I can remember, some 50 years
ago growing up in Liverpool (UK), that all of the kid’s parties I attended pretty
much followed the same pattern. I have written about what a typical 60’s kidsbirthday party looked like, in a separate article on my party ideas blog. The
format and games we played back then can be traced to Victorian times, with
‘Musical chairs’, ‘Pass the parcel’, ‘Hide and seek’ type of games being played
followed by an afternoon tea of sandwiches and birthday cake.
Today, in the San Francisco
bay area, I have noticed that the parties I have taken my own kids to (now 16
and 14) followed a different pattern. The tendency is for a theme or activity
to dominate, such as face painting, crafts etc., and for a professional party
entertainer (such as a clown) to lead some of these activities. A bouncy castle
type of structure is also popular as is a puppet show. The one game that seems
to be played at all young kids parties in the Bay area, and is popular, is
hitting the ‘pinata,’, stuffed with candies.
Whilst the professional
entertainers and bouncy castles are enjoyable I believe that group games at
young kids birthday parties should be played to encourage co-operation and a
sense of accomplishment. Indeed many companies use simple group games, solving
puzzles etc., for team building exercises and improving communication, so why
not take full advantage of the social benefits that are inherent in traditional
party games or party games adapted from these vintage party ideas.
The advantage of
incorporating traditional party games into a kid’s birthday party are not only
limited to the encouragement of social interaction but they are also less
expensive than hiring a professional or renting a bouncy castle. That said variety
is the spice of life so there is nothing wrong with the odd puppet show etc.
but interaction and engagement in the activity is essential otherwise we would
just send our kids to the movies (which, by the way is what my 16 year old
daughter now prefers for her parties!).
So what would a basic kids
birthday party look like today?
First, an activity is needed
as the guests arrive. One party game that I have seen work well was a hunting (searching)
game, where the guests had to find objects hidden in the garden (or house). The
objects could be something that can be used in a subsequent game, such as toy
cars (to race down a ramp) or they could just be random objects to keep the
kids amused. At some point the majority of the kids will have arrived and the
other games can start.
I would recommend beginning
with a less boisterous game, such as ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ or ‘pass the
parcel’. I have many of these type of games listed on my party ideas blog. The
reason for this type of game is so that the kids can get used to following
instructions in a somewhat orderly manner (taking turns etc.) Following that
game a more active game should be played (preferably outside). Musical chairs,
using those inexpensive plastic chairs, is a great outside active game. If the
party is indoors then musical chairs can also be played but needs more
supervision, as the space between the chairs is smaller due to the cramped
space. Other traditional party games can be played and as the party progresses
a more demanding game, involving some strategy and friendly competition, can be
played. Some examples of these types of games involve the kids arranging a
sequence of pictures into a story (for example Little Red Riding Hood). This
game is just one example of a team building type of game and it is simple to
prepare and play (suitable for younger kids).
For the preparation (of the
“arrange the pictures in a story” game) have the kids draw pictures from stories as they arrive, although some can be already
drawn to save time and assist the kids with ideas. This is a good activity to
do as the party is gathering, ask each child to draw a picture of a scene from
a famous fairy tale (Cinderella, Peter Pan or whatever the kids are familiar
with), it doesn't matter how the pictures are drawn as the more ‘obscure’ the
picture is: the better for the proceeding game. Organize this activity so that
4 pictures from each story are drawn. When it comes time to play the actual game
split the party up into teams of 4, and give a story (4 pictures) to each team
so that the teams can arrange themselves in a line, holding the pictures in the
correct sequence. The rest of the party looks on and guesses the story and
comments on whether or not the pictures are in the correct sequence. The story
could be split into more or less than 4 pictures (this number is just an
example) and the whole party could form one long line by each drawing a picture
from the same story and arranging them in the correct sequence.
There are many of these kinds
of team games and activities that can be incorporated into a kid’s birthday
party but the golden rules are to stay in charge, to keep it simple and if
things fall apart because of a kid getting flustered (or the kids getting bored
or distracted) move on to another game and have plenty of game alternatives
prepared.
At some point food is served
and ‘winding down’ party games and activities (such as Apples to Apples or other suitable
card or board games) can be played until the parents come and collect their kids.
