18 Incredible Birthday Party Games for Ages 3 to 5

Planning your child’s birthday party is a fun time!

Sometimes planning indoor party games can be difficult, because it’s always easier to send the kids outside and let them run free.

There are plenty of games you can plan for an indoor party.

I compiled a list to get you started on indoor party games for kids ages 3-5 years old!

• • Related: Great Indoor Party Crafts For 5 Year Olds

Indoor Birthday Party Games for Ages 3-5

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Birthday Party Games for 3-Year-Old

1.Musical Bash

Have the party guests stand in a circle and sing songs, performing the song’s actions.

Song lyrics:

• If You’re Happy and You Know It,
• The Wheels on the Bus
• and Itsy-Bitsy Spider.

Check out this awesome kids’ dance party playlist for more ideas:

2. Bubbles Contest

Give each player a bottle of bubbles.

See which player can blow the most bubbles at once or can blow the biggest bubble. Want to take it to the next level? Get everyone giant bubble wands, it is a huge hit!

3.Duck Duck Goose

Have the players sit in a circle, except for one player.

That player walks around the circle, touching each player on the head, saying “duck.”

When that player touches someone on the head and says “goose,” the player gets up and tries to tag the player who tapped them on the head, who is racing back to their spot in the circle.

Birthday Party Games for 4-Year-Old

4. Elephant Tug-of-War

• Divide the party guests into two teams.
• Using chalk, draw a line on the ground.
• One player on each team is the “elephant.”
• The two “elephants” hold hands and try to pull each other over the line.
• The team who pulls the other team over the line the most times wins the game.

Check out this video for more tug-of-war ideas:

5. Musical Bumps

For Musical Bumps, you’ll need some dance music.

• When the music starts, the players start dancing around the room.
• When the music stops, the players must sit down right away.
• The last player to sit down is out of the game.

6. Wobbly Sweets

• Have the party guests lie on their backs.
• Then, place a piece of wrapped candy on each of their foreheads.
• Next, have each player do something like touch their nose, shake their arms or raise their feet in the air.
• If a player’s candy falls off their forehead, they are out of the game.

Birthday Party Games for 5-Year-Old

7. Bean Bag Toss

This is pretty simple to create.

• If you are going to use 3 beanbags, you want 6 squares of fabric cut the same size.
• Sew all the edges together except for one.
• Using the open end, fill it with dry beans or corn and then sew it up.
• You can take a large piece of cardboard, cut out 3-4 holes and prop it up on a table so it is at a slant.
• Put some tape on the floor, at different distances to make it fun and a little harder.
• Here’s a great how-to for making a DIY bean bag toss!

8. Musical Chairs

Everyone knows this one!

• Gather a bunch of chairs, one less than the number of party goers.
• Place them in a circle and have the kids line up in a circle on the outside of the chairs.
• Start the music, when you stop it, they have to scramble to sit in the closest chair to them.
• The one left standing is out, and a chair is taken away.
• In the end, there should be one chair and two kids.
• The one who gets to sit in the chair in the last round wins!

9. Chopsticks and Raisins

To play Chopsticks and Raisins, you’ll need some raisins, a pair of chopsticks and a small bowl.

• Empty the raisins into the small bowl.
• Have the players sit in a circle around the bowl.
• One player starts the game by using the chopsticks to try and pick up a raisin from the bowl.
• If they drop the raisin, the next player in the circle tries.
• The player who picks up the most raisins is the winner.

Don’t miss our complete guide ►► 13 Epic Indoor Birthday Party Games for 5-year-old (Complete Guide)

Indoor Birthday Party Games for 3-5-Year-Old

10. Pin the Tail on the ____ Game

Depending on what your party theme is, you can do this is so many different ways.

You can use the classic donkey, pinning the tail.  If you have a Frozen theme you can pin the nose on Olaf, or the braid on Elsa.

Whatever theme the birthday is, you can find a pin the tail on game to match!

11. Musical Statues

For this game, you’ll need some dance music.

• When the music starts, the players start dancing around the room.
• When the music stops, the players must stand as still as possible.
• Any player who moves after the music has stopped, is out of the game.

12. Pass the Parcel

For Pass the Parcel, you’ll need one present, one that does not belong to the birthday child, that is wrapped in several layers of wrapping paper.

You’ll also need some music.

• The party guests sit in a circle and the birthday child holds the present to start the game.
• When the music starts, the present is passed around the circle.
• When the music stops, the player that is holding the present, removes a layer of wrapping paper. T
• he game continues until the final layer is unwrapped.

Outdoor Birthday Party Games for 3-5-Year-Old

13.Freeze Tag

They will love this game!

Make sure you have enough space and not too many kids for this one.  Unless you have a ton of space, like a finished basement or something.

• One or two people are ‘it’ and try to tag another person.
• When he does, that person is frozen, until someone else (not ‘it’) touches him and unfreezes him.
• Keeps them busy while you get the cake ready.

14.Hula Hoop Contest

Boys and girls will like this one!

• Play some fun music and give everyone a Hula Hoop.
• They try and keep the Hula Hoop going until the music stops.
• It is not easy!!

Here’s another fun game to play while those hula hoops are out:

15. Hit the Balloon

For this game, you’ll need a balloon for each party guest.

• Make a start line and a finish line.
• The players stand at the start line and must get their balloon to the finish line, using only their hands to hit the balloon.
• If a player’s balloon touches the ground, that player is out of the game.
• The player who reaches the finish line first is the game winner.

Active Birthday Party Games for 3-5-Year-Old

16. Grandmother’s Footsteps

For this game, one player is the Grandmother and stands with her back to the other players, who stand in a line at the opposite side of the room.

• While her back is turned, the other players try to creep up on her.
• When Grandmother turns around, any player who is caught moving has to go back to the beginning.
• The first player to tap Grandmother on her shoulder wins the game.

17. Wheelbarrow Race

• Create a start line and a finish line for this game.
• Divide the players into teams of two.
• One player places their hands on the ground, while their teammate holds their ankles, resembling a wheelbarrow.
• The first team to reach the finish line first wins the game.

18. Egg and Spoon Race

For this game, you’ll need a hard-boiled egg and a spoon for each party guest. You’ll also need to make a start line and a finish line.

• The players stand at the start line, holding a spoon with a hard-boiled egg on it.
• The object is to get from the start line to the finish line, without dropping their egg.
• The first player to do so is the game winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yMS0IuPZD0

Planning a party for preschoolers doesn’t have to be difficult.  Pick a couple games to play, serve some pizza, have cake and ice cream and open presents!

Do you have any favorite indoor party games for kids? Share below!