10th Birthday Party Games for Girls

I’ve been to and thrown enough 10th birthday parties to know exactly what happens when you don’t plan the games right. You get an awkward twenty minutes where half the girls are on their phones, two are arguing about whose turn it is and you’re left pretending everything is fine while desperately trying to come up with some games off the top of your head.

When girls are ten they aren’t quite little kids anymore where they’ll chase bubbles for an hour but they’re also not teenagers who just want to hide in a bedroom with snacks. They want to feel a bit grown up.

I can attest to this after my nieces party where I’d planned these elaborate “little kid” games with way too many rules and I could quickly see the energy draining from the room. Then her friend suggested we do a lip sync battle instead and suddenly everyone was alive again. I realized at ten girls want games that let them be creative, a little bit silly and feel like they’re in charge of the fun.

So I’m going to give you the best party games for 10 year olds girls. From creative ones to high energy activities, mystery and puzzles challenges and ways to calm everyone down. With these games you won’t have any problems keeping them occupied and having fun.

Game Ideas by Type

Active Games with a Twist

Active games are super important because 10 year olds have so much energy. But at the same time they need to feel different from the games they played when they were seven.

Lip Sync Battle

As I mentioned this is the game that saved my niece’s party, and I’ve seen it work at literally every 10th birthday since. Split the girls into teams of 2 or 3, let them pick the songs from a pre-approved playlist (you do NOT want to be dealing with inappropriate lyrics in the middle of the party) and give them 10 minutes to come up with some choreography. Then they perform for judges made up of other kids, adults or whoever wants to vote.

Why this game works so well is that it suits every personality type. The kids who like performing get their moment, the shy ones can be backup dancers and the creative ones get to plan and choreography the dance moves.

Everyone will be laughing and cheering and making moments they all remember. Just make sure you have a speaker that’s loud enough and maybe some props like sunglasses or scarves.

Dance Freeze with Challenges

This is regular freeze dance but made more interesting. When the music stops and everyone freezes call out a challenge: “freeze like you just saw a spider”, “pose like you’re a supermodel”, “make the silliest face possible” etc. It will get a bit crazy and keeps it fun without it becoming too complicated.

I’ve found this works best with upbeat pop music that has clear breaks. At my friend’s daughter’s party they did themed rounds – one round was “fierce poses”, another was “animals” and the last one was “silly faces only”.

Balloon Pop Challenges

Fill balloons with small pieces of paper that have dares written on them. Nothing embarrassing or mean – things like “sing the alphabet backwards”, “do your best robot dance”, “tell us your weirdest talent”, “make everyone laugh in 10 seconds” etc. Each girl picks a balloon, pops it and does the challenge.

Tip: blow up extra balloons with challenges so nobody feels left out and make sure each challenge is something that will get laughs. You want fun, not uncomfortable silence.

Obstacle Course Relay

Set up stations: hula hoop five times, crawl under a string, balance a book on your head while walking, do three jumping jacks etc. Split the kids into teams and have them race. You need to make it challenging enough that they feel like they’ve accomplished something but not so hard that anyone feels left out.

At an outdoor party I helped with last summer we had a blindfold station where their teammate had to guide them around cones. The girls absolutely loved it. Although if you’re going to try this make sure an adult is supervising that part because 10 year olds might be confident but can lack coordination.

Glow Stick Tag (Evening Parties)

If your party goes into or is being held in the evening this is a must. Everyone gets glow stick bracelets in different colors. When you’re tagged you swap bracelets with the person who tagged you. Play it in a dark room or your backyard and a regular game of tag feels like a party at a concert.

Creative / DIY Style Games

10 year old girls are old enough to create something cool and they love having something to take home that they made themselves.

Design a Tote or T Shirt Station

Set up a table with plain canvas tote bags or white t shirts, fabric markers, stamps and stencils. Let the girls design their own. This doubles up as the party activity AND the party favor, which helps with your budget.

I watched this turn into the highlight of a party were girls who barely knew each other did the designs and helped each other. One girl who was super into art basically became the unofficial creative director, showing everyone cool techniques. It was adorable and kept them busy for a good 30 minutes.

Just make sure you have enough different colors and tools. Ten year olds have opinions about what looks good and if there’s only three marker colors someone’s going to be disappointed.

Cupcake Wars

Give each team plain cupcakes and lots of different toppings – frosting, sprinkles, candies, edible glitter, whatever you can find. Set categories for judging: “Most Colorful”, “Most Creative”, “Most Likely to Be Eaten” and “Wildest Design” Everyone votes (except on their own team’s cupcakes).

This will get messy and loud but is perfect.

Important: have wet wipes ready. Frosting gets everywhere.

Nail Polish Spin Game

Put nail polish bottles in a circle and spin a bottle to pick the color. Whatever it lands on that’s what you use.

But where the fun really begins is each girl paints a friend’s nails and they have to paint each nail a different color based on what they spin. The results are hilarious and the girls love how random it is.

Make sure you’re using quick dry polish though and that everyones mom is okay with their daughter coming home with rainbow nails. Also put down newspaper or an old tablecloth because someone will definitely spill some.

Friendship Bracelet Race

Give everyone embroidery floss and a timer. The task – who can make the most friendship bracelets in 5 minutes? Then they trade with each other. It’s simple but engaging and it gives the girls something to keep that reminds them of the party afterward.

The birthday girl at one party I was at cried happy tears because she ended up with eight friendship bracelets by the end of the activity. These small things matter so much at this age.

Photo Booth Challenge

Set up a photo booth area with props — feather boas, funny glasses, signs with sayings, hats, whatever else you can think of. Each team gets 5 minutes to take themed photos. Themes could be “Superheroes”, “Red Carpet Glamour”, “Weirdest Faces”, “Vacation Vibes” etc.

Then display the photos (you can use a tablet or laptop) and vote for everyone’s favorites. This was a real hit at a party I helped with because the girls got SO into their characters. One team did a whole fashion magazine concept with serious faces and poses.

Mystery, Puzzle and Team Games

10 years old are at an age where they love feeling smart and solving things together.

Scavenger Hunt with Riddles

Hide clues around the house or yard with a clue written on them as a riddle that leads to the next location. The final clue takes them to a prize that everyone shares – something like a box of candy or small toys.

You have to make the riddles challenging but not frustrating though. Or you’ll have a lot of annoyed and upset girls.

For example: “I have hands but cannot clap, I have a face but cannot smile, what am I?” (Answer: a clock). Or “I get wet while drying, what am I?” (Answer: a towel).

DIY Escape Game

Make a simple escape game using a locked box (combination lock or key) and hide clues around the room that will reveal how to open it. Inside the box? Candy, small prizes or the next party activity.

You can match this to your theme or whatever the birthday girl is into. If she loves mystery books, make it detectiv themed. If she’s into fantasy make it a wizard’s challenge.

I’ve seen parents go all out with this, printing clues that look aged and mysterious and the kids absolutely eat it up.

Just be ready to drop some hints if they get stuck. Nothing kills the energy like 10 minutes of silence.

Guess Who’s Telling the Truth

One girl stands up and makes a statement about herself – something weird, surprising or funny. “I once ate a bug”, “I can speak three languages”, “I’ve never been on a plane” and so on. Everyone else guesses if it’s true or false. Then she reveals the answer.

This is great for mixed groups where not all the girls know each other well. It’s a way to break the ice and you learn the funniest things.

Murder Mystery Light

Use a pre written, kid friendly murder mystery story (you can find free ones online or buy kits). Give each girl a role, their character descriptions and let them solve the mystery together.

This works best if you’ve got at least 8 to 10 girls and about 45 minutes for it. The birthday girl usually loves being the detective or the victim (in a fun way, obviously).

Chill, Group Games

Not every moment of the party needs to full of energy. These games don’t involve craving around or a ton of movement which is great for after cake or when everyone is getting a bit tired.

Would You Rather (Birthday Edition)

Print out funny and weird “Would You Rather” questions on cards: “Would you rather have a unicorn horn or dragon wings?”, “Would you rather eat pizza for every meal or never eat pizza again?”, “Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?”.

You can turn this into a movement game where girls walk to different sides of the room depending on their answer. This will make fun conversations and debates, which 10 year olds really love. They have OPINIONS.

Hot Seat

One girl sits in the “hot seat” and answers rapid fire questions for 60 seconds. Questions should be fun and light: “Favorite dessert?” “Weirdest fear?” “Secret talent?” “If you could be any animal what would you be?”

This game is brilliant for bonding. You learn so much about each other in a short time and there’s something about doing it against a timer that makes it exciting. Just make sure the birthday girl goes first or last so she feels special.

Emoji Charades

Write emojis on bits of paper (🎬🍿 = movie theater, 🐕‍🦺🏃‍♀️ = walking the dog, etc.). One person picks a slip and has to act it out while their team guesses. It’s regular charades but done in a way that kids find hilarious.

This is great for fun without screens and watching 10 year olds try to act out “🌮😢” (sad taco? crying over tacos?) is brilliant entertainment.

Most Likely To…

Ask questions like “Who’s most likely to become famous?” or “Who’s most likely to own five cats?” and everyone points at once. The person with the most points has to explain why they think everyone chose them.

Keep the questions positive and funny – you don’t want anything that could hurt feelings. This works best when the girls know each other pretty well but even with new friends it will get a lot of laughs.

Game Flow for a 2 Hour Party

This is a good guide for how the party could flow over the whole 2 hours.

Time	Activity
0:00 to 0:15	Welcome and Music (let everyone arrive and settle in)
0:15 to 0:30	Dance Freeze or Lip Sync Battle (high energy to start)
0:30 to 0:45	Craft Station: Shirts or Bracelets (creative)
0:45 to 1:00	Scavenger Hunt or Team Puzzle (problem solving together)
1:00 to 1:15	Snacks and Cupcake Challenge (refuel with food and fun)
1:15 to 1:30	Chill Game: Would You Rather (lower energy, focus on conversation)
1:30 to 1:45	Photo Booth Challenge and Votes (create memories)
1:45 to 2:00	Cake and Goodie Bags (wind down and end on a high note)

Extra Party Tips

These are a few the things I’ve learned from both successful parties and the ones that didn’t work out:

• Let the birthday girl help pick the games. She knows her friends better than you do and she’ll know what sounds fun and what sounds babyish. When kids feel like have ownership over the party plan they’ll be more likely to want to make it work.
• Offer mini prizes, but don’t overdo it. Small things like stickers, candy, fun keychains or hair ties work great. You don’t need to hand out prizes for every single game as often winning will be enough. But having a “prize basket” where winners can pick something small makes kids feel good without breaking your budget.
• Use music to manage energy. Loud, upbeat music gets everyone pumped up for the more active games. Calmer background music helps move the kids in to crafting or quieter games. Music will help control the party vibe without having to yell instructions.
• Have a backup indoor game in case of weather. If you’re planning outdoor games always have an indoor alternative ready. We once had to move an entire scavenger hunt inside because of sudden rain and thank god we’d thought ahead about how to adapt it.
• Keep instructions short and clear. Ten year olds will tune out if you talk for too long. Explain the game in under 30 seconds, show them how they work quickly if you have to and then let them play. They’ll figure out the details as they go and that’s part of the fun.

Final Thoughts

Planning games for a 10th birthday party doesn’t have to be stressful. As long as you understand that these girls are right at that point where they want to feel mature but still love being silly.

You don’t need a massive budget or professional entertainment. You just need games that fit with their energy and being prepared to let things get a little messy and loud.

So pick a few games from each of categories here, keep the energy moving and don’t panic if something doesn’t go exactly as planned. The birthday girl will remember that you made her feel special and that her friends had an amazing time. That’s what actually matters.