Party games for kindergarteners, with a picture cue and a turn

A kindergartener can play every game below from a picture or from one spoken rule. Draw the picture cue. Follow the turn note so each child stays in the game. That is the list of party games for kindergarteners.

Games with no reading

These are games for a 5 year olds birthday party, and the same rows are birthday party games for 6 year olds. The card has a drawing. You say the rule. The child does not read a sentence.

Game	Picture cue	Turn note
Freeze dance	A speaker with a slash, or a red card you hold up	Music stops and the whole group freezes. Everybody stays.
Red and green cards	A red card and a green card	Green means go. Red means stop. The line waits together.
Simon Says	An ear	The group moves only after you say Simon says. A child who moves early stays for the next call.
I Spy color	A card of one color	One child shows the color. The group points. Pass the card.
Hot and cold claps	No card. Clap loud when close, soft when far	One child searches. The group claps. The next child hides the prize.
Follow the leader	A hat	One lap inside a named boundary, then pass the hat so each child leads.
One-room hide and seek	A drawing of the room you are using	The seeker counts with you. The first child found becomes the next seeker.
Rhyme card	A cat	Ask what rhymes with cat. Pass the card for the next answer.
Letter point	One letter on a card	Point to the letter. The child names it. The card is one letter, not a sentence.
Picture match	Two cards with the same drawing	Each child turns two cards, then the next child goes.
Draw and pass	Crayons and paper	One child draws, says one thing about it, and passes the crayon.
Picture hunt	A drawing of a door, a chair, or a plant	Pairs find that place. You say the place if they ask.
Sticker parcel	A star on each wrapped layer	Music stops, one layer comes off, that child keeps a sticker and stays.
Mystery bag	A hand	One feel and a name, then pass the bag. You hold it.
Copy one move	You point to yourself, then to the group	One child shows a move. The group copies. The next child shows one.
Paper squares	A square on a card, and a paper square on the floor for each child	Music stops. Each child finds a square. The group stays together.
Funny faces	No card	Pairs make a face until someone laughs, then switch pairs. Grown-ups join.
Story bag	Objects in a bag, no words on them	Each child pulls one object and says one sentence. You start.
Balloon keep-up	A circle for the balloon	The group keeps a helium-free balloon off the floor.
Quiet statues	A closed eye	The whole group lies still together before cake.

If a balloon pops, pick the rubber pieces up quickly, because they are a choking hazard for young children, on the Kiwi Families preschool list.

A crayon and a scrap of paper are enough for every picture cue. You can run the list with music on a phone and things already in the house.

Why a picture and a turn fit this age

Most children follow rules or take turns when playing games with other children by 5 years, on the CDC milestones by 5 years. That page also says most children name some letters when you point to them, and pay attention for 5 to 10 minutes during activities such as story time or making arts and crafts (CDC milestones by 5 years). The same page names Simon Says, I Spy, and Hot and Cold, and it says to play rhyming games such as asking what rhymes with cat (CDC milestones by 5 years). It names crayons, paper, paint, child scissors, and glue for creative play, and it talks about getting ready for Kindergarten (CDC milestones by 5 years).

The CDC milestones by 4 years name outdoor games with friends such as tag, follow the leader, and hide and seek, and stop-and-wait games such as red light, green light, or freeze dance. Kindergarten guests who already follow a spoken rule can use those rows. The letter card stays one letter, because naming a letter you point to is the 5-year skill, not reading a clue.

The CDC stacks record is a fact sheet of parenting tips for children aged 6-8. Birthday party games for 6 year olds on this page use the 5-year skills above. The opened record is a catalog card for that fact sheet, not a game list.

The Kiwi Families preschool list is written for 2, 3, and 4 year olds, and that page does not give a picture cue for a kindergartener. It says they are still developing the skills required to take turns, that attention spans are fairly limited, and that many struggle to accept winners and losers (Kiwi Families preschool list). It also says to make sure everyone gets a turn to be at the front in follow the leader, which is the turn note in that row.

The My Silly Squirts list has 20 birthday party games and says to make sure everyone gets a turn to find a clue, and that page does not give a picture cue or a turn note for each game.

Switch a whole-group game when the 5 to 10 minute window ends. A child who is still learning turns needs you in the circle the whole time. This list is for a home birthday, not a whole grade in a classroom.

A kindergarten party flow

Open with freeze dance or red and green cards so the group hears one rule together.

Move to pairs: picture match, funny faces, or I Spy color. A child who wants to leave the circle can keep matching pictures at the table.

Take one walk: follow the leader inside the yard, or a picture hunt in the rooms you named.

Close with quiet statues, then cake.

For a sort of games by age band, group, and space, including younger guests in the same house, see kids birthday party games. The rest of a fifth-birthday plan is in 5-year-old birthday party ideas. A sixth-birthday plan is in 6-year-old birthday party ideas.

Printed picture games

The Mermaid Birthday Party Box holds picture bingo, memory match, and an I-spy count for kindergarten guests. It includes these 10 party activities: picture bingo, memory match, I-spy count, maze, word search, pin game, act-it-out cards, would-you-rather cards, roll-and-draw, and guess-how-many. It includes a mermaid scavenger hunt: 24 indoor and 8 yard clue cards, start and finish letters, hiding-order sheet. It includes the host guide with answer keys, plus a start-here guide and a how-to-print note. It includes the Party Maker file so you type the child's name, age and party details once. It lets you type the child's name, age and party details once in the included Party Maker and print, or fill the blank PDFs by pen at home. It requires a printer, paper or cardstock, scissors, tape, and string, plus a web browser to personalize. It is printed from separate US Letter and A4 PDFs. It is print-only. The Mermaid Birthday Party Box is written for ages 4–8; adult help with cutting and reading.