

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