Top 10 games for children's parties!

Set up chairs on a row or, if there are many children, in two rows with the backs to each other. The number of chairs should be one less than the number of children.
Put on some music and let the children walk around the chairs. When the music stops, everybody should try to sit down on a chair. The child which is left out has to stand on the side, one chair is taken away, and the music will start again.
This will continue until there are two children and one chair left. The one who sits down on the final chair is the winner.

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Put a stick or a rope across a doorway or something similar. Hang a blanket or a bed-sheet over so nobody can see through. Prepare a fishing-rod and let the children fish in "the pond". The person behind the sheet will tie a gift on the string. If there are special gifts, the person can ask - Who is fishing in my pond?, to find out if it's a girl or a boy. If it's candy or something that goes for everybody, just tie it on the string, pull it- and let the child eat the fish!

Picture by asmanalbum

Hide a small object, like a thimble or key, and let the children search for it! If it is too difficult, drop some clues. The one who finds it could be given a small prize. Or the object could be a gift.
An option here is to hide several objects, write clues and divide the children in teams. They will all be running across eachother, concentrating on their own clues!

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Draw a donkey on a big paper, leaving out the tail. The tail should be made separately, and a thumb-nail put through the base of it. Now, blindfold one child, spin him around slowly and let him try to put the tail in the right place. Put an x and write the name on the place where he puts the tail and let the next child try. The one who gets closest to the right place wins. An option is to make many tails and leave them on the wall!

Picture by ChayaCW

Put a number of objects on a big towel or similar. Let the children look at the objects and then close their eyes. You remove one object and they have to guess what is missing. Put it back and do it again. Depending on the age of children, you can put a lot or few objects, partly hiding them, etc.

An empty bottle, either glass or plastic, is placed on the ground. If using plastic bottle, put a stone or something in the bottom so it stands well. Next, tie a string around the child's waist. On the string a pencil is hanging in another string. Without using his hands, the child has to put the pencil inside the bottle!

Picture by waxbar

Divide the children in two teams and make them line up behind each-other in two rows. Everybody is given a spoon, and the first person in each row also an egg. He has to put the egg on the spoon, walk to a certain point, turn around, give the egg to the next person- all without dropping the egg! The team that manages to get everybody around without breaking the egg wins.

Picture by agraettinger

Divide the children in two or more teams. Each team is given a sack. The first child has to put on the sack and jump to a certain point and back. The next child will take the sack and start jumping. The first team to go around will have won.
A version of this is to give each team a set of clothes. The child has to put on the clothes, maybe hold an umbrella, and then jump!

Picture by michelleamartin

Charades are fun and everybody can participate. Divide the children in two themes. One child is told a secret theme and has to act it out without speaking. The team who gets it first, scores a point. Depending on the age of the children, prepare different themes. It can be one word, an animal or a sentence. Other themes could be professions, singers, songs, countries, sayings.

Charades were played already in Franz Schubert's time!- Get the picture here!

This is another great game where everybody can participate. Make sure that the rules are clear before starting as there are many versions of this! Basically, one child will close his eyes and count to 100 (or less if the children are younger) and everybody else will hide. When the child finishes counting he has to go and find the other children. The last one to be found will be the one counting next time.

Hide and Seek, 1788, available from AllPosters