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Birthday Games for Older Kids

by Janice Fahy

Older kids like birthday parties just as much as younger ones, but finding fun games to hold their attention can be a bit of a challenge. Theme parties with lots of different activities are always a good choice, and older children enjoy games that are socially interactive, competitive and silly. Concentrate on activities that are off the beaten path and that allow boys and girls to act silly and get to know each other better at the same time.

Older kids like fun birthday games, too.

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GPS Treasure Hunt Game

Older kids will love this birthday game, which makes use of all the best elements of geocaching. For party invitations, send out weathered maps. For the actual game, you will need a large area--woods or parks are perfect--and enough GPS systems for each team. Place clues and/or presents in several locations all around the area, and then enter the coordinates on the GPS. It's best to have teams of two or three kids and make sure that each location has enough treats or gifts for all of them. The GPS will lead them from point to point. Fun treats to hide for older kids include movie tickets, music gift cards and candy.

Balloon Games

If you think older kids have outgrown balloons, think again. Balloon truth or dare is a great ice breaker. You'll need 20 big balloons and 20 small pieces of paper. Write 10 dares and 10 truths on the papers, then insert one in each balloon and blow it up. For the game, each person pops a balloon and follows the instructions. For a balloon war game, you will need five large different-colored balloons for each team. In an outside area, start each team and their balloons together. The teams should be about 15 yards from the other. Blow the whistle for the game to start--the object is to collect the most balloons in five minutes.
Murder Wink Game

Older kids love this game, which incorporates two of their favorite things: sneakiness and drama. Grab a deck of cards, and count out a card for each person at the party. Make sure one of the cards is a jack. Have the kids look at their cards without showing anyone else. The person who receives the jack is the murderer, and his job is to kill off everyone before someone identifies him. He murders by winking at a person. The person who receives the wink must wait a few seconds before dramatically falling to the ground, dead. Victims aren't allowed to identify the murderer.
Graffiti Game

For this game, set up an area with black lights. Ask all the guests to arrive at the party in a white shirt. Have plenty of different-colored highlighters for everyone to use. Have everyone sign each other's shirts--like the shirt is a yearbook--with the highlighters. Give prizes for the most artistic signature and the most poetic signature.