Every parent ends up here at some point: two weeks before a birthday, trying to piece together a party that won't fall apart in the first twenty minutes. The good news is that the best party games for kids are the simple ones — no expensive kits, no hired entertainers, no app subscriptions. Just games that get kids moving, laughing, and competing in a way that feels fair.
Here are 30+ party games for kids, sorted by category and energy level. Most need nothing but space and music. A few use a laptop and TV — the magic mirror — which we'll cover first because it's the one station that runs the whole party without you.
The TV magic mirror station
The single highest-impact thing you can set up at a kids' party is a magic mirror on the big screen. Open Magic Mirror in your browser on a laptop, connect it to the TV with HDMI, press "Show on TV," and the television becomes a fullscreen live mirror with 71 camera effects and 12 motion games.
Kids walk up, see themselves in thermal vision, kaleidoscope, neon glow, emoji rain, and ghost trails. They play musical statues, dance-offs, and pass the bomb — all judged automatically by the webcam, which eliminates the fairness arguments. It runs unsupervised for the entire party and works for ages 3 to 10 and up. Three effects are free; the full set is £6.99 one-time. All processing happens locally on the laptop — no uploads, no accounts, no cloud.
Active party games (high energy)
These are the games kids burn energy on. Best for the middle of the party, after arrival chaos and before food.
Musical statues
Play music, kids dance, pause the music, everyone freezes. Wobblers are out. Works for any age and any space. If you're using Magic Mirror, the Statues game judges automatically. See our full musical statues guide for rules, songs, and fair judging.
Dance-off
Two kids face the TV and dance to a song they pick. The rest cheer. Magic Mirror's Dance-Off game scores movement energy and picks a winner. Works for ages 6–10 — younger kids love it too, they just don't care who wins.
Pass the bomb
A bomb appears on the TV screen and chases the busiest player. 20-second fuse. When it explodes, the holder is out. Entirely screen-based, no running around. Kids find this hilarious and will beg for multiple rounds.
Musical chairs
Arrange chairs in a circle, one fewer than the number of kids. Music plays, kids walk, music stops, everyone sits. The one without a chair is out. Remove a chair each round. Classic, works for ages 5+.
Musical bumps
Like musical statues but sitting down instead of freezing. When the music stops, the last to sit is out. Safer for small spaces — no running into furniture.
Four corners
Label the four corners of the room 1–4. One child closes their eyes and counts. The others run to a corner. The counter calls a number — anyone in that corner is out. Last one standing wins.
What's the time, Mr Wolf?
One child is the wolf, facing away. The others creep forward asking "What's the time, Mr Wolf?" The wolf calls a time and the kids take that many steps. When the wolf says "Dinner time!" they chase. Caught kids become wolves. Works in a hallway or living room.
Simon Says
One person gives instructions. If it starts with "Simon says," kids follow. If not, anyone who moves is out. Free, works for any age, needs zero space. At 6+ you can make it tricky: "Simon says hop on one foot and touch your nose."
Balloon keep-up
Inflate a balloon and try to keep it off the ground as a group. Count the taps. When it touches the floor, start again. Surprisingly addictive and works for mixed ages. Give older kids a target — "Can we get to 50?"
Tug o' war
Two teams, a rope, a line on the floor. Pull. First team to pull the other across the line wins. If you're using Magic Mirror, the Tug o' War game tracks the rope position on screen — no actual rope needed.
Screen-based party games
These games use the TV as the centrepiece. Kids are engaged with a screen, but it's active — they're moving, not staring.
Magic mirror effects station
Beyond the motion games, the effects station itself is a continuous activity. Kids walk up, pick an effect, and see themselves transformed on the TV in real time. No instructions needed, no supervision required. Effects include thermal (body heat as colour), kaleidoscope (multiply every face into a pattern), emoji rain (emojis bounce off your head), neon glow (edges light up in electric colours), ghost (translucent afterimages trail behind movement), and time warp (movements replay in slow motion). Party mode switches the effect automatically every 45 seconds.
Floor is lava
Magic Mirror's Floor is Lava game turns the TV screen into a lava field. Kids jump and dodge. The webcam tracks movement — touch the lava and you're out. Active, screen-based, and works in a small space.
Medium-energy party games
These slow the pace slightly. Good for mid-party transitions or when kids need a breather between active games.
Pass the parcel
Wrap a gift in multiple layers of paper. Pass it around a circle while music plays. When the music stops, the child holding it unwraps one layer. Put a sweet in every layer. A party classic that works in any living room. At 7+, they notice if someone gets more — make it even.
Scavenger hunt
Write a list of items to find around the house: something blue, something soft, something from the kitchen. First team back with everything wins. Takes 15 minutes, costs nothing. For ages 7+, they can read the list themselves. For ages 9–10, add riddles instead of items.
Animal charades
Write animal names on slips of paper. Kids take turns acting out their animal without speaking. The others guess. Lions, penguins, snakes, and elephants are always funny. Works for ages 4+.
Hot potato
Pass a soft object around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, the holder is out. Simple, free, works for any age. Pass the parcel's simpler cousin.
Duck duck goose
Kids sit in a circle. One child walks around tapping heads saying "duck, duck, duck…" then "goose!" The goose jumps up and chases. If the tapper reaches the empty spot first, the goose is next. Perfect for ages 3–6.
Red light, green light
One child stands at one end of the room facing the wall — the traffic light. The others stand at the other end. When the light says "green light," everyone moves forward. "Red light" — everyone freezes. Anyone caught moving is out. First to tag the light wins. Great for hallways.
Creative party games
These let kids make something. Good for smaller groups or as a station at a larger party.
Pass the drawing
Everyone gets paper. Fold it into thirds. Draw a head, fold, pass. Draw a body, fold, pass. Draw legs. Unfold to reveal the monster. Guaranteed laughs, zero equipment cost. Works for ages 5+.
Decorate a crown
Pre-cut crown shapes from card. Set out stickers, pens, and gems. Kids decorate their own crown. Quiet, creative, and they have something to take home. Good for ages 3–7.
Freeze-frame photo booth
Use the magic mirror with a fun effect — neon glow or kaleidoscope — and have kids pose. Take turns doing group shots. The effects make every photo ridiculous. Works for all ages.
Wind-down party games (low energy)
End the party with these. Post-cake, post-sugar, when you need calm.
Sleeping lions
Everyone lies on the floor and pretends to sleep. The host tries to make them laugh without touching. Anyone who giggles or moves is out. Perfect for the post-cake energy crash.
Memory tray
Put 10–15 small objects on a tray. Let the kids look for 30 seconds. Cover the tray. They write down everything they remember. Most correct wins. Calm, focused, and works for ages 5+.
Spooky story circle
Dim the lights. Each child adds one sentence to a story. Gets sillier and sillier. Perfect end-of-party wind-down.
Guess the number
One child picks a number between 1 and 100. The others take turns guessing. The child says "higher" or "lower." Whoever guesses the number picks the next. Quiet, simple, works for ages 6+.
Would you rather?
Ask silly questions: "Would you rather have spider legs or octopus arms?" Kids vote by running to one side of the room or the other. Gentle movement, lots of laughs, easy to run.
Party games by age
- Ages 3–5: Musical bumps, sleeping lions, balloon keep-up, animal charades, duck duck goose, the magic mirror with gentle effects. Short rounds, no elimination.
- Ages 6–8: Everything above plus musical statues, pass the parcel, scavenger hunt, dance-off, Simon Says, four corners, What's the time Mr Wolf, red light green light. They can handle elimination and competition.
- Ages 9–10: Dance-off, pass the bomb, scavenger hunt with riddles, memory tray, the magic mirror with thermal/neon/kaleidoscope effects. They'll love the competitive games and the more dramatic effects.
How many games do you need?
For a two-hour party, plan 5–7 activities and have 2 backups. The station-based approach works best: set up the magic mirror in one corner running continuously, a game in the middle of the room, and a scavenger hunt for when they need to move. Kids drift between stations at their own pace — you don't need to control the sequence tightly.
Start with the magic mirror as they arrive (it absorbs the chaos), run one or two active games mid-party (musical statues, dance-off, or pass the bomb), do the food and cake, then finish with a wind-down (sleeping lions or memory tray).
For more, see our guides to indoor party games for kids, birthday party entertainment ideas, and kids' party activities.