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Planning Guide
Games & Activities
Fun Food
Helpful Hints

Activities, games, and entertainment enliven the party, provide an opportunity for the children to interact, and can be the most fun and memorable part of a party. Advance planning and preparation are the keys to successful party activities.

Fun Games & Activities for a 1st Birthday include:

• show home video of your child's 1st year "highlights" (limit to 10 minutes!)
• story time - read or tell a favorite story
  
• silly songs tape or video
• ball rolls - have children sit in a circle with legs apart and roll large balls to each other
  
• wagon rides - decorate a wagon and pull children for rides
  
• free play area - blocks, stacking toys, pull toys, and other young favorites
  
• box yard - decorate large cardboard boxes and allow children to climb in and through them
• duck pond - float rubber ducks or other floating objects in a kiddie pool
• fishing games - tie a string to a wooden stick or pole and tie a magnet to the end of the string. Cut shapes (fish or other shape) out of paper and attach a paper clip to each shape.
• bean bag "drop" - drop a bean bags into colorful buckets or decorated cans/jars
• pin the tail on the donkey variations. Make a game out of poster board and construction paper that ties in with your party theme such as stick the nose on the clown or place the crown on the princess. Skip the blindfolds until your child is older and use doublesided tape instead of pins.
• finger painting
• paint with water books (ink is printed on page)
• handprints in plaster or clay
• pull string pinatas (even very young children can play)

Be flexible. Don't expect all the children to participate in an activity and be ready to allow an activity to go longer if children are having a good time or to change to a new activity as needed.