Ideas for Construction Games at a Birthday Party

Small Children

• Play "pin the tool on the builder" game. This game is played like "pin the tail on the donkey", but the kids can try to pin little tools on the builder's tool belt. Draw a builder on a large poster board to begin creating this homemade game. Draw an empty tool belt around his waist with enough openings for several tools. Draw tools on construction paper such as a hammer, screwdriver and wrench. Create enough tools so each child will have one. Place a piece of double-sided tape on the back of each tool and hang the poster board on a wall at kid level. Blindfold the child before he pins the tool and point him in the direction of the poster board.

  A wrecking ball game will be a big hit with one or two year olds. Provide large cardboard bricks and let your guests build a tower. Pick up pretend bricks from a local educational store or paint and decorate shoe boxes to resemble bricks. Design a wrecking ball by hanging a beach ball by a string from the ceiling. Let each child take turns swinging the ball and knocking over the tower. The kids rebuild the tower and another child takes a turn.

Older Kids

• Elementary aged children can use their imagination playing a house building game using Lincoln Logs. Kids can play individually or in teams. Provide each child or team with a pile of Lincoln Logs and tell them to build the home of their dreams. Give the kids a time limit to build their dream home, such as 10 or 15 minutes. Honor homes such as tallest or shortest structure, craziest home or home with the most solid construction.

Adult

• A hilarious "dress like the construction worker" relay race will rev up the party. Divide party guests into teams of four and have everyone stand on one side of the room. Place a pair of work boots, large flannel shirt, hard hat, work gloves, tool belt and tools on the other side of the game. Have enough supplies for one person from each team. Each team chooses one teammate to be the construction worker. The construction worker player stands on the other end of the room next to her pile of clothing.

  The rest of the team members must take turns racing to the other side of the room to dress their team member like a construction worker. Players can only add one item of clothing or accessory at one time.