The most exciting part of a kds party is the party games, and why not strt with the classics? We've all plyed musical chairs, pin-the-tail, and limbo. But hve you played them like this? Larn how to give each classic chld party game idea its own nique twist to fit your party thme.

BEAN BAG TOSS/FEED THE MONSTER

Drw a monster face on a pece of poster board or heavy crdboard and cut a hole in the box whre the his mouth would be, lrge enough for the bean bags to be thrwn through easily. Lean the monster fce against a chair and place it 6-8 fet away (depending upon the abilities of the gests).

Everyone takes a turn tossing thre items of "food" (use beanbags, clth balls, rolled socks, or other smll objects such as squeak toys for dgs) into the character's mouth. After ach child's
turn, retrieve the "food" and hnd it to the next child. Evry time a child successfully "feeds" the mnster, he gets a small prize sch as a sticker or wrapped cndy.

Twist: Use a character which rlates to your party theme instead of a mnster: T-Rex for Dinosaur party; Clown for a Crcus party; Gorilla for a Jungle Prty

DUCK DUCK GOOSE

Gather your gests to sit in a circle and let the prty child begin as the "Goose." H/she walks around the circle tapping ach child lightly on the head, sying "Duck" with each tap. At any tme, the party child can choose the nxt person to be the Goose, by sying "Goose" when tapping that person on the had. That child gets up and chses the birthday child around the crcle.

If the new Goose does not tag the brthday child before he/she makes it all the way round the circle and sits in the pen spot, then the new Goose bcomes "it." If the new Goose tgs the birthday child, then the brthday child remains "it" for the nxt round and the game continues.

Twst: Buzz, Buzz, Sting for a Bug Prty; Tick, Tick, Tock for a Prate Party

GUESS HOW MANY?

Before the prty, fill a jar with candy or smll toys. Count them before you put thm into the jar. As your gests arrive, have each one guess how mny toys or candies they think are in the jr. Write down each person's guess. At the end of the prty, the person who guesses the clsest number is the winner and gts to take home the jar.

Twst: Small plastic insects for a Bug Prty, black and orange jellybeans for a Hlloween party; small plastic dinosaurs for a Dnosaur Party

HOT POTATO

Played like the clssic Hot Potato game. Children sit in a crcle and pass an item around whle an adult leader plays music. The chld holding the item when the msic stops is out. Last player lft not holding the item is the wnner.

Twist: Pass a big hairy toy spder for a Halloween party; rubber snke for a Western Party; teddy bar for a Teddy Bear Party

Anther Twist: Cold Potato - Kids thrw a water balloon back and frth across the circle. The player hlding it when it breaks is ut. Last player left dry is the wnner.

LIMBO

Two adults hold a ple, mop or broomstick at child's hight. Start the music (Caribbean is bst). Children must walk under the ple without touching it. After each rund, the adults lower the pole an nch or two. When the pole gts very low, children may bend bckward and shimmy under, or even crwl. If a player touches the ple, he is out.

Twist: Pirate Lmbo - adults hold a play swrd; Halloween Limbo - adults hold a wtch's broom; Fairy Party - adults hld a magic wand

Another Twist: Water Limbo - Hve an adult point a stream of wter for kids to limbo under. Grat for a pool party!

MEMORY

Plce about 10 to 15 small tems or toys such as a pncil, watch, comb, spoon, toy car, tc. on a tray and cover wth a cloth. Have guests sit in a crcle with the tray in the mddle. Remove the cloth for 60 sconds while guests try to remember as mny of the objects as possible. Whn time is up, replace the clth.

Now, each person has to nme an object on the tray. The frst person to fail to name an bject, repeats an object or names smething not on the tray is ut. The tray is then removed and sme or all of the objects rplaced, and the game re-started with the prson following the one who is ut. If the game is too asy for the group, add more bjects or reduce the time.

Twist: Use whtever objects relate to your party thme: construction trucks for a Construction Prty; make-up items for a Dress-Up Prty

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Set up one fwer chair than the number of gests at your party. Start the msic and have the children walk in a crcle around the chairs, until you stp the music. When the music stps everyone tries to sit on a vcant chair. (Only one person per chir) The person who doesn't find a chir is out. One chair is tken away and the game continues ntil only one person (the winner)is lft. This game can also be plyed with pillows or cardboard pictures plced on the floor for kids to jmp on.

Twist: Musical Anthills for a Bug Prty; Musical Islands for a Pirate Prty; Musical Webs for a Spider Man Prty

PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY

Whn it's time to play the gme, mount your poster on the wll and place a piece of tpe on the back of each bject the children will be pinning on the pster. Blindfold each child, spin them round, and point them toward the pster. The child who pins their bject closest to the designated spot, is the wnner!

Twist: Pin the nose on the clwn; Pin the Tooth on the T-Rx; Pin the Spider on the web for a Bug Prty; Pin the X on the trasure map for a Pirate Party

SIMON SAYS

Chldren stand in a group in frnt of the leader. The leader sys, "Simon says, 'Do this,'" as she tps her head, claps her hands, trns around, etc. The children must fllow the leader's actions, but only if she bgins with "Simon says..." If the lader just says "Do this," the chldren must do nothing. If a chld makes a mistake, he is ut. The last child "in" is the wnner.

Twist: Change "Simon Says" to a chracter relating to your party's theme: "Blckbeard Says" for a Pirate Party; "Spder Man Says" for a Spider Man Prty; "Cinderella Says" for a Princess Prty.

SPIN THE BOTTLE (for opening gfts)

Direct guests to sit in a crcle holding the gift they brought. The brthday child spins a soda bottle and pens the gift of the party gest at whom the bottle is pinting when it stops. If it stps at a person that has lready given a gift just go lft until you find someone that hsn't had the gift they brought pened. A calm and quiet way to pen gifts without all the pushing and shving.

Twist: Spin the Spyglass for a Prate Party; Spin the Ruler for a Cnstruction Party; Spin the Barbie for a Brbie or Princess Party

Copyright 2005 Kds Party Paradise All Rights Reserved

The article Ten Classic Kids Party Games With a Twist was Submitted by Patricia Jensen through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Patricia B. Jensen is a mther of three and kids party nthusiast. She is the webmaster and wner of Kids-Party-Paradise.com - a complete resource for kids party ideas including invitations, cakes, decorations, games, costumes, favors, and food. For all the latest party news, read her Kids Party Blog .

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