Some friends of mine were having a birthday party for their son a while back. They had carefully planned every aspect of the event. The food was a hit, the entertainer was professional, and everyone really got into the theme.
There was only one problem.
The games went quite a bit faster than anticipated. One game that they expected to last over fifteen minutes was over in less than three! When dealing with kids you've always got the element of surprise. It doesn't matter how much planning you do, there's always a curveball at the last second.
The parents weren't supposed to be back to pick up everyone for another half hour. When the children ran out of things to do, they naturally got antsy. Mom and dad started giving each other terrified looks.
Fortunately, I was there to help. Here are two fun birthday party games that don't require any equipment or preparation. They can be done at the last second and stretched out without getting boring. Keep these in your arsenal at all time just in case.
Heads Up! Seven Up!
Seven players stand in front of the group. The group sits down and closes their eyes. The seven in front go around and each touch one person. After seven people have been touched, the seven choosers go back to the front of the room. Then the seven would say "Heads up seven up" and each "touched" student gets one chance to guess which of the seven touched him/her. If they guess right then they get to change places with that person. If they did not guess right, then the same person gets to stay up do it again.
Grocery List A-Z
Start out by saying, "I went to the grocery store and bought apples." Then ask the players to add to the list something bought at the grocery store that starts with the letter B such as "a brush". The next player continues with the letter C and so forth all the way to Z. If a younger child can't think of something, the adults and older kids can help.
Last but not least there's one other emergency preparation that you should make before the party begins.
Have a Movie!
Stop by your local movie rental store and pick up a popular kids movie. If all else fails you can pop it in and the children will be entertained until their parents come to pick them up.
During the planning process you should prepare for any possible emergencies. Having these games (and a movie) on hand will save you from disaster in case things go wrong!
Next, check out the fantastic 12 Step Guide over at http://www.birthdaypartyplan.com. It contains more information about birthday party planning, including more birthday party games!
holloween