Is it a rainy day and all the kids are cooped up inside? Is your son or daughter sick, stuck home from school, and going crazy with boredom? Do you need some ideas for quick, easy games for a child's birthday party? Well you've come to the right place. Kids' games don't have to be elaborate or complicated. Most likely you've already got everything you need around the house to come up with fun, wholesome games that could keep the kids busy for hours. Here are a few ideas to help get your creative juices flowing:
Ducky, Ducky
This game isn't just for kids, adults will find it hilarious too. All you need is enough seats for everyone present, a blindfold, and either a pillow or something that can be used for pointing. One person is blindfolded and stuck in the middle of the group. Then, everyone scrambles seats, making as little noise as possible. For the next step, there are two options. If you are using a pillow, the person in the middle finds a lap, places a pillow on it, and sits on the pillow. If you are using a pointer, the person in the middle simply points to a place in the circle. The blindfolded person will then say the name of an animal, for instance "Ducky, ducky" or "Froggy, froggy." The person pointed to, or sat on must then make the sound of the animal while attempting to disguise his or her voice. The blindfolded person has to name the player making the noise. If he or she guesses correctly, the two trade places. If not, play continues.
Matching
This is a good game for small groups or even for individuals. You can either allow the player(s) to create their own playing cards by drawing pairs of matching pictures, or you can create the cards yourself using clipart on the computer. There can be as many or few pairs as you wish. Scramble the cards and lay them out face down. The player(s) then take turns turning over two cards at a time trying to find pairs. Whoever has the most pairs at the end wins.
Squirt bottle game
This game has the added bonus of washing a few little grubby faces during the course of play. Similar to Ducky, Ducky, everyone sits in a circle except the player who is "it." He or she is given a squirt bottle full of water and the directive to choose a category. The category may be anything from types of cereal, to animals, to colors. Then, the "it" person must silently choose an item from the category, keep the chosen item in mind, and go around the circle allowing each player to say an item from the chosen category. Whoever guesses the item on the player's mind gets squirted and is then "it."
Pop-it
There are many variations of games where the goal is to pop a balloon. One option that's always a hit involves dividing the group into two teams. Each person is given a balloon and each line has a destination to run to. When the game starts, the first person in each line runs to the allotted destination, pops the balloon in whatever way he or she wishes, runs back to the line, and tags the next person. Play continues until one team has popped all of its balloons.
In an ever-hastening world full of technology and instant gratification, it's nice to slow down once in a while and play these simple, fun games. It may surprise you how much your kids enjoy activities that don't require TV screens or batteries. And if you get continual requests to play these games again and again in the future, who are you to discourage them?
