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Party Games For Children

The Game Zone

By S.L.Amon

Amon Party Collections

The "Game Zone" section is a collection of my own original adaptations of traditional party games plus some practical party planning ideas. Copyright 1998 S.L.Amon. Please feel free to use my ideas for your personal use only.  This collection of ideas may not be reproduced or distributed for commercial use or included in any other collection. Thank you. .

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Party Game Ideas

Cake Walks

With A Different Twist

The basic concept of a cake walk can be utilized to fit many different party themes. (Click HERE if you are not familiar with cake walks) Following are some examples of how this game can be altered:

Star Wars Theme - Instead of numbered squares on the floor, use numbered space ships and call it a "Wookie Walk". Play theme songs from Star Wars for the music and use items such as Star Wars figurines or other Star Wars memorabilia as prizes. You could even darken the room abit and use a strobe light for special effects.  This idea can work for most space themes and for a variation of the game, you can use named planets and star constellations for the floor spaces.  Also, instead of the children walking around in a circle, each child could pick a square to stand on and the birthday child could spin around in the center blindfolded with a light saber pointing outward and whoever he ends up pointing at is the winner.  If you use this method be sure to make the circle large and have someone guide the blindfolded child.

Backwards Party- Because the intentions of this game is to do everything backwards, the children will stop when the music is being played and start walking once the music is turned off. The numbers on the floor are also written backwards. Normally the children would walk around clockwise, but for this purpose have the children carefully walk backwards counter clockwise. Instead of calling the winning numbers at the end of the game, call them at the beginning before the children start walking.  If you happen to have an old style record player, you could even play the music backwards! Instead of the children receiving prizes, they can give their presents to the birthday child when they win. Because every child will need to eventually win, you may wish to call 2 or three winning numbers at a time so that you don't have one child that has to circle the squares all by themselves.  Also, having your guests come to the party with an article of clothing on backwards such as a shirt or a hat will add to the party spirit.   

Wizard of Oz Theme- Construct a circular or square yellow brick road out of construction paper or use rolled out paper such as what is used for table cloths.  The road could also be drawn directly on concrete with chalk with large numbers placed approximately 2 1/2 feet apart.  Instead of numbers, a list of the stops that Dorothy made on her way to Oz could be used such as the Land of the Munchkins, the corn field, the talking apple trees, the woods, the poppy field, the Land of Oz, and the Witches Castle, or other related parts of the movie such as the fortune teller, Toto, Auntie Em, Kansas, etc.  Play The Wizard Of Oz theme song and have the children skip around the circle or square to the music.

Halloween "Thriller" Walk- This is especially fun when all the kids are dressed up in costume. Monster pictures are relatively easy to find and you can use them for the floor squares and call the monster names instead of using numbers.   In addition to monsters like Count Dracula & Frankenstein you could use the names of the characters from "The Munsters" or "The Adams Family" as well. Michael Jackson's Thriller theme song, Monster Mash or Halloween scary sounds are perfect for the music.  A dim lit room and strobe lights are also fun for this game.

Valentine "Conversation" Walk- You guessed it! Place cut out hearts with conversation messages around in a circle on the floor and call out the messages instead of numbers. Have everyone come to the party dressed in red and white and play silly romantic tunes for the music.  A fun song to use is Alfalfa's version of "I'm In the Mood For Love" from the movie "The Little Rascals".  The children can even do a mock waltz as they circle the hearts.  Boxes of conversation hearts are inexpensive and make great Valentines Day prizes for large groups!

Christmas "Prancer" Walk- You can get really creative with this one. Pictures of Santa and his 8 reindeer can be used for the floor squares along with pictures of other Christmas related items such as a present, a wreath, a Christmas tree, etc. Either number the squares or call out the names of the pictures and walk around to some Merry Christmas tunes. Prizes can be wrapped with Christmas paper secured with a colorful ribbons for a festive touch.

FavoriteCartoon's Theme Walk- Whether your theme is "Winnie The Pooh", "Mickey Mouse", or a favorite superhero, you can usually find theme matching coloring books and can use the pages for the floor squares.

For.those unfamiliar with cake walks, cake walks are games that are oftentimes used at school carnivals. Several sequenced numbers or pictures are placed in a large circle on the floor and matching numbers or pictures are placed in a bowl. The children each pick a marked spot to stand on around the circle, then some music is started and the children walk clockwise on the marked spots around the circle while the music is playing. The person handling the music periodically stops the music and the children then stay on whatever spot they are on. The orchestrator then draws from the bowl, and the child standing on that number or picture is the winner. Prizes are given to the winners, and the game is repeated until all the prizes are given out.

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Slumber Parties

Kids Parties Main Page

Pirates & Ocean Theme Parties

A Dino-Mite Party Plan

Year Round Holiday Games

Holiday Bingo & Valentine Bingo

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Great Sites For The Family!

Abbey Press

Amazon

Babies Online-Free For Parents!

BuyCostumes.com

Childrens Christian Videos

ClubMom.com

Crayola.com

Daisymaze

Delias.com

Drugstore.com

eBay!

Free Craft Tips by e.mail!

Great Costumes

Hickory Farms

4 Audio Books for 1 Cent!

Lillian Vernon Online

OfficeMax.com

OneHanesPlace

Oriental Trading Company

Payless ShoeSource

Perfumania.com

SillyPutty.com

The Buckle

The Sharper Image

The Lighter Side

Zoobooks

Zoobooks - The #1 Kids Magazine about Animals!

Get a free tiger poster and a free copy of Zoobooks Magazine

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The Bookshelf

* Click on the titles to learn more about these books

Birthday Parties for Kids! Creative Party Ideas Your Kids and Their Friends Will Love by Penny Warner - Take the headache out of planning parties for your kids with this clever guide to quick, fun, and inexpensive celebrations. From invitations to party favors, Birthday Parties for Kids! is filled with creative mix-and-match suggestions for unique and successful parties every kid will love.

Kid-Tastic Birthday Parties by Jane Chase - It's All Here: Clever party invitations you make yourself-- choose practical or slightly silly; Games galore-- mix and match to fit your group; Prized surprises-- prizes and favors that set your party apart; Kid-appealing decorations that say, "This is a fun place!

Birthday Parties : Best Party Tips & Ideas by Vicki Lansky - A comprehensive and creative guide filled with tips on everything from sending invitations to writing thank-you cards, with party themes, ideas for favors, entertainment, and decorations in between.

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Resource Links

Oriental Trading - Oriental Trading has more than 900 reasonably priced party supply items to choose from, plus they have several gift & novelty items that are great for game prizes.

Boardman's Birthday Party Themes - LeAnn Boardman's collection of dozens of theme party ideas.

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