Birthday Party Games When Parents Stay: 15 For A Room Of Grown-Ups

Under-fives parties, first birthdays and anything in a hall means the parents stay. That's fifteen adults standing at the edge holding cups of tea, watching you run musical bumps.

Either use them or give them something to do. Both work better than ignoring them.

Games that use the grown-ups

• Parent and child relay - three-legged, wheelbarrow, or carry the child across the hall. Parents get competitive instantly.
• Parachute games, which need four adults on the edges anyway.
• Adults as the obstacles in an obstacle course - standing, kneeling, holding hoops.
• Pass the parcel with parents in the circle, and one layer that hands a forfeit to an adult.
• Tug of war: all children versus four parents, and the parents lose.

Games for the adults on the side

• Guess the baby photo of the birthday child - one photo per year on the wall, guess the age.
• Guess the weight of the cake or the number of sweets in the jar, a quid a go for the school fund.
• A short quiz on the tables while the children eat - ten questions, no prizes needed.
• A memory card: every parent writes one line for the child to read at eighteen. Genuinely the best thing you can do at a first birthday.
• Photo request: ask two parents to be the official photographers. Gives them a job and gets you pictures.

Hosting both groups at once

• Put the tea and coffee at the far end from the games - adults follow the urn.
• Give the parents chairs. Standing adults drift into the middle of games.
• Announce the running order once at the start so nobody asks when the cake is.
• Ask two named people in advance to help with food, rather than hoping for volunteers.
• Keep the party bags behind the urn - the adults will guard them better than any cupboard.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• Count the adults when you book the space, not just the children.
• Chairs and tea at one end, games at the other.
• One parent-and-child game is plenty. Two and the children lose interest.

Where to shop next

• Birthdays hub
• Adult birthday party games
• Milestone birthday party games
• Teen and tween birthday party games
• Toddler party games (2-4s)
• Games for a party with 4-6 guests
• Games for a small house or flat
• Games for a hall or garden hire
• No prep, no equipment party games
• Games for a birthday meal at a table
• Kids' party games by age
• Charades word lists
• Board games hub
• Birthday party ideas
• Free feel good tools
• Shop birthday cards
• Hen party decorations
• Birthday badges & party pins
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Party bag ideas for adults
• How much helium do you need for balloons?
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What do you do with parents who stay at a children's party?

Give them tea, chairs at the far end and one optional game like guess the baby photo or a sweet jar. Then use them for one parent-and-child game so they feel part of it rather than supervising from the wall.

At what age do parents stop staying at parties?

Usually around five or six in the UK, once children are settled at school. Below that, assume everyone stays and cater for double the people.

Do you have to feed the parents?

Not a meal, but tea, coffee, squash and something to pick at. A tray of sandwiches and a couple of cakes covers it and costs very little.

How do you stop parents joining in too much?

Give them a defined job - photographer, food, door, or one team in the tug of war. Adults with a job stay out of the games; adults with nothing to do end up refereeing yours.

Do you sell party games or party supplies?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK - the games here are simply what we'd suggest to a friend, and they need little or nothing to run. The cards on this page are ours.