Are you getting ready to celebrate your birthday boy or girl but dreading coming up with birthday party ideas for their special day? You aren’t alone. Many parents struggle with party planning, especially when trying to create fun activities to entertain kids and their friends during parties at home. That’s where we come in! Use this list of unique activity ideas to throw the perfect at-home kids’ birthday party.
Game Tournament
From board games to card games to video games, there’s bound to be a game your birthday boy or girl loves — and you can most likely play their favorite game, with a twist, during an at-home kids’ birthday party: make it into a tournament! Create multiple rounds of the same or different games and offer a prize to the winner. You can even get really into it by awarding the champion a trophy! You can stick to classic fun games such as Twister, Sorry, or Mario Party, or you could play specific birthday party games to go with the party theme you choose.
Costume or Fashion Show
Kids of all ages love to dress up and act like different characters or show off their style. With the help of an improvised changing booth (try a tall folded piece of cardboard or a curtain in a corner) and some extra clothes to spare, you can turn your living room into a runway! If you’d like to ensure everyone has enough to wear, make a note on the invitations that this at-home kids’ birthday party will involve dressing up, so the attendees should take along any outfits or costumes they’d like to show off.
Photo Booth
If you’re already thinking about a fashion show or costume contest, you might have guessed the next item on the list for a fun at-home kids’ birthday party: create a photo booth! Whether you go simple with your cell phone, retro with a Polaroid instant camera, or elaborate by renting out equipment for this very purpose, photo booths are fun for all ages. You can even place the photos the kids take into cool frames as party favors!
Scavenger Hunt
No list of the best party games for kids would be complete without a scavenger hunt! Scavenger hunts can be adapted depending on kids’ ages and abilities, so they’re another perfect activity for an awesome at-home kids’ birthday party. You can hold a scavenger hunt in just one room or extend it all over your house and into your backyard. If you have limited space, try making a miniature scavenger hunt featuring tiny clues and tiny prizes. Play up the miniature theme by giving each guest a magnifying glass!
Obstacle Course
Obstacle courses engage both the brain and body at the same time, so they’re a great way to keep everyone happy during an at-home kids’ birthday party! You can use cushions, pots and pans, sports equipment, outdoor furniture, or other household items to set up a fun obstacle course indoors or outdoors. Just make sure you clear the area of anything breakable before setting your party animals loose!
Relay Race
Have some backyard space? It’s time for a relay race! Sack races, three-legged races, catching water balloons, running backward — all of these and more can be incorporated individually and uniquely to make the perfect relay race for an at-home kids’ birthday party.
Picnic
Some of the best ideas for kids’ birthday parties are the simplest! Even though a picnic might seem boring compared to other activities, it’s actually an excellent option for older kids, kids who love the outdoors, or kids who want to get busy chowing down on birthday cake as soon as they’re finished playing outside. Don’t limit yourself to the yard, either. Feel free to build a fort in the living room and eat ice cream!
Detective Mystery
Do you have a young Sherlock Holmes on your hands? Either by yourself or with a bit of help from the internet, you can set up an engaging mystery for your little detective and their friends to solve. Whether it’s “who stole the birthday cake?” or a classic Clue-like mystery scenario, party attendees will have a blast decoding secret messages, hunting for evidence, and cracking codes!
Movie Night
Don’t discount the power of movies and TV when planning an at-home kids’ birthday party. You can make any show or film special with movie theater party decorations, freshly popped popcorn, and dimmed lights. For best results, have your birthday boy or girl pick out the movie beforehand, so you don’t end up trying to decide what to watch during valuable party time.
Dance-Off
Future rock stars, ballerinas, and entertainers alike will appreciate this idea! Have a dance-off, play dance-related games like freeze dance, or take advantage of popular dance video games.
Karaoke
If you can stand multiple hours of all your kids’ friends belting out the latest hits (or you’ve invested in good-quality noise-canceling headphones when you need to take a break), a karaoke machine, app, or computer program can add hours of fun to any at-home kids’ birthday party. Make sure to figure out how the machine works beforehand so that the kids can jump straight into the fun!
Talent Show
Talent shows at kids’ birthday parties combine singing, dancing, magic tricks, and other skills into one awesome chance to show them off! If you’re planning on incorporating a talent show into your at-home kids’ birthday party, include a note on your invitations so that everyone can come prepared. If you have introverts in the crowd, don’t make a big deal when they skip out on performing. It’s also worthwhile to have an alternative activity ready for kids who don’t want to participate.
Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts are a classic activity for a reason during many at-home kids’ birthday parties. One of the best ways to keep kids happy during a birthday party is to inspire them to create something! You can do something complex such as tie-dye shirts or work with clay, or keep it simple with construction paper and markers. If you’re trying to maintain the party theme throughout the activity, take advantage of themed coloring books, or use free printables from the web. Just know that not everyone will color inside the lines, and that’s part of the beauty of arts and crafts!
At-Home Painting Party for Kids
If you’re short on time, unsure of your decorating skills, or just don’t think you can handle planning a whole at-home kids birthday party by yourself, consider bringing the party to your home! We offer painting parties that come to you if you’re looking for a no-stress, guaranteed-fun activity for your party. Bringing the party to your home is always worth a try, and it’s both affordable and fun for all ages.
It can be tough to come up with ideas for kids’ birthday parties that keep everyone happy. However, using this list should give you some inspiration to throw the perfect birthday bash! If you’re interested in scheduling a painting party that comes to you or decide to have your kids’ painting party somewhere else, get in touch with us! We even offer Zoom painting parties at all of our locations. Get in touch with us today and make your birthday boy or girl’s special day unforgettable!