Creative Kids Party Activities

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Adding some creative kids party activites to your next kids party can really help to make the party stand out, and adds a structured activity that can really help set the tone for your party. Some of these party activities for kids are especially great for parties that are indoors.

photo credit:"teaching-tiny-tots"

It's probably a good idea to pick one, or maybe two activities to have at your party and make one ahead of time. That way you can tweak the project instructions or materials if you need to, and it gives you an example to put on display for your guests to follow.

Don't be afraid to note the project on your party invitations and ask guests to bring certain materials if you aren't going to have time to collect them all yourself.

The Rain Stick is a good example of this. Everyone can bring a paper towel tube.

One or two of these kids party activities along with a few fun party games will make your frugal fun party one the kids will remember for a long time.

We've had many kid parties of all different kinds, and I find it saves me time and money if I have some ready-made craft kits handy in addition to the games, and homemade activities.

Ready-made kids party activities can be different, fun and are cool take home favors. Not only at party times, but these ready-made kits are great boredom busters on rainy weekends, or school vacations.

Baseball Frame Craft Kit Pkg/12	Invisible Illusions Jewelry Craft Kit Each	Tiara With Wand Craft Kit Dozen
Treasure Chest Craft Kit Pkg/12	Princess Craft Kit Each	Planes Foamies Craft Kit Kit For 22
Jungle Animal Craft Kit Pkg/2	Beaded Necklace Craft Kit Pkg/12	Create-a-tiara Craft Kit Pkg/12
Wooden Race Car Craft Kit Pkg/12	Dinosaur Craft Kit Each	Crystal Growing Craft Kit Each
Bowling Pin Craft Kit For 12	Foam Sandal Craft Kit Pkg/4	Decorate Your Own Apron Craft Kit For 12
Safari Mask Craft Kits Pkg/8	Kids Foamies Activity Bucket Kit For 36	Animal Foamies Activity Bucket Kit For 27

This is one of my daughter's favorite kids party activities. She has a ferocious sweet tooth and loves to string necklaces. This combines the best of both worlds.

You will need:

• Yarn and/or Licorice String


• A variety of candies and sweets with a hole in the middle. Lifesavers, Cheerios, fruit loops, gummy candies.

Put out small bowls of everything and let your party guests string some unique and yummy jewelry.

The best kids party activities usually involve candy.

Kids party activities are a fun and frugal way to send home a really cool party favor with each guest. Pet Rocks used to be sold in little "pet carriers". I still have the one my family got in the 70's. Remember those? :) OK...maybe not. These have much more personality.

You'll Need:

• An assortment of clean rocks


• Acrylic Paints


• A variety of embellishments: markers, yarn, wiggle eyes, glitter, construction paper, pom-poms, beads and anything else you can think of.

Protect your table top and spread out all the embellishment supplies.

Have everyone choose a rock then paint it to create a pet. They can add eyes, hair, glitter, spots or whatever they can think of to create their own unique pet rock.

This is a really cool kids party activity because it's fun to create and makes for a very unique take home favor.

You'll Need:

• A big roll of craft paper or news print.


• Stuff to draw on and embellish the self portraits.

Roll out sheets of paper large enough for everyone to lie on and have another guest trace their outline with pencil.

Have guests color the pencil outline in to look like themselves. Clothes, hair, face, everything. As guests finish, hang their creations around the room, or even prop them on the furniture until it's time to go home.

Roll them up for easy transport.

Great party activity for a little girls party.

• Some small fabric purses; Most arts and crafts stores sell these and they aren't expensive at all.


• An assortment of fabric paints, markers, rubber stamps, sequins, glitter glue and any embellishments you've got in your crafting box.

Set up a table with all the embellishments making sure it's protected, and that there is enough space for everyone to work.

Give each guest a purse and let her decorate it however she likes.

Do this at the start of the party so that the paints and glue have time to dry.

While your guests are doing other party things you can put small nailpolishes, and fruity lip glosses in the purses to be sent home

This can be several different kids party activities. All you have to do is change the purses to tote bags, pillow cases, make up cases, or even Christmas stockings, depending on the occasion.

Boys especially, love this activity. It's something they can do again at home fairly easily.

• A few lemons


• Some sheets of white paper


• Carrots, Toothpicks, or even Plumes available in craft stores: You just need to pick one of these items then have one for each guest.

Squeeze the juice from the lemons and set it out on a table in saucers. Either one for each guest or one per two guests so they can share.

Sharpen the carrots to a point and give one to each guest. Or use cocktail toothpicks, or the plumes making sure whatever you use has a sharp point for writing.

Guests dip the point of their carrot into the lemon juice and use it like "invisible" ink to write messages on the white paper.

Have guests try to figure out how to make the messages visible. (They need heat. We usually hold ours near a light bulb, but you can blow a hairdryer over them or even let them sit in bright sunlight.)

One of the painting kids party activities, but surprisingly neat enough to do with small children as well as tween kids.

You will need:

• Aluminum Pin Pans- 1 for each guest
• White paper or card stocks squares large enough to sit in the bottom of the pie pan
• Poster paints
• Marbles
• Tape

Give each guest a pie pan and a sheet of paper or stock.

Tape the paper inside the bottom of the pie pan so it stays put.

Have guest squirt drops of paint on the paper. Using about 3 colors works best.

Guests drop 1-3 marbles into their pan. Then, tipping the pan back and forth, left and right, roll the marbles across the paint and paper to create unique art.

Once they're done carefully remove the paintings from the pans and let dry. Don't forget to write everyone's name on their art so they can take it home.

One of the cutest, yet simplest kids party activities that I've seen.

You will need:

• Wooden Clothes Pins
• Snack size zipper baggies
• Markers, Pipecleaners, Googly eyes and other small embellishments
• Tacky Glue

Let guests decorate the clothespins to look like a butterflies body. Gluing the googly eyes on one end of the side that clips, and using pipe cleaners to make antenae. Set aside so the glue can dry.

Fill baggies with candies and goodies and zip closed. Pinch in the middle and clip with a butterfly body. The candy filled ziploc becomes butterfly wings.

Great to add to outdoor kids party activites, or even during a backyard campout.

You will need:

• Paper towel tube for each guest- Start saving these ahead of time or ask each guest to bring one.
• Aluminum Foil.- About 3 feet for each rain stick
• A bag of uncooked rice, and a bag dried peas
• Cut cardboard circles to fit over the ends of the tubes: An empty cereal box works well for this.

1. Give each guest a long piece of foil, about three times the length of the paper towel tube. Have them roll the foil lengthwise into a tight tube then crush it in their hands so it looks kind of like a foil stick.
2. Take the foil sticks and wind them around a broom handle so it then becomes a foil coil. Slide it off the broom handle and slide it into the tube, adjusting or even cutting the ends to fit inside the tube.
3. Tape a cardboard circle over one end of the tube. Put about 1/2 cup of rice and dried peas into the tube. Seal the other end with the another cardboard circle. You can also put foil over the ends to improve the seal.

When Rain Sticks are tipped from end to end the sound resembles falling rain. Kids can also decorate their Rain Sticks with markers.

Two kids party activities that use the same basic technique. Kids can make either a fish; a butterfly, or both.

• White Basket Style Coffee Filters
• Brightly Colored Markers or Tubes of Food Coloring
• Clothes Pins
• Pipe Cleaners
• Wiggly Eyes
• Glue
• Foil

There are two ways to color the filters:

Have kids color the filters with markers. Lay them on a plate and spray with water until the colors start to bleed into each other to create a tie-dyed look. Do this on dinner plates helps to minimize the mess of bleeding colors.

Or....

Have the kids put drops of coloring on the filters then spray with water to get the same tie-dyed affect.

Hang the filters to dry in the sun, or speed up the process by using a hairdryer.

Once the filters are dry, they can be made into butterflies with the decorated clothes pins. Color a clothespin to be a butterflies body. Add pipecleaner antenae and wiggly eyes.

Pinch the filter in the middle to make wins and pin with the "butterfly body".

Or....

Cut the filter into a fish shape. Glue eyes in place and glue pieces of foil for shiny fish scales.

Even MORE Kids Party Activities...

• After the party games and kids party activities, bring out the cake but then let everyone make their own ice cream in a bag.
• Make several batches of our salt dough recipe in different colors then set out bowls and let everyone create their own salt dough creations. Since it's completely water soluble clean up is a breeze.
• For a great kids birthday party activity make some party preparations by making up bunches of macaroni beads in all different colors. At the party set them out in bowls with lengths of yarn and let everyone make up some macaroni necklaces. Put out some markers, glue and glitter so the kids can embellish and personalize their beads.
• Try some face painting. Try it yourself or enlist a teen to do some simple face painting at your next kids party.