Party Games for Kids Who Are Age 6

Scavenger/Treasure Hunts

• Divide children into teams and let them work together to find different objects on a list. You can play scavenger hunts in a variety of ways and adapt them to fit the party theme. For example, 6-year-olds might enjoy a ̶0;Survivor̶1; themed party. Simply let them hunt the yard for objects needed to set up their camp, such as a large pot for boiling water, a tent for shelter and a bag of rice.

  Play treasure hunts in a similar fashion, but let children decipher clues to find a ̶0;treasure̶1; hidden in the yard. Pirates might search for a buried treasure chest using picture clues that lead them to spots throughout the yard and finally to the sandbox where they dig for a cardboard box of goodies. Knights can look for the dragon̵7;s treasure by unraveling basic word clues, such as ̶0;Look In The Briny Deep̶1; accompanied by a picture of the bathtub.

Relay Games

• Split guests into two teams and let them burn off energy in a relay game. Try a sponge relay for a game that fits in with virtually any theme. Find four buckets and fill two of them with water. Set up a pair of empty buckets at the starting line for each team and about 30 feet farther away set up the buckets filled with water. Give each team a sponge and let them run to the water-filled buckets and dip their sponges in the water. Team members race back to the empty bucket and squeeze their sponge into it. Switch places and let another team member play. Continue in this fashion until one team fills a bucket with water. The first team who fills a bucket wins the relay.

  Create different relay games to fit the theme of your party. Let the children roll a tire to and from the finish line at a race car party. Children at a luau party might race to the center to don hula attire, then hurry back to the starting line to take the clothes off and pass them to another player.

Obstacle Course Games

• Use items in your yard, such as slides, boards, trampolines, hula hoops, large boxes and even wading pools to create a themed obstacle course. Pirates might need to walk the plank (a board positioned across a plastic wading pool) while army men go through basic training (crawl under yarn tied to garden stakes). An Olympic-themed obstacle course might include a bobsled ride (slide, accompanied by a crash helmet) or crawling through the Olympic rings (five hula hoops positioned upright to look like rings on the lawn).