Indoor Birthday Party Games for Children

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For a child whose birthday falls during a month known for inclement weather, it is important to plan indoor games to keep the guests entertained. Indoor party games can be just as exciting and entertaining as their outdoor counterparts, with the added benefit of keeping kids clean, warm and dry.

Balloon Catch

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Gather your party guests in a circle and have them number off from left to right. Have the child with the highest number step into the center of the circle to act as the person who is "it." Hand her a balloon and have her call out a number as she drops the balloon and steps out of the circle. The child whose number is called must catch the balloon before it touches the ground. If he misses, he is now "it." If he successfully catches the balloon before it hits the floor the person who was "it" reenters the circle and calls out another number.

Mimic Me

This is a game that will allow your guests to get some of their energy out while indoors. Have the kids stand in a circle and pick one child to start the game by doing a body movement such as jump up and down. The child on her right must mimic the first movement and then add one of his own, such as wiggle his eyebrows. This continues around the circle, with the children first mimicking and then adding a new movement to the chain. If a player can't remember the chain of movements or does a move out of order, they are out of the game. The last player remaining is the winner and can be rewarded with a small prize.

Name That Smell

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Have the kids line up and place a blindfold over each of their eyes. Give the first child in line an item with a strong smell, such as pickles, onion, laundry soap or canned dog food. Have the child take a sniff and then whisper their guess of what the item is in your ear. Pass the item down the line and record the correct guesses by each child. Continue the game with all of the smelly items. After all the children have made their guesses, have them remove their blindfolds and reveal what the items were. Then announce the name of the child with the most correct guesses and award them a prize for their superior sense of smell.

Crammed

This is a variation of hide-and-seek that will be sure to get your party guests up close and personal with one another. First announce the areas within the house the children can hide in and make sure to tell them any areas that are off limits (your bedroom or outside). Then select one child to be "it." This child runs and hides while the other kids count to 30. The kids split up when they are finished counting to search the house for the "it" player. When someone finds where "it" is hiding, they join him in his hiding place. This continues with the kids joining "it" in hiding, trying to cram in as close as possible and staying as silent and still as possible. The game ends when the last child remaining finds the hiding place of all the other children.