ACTIVITIES

15 party games for nine year olds

Last modified on Tuesday 15 February 2022

Planning a birthday party for your nine year old and looking for fun party games? We've got loads of ideas to keep kids entertained. From indoor games to outdoor activities, these simple games will ensure kids have lots of party fun!

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If you're planning a nine-year-old's birthday party , you might want some fun games to keep the kids occupied.

At nine, kids have usually outgrown traditional party games like pass the parcel and Simon says, but will still enjoy taking part in team games and fun activities. They understand complex rules so you can get a bit more creative with your game planning and, unlike younger children, they won't get upset if they're 'out' or don't win.

Just make sure you have plenty of small gifts such as sweets and stickers to hand – older kids still expect prizes and they'll be happy to demand them!

1. Who am I?

This is a good ice-breaker to get kids mingling and chatting to others at the beginning of a party.

Write the names of famous people such as pop stars, TV and book characters, cartoons and people kids will know on Post-It notes, one for each child. If you have a party theme you can make these fit with your theme – so for a Harry Potter theme, you could use Hedwig, Voldemort, Hermione etc. Don't make it too hard though!

Stick a Post-It on each child's forehead – don't let them see it! They then have to work out who they are by circulating the room and asking 'yes or no' questions such as 'Am I a girl?', 'Am I a singer?'.

They can't ask all their questions of the same person, get them to limit it to two per person, and set a time limit on the game. Every time someone correctly guesses who they are they win a small prize.

If you're playing with a smaller group, such as at a sleepover, you can get the kids to sit in a circle and each person takes it in turn to ask questions and work out who they are.

2. Red rover

This party game is best played in a large space, preferably a garden or field as things can get pretty boisterous.

Split the group into two teams and get them to stand in a line facing each other and holding hands.

One team starts the game by picking a member of the opposing team and saying 'Red Rover, Red Rover, we call Joseph (or the name of whichever child they've picked) over'.

Joseph then has to run over to the other team's line and try to break through it. If he manages to break the line, he picks someone from that team and takes them back to his original team. If he fails to break through, he joins the new team.

Each team takes it in turns to call someone over, the winning team is the one with the most people. You can play to time or until all the kids are on one team.

3. Limbo

A party classic. Get two adults to hole a pole (a broomstick works) at child height. The kids then take it in turns to limbo under by bending backwards.

The pole gets lower each round. If any part of a kid's body touches a pole they're out. The winner is the person who manages to go the lowest. Make it even trickier by having the kids dress up in outlandish costumes.

Even the adults at the party might want to join in with this one! The kids will probably crack up at the sight of mum or dad getting their limbo on!

You can buy ready-made limbo sets. See more details here at Amazon.

4. Cereal box game

Best played in a small group, this fun game is perfect for a sleepover. All you need is an empty cereal box.

Place the box on the floor and get the kids to stand around it in a circle. The aim of the game is to pick up the cereal box but the twist is that kids must have their hands behind their back and can only use their mouth. They also need to keep both feet flat on the floor at all times - no kneeling!

Each round, rip around an inch off the box so it gets lower and harder to pick up. The person who can pick up the box at its lowest is the winner – particularly bendy kids might be able to pick up just the base of the box!

5. Wink murder

This is a fun party game that doesn't require any equipment. It's best played with medium-sized groups – around 10-15 kids is ideal – although it also works with more or less.

Get the kids to stand in a circle with their eyes closed. An adult or child who is happy to sit out that round walks around the circle and chooses a murderer by tapping them once on the head. They choose a detective by tapping them twice.

Everyone opens their eyes and the detective goes to the middle of the circle.

The murderer has to kill people by winking at them. When a child has been 'murdered', they have to die in a dramatic fashion and lie on the floor.

The detective has to try and spot who the killer is. They have three attempts to get it right. If they don't, they stay as the detective for the next round. If they do, the killer becomes the detective next round.

two girls whispering to each other

6. Telephone game

A game of secret whispers, get the children to sit in a circle or line. Give the first child a sentence to read, or let them make one up, the funnier the better. The child has to whisper the message to the next child and so on – they can say it only once, no repeating.

The last child then says out loud what they think the message is, it's amazing how much it can change. If you want to make things even more fun, you can make a few children wear ear muffs so it's hard to hear what's being said.

7. Capture the flag

You'll need a large open space, such as a big garden or field to play this game.

Divide the kids into two teams. Each team has a flag – you can use a bandana on a stick, a glowstick, a teddy … anything you want as an alternative as long as it's easy to pick up and carry. The aim of the game is for each team to try and capture the other team's flag without being tagged.

Divide the space into two territories. Each team is safe in their own territory but when they enter the other team's space they can be tagged. Chose what happens when they're tagged before the game, they can be frozen until a team mate tags them again, go back to the far side of the space, or have to join the enemy team, for example.

The team that manage to capture the other team's flag and get it back to their territory without being tagged are the winners.

8. Would you rather?

This is a great game for small groups. It's perfect for sleepovers or Netflix parties.

Give kids a hat full of 'Would you rather?' questions. Examples could be:

  • Would you rather have fingers for toes or toes for fingers?
  • Would you rather not be allowed sweets for a year or not be allowed to watch TV for a year?
  • Would you rather eat pizza or ice cream?
  • Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?

Ask them to pick them out one by one, it should provide plenty of discussion.

9. Scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great way to keep kids entertained, and you don't need to have a large space either.

Split children into pairs or small groups. Give them each a list of things they need to find and set them off – this could be a stone that looks like a face, a feather, a balloon, whatever you want.

You can play in two ways. Either the first team back with all the items wins, or award points for each item gathered in a set time. If you have a polaroid camera or some tablets (and you're feeling brave) you could ask them to take a selfies in certain places, like next to a tree for example, as one of the items.

10. Obstacle course

This is a fun game to play at an active party and you don't need any specialist equipment, you can use what you have around the house.

Make a tunnel to crawl through from old boxes, craft a crawl net from a blanket, use plastic flower pots for kids to swerve in and out of, make a balance beam from tape on the floor, use a trampoline and thread string between chairs to create a spider's web.

If it's summer, you could have one section where kids have to run while others squirt them with water pistols. Set a timer to see who completes the course in the quickest time or split the kids into teams and make it a relay.

You can fit the course to your party theme so an army obstacle course for example, or a land from a favourite video game.

Five colourful doughnuts hanging on string

11. Doughnuts on string

Doughnuts on string makes a great game for any type of party.

Tie doughnuts onto pieces of string – one for each child – and suspend them from a line of string or pole at a height kids will be able to reach with their mouth, a bit like a doughnut washing line.

With their hands behind their backs, kids have to eat the doughnuts. The fastest to finish is the winner. You can play as a relay if you want, with the fastest team to finish crowned the doughnut-eating champions!

12. Bingo

Perfect for all ages. You can buy bingo cards or there are lots of free templates to download online and print at home. They're not all numbers either, you can find bingo cards featuring animals, Disney characters and lots of other things to fit in with your party theme.

You could even get your child to make their own bingo cards, featuring all their favourite things. Pick about 20 things and write them down on small slips of paper. Then create bingo cards with five of the items on each card, making sure all the cards are different.

Hand the bingo cards to the kids and get an adult to read out objects one by one. When a child has the object on their card, they cross it out. The first child to cross out all the objects on their card and shout 'bingo!' is the winner.

You can buy ready-made bingo cards – see more details here at Amazon.

13. Charades

A classic party game. Write down a number of TV shows, books and films that kids will know. Put them in a bag or box.

Divide kids into two teams. One person from each team pulls a charade from the bag and has to act it out without speaking. Their team gets a point if they guess it. Whichever team gets the most points after a certain amount of time is the winner.

Try and make sure every child gets a turn to act out the charades if they want a go.

Don't forget to start each round by miming whether it's a book, TV show, film or song, and holding up the same number of fingers as the number of words in the title, to help the kids narrow it down.

14. Sardines

Nine year olds might think they're a bit old for hide and seek but plenty of them will still enjoy sardines, which is essentially hide and seek in reverse.

One child goes and hides while the others count to 100 as a group. They then spread out and hunt for the person hiding. When someone finds the hider, they have to join them in their hiding place, until everyone's all squashed up together like sardines in a tin.

The last one to join the group has to hide first next time.

This can be played indoors or outdoors, making it a great choice if the weather is unpredictable. If playing indoors, just be sure to put signs up on any rooms you want the kids to stay out of, such as your bedroom.

15. Dress up relay

For a dress-up relay you'll need around four accessories and items of clothing per team. You can adapt these to your theme, so a sparkly outfit for a unicorn party or a wizards outfit for a Harry Potter party. Or just use accessories like scarves, hats and glasses to make things go quicker – you can pick up some real bargains in your local charity shop.

Each child in turn has to put the clothes on, run to a turnaround point and then pass the clothes on to the next person in the team.

The first team to finish are the winners.

Are you planning a child's birthday party? Have you got any great kids' party games to recommend? From musical chairs to Simon says, duck, duck, goose to pin the tail on the donkey, share your faves on the forum thread below.

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