Remember When --- Old Fashion Birthday Games
Drop the Handkerchief
Have the children form a circle facing each other. Have one child be "IT" and take the handkerchief and walk around the outside of the circle. The child drops the handkerchief behind one child and begins running around the outside of the circle while the child who the handkerchief was dropped behind picks up the handkerchief and tries to tag the child who dropped the handkerchief before he or she makes it back to the empty spot in the circle. If the child who picked up the handkerchief is unable to tag the child running before he or she reaches the empty spot, then that child is "IT." If the child who dropped the handkerchief is tagged, then he or she must be "IT" again.
Hot Potato
Using a regular baking potato as the hot potato have the children sit in a circle facing one another. Play music and have the children toss the hot potato around the circle. Stop the music periodically, when the music is stopped the child holding the hot potato must leave the circle. Repeat this until only one child remains and is the winner.
Red Light
Have the children stand in a line at one end of the room while you stand at the other end of the room. Say, "Green light!" to have the child more forward toward you. Say "Red light!" to have them stop. Any children still moving after you say "red light" are out of the game. All children who make it to you are winners. To make the game harder, you may want to have the children jump or any other silly type of step you can think to have the children do as they move toward you when you say "green light."
Break the bag - (budget version of pinata)
Decorate a paper bag and fill it with candy or party favors. Tie the end of the bag up and tie to a tree. Blind fold one child at a time and let them try to break the bag with a broomstick. When the goodies fall out of the bag, the child can grab all the goodies he or she can.
Hot and Cold
Pick one child to be "IT" first; this child will leave the room. The rest of the child will sit on the floor and watch you hid a party favor. Have "IT" come back in the room and this child will search for the party favor while the other child say "Hot" (to mean close) or "Cold" (to mean away from) to help the child searching find the party favor. When the child finds the party favor he or she keeps it. Repeat this until each child gets a chance to be "IT."
Written by Kimberly Hargis
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