Friendly Kid Games

Penny Spoon Relay Race

• Mark a starting line and finish line about 25 feet apart from each other. Divide the children into two teams and have each team line up at the starting line. Place a large bucket of pennies in between the two teams at the starting line and place an empty bucket for each team at the finish line. Give the first player in each team line a large plastic spoon. When you say, "Race," the first two players have to dip their spoons into the bucket of pennies and get a full spoon. Each player must race to the finish line and pour the pennies in the bucket. If a player drops a penny, he has to stop and place the penny back in his spoon before continuing the race. The first team to finish the race with the most pennies wins the game.

Hula Hoops

• Divide the players into groups of seven to eight players and have each team stand in a single file line. Tell the players to join hands. Bring out hula hoops and place one at the end of each team line. When you say, "Go," the players have to pass the hula hoop down their team line without letting go of each other's hands. If any players let go of one another's hands, the hula hoop has to start over at the beginning of the line. The first team to get the hula hoop all the way down the line wins the game.

Grab the Tails

• Give each player a large piece of crepe streamer to hang from the back of her pants. Have all the children scatter over the party area. When you say, "Get those tails," the children have to try to grab the "tails" of all the other players while trying to protect their own. Once a child loses her tail, she is out of the game. The last player standing with a "tail" wins the game.

Water Balloon Targets

• Draw a large target on the sidewalk or driveway with sidewalk chalk. Mark each ring of the target with a point value. Lower point values go in the outside rings, while higher point values go in the center rings. Give each child three water balloon to toss at the target. Tell the children to toss the water balloons up in the air towards the target. Add up each player's points. The child with the highest amount of points wins the game.