Some parents are great at designing beautiful birthday cakes. Others enjoy making intricate decorations for their kids' parties.
But sometimes the thought of what exactly you're going to do with a house full of kids during a three-hour birthday bash can make an otherwise confident mom or dad start to sweat.
Don't fret. This list of party games is here to help.
Cruise through these ideas for fun, easy activities for school-age kids. Then, contribute your own suggestions following the link below to help other parents plan stress-free parties for their kids.
1. Animal Tag
Animal tag is a great option whether you have six kids at the party or 60. It's active and silly and doesn't have a definitive end point, so keep the kids playing as long as they're having fun.
2. Quiet Circle Guessing Game
This game is the perfect way to calm the kids down when you're ready to cut the cake or send everyone home.
3. Human Tic Tac Toe
Play a life-sized version of Tic Tac Toe using kids as the Xs and Os.
4. Soda Bottle Ring Toss
Borrow this classic game from old-style carnivals and award the kids with bottles of soda pop as prizes.
5. Blow the Duck Down the River
In this party game, kids blow air through drinking stars to propel rubber ducks down a makeshift river.
6. Bean Bag Toss
This classic party game can be adapted to fit any theme. Buy a kit or make your own bean-bag set following these instructions.
7. Who Do You Love?
This active game really gets kids moving, and since there are no winners or losers, the kids can enjoy the game as long as they like.
8. Princess Party Games
Throwing a princess party? Watch the kids have a ball playing these fun party games.
9. Catch My Heart
Play this game as "Catch My Heart" on Valentine's Day or adapt its name (Catch my Pirate, Catch my Unicorn, etc.) depending on the theme of the party.
10. Matchmaker
In this game, kids are given a mystery identity and then must ask clues to determine who they are.
