You've got a room full of kids arriving in ten minutes. You haven't planned a single game. Sound familiar? The good news is the best party games for kids are the ones that need nothing — no props, no printouts, no trip to the shop. You already have everything you need.
Here are 20+ easy party games for kids, split into two sections: games you can run right now with zero equipment, and games that just need a laptop and a TV. Most take under a minute to explain. A few run themselves.
No equipment needed — start right now
Sleeping lions
Everyone lies on the floor and stays perfectly still. You walk around and try to make them laugh — funny faces, silly noises, gentle teasing. Anyone who moves, giggles, or twitches is out. Last lion sleeping wins. Brilliant for calming things down after a sugar rush, and it works for every age from 3 up.
Simon Says
The classic. "Simon says jump. Simon says touch your nose. Jump!" — anyone who jumps on the last one is out. Fast, free, and you can make it sillier by adding dance moves, animal noises, or funny faces. Kids aged 4–7 love it. Older kids can take turns being Simon.
Musical statues
Play music. Kids dance. Pause the music. Everyone freezes. Anyone who wobbles is out. You can use any music — Spotify, YouTube, your phone. No music? Just clap a rhythm and stop. The simplest version of this is one of the most reliable party games ever invented. For the full guide, see our musical statues game page.
Musical bumps
Same as statues but instead of freezing, kids sit down as fast as possible when the music stops. Last one sitting is out. Slightly more chaotic and even easier to judge than statues because it's obvious who was last.
Grandmother's footsteps
One child stands at the front with their back to the group. The others creep forward trying to touch them. The child at the front turns around randomly — anyone they see moving goes back to the start. First child to reach the front wins and takes the next turn. Tension, stealth, and zero prep.
What's the time, Mr Wolf?
One child is the wolf, standing at the front. The others call "What's the time, Mr Wolf?" The wolf answers with a time — "Three o'clock" — and the group takes that many steps forward. When the wolf says "Dinner time!" they chase the group back to the start line. Anyone tagged becomes the next wolf. Works best for ages 4–8.
Duck duck goose
Kids sit in a circle. One child walks around the outside tapping each head saying "duck, duck, duck..." then "goose!" The goose jumps up and chases them around the circle. If the tagger reaches the empty spot first, the goose takes the next turn. Simple, physical, and needs nothing but a bit of floor space.
Wink murder
One child leaves the room. The rest pick a murderer. The child comes back in. The murderer winks at people secretly — anyone winked at dramatically "dies." The detective has to figure out who the murderer is before everyone is dead. Great for ages 7+ and needs absolutely nothing.
Chinese whispers
Kids sit in a circle. Whisper a phrase to the first child. They whisper it to the next, and so on. The last child says it out loud. The difference between the original and the final version is the joke. "The cat sat on the mat" becomes "The bat hat a flat" and everyone collapses laughing.
Kim's game
Put 10–15 small objects on a tray (a spoon, a toy car, a crayon, a sock — anything from around the house). Let kids look for 30 seconds. Cover the tray. They write down or call out everything they remember. Most correct wins. Quick, calm, and surprisingly hard.
Four corners
Label the four corners of a room 1, 2, 3, and 4. One child closes their eyes and counts to ten. The rest run to a corner. The counter calls a number — everyone in that corner is out. Repeat until one child remains. Needs a room with four clear corners, which most living rooms have.
Animal actions
Call out an animal. Kids have to move like that animal — slither like a snake, hop like a frog, stomp like an elephant. Fast, silly, and works for toddlers right through to age 8. Add a "freeze" element and it becomes a movement game and a concentration game in one.
Laptop + TV — games that run themselves
The magic mirror
Open Magic Mirror on a laptop, plug it into the TV with HDMI, and press "Show on TV." Kids see themselves on the big screen with live camera effects — thermal vision, kaleidoscope, neon glow, ghost trails, emoji rain. Three effects are free forever; the full set of 71 effects is £6.99 one-time.
This is the easiest party activity there is because it runs itself. Kids drift over, pull faces, try different effects, and come back throughout the party. You don't have to run it, explain it, or referee it. Set it up in the first ten minutes and it's still going two hours later.
Statues with a webcam judge
Magic Mirror's Statues game plays the music, pauses at random, and uses your webcam to detect who moved. Kids see themselves on the TV with effects like ghost trails and thermal vision while they play. You don't have to watch for wobbles — the camera does it. Free to play.
Dance-off
Two kids face the TV and dance. The magic mirror scores their movement energy and picks a winner automatically. No arguing, no judging, no tears — the screen decides. Works for any age and any music. See our party games for kids guide for more ideas like this.
Pass the bomb
A bomb appears on the TV screen and chases the busiest player. When the 20-second fuse runs out, it explodes. Kids pass an imaginary (or real soft) object around while the on-screen bomb ticks down. Pure chaos, zero props, and the screen handles all the timing.
Easy party games by age
- Ages 3–5: Sleeping lions, Simon Says, animal actions, duck duck goose, the magic mirror with gentle effects (kaleidoscope, emoji rain).
- Ages 6–8: All of the above plus musical statues, musical bumps, grandmother's footsteps, what's the time Mr Wolf, wink murder, dance-off.
- Ages 9–10: All of the above plus four corners, Kim's game, Chinese whispers (make the phrases harder), pass the bomb, dance-off, the magic mirror with thermal and neon effects.
How to run easy party games without losing your mind
- Start with a high-energy game. Musical statues or animal actions burns off arrival excitement. Ten minutes of running around and they're ready to listen.
- Follow with a calm one. Sleeping lions or Kim's game gives everyone a breather — including you.
- End with the magic mirror. It's self-running, so you can tidy up, cut the cake, or prep food while the kids are entertained. It's the only party activity that actually gives you time back.
- Keep prizes tiny. A sticker, a single sweet, or just "winner picks the next game." Big prizes cause arguments. Small ones keep the fun going.
For more ideas, see our guides to musical statues, indoor party games for kids, party games for kids, and kids party activities.