Board Game Ideas for a Birthday Party
King of Tokyo is great for teens and Ice Cool is a great one for people to use their hands and get a few laughs. Look at your ages and player counts when you are considering your board game ideas for a birthday party.
If you are reading this in 2020 and/or 2021 – there is a good chance your birthday parties have taken on a different form. It is much tougher to get a group together to celebrate. At this point, you can’t simply go out to the bowling alley, recreation center, or perhaps your favorite watering hole for a few beverages. So much of our social activities have either been scaled down in size, take place at home, and/or are outside. While that may not necessarily be a bad thing – some of those traditional norms need some tweaking.
Consider birthday parties. If you have a young one or teenager – going to a bowling alley or pizza joint may be difficult. If you are an adult, going out to the bars, a karaoke club, or even just a restaurant may be off the table. Worry not – happy birthdays are still in your future and we’ve got some great board game ideas for a birthday party. We thought breaking it down by age would be best.
A party wouldn’t be a party without great decorations and great food. After our game recommendations, continue reading for some great birthday tips. I want to help seal the deal and make that birthday party a special occasion to remember.
Ages 3-6
There can be a wide range of development between these years. To be honest, even at the age of 3, some of these games will be a challenge. When selecting games, find games with a small ruleset, where the focus is on the playing the game itself. It does not the to be about the winning and losing. The last piece is that you want to find a short play time that, one that will fit their shorter attention spans.
2-4 Players
Pop up Pirate is a bit of a “press your luck” game. Kids will take turns placing a small plastic saber into a barrel. One of the spots in the barrel will send a small toy pirate flying out of the barrel. It will surely get a laugh and works great with a pirate-themed birthday party. It can play up to 4 players, and it doesn’t require any cards or complicated rules. There are some other similar games such as Pop-Up Minion, Chicken Roulette, and Jumping Jack to name a few.
Think of it as Jenga, but in reverse. This is a dexterity game. The goal is to create a tower by balancing wooden animals upon each other. It is a bit of a race as players attempt to place all their animals first. It is surprising how some of the pieces just seem to fit together, even though they aren’t traditional puzzle locking pieces. I suspect that is why it works well with this age group. There might be some early frustration – but kids will enjoy seeing each other’s towers. Kids will also relish in their own accomplishments.
5+ Players
You and your fellow swimmers must outwit each other to stay ahead of a hungry shark. Each player only needs to manage a small number of cards. The goal is easy, don’t get eaten by a shark. A little bit of bluffing, a little bit of pressing your luck, and a whole lot of fun. The easy rule set, and malleable pieces make a tangible game. The players can take turns being the shark as they catch up to the swimmers. Try not to be last in line, or the shark will catch you and you will Get Bit! As the shark catches up to your player – you risk losing a limb. If you lose them all, you are out of the game. It is a fast-paced game that will generate lots of laughs.
Allowing up to 7 players this dexterity game plays very quickly. However, I should note that while the game is fun, it does take a bit to set it back up after one round. If kids get board – the next game is just around the corner. Players will attempt to knock pieces of bark off the tree to score points. If you knock too hard and the tree might come tumbling down costing you points. The beauty here is the ruleset – it is so quick to learn, kids can take to it very fast.
Ages 7-10
With a bit more age, reason, and reading – more games become available. Keep in mind though that a great party game wants to be fast-paced, easy to teach and engaging for those involved. Don’t be fooled by the age range, some of these games are just as fun for adults as they are for kids.
2-4 Players
A cool “flicking” game. Another great finger dexterity game. The goal is to flick penguins around a schoolhouse collecting fish along the way. Players will need to be careful because there is always a chaser trying to hit your penguin and steal points. You may want to make sure you’ve got a larger table for this as players will be jockeying around it trying to get the perfect angle to make a great shot. A lot of fun, and so easy to learn. If you have an even number, more than 4 – consider forming teams!
A dice rolling game – think Yahtzee, but with cool monsters! This is a fast-paced game that is crazy fun, no matter what age. The standup monsters are great and fun to manipulate as if they really were monsters. Players will each controlling a monster in a battle royale. You can win the game by eliminating your opponents with crushing attacks – or be the first to roll your way to 20 points!
5+ Players –
A card drafting game where you will be passing cards back and forth with other players. Each player is trying to come up with the best sushi platter to score points. Will you keep the shrimp tempura, or go for the valuable sashimi? Chose wisely, high points look good, unless everyone else is going for them too. The quick pace of this game is a real selling point even with a crowd. If you have adventurous eaters, serve some California rolls or other “sushi” dish – to jazz up your party.
A great press your luck adventure game. Players take on the role of a Tomb Raider type character exploring ancient ruins. Your goal is to be able to collect enough loot, without wearing out your welcome. Beware – if you venture too far you’ll run into multiple hazards and cut your trip short. But if you don’t venture far enough, your competing archaeologists will surely find more treasure than you. This a great one for adults as well. It scales great and doesn’t add any additional time, no matter how many players are there.
Ages 11-13 –
First off, if you are able to get a tween to sit down and play a board game – kudos! Second, as kids grow, “birthday parties” may not seem cool any more. I find my kids aren’t looking for parent-directed activities and are satisfied “doing their own thing”. Still – I’m all about exposure and doing what I can to keep my kids “off a screen”. If I can “sneak” a game in there, without it being uncool – I’m definitely going to try. While you may have been a player while your kids were younger – most of these games will put you in the role of facilitator while the tweens play.
2-4 Players –
Now I know what you are thinking tough to think of this as a birthday party game. Given the state of the world (2020) – it works. Its a co-op game, which I see as an added bonus as it gets this age group working together. Right now it is a relatable theme which goes a long way as well. For those not in the know about Pandemic it is a board game about stopping, wait for it, a Pandemic. There are multiple roles for people to take on and it will take working together to put an end to the threat.
5+ Players –
Tenzi is a very fast dice rolling game where each player is trying to get their ten dice to all show the same number. That’s it. Players roll and roll until one person has their ten, then they declare Tenzi – and they win the round. Where I’ve found success, is if you turn the game into a tournament. Either round robin, or a traditional bracket based tournament. You can print brackets at any number of sites, or get a whiteboard or large white piece of paper to track the progress. Its a fun, competitive, way for everyone to get involved and you can award the winner of the tournament with a nice prize. For instance the game Tenzi.
It’s very likely you’ve already played something similar. This is can be compared to Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity – expect geared for teens. You won’t need to worry about the NC-17 Cards Against Humanity comes with. The “worst” combos you might come up with involve perhaps someone farting or puking. Enough to get a good belly laugh out of a teen which is worth the price of admission.
Adults
Here we go – the full breadth of board games at our disposal. To be honest, the same “rules” apply you are looking for something easy to learn and generally quick to play. The main difference will be instead of inviting your kid’s friends, you’ll inviting your own friends. Pay more attention to the style of game you think your friends will like and also if they all know each other. For example, if you are inviting friends that might not be mutual friends you want to avoid games that would be embarrassing. (I’m looking at you Cards Against Humanity)
Other guidelines still apply: quick to learn, easy to play, and short play times. We also like games that allow people to rotate roles.
Instead of the number of players – I’ve broken the games down by style
Guessing Game/Deduction
In Codenames, two teams compete to see who can make contact with their teammates first. Code givers provide two-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin. There are so many different variations to choose from, but if it is your first time picking up one of them – go with the original. It plays great with any number of players above 4. You can create multiple teams, and each person will have a turn giving out clues or being part of the team that is trying to guess.
Good Second Choice: Crypto
Secret Role
Gather your party together and go out in seek of riches – but beware -there are traitors among you. The traitors will know each other, but you won’t know who’s on your side. Attempt to flush out the traitors and bring your team to glory. Using a Camelot theme, you and your teammates will work together either to destroy the knights of Camelot or bring Camelot riches.
Good Second Choice: Bang
Voting Game
Dixit is definite for the more reserved crowd – but it doesn’t make it any less fun and enjoyable. Each player will have a handful of beautifully crafted cards.
One player is the storyteller for the turn and looks at the images on the 6 cards in her hand. From one of these, she makes up a sentence and says it out loud (without showing the card to the other players).
Each other player will choose a card in their hands which they think best matches the sentence and gives it to the storyteller. The storyteller shuffles her card with all the received cards. All pictures are shown face up and every player has to vote upon which picture was the storyteller’s. Tally up the votes, and award points. They storyteller can’t be to obvious because if everyone votes for their picture – they don’t get any points at all.
If you find you enjoy this game, there are numerous expansion you can add to your collection.
Good Second Choice – Cards Against Humanity (with the right crowd)
Other Considerations
Food Choices
I’m a board gamer and given the chance I also like to play poker. I’m also a bit of a nut about the possibility of a game, cards, or table getting damaged by spilt drink or messy food. That’s not to say I don’t think you shouldn’t have food and/or drink – let’s take a look at what would work or not work.
Avoid Finger Food
Messy wings, sandwiches, and hot dogs, can leave your fingers sticky and messy. Games aren’t cheap and you won’t want to be staining them with party food. Look to foods that uses a fork or spoon. Or a skewer/stick such as corn dogs, skewered chicken, or cocktail meatballs. Anything to put a barrier between what you are eating and what you are playing.
Chips – let’s talk about chips for a moment – In short – keep the cheese powdered chips away from the table. I’m talking about Cheetos and Doritos. These chips leave a cheesy residue on your fingers, which while are tasty to eat – are not game friendly. Baked Lays or something else not fried or coated are a better way to go.
Decorations –
There are a few ways to go about this. One way is you already have a birthday theme (ie Pirates) and you are incorporating a game into the party. You may already have decorations you are using. From there is just finding the right game for the right theme.
The second route is you have a game, and you want to use the theme and get decorations. There are plenty of ways to go about finding the right decorations to match your game.
Lastly, you are embracing the board game aspect of the party – and want to use board gaming as your decorating theme. There aren’t many off the shelf decorations you can purchase – so you’ll need to be a bit creative.
Scrabble pieces can make for nameplates
Boardgame boards – can be used as coasters or place-mats
An old Twister mat makes a great table cloth
You can also buy in bulk dice, player tokens, and other items that can be used as centerpieces, cake toppers, or some other creative fashion.
What did we leave out? What have you done to make your birthday special? Have you used board games as a means to throw a great birthday party – we’d love to hear from you.