Indoor birthday parties can feel intimidating at first because you’re squeezing a group of kids into a small space. Which would seem like you’re asking for trouble.
But it can definitely work. What might go wrong though: parents either wing it completely or over plan with games that need seventeen props and a PhD to explain them. Neither which work.
What you need is a mix of high energy games that burn off the kids excess every, quieter activities for when things get too wild and a few backup plans for when your some of your games fall flat. Because they will. Kids are unpredictable like that.
So I’m going to take you through 25 indoor party game ideas organized by type – classic games that still hold up, high energy ones that won’t destroy your living room, sit down games for some calm, group games that don’t need any supplies and many more. We’ll also look at which games work best for different age groups (because what five year olds love will obviously be different to tweens), getting the timing right to keep the party flowing and much more so you will look like you know what you’re doing.
It won’t matter if you’re dealing with toddlers who can barely follow any rules or pre teens who think they’re too cool for ‘baby games’, this guide will give you a plan that keeps everyone entertained and keeps you from losing your mind!
Game Ideas by Type
Classic Party Games
There’s a reason these games have been used in birthday parties for decades – they’re simple, they work and kids really enjoy them.
Musical Statues / Freeze Dance
Play music, kids dance. Stop the music, everyone freezes. Anyone who moves is out (or just loses a point if you want to keep everyone playing).
This game is so good because it doesn’t need anything except a speaker and a playlist. I’ve players it with groups of twenty kids and it still works. Just be sure you’re picking music they really like – find out first what they’re into and don’t put on what you think they’d like.
Pass the Parcel
Wrap a prize in layers of paper. The kids sit in a circle and pass it around while music plays. When the music stops whoever’s holding it unwraps one layer. You just keep going until someone gets to the center prize.
Extra tip: put small treats or silly challenges between some of the layers to keep kids who lose each round engaged. Things like “do your best chicken dance” or “everyone copy your funniest face”. This makes it less about winning and more about fun and silliness.
Simon Says
Hasbro Gaming Simon Handheld Electronic Memory Game With Lights and Sounds for Kids Ages 8 and Up
One person is Simon and gives commands. Kids only follow if you say “Simon says” first. Mix in some ridiculous instructions like – “Simon says put your finger on your nose and hop on one foot” – and throw in difficult ones without saying “Simon says” to catch them out. This is surprisingly good as a way to burn through time and energy without needing any supplies.
Hot Potato
Electronic Hot Potato – Party Game
Pass an object (a soft toy, actual potato, beanbag) around a circle while music plays. When it stops whoever’s holding it is out.
You can do very quick rounds of it as a way to keep everyone on their toes. If you don’t want to have any kids getting upset about being knocked out then just have them do a silly task instead of being out.
Pin the ____
Pin The Tail On The Donkey Party Game
Pin the tail on the donkey is the classic but you can make it work for any theme. Pin the horn on the unicorn, pin the crown on the princess, pin the web on Spider-Man etc.
Blindfold a child, spin them, point them in the general direction and let them stumble toward the poster. It’s silly, easy to do and kids love the dizzy spinning part almost as much as the actual game itself.
High-Energy (But Still Safe)
These games let kids burn off energy without destroying your house (for the most part).
Balloon Keep Up
The rules: don’t let the balloon touch the ground. That’s it. You can play with one balloon or add more to make it even more chaotic.
My nephew’s seventh birthday ended up with six balloons going at once and I’ve never seen kids more focused. You can make teams, add a timer or just let them go wild. Balloons are perfect for this type of thing because they’re slow enough that even little kids can keep up.
Indoor Obstacle Course
Use furniture and stuff from around your house to build a course. Kids crawl under the coffee table, hop over pillow “lava rocks”, zig zag between chairs, army crawl under a blanket tunnel and so on.
Time each kid and see who’s fastest or just let them run it for fun. I set one up once using painter’s tape on the floor for balance beams and it was the biggest success of the party. It cost nothing and yet they loved it.
Sock Skating
If you’ve got hardwood or tile floors this one can work for you. Clear some space, make sure everyone’s in socks (no shoes) and let them slide around like it’s an ice rink.
You can set up races or just let them skate freely. Add some upbeat music and it becomes a dance party with sliding. You’ll probably want to move anything valuable or that could break before you start. And be careful that kids don’t hurt themselves banging in to anything.
Animal Races
Kids race across the room moving like different animals. Crab walk (on hands and feet, belly up), frog hop, penguin waddle (feet together, arms at sides), bear crawl (on hands and feet, belly down), flamingo hop (one foot).
Its hilarious to watch and surprisingly tiring for them. Call out different animals randomly to keep them guessing.
Dance Battles
Put on music and let kids take turns showing their best moves. Have categories: silliest dance, best spin, slowest slow-motion move, robot dance, freestyle. Everyone else cheers and claps. No eliminations, just lots of fun.
This worked incredibly well at a party I hosted because even shy kids got into it once they saw everyone else letting loose and having a good time.
Sit-Down or Quiet Games
When the energy gets too much or you need a reset these games bring things back down without being boring.
Bingo (Themed)
Make bingo cards with images instead of numbers. Dinosaurs, princesses, superheroes, animals – whatever fits with your party theme.
Call them out randomly and the first child to get five in a row wins. You can find free printable themed bingo cards online or make your own.
Story Builders
Sit in a circle. The first child says one sentence to start a story. The next adds another sentence. And you keep going around.
The stories always get weird and hilarious. “Once there was a purple dragon”. “The dragon ate a pizza”. “But the pizza was actually a portal to the moon”. You get the idea. You don’t need any supplies and it will keep the kids engaged.
Guess the Sound
Play sounds (animal noises, household sounds, instruments) and kids guess what they are. You can use a phone app or compilation on Youtube.
Make it harder by playing really weird ones. This is especially good for younger kids.
Would You Rather
Ask silly or gross “would you rather” questions. “Would you rather have spaghetti hair or maple syrup sweat?” “Would you rather fight one horse sized duck or a hundred duck sized horses?” Kids love debating these and it kills time surprisingly well. The grosser and sillier the better.
Puzzle Races
Split into teams. Give each team the same puzzle (small ones, around 20 to 50 pieces). First team to finish wins.
You can also do shape sorting races with younger kids or matching games. It stays calm even while being competitive.
Craft and Game Combinations
These combine making something with playing with it.
Decorate Your Own Crown / Mask / Cape
Decorate-Your-Own Flower and Heart Treasure Boxes and Butterfly Bank
Set out plain paper crowns, masks or capes with markers, stickers, glitter, gems – whatever craft supplies you’ve got. Kids decorate their own then have a parade or pretend play session. This easily kills thirty minutes and they get to take something home.
Sticker Challenge
Give each kid the same set of random stickers. The challenge is to create the funniest or coolest scene/picture using all of them.
This is strangely compelling for kids. I’ve seen them spend twenty minutes positioning dinosaur stickers around a princess sticker to tell a story. They get really into it.
Cup Stacking Contest
Give kids plastic cups. Who can build the tallest tower before it falls? You can do individual or team challenges.
The inevitable crashes and collapses are half the fun. This is cheap and works for a wide age range.
Paper Airplane Contest
Everyone makes a paper airplane. Test them out – whose flies the longest distance? Whose does the coolest tricks?
You can have multiple rounds with different categories. Teach them a few different folding styles if you know them. Kids love this because it lets them get creative and you have the competitive part that makes it more interesting.
Group Games That Don’t Need A Lot of Stuff
Almost no supplies needed but still potential for lots of fun.
Charades (Act It Out)
Write animals, characters or actions on pieces of paper. Kids pick one and act it out without talking while the others guess. You can theme it to the party too.
Choose the birthday boy or girls favorite shows, party theme or just random silly stuff. This works for all ages if you change how difficulty it is to fit.
Who Am I?
Put a sticky note on each childs forehead with a character, animal or person written on it. They can’t see their own.
They ask yes/no questions to figure out who they are. “Am I an animal?” “Do I have powers?” “Am I from a movie?”.
This game is brilliant because it doesnt need anything other than paper and keeps going until everyone guesses.
Treasure Hunt Indoors
Hide clues around your house that lead to a final prize. Each clue leads to the next spot. You can make them rhyme for extra fun.
“Look where you wash your hands and face” leads to the bathroom. “Check where we keep things cold and fresh” leads to the fridge. The final prize can be a bag of candy for everyone or small toys. I’ve done this with five clues and with fifteen – both work well.
Memory Tray Game
Put 10 to 15 random objects on a tray. Let kids look for at it for thirty seconds, then cover it.
They write down (or say) as many as they remember. Most correct wins. Use party related stuff or just random household items. Its another one that’s oddly competitive.
The Floor is Lava
Scatter pillows, cushions, mats or towels around the room. Randomly call out “the floor is lava!” and everyone has to jump to safety.
Anyone touching the floor when you count to three is out (or loses a point). You can keep calling it repeatedly to keep them on their toes. This is crazy and perfect.
Age Suggestions
Not all games work for all ages. This is how to decide which games will fit which age ranges
Ages 3 to 5
- Freeze Dance – Simple rules and easy for kids to follow
- Balloon Keep-Up – Slow enough for little ones to play
- Pin the Tail – They love the spinning and the silly results
- Coloring Station – Set out coloring pages and crayons as a backup activity to calm everyone down
- Simple Obstacle Course – Keep it basic with just a few steps
This age group needs short games with very simple rules. Their attention span is about seven minutes max for any single activity so be ready to switch fast. Also, don’t bother with elimination games – little kids don’t handle being out well and it often leads to tears.
Ages 6 to 8
- Pass the Parcel – They understand taking turns and love the surprise part
- Charades – Can handle slightly more difficult acting and guessing
- Cup Stacking – Old enough to think about things a bit
- Sock Skating – The perfect age for this kind of fun
- Animal Races – Competitive enough to care but young enough to go for all the silliness
This is a great age range as most party games work. They follow rules, are competitive without being too serious and they’re still young enough to really pretend play without feeling self conscious.
Ages 9 to 12
- Who Am I – They love the strategy and deducing
- Puzzle Races – Can handle more complicated puzzles as teams
- Story Builders – The kids creativity and humor really gets to be shown here
- Dance Battles – They love performing and showing off
- Paper Airplane Contest – Engineering challenge appeals to this age
Older kids might act like they’re too cool for party games at first. What you need to do is pick games that don’t come across as being for babies or too young and more like actual challenges or ways to be creative. Give them some agency in choosing games too – they’re more likely to take part if they had input.
Game Flow & Timing Tips
Having great games is one thing. Making them go smoothly is something else altogether.
Rotate between active and calm. Don’t do three high energy games in a row unless you want absolute mayhem. Follow balloon keep up with bingo. Follow dance battles with story builders. Try to give them those calmer moments alongside the energy so they don’t get completely burnt out or too wound up.
Don’t force participation. Some kids like to watch first, especially at the beginning. That’s fine. They’ll often join in once they see others having fun and feel more comfortable. Forcing shy kids into the spotlight usually backfires.
Have 2-3 extra games prepped. I guarantee at least one game you were sure would work on will completely flop. Maybe the kids just aren’t feeling it, maybe you explained it badly or maybe they’re just in a weird mood. Have backups ready you can easily move to without panicking.
Keep the games around 10 to 15 minutes max. Even games kids love will lose steam after this. Better to end on a high note while they’re still having fun than drag it out until they’re bored and restless.
Use a playlist to reset the energy. When kids are getting too crazy or the energy drops too much throw on the right music. Upbeat songs can hype them up, calmer music will bring things back down. Music is a surprisingly powerful way to control moods.
Bonus Ideas
These are a few extra touches that make everything run smoother and feel more special.
Mini Prizes. Have some small prizes for game winners. Stickers, glow bracelets, candy, small toys from the dollar store etc. Kids are way more into games when there’s some sort of reward. You don’t need expensive stuff – even a lollipop works.
Game Station Rotations. If you’ve got a bigger group (12+ kids), set up multiple game areas and split the kids into smaller groups. Every ten minutes move to the next area. This keeps things moving and means kids don’t have to wait forever for turns.
Birthday Kid Picks the First Game. Let them choose what to start with. Makes them feel like the boss of their own party and gives them a little control on their special day.
Parents Join In for One Game. If there are parents staying pull them into one of the games. It’ll get lots of laughs, great photos and kids love seeing adults be silly.
Final Thoughts
As long as you have a good plan, a few backups and are ready to deal with whatever happens you can’t really go wrong.
The parties I remember most as a kid weren’t the ones with the most amazing games. They were the ones where we laughed so hard our stomachs hurt, where we felt like the adults actually wanted us to have fun and where things felt just crazy enough to be exciting but there was enough control so that nobody got hurt (for the most part).
That’s what you’re going for here. You’re not trying to be a professional party planner. You’re trying to give a bunch of kids a couple hours of proper fun in a space that won’t get completely wrecked.
And even if when it’s all over and the kids are gone and your house looks like a tornado hit it – that’s how you know it was a good party. Get yourself a strong drink, put your feet up and enjoy knowing you got through another year. Same time next year?
Sally Gibson is the founder of Someone Sent you a Greeting, a holiday/celebration website. Sally’s writing work has been mentioned in Woman’s World, Yahoo, Women’s Health, MSN and more. If you have any questions get in contact with one of the team via the about page.