Fun and Easy Birthday Games

Shoe Shuffle

• Instruct all the players to take off their shoes, throwing them in a large pile. Without anyone looking, rearrange the shoes to separate the matching pairs. Divide the players into two teams, lining them up about 6 feet from the pile of shoes. When you say "Go," the first players on both teams race to the pile to search for their shoes. After a player finds his shoes, he returns back to his line, prompting the next player to go. The team to have all its players with their shoes on wins the game.

Famous Pairs

• Before the game begins, come up with several famous pairings, including anything from Peanut Butter and Jelly to Sonny and Cher. Write each partner of each pair on a separate index card. Tape an index card to each player's forehead without the player seeing the name written there. Once everyone has a card, tell everyone to start asking each other yes-or-no questions to determine the name written on their cards. Once someone figures out his name, he then has to find his partner. Keep playing until all of the players have paired off.

Hula Hoop Relay

• Divide the players into two teams and position them in two horizontal lines with players standing next to each other and holding hands. Hand the left-most player of each team a hula hoop. Have him place the hoop on the ground and stand inside it. The player pulls the hoop over his head then moves it past his shoulders onto the arms of the player beside him. She then pulls the hoop onto the next player in line. This continues until one team, without ever breaking hands, has the hula hoop at the end of their line, thereby winning the game.

Snatch

• Place several small objects on a table. Have the players gather around and select one player to be the guesser. She turns away from the table. Select another player to be the thief. He steals one of the items on the table and hides it behind his back. When ready, turn the guesser around. She has to determine the missing item as well as the player who stole it. Once she guesses correctly, the thief becomes the new guesser and a new player gets to play the thief.