It’s natural for parents to want to host exciting and memorable birthday parties for their kids. It’s also normal for parents to worry about their budget. Between booking a kid’s birthday party venue, presents, cake, candles, and activities, birthday party costs can spiral.
Fortunately, you can incorporate many free fun activities into your kid’s birthday party, enabling you to keep the good times rolling while hosting an unforgettable birthday bash.
Cornhole
Cornhole is a fun game you can bring to your kid’s birthday party venue. Cornhole boards have a hole at the end. Players throw bean bags, trying to get them in the hole. Players earn points when they get a bean bag in the hole or keep one on the board.
You can create a modified cornhole game with buckets and sponges. Place buckets at different intervals and assign a point value to each bucket. Designate a place where players must stand and give them sponges. Each player throws the sponge and tries to get it into a bucket. The player with the most points wins.
Alternatives to sponges include small plastic toys, like frogs or airplanes.
Freeze Dance
You only need a CD player or smartphone and some popular kids’ tunes. The rules are simple. The kids dance until you pause the music. When the music stops, the kids must freeze immediately. Anyone who doesn’t stop dancing right away can either be eliminated or has to perform a specific task. For example, you might have them do 10 jumping jacks and sit out the next turn before rejoining the game.
I Spy
I Spy is a popular game that can be played anywhere. One player or team provides a clue, and the other players try to guess what was spied on.
The game phrase varies based on the type of clue provided. Types of clues players can use include the following:
- Colors: An example of what the player or team providing the clue would say is, “I spy with my little eye, something that is green.”
- First letter: Example: “I spy with my little eye, something that starts with the letter M.”
- Shape: Example: “I spy with my little eye, something square.”
Limbo
The objective of limboing is to go under an object without touching it. You can use a string, a banner, or a broomstick for your limbo contest. Have two people hold the ends. Start with the object up high and let every guest have a turn. Those who touch the object are eliminated.
Move the object down a bit in the next round and repeat. Continue lowering the object each round until you crown your limbo champion.
Musical Chairs
Line up two rows of chairs back to back or put the chairs in a circle. Have one fewer chair than the number of kids participating. The kids walk around the chairs and must keep moving until the music stops. Each player must claim a chair when the music stops. The player who doesn’t claim a chair is eliminated. Remove one chair before starting the next round, and repeat these steps until one player remains.
Musical Prize Dance
A musical prize dance is perfect for giving out prizes to your guests. Have a paper square for each prize you have in your prize basket. Suppose you have 48 prizes. You would have 48 paper squares numbered one through 48. You also need a small bag or bin with pieces of paper numbered one through 48. Place these squares on the floor or tape them to the wall. The kids dance until the music stops, and then they must claim a number by touching its paper.
Draw the winning number from your small bag or bin. The guest touching that number gets to pick a prize. That number is removed from the game, and the remaining children continue playing until every child has received the number of prizes intended. For example, you may opt to have one prize per child or two prizes per child. Once a child has the maximum number of prizes, they’ve completed the game and will sit out until the game is over.
Paper Airplane Contest
You’ll need paper for this activity. Each guest creates a paper airplane. Once everyone has a paper plane, line them up and have them take turns throwing their plane — the plane that flies the farthest wins.
Scavenger Hunt
Bring specific items and hide them at your kid’s birthday party venue. You could use party favors as items for kids to find. You could also choose something related to the party’s theme. When choosing your kid’s birthday party place in Charlotte, you might choose a monster theme and hide monster figurines or stickers in our private Haunted Mansion event room.
You can also create a list, ensuring individuals or teams leave items for other guests to find. For example, you might require every team to find a red monster, a furry monster, and a monster footprint. The player or team who finds all items on their list first wins the scavenger hunt.
Celebrate at Monster Mini Golf in Charlotte
At Monster Mini Golf, we deliver spectacular birthday parties with all the essentials. Choose from party packages, including mini golf, laser maze, mini bowling, and arcade vouchers. Plus, every party package includes:
- A private Haunted Mansion event room, giving you space for fun
- Free activities with your guests
We can even provide beverages, pizza, salad, and chicken wings. Our team will have everything ready when you arrive and handle the cleanup after your birthday party, letting you focus on the fun while hosting your guests. You can check out all of our kid’s birthday party packages on our Birthday Party page!
