Oh gawd help me - it's DS2's 5th Birthday party tomorrow - my mind has gone blank and I need party games............

[guyFAwkesreQuiem]

for a group of mainly 4/5yr olds.

there will be (confirmed) 5 x 4/5yr old girls, DS2 (who is 5 now), DS1 (8) and DS3 (18 months) will also be there, and also another friends DS who has just turned 2 - and possibly one more girl.

my BF and friend with the DS (ShelleyLou) are coming to help me out. It's at home, from 1-3. The garden is unusable - so we're going to be inside, got a reasonable amount of space, and BF is bringing a CD of kids party music for me.

I think I've pretty much ruled out anything "crafty" - I'm just not that sort of a mum, and tbh I think DS3 would just totally trash any crafty stuff the older kids were trying to do

I did post a few weeks ago to ask for ideas and got as far as themed party - but that's gone out of the window, too much other stuff going on for me to get my head round. So it's just a "traditional" birthday party at home (compete with Jelly and Icecream at DS2's request ).

So far I have in mind

Pass the Parcel
Musical bumps/statues/chairs (except using paper on the floor as I don't have enough chairs/space

ermm - and that's about it. HELP (please)

Dressing-up race...

Split children into 2 teams.
At one end of the room put 2 'volunteers' - your BF and Friend would be perfect, but you DS1 would be OK too.
At the other end of the room put 2 piles of clothes - hat, scarf, large cardi or t shirt etc.
The children take turns to collect a piece of clothing, return to their vicitm model and put it on them ... like a relay race.

We used to play this when we were little and I found a photo of it the other week which reminded me

My favourite kids games was:

1. Put splash mat down.
2. Build a mountain of flour on a plate in the centre
3. place smartie/grape/edible item on the top of the mountain and time how long it takes each child to eat the edible item (hands tied behind back, and knelt down on the floor next to the plate)

The winner gets a prize.

Does that make sense? HTH!

Result is funny as everyone ends up with floury face. Could be messy though. My Mum was obviously braver than me!

Or, another one.
Get a big pile of dressing up clothes & a big bar of chocolate.

Sit all the kids in a circle.
Pass round a pair of dice.
The first kid to throw X (could be a double 5 if LO is 5 years old) has to put on all the dressing up clothes at once and once they are derssed, gets to eat the chocolate....with a knife and fork - hacking at the big bar...
Meanwhile, the other kids in the circle are still throwing the dice, trying to get a double 5 or whatever, as soon as another kid gets double 5, then the kid eating the chocolate dressed up, has to stop eating the chocolate, take all the dressing up clothes off as quick as possible and the new kid has to dress up and gets a turn to eat the chocolate with the knife and fork.

That was a great favourite in our house.

'Corners' is a good way of getting them to the table ... or just a good game ...

Put a picture/colour/letter in each corner of the room. If you have furniture in the corners then anywhere will do; it's best to have 3 or 4 if you can.
Play music while they dance in the middle.
When the music stops they all choose a corner to stand in.
An adult who isn't looking (nudge, nudge) choses one corner and everyone there is 'out' - so has to go and wash their hands or whatever.
If you want it to go faster then the children in the corner you pick get to stay in instead of being out ... but you don't have that many children.

Simon Says is a very basic one but went down a storm at the last 4 yo party we went to.

Lizzz - that sounds like lots of fun.........but I'm not sure I'd like to risk it with 2 toddlers in the room as well...........really don't want flour in my new computer

Although I will have a mat of some description to put on the floor - I simply don't have enough chairs for them all to sit at the table so they can sit on the floor with their plates

I also don't own any dressing up clothes .

Like the sounds of corners though will do that one.

We used to use my Dads old clothes - shirts, jumpers, jeans, whatever.
Good luck, and make sure there is a nice glass of wine waiting for you at the end of the day!

we don't have dad's old clothes - he chucked out everything he wanted to keep before he left, and took the rest with him. And I did a major sort out not long ago either

Oh yes there'll be wine for later, ShelleyLou is staying with me overnight as she's coming to DS3's Christening on Sunday (and has made the cake) - we're going to take our DS's to see the town Christmas lights being switched on in the Later afternoon/evening, and then come back via Morrisons to buy wine and pizza

Simon says
Musical islands (like musical chairs but you use newspaper instead - more than one child can stand on it at a time as long as they have feet on it), and remove one at a time
Musical bumps/statues etc - a few rounds of that
Limbo - BIG hit! (skipping rope, or long scarf as rope)
Duck Duck Goose (if your room is of a reasonable size)
Pin tail on donkey (or put carrot nose on snowman)
Disco dancing type stuff - best/funniest dancer.
Matching/searching game. Take a packet of snap cards - hide half around the room. Divide other half amoung the kids and get them to find the matching pair. Give a sweet or sticker for everyone they find.
Relay races - pass orange under chin from person to person, balloon under legs/over head etc.

Good luck!

Oooo, another one --- turn your friend into a snowman/mummy. Divide kids into 2 or 3 teams - give them lots of toilet paper and get them to wrap someone up as a mummy/snowman. They could do one of the adults or do one of the kids whatever. Get camera ready - v. funny!

Sleeping lions good for when you've had enough ...