Birthday Party Games for Kids

SUMMER ICE BREAKER GAMES

MUSICAL FLOATS

Have the children swim around the floats and when the music stops, they must grab one.

Only one float is allowed to each child and if two grab one float, they are both out. If a child does not grab one, he or she is out as well. When a child is out, he or she must tell something funny about themselves.

Continue to play, taking away floats so that there is always one less than there are guests. The last child to have a float wins.

POOL LINE

BEACH BALL QUESTIONS

Before the party, use a permanent marker to write questions on a beach ball. Questions can be: What is your favorite color? What is your favorite movie? Who is your favorite storybook character? Toss the ball to one player and whatever question their right pinter finger touches is the questin they must answer. Once the question is answered, they toss it to someone else and the game goes on.

YOUNGER CHILDREN

ABC DUCKS

With a permanent marker, make letters on rubber ducks and then float them in a wading pool. Each child must pick one and look at the letter on the bottom. Then they must name something they like that begins with that letter. IF I WERE…

Have the children sit in a circle and go around having each one say what he or she would do if they were a fish, or a sea gull, or a shark, etc. Go around several times until each has played several times.

WHEN I…

THE BUCKET GAME

Give each child a sand pail that is full of water. Ask a question like: Who likes apples? All the children that do must pour the bucket of water on his or her head. Refill the pails and ask more questions.

HULA LUAU ALL AGES

MY NEW FRIEND

Pair each child with another child, preferably someone they do not know well. Let them visit with each other for five minutes and then everyone joins in a circle. Each child then answers Hula Luau related questions you ask about their new friend. You can create your own questions such as: If your new friend were on a tropical island, what would he or she do for fun? Another question could be: If your new friend was going to a Luau, what would he or she wear?

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR LEI?

HOOLA HOOP GROUP

Have the children form a big circle and hold hands. Place a hoola hoop between the hands of two people who are standing together. They will have to let go onf hands in order for you to do this, then have them join hands again. Play some Hula Luau music and have the children pass the hoola hoop around the circle, while everyone continues to hold hands. Have them go as fast as they can. When the music stops, the person touching the hoola hoop is out. Continue until only one person is left.

HULA LUAU TRUTH…OR NOT?

Go around the room and have each guest say three things about themselves, two things that are true, one that is not. All the things must have to do with the Hula Luau theme like have to do with the ocean, beach, a hoola hoop, a luau, surfing, an island, etc. For example: I have been to Hawaii. I love Luaus. I saw a shark at the ocean. The group will vote on each statement as to which is true and which is not true.

Mh2>PINEAPPLE RACEDivide the group into two teams. The object of the game is for each player to get to the finish line with the pineapple, which they balance one their head, without the pineapple falling off. If it falls off, the player must say a statement about his or herself such as: “I love strawberries.” A statement is said everytime the pineapple falls. Once the player reaches the finish line, they run the pineapple back to the next person in line on their team.

You can opt to use a plastic pineapple or even a pineapple sipper like this one. Fill it with water for even more fun.

COCONUT BOWLINGFill empty 2 liter soda bottles with water and add blue food coloring. Set them up like bowling balls and let the children “bowl”. Each child gets two turns and on each turn, for every bottle still standing, the child must reveal a fact about his or herself.· You can make our homemade coconut instead of using a real one if you would like.

YOUNGER CHILDREN

SEA SHELL JAR

Before the party, fill a jar with sea shells and count them. Write the number down on a piece of paper. Pass the jar around to each child and have them tell their name, age and how many shells they think are in the jar. The person closest to the amount wins.

GUESS WHO!Have the children sit in a circle. Walk around the room and have each child whisper to you something about themselves that has to do with a Hula Luau them. One child might tell you that she has been to Hawaii while another may say she would love to surf. Then read each back and have the group guess who said what.

COCOUNT ROLLSit the children in a circle and hand one child a coconut. Have them roll it to someone and while saying their own name and a description of themselves that starts with the first sound of their name. Like: caring Cara. The child that the coconut rolls to must then do the same. Play until all the children have had at least two turns. Each time they must think of a different description. Depending on the age of the group, you may even want to help them think of options and they can pick the one that best describes themselves.· You can make our homemade coconut if you would rather.

SHOVEL AND PAIL

ALL AGES

PAIL PASS

Before the party, write some questions on slips of paper and put them in a sand pail. Pass the pail around the group and have each child pick one piece of paper. Go around and have everyone read the question and answer it. Examples include: What is your favorite thing to do in summer? What was your favorite summer vacation? · If your guests are too young to read their own questions, read the question to each child as it is his or her turn.

THE SPONGE GAME

Divide the group onto two teams and let them pick names for their teams like: the Sand Crabs or the Beach Combers. Line each team up and give the first person on each team a large sponge and sit a bucket of water beside each of them. You can use duck shaped sponges as seen above for even more fun. Designate a finish line and sit two sand pails there. The object of the game is for each player to soak his or her sponge with water and run to the sand pail at the finish line where he or she will squeeze all the water from the sponge into the pail and then run the sponge back to the next player in line. The first team to fill their sand pail full of water wins the game.

WHAT AM I?

Purchase a package or two of 3-D magic capsule grow sponges in animal shapes. You can purchase them online or at many dollar stores. Fill a pail or bucket with warm water and have the children form a circle around it. Give each child a capsule. The children shut their eyes except for the child whose turn it is. That child will go to the water and put the capsule in the water until it forms an animal. Then the group can open their eyes while the child acts out the animal and the others try to guess what it is.

PAIL OF SHELLSBefore the party, fill a sand pail with lots of sea shells. Count them and write the number down. Pass around the pail and let each child guess how many shells are in the pail. The closest one to the correct number wins.

FLIP-FLOP GAMESALL AGES

FLIP-FLOP SCRAMBLE

Fill a box with flip-flops in all shapes and sizes. You can purchase them at dollar stores or thrift shops for next to nothing. Have the children scramble to find a set to put on. Not only is it fun to watch them try to find them, but interesting to see whose is too small, too large and just right.

MY NEW FRIEND’S FLIP-FLOPSPair the children with someone they don’t know or don’t know very well. Have them spend five to ten minutes getting aquainted then ask each to finish this sentence about the person he or she just got to know. “If ______ was at the flip-flop store and could pick any pair of flip-flops, ______would pick_______ones because…” The child might say that Gracie would pick pink princess ones because she loves pink and is very into pretty and fancy things.

THE CANDY GAMEHave the children sit in a circle and pass around a bowl full of flip-flop candies and have each child take as many as they want. Then go around the circle and for each candy, or package of candies, the child must tell something about his or herself.

.

WHAT SIZE ARE YOUR FLIP-FLOPS?

Have the children line up according to flip-flop size, smallest to largest. The tricky part is, they cannot talk while doing so. This ice breaker helps children learn to communicate, non-verbally.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUPurchase enough flip-flops for every guest to have one pair. You can find very inexpensive ones at dollar stores or thrift shops or even use ones you have on hand. Pass out mix-matched pairs and then have everyone find the two children wearing the missing match to theirs.. They will then find out the name of those children and introduce them to the group.

FLIP-FLOP RELAY RACE

Divide the group into two teams. Designate a start and finish line. The goal of the race is to put one flip-flop on and hop on the flip-flop foot to the finish line. Then the child must say his or her name and the name of one other child on his or her team, then hop back the same way and pass the flip-flop to the next player who will do the same.