Birthday party games on a budget

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Get ready to celebrate because your little one's birthday is just around the corner - woohoo! So, you may have hit a bump realizing you can't splurge on those fancy 'fun' venues your kid has been dreaming about. But fret not! I have the perfect solution for you! I've put together a fantastic list of top-notch games that are not only super fun but also budget-friendly - double the fun at half the cost! These games are guaranteed to keep the kids grinning from ear to ear! Let's dive right in and make this birthday bash unforgettable!

• Three Legged Race

  This one is my all time favorite, its a classic, my daughter loves it and I'm sure yours will too! It's pretty simple:

  
  

Instructions : The kids need to split up into pairs, standing shoulder to shoulder. You tie their inside legs together. (Make sure you do this on grass cause they might fall!) set up a starting line and a finish line. First team to the finish line wins! this game is good for working on teamwork.

• Grandmother's Footsteps

  This Game is so much fun! an absolute party go-to game. It's a sure fire way to make any game an absolute blast!

Instructions: Either you, or one of the kids has to be the 'Grandmother' . Grandmother stands at one end of the yard with her back to everyone. All the other kids start at the opposite end of the yard. The kids start to move toward 'Grandmother' but she can turn around at any time. Any kid caught moving by 'Grandmother' when she turns around has to start back at the starting line, the winner is the kid who reaches 'Grandmother' first!

• Truth Teller

  This game is a-lot of fun no matter what age your child is! I would play this game at the beginning it's a great ice breaker.

Instructions: Count your party-goers, cut out enough strips of paper for all the kids and write "truth-teller" on all but one of the slips. write "lie-teller" on the blank one. Then fold them up and put them all in a bowl. each kid picks one and doesn't share what they are with anyone. then you ask each kid 3 questions, then you go to each kid and ask them who the lie-teller is. They each get 3 guesses. If they lie-teller is never found out then they win but if a truth-teller guesses right then they win.

• Balloon Burst:

  This game is a game all kids will love becomes it involves candy. What kid doesn't love candy? This game is cheap and so much fun!

Supplies: Candy- Any type of thin candy like smarties, jolly ranchers or small lollypops work best.

Balloons- One per player

Balloon ribbon or string

Instructions: Fill the balloons with 1-3 candys each. Once they are filled, blow the balloons up and tie a ribbon to the end. Then, give each child a balloon and help the tie the ribbon around their ankle. This is where it gets fun, the kids run around trying to stomp on the other kids balloons trying to pop them. If one of the kids balloons gets popped then they are out, and the person who popped it gets the candy. The last person who's balloon isn't popped wins! Make sure you have a little bowl of candy for any kids that didn't get any.

• Sleeping Lions:

  This game is super simple, but super fun especially if your kids are 5 and under.

Instructions: All you need is space for the kids to lie down. All the kids except for one are the 'lions' and have to lay on the floor as still as the can. No Noises. The kid remaining and the adult are the 'hunters'. They walk around telling stories and jokes trying to make the kids laugh or move. Any kid who does is out! The last quiet kid is the winner!

• Mother May I:

  Mother may I is fun no matter how old you are, I still play it with my kid! it also helps younger kids with listening skills, and self control but in a fun way!

Instructions: Choose a mother, The mother stands at one end of the yard and all the other kids stand at the other in a line. The mother starts with the first move telling the players something like "take 2 baby steps" or "take one big step". Then starting at the beginning of the line each player must ask "Mother may I" before moving, if you move without asking you start over. Make sure you follow mothers instructions, she may say "yes you may" or "no you may not" or "no but you may" and shell give an alternative move. The winner is the first person who makes it to mother.

• Who are you :

This game is absolutely hilarious! Whoever invented it was a comic hero, it puts the kids drama skills to the test.

Instructions: Chose a kid to be it, and blindfold them well. Then have the other kids stand in a large circle around them, then spin the child in the middle around. Next, the walk until they come up to another kid and they ask them "Who are you?" the kid they ask will try to disguise their voice so the other kid can't figure them out. If the center child guesses correctly then they will switch places with the other kid and the game starts over.

• Water balloon musical chairs:

  What child doesn't love to play musical chairs? This game has stood the test of time! This game is fun even if you're an adult!

Supplies: Water balloons

Chairs- enough for all players minus one.

Instructions: Make a circle of chairs facing outward, and place a water balloon on every other chair. make sure to do this outside cause this game gets very wet. Get the music started and let the kids walk/skip around the chairs. when you stop the music they need to find a chair the kid without a chair is out, remove a chair. Then start again placing new water balloons each time until there is only one chair left. The player who gets the last chair is the winner.

• Escape the monster:

  This game is perfect if you have kids who are full of energy. The great thing about it is that there are no winners or losers everyone plays and everyone stays in the game.

Instructions: Chose one of the kids to be the monster, It is probably a good choice to chose the birthday boy/girl first. The other kids will try to run to escape the monster. When a kid is caught it is their turn to be the monster, keep playing until everyone has had a turn.

• Charades:

  If you want a game that is hilarious an fun no matter how old you are than this is the game for you!

Instructions: You can either pick a topic like animals or fairy tales or you can just pick random things, write all the things to act out on pieces of paper, fold and put them in a bowl. Now it's time to begin, the first kid picks one out and ties to act it out without any words, when someone guesses right it's their turn. keep going until everyone has a turn. You'll also need a timer so that each player only has a set amount of time to get the other kids to guess, if no one guesses the actor tells them what it was then picks someone else to go.

Charade Ideas: A bear riding a bike, An octopus skiing, A squirrel burying a nut, An ostrich buying his head in the sand, A dog driving, Alligator washing a car, Rapunzel, A cat giving himself a bath, Roller coaster riding elephant, A boxing kangaroo, A hockey playing pig, Goldilocks, The big bad wolf, The gingerbread man, The 3 bears, Captain hook, Peter pan, Tinkerbell, An owl, A deer, A lion, A monkey, A hippo, A duck

• Balloon Waddle:

  This game is as fun to watch as it is to play I've done it with my kid at her party and it's absolutely hilarious

Instructions: You can play this game as individuals or in teams of twos, make sure you have extra balloons . Make a starting line and a finish line, Then the kids put the balloons in between their legs and waddle to the finish line. If the balloon drops or pops they have to start over, the first kid to the finish line is the winner.

• Captains Orders:

  This is a fun game where the adult is in charge, and the kids have a blast!

Instructions: The players stand in a single file line, facing the adult who is the captain. Then tell the kids all the commands and demonstrate them. ( see the list of the commands and actions below ). Make sure all the kids are spread out far enough that they don't bump into each other performing the actions. When you're ready to play, the captain calls out a command. This continues throughout the game with the the captain ordering and the crew responding, as the game goes on the captain starts giving orders faster and faster and the game gets trickier and funnier. players who perform the wrong action are out.

Captains commands:

Hit the deck: players lay on there stomach

Clear the deck: players sit with there feet off the floor

Up periscope!: players lay on the ground with one foot in the air and twist it back and forth

Scrub the deck: players bend over and pretend to scrub

Climb the rigging : players pretend to climb the rope

Captains coming: players stand to attention and salute

To the island: players run to the left side of the area