Organising a first birthday and need some party games for 1 year olds?
A first birthday party is a fun occasion to celebrate your little one and all the memories you’ve made in the last 12 months.
The party you have planned may include lots of children who are the same age as the birthday child, or include kids who are a mixture of ages. Or it may be mostly adult relatives and friends who are coming along to enjoy this special day.
This article is going to focus on activities for one year olds that can be played by one or a few kids or a larger group.
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First birthday party games for babies and toddlers
These are perfect games for a first birthday party.
Many of these activities also suit any older children you may have at the party.
With little ones of this age group you’ll find some are not walking and they may not do so well at organised party games like Pass the Parcel and Musical Statues. So keep it simple with activities and games that suit their level of development.
If you do have older friends or cousins of the birthday child then consider adding some of the more traditional party games, we’ve got some ideas later in this article!
Every one of these activities requires kids to be supervised to remember as part of your planning to agree who will keep an eye on the children while they are having their fun.
Chasing bubbles
You could blow bubbles from a pot, but if you have a group of kids it’s much easier to get a bubble machine going.
They don’t cost too much and they’re so fun – churning out hundreds of bubbles in seconds.
Remember to buy extra bubble mix to top it up.
After getting the bubbles going, challenge the kids to pop as many as they can in the next five minutes.
Bubbles are very much a universal crowd pleaser when it comes to kids, and even older children will enjoy this.
Balloon catching
No party is complete without some balloons. Kids who are just learning to walk, or are still crawling, can enjoy chasing balloons along the floor or throwing them up in the air.
This can be done just with balloons that are blown up by yourself.
You could also get some helium filled balloons with strings for kids to drag around, hit and see float up (keep them indoors though!).
Parachute games
There are lots of things you can do with a parachute that are great fun for babies and toddlers.
You’ll need quite a bit of space to actually use it – as unsurprisingly they are quite large!
What you do with the parachute can be really simple – getting a few adults to stand around it, hold an end each, and then lift it up and down while the kids sit or lay underneath it.
You can also challenge the kids – if you have enough – to lift it up and down themselves.
Another fun game is to put balls – like what you get in a ball pit – on top of the parachute then get the kids to lift the parachute up and down (adults may need to help). Then as the balls drop off the parachute kids need to grab them and get them pack onto the parachute.
You can get a parachute perfect for kids’ games here.
Ball pit
Kids just love playing in a ball pit. It’s a great thing to have set up at a party with small kids.
Most of the ball pits you will have at home will be quite small, so if you have a larger number of children this may not work without a few of the other things on the list as well. You don’t want everyone fighting over the ball pit!
Check out this ball pit for babies and toddlers here.
If you don’t have a ball pit you can fill a paddling pool with balls that you can purchase, like these ball pit balls here.
Water table
If it’s a sunny day then setting up a water table outside is perfect.
Use a water table that’s at a low height for little ones. You can also get a large tray – such as a Tuff Tray – and fill it with water that little ones could sit just outside or inside (with swim nappies on).
Put in plastic figures – that are not choking hazards – such as dinosaurs and action figures into the water to add to the fun.
Buckets and cups for filling and pouring are also great fun.
Check out this cool water table here.
Sand pit
Another great activity for one year olds is a sandpit.
Bury toys under the sand and challenge them to find them. If you use dinosaur toys you could turn it into an excavation challenge with spades and buckets.
This is a game that works best outside, so it’s best for parties taking place in warmer months.
Small bouncy castle
A small bounce house or castle is perfect for adventurous little ones.
You can find ones with a small slide, as well as bouncy castles with a little paddling pool attached too.
Paddling pool
If it’s a hot day then having a splash about in a paddling pool is a perfect game for babies.
Add buckets and cups for them to fill and pour out the water. Don’t forget to supervise little ones when they are in water at all times.
Finger painting station
Kids love to get messy! A finger painting station is perfect for them to create something special.
You could hand out pieces of card for them to paint, or give them canvases to create magical pictures to take home and hang on their wall.
You’ll need:
- Art bibs – get ones that provide full coverage on the arms as well
- A waterproof table cover
- Kid-safe paint
- Paint brushes and sponges
- Card or canvases for painting
If the party is taking place on a hot day then I really recommend ice painting! You’ll need to freeze the paint the morning before the party. Check out my frozen paint for kids guide here.
I use ice cube trays for freezing the paint. I also add lollipop sticks so the kids can push the frozen cubes around on paper easier.
Obstacle course
Whether most of your child guests are crawling or walking, they’ll have fun tackling an obstacle course.
Use tunnels, obstacles such as large soft building blocks and even big cardboard boxes with holes cut out to create a course for them to enjoy.
You can get great pop up tunnels such as this one.
Dance party
You could play musical statues with one year olds with parents to help them. Alternatively just have a dance party with children’s favourite tunes playing.
Why not get a special disco light to add a little more fun to the dancing!
First birthday party games for older kids
If you have older kids, two and up, attending the party then these party games for older kids are ideal for keeping them entertained.
Remember to keep instructions age-appropriate so kids can follow and enjoy the games!
Musical Statues
Play lively music and have the kids dance and move around the designated area.
When the music stops, they have to freeze like statues. Anyone caught moving is out of the game. The last remaining kid standing wins!
Top tip: Choose age-appropriate music that the toddlers can easily dance and groove to.
Duck, Duck, Goose
Have the kids sit in a circle.
One toddler is chosen as the “goose” who walks around the circle tapping each child on the head, saying “duck” each time.
When they tap a child and say “goose,” that child must get up and chase the “goose” around the circle.
If the “goose” makes it back to the empty spot before being tagged, the tagged child becomes the new “goose.”
Balloon Pop
Blow up several colourful balloons and scatter them across the play area.
When the music starts, the kids have to stomp and pop as many balloons as they can within a specified time limit.
The kid who pops the most balloons wins!
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
Create a large picture of a donkey or any animal without its tail and hang it at the child’s eye level.
Blindfold one child at a time, spin them gently, and guide them to pin the tail in the correct spot on the animal.
The child who gets closest to the right spot wins!
You can get pin the tail party kits like this one online.
Simon Says
Have one adult be “Simon” who gives instructions to the kids.
For example, “Simon says touch your nose” or “Simon says hop on one foot.”
The other kids must follow the instructions only if “Simon says” is said before the action.
If a child performs an action without “Simon says,” they’re out of the game.
The last remaining child wins.
Games for adults at a 1st birthday party
As your one year old probably doesn’t have a huge social circle, many of the guests at their first birthday party are likely to be adults.
This may include close relatives such as grandparents, as well as friends.
For this reason you may want to include some first birthday party games for adults. These are some simple activities and games that will keep your older guests entertained.
Guess the baby pictures
Ask all of your guests who are over 18 to bring along a baby picture with them. Get them to place their pictures in a box or envelope.
Then display all the pictures up on a board where everyone can see them. Number the pictures with post-its or stickers.
Now challenge your guests to guess who is who – you could hand out sheets of paper for people to write down their guesses!
Then have a big reveal during the party where each person comes forward to claim their baby pictures!
Guess how many
Fill a jar with something like M&Ms and challenge your guests to figure out how many are in the jar.
Have a sheet of paper where everyone can put down their guess, then reveal the winner at the end of the party.
The winner can go home with a prize!
Photo booth
Pictures are an essential part of any party. Make sure your guests will snap plenty of photos by setting up a photo booth.
It doesn’t have to be anything really fancy. Just a corner in a room, that has decent lighting, and add some props.
There are some perfect first birthday party props here.
Final thoughts
I hope this has given you lots of ideas for fun things to do at a first birthday party!
If you are looking for a theme then check out my Twinkle Twinkle Little Star First Birthday Party ideas.
Need help with decorating a cake? Check out this cool post about decorating a cake with party hat wearing animals.
You may also like: Things to teach your one year old
