The Ultimate List Of The Best Kids’ Party Games And Activities

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If you’ve ever organized a kids birthday party before, you know how stressful it can be. No, I’m not talking about the food and the décor, that’s child’s play. The biggest (and scariest) part of organizing a kid’s birthday is the entertainment – party games in particular.Here’s a handy list to help you keep from pulling out your hair next time you’re caught at the helm of organizing a birthday party for kids.

1. Treasure Hunt

This party game is actually fun for both kids and adults. Hide a prize somewhere in the house or yard and place clues all over that will lead the participants to the “treasure”.

You can make a variation of the game where you hide multiple prizes in different places. Make maps leading to the prizes. On the day of the party, you then divide the children into teams and hand them a map. The first team to find their treasure wins.

2. Three-Legged Race

This is a simple game that is a favorite among younger kids. Find something soft to tie 2 children’s legs together and make them race with their “3 legs”. To make it more exciting, you can have a relay version provided there is enough room and enough participants.

3. Balloon Pop

Blow up lots of balloons and place tokens (simple paper with a number or picture) inside some of them. Each token represents a small prize. The kids can then blow up the balloons to find the tokens.

4. Sack Race

This is a classic game that never gets boring. All you need are a few sacks to get the action going. To make it more exciting, put participants into teams with a member representing an age group. For example, one toddler, one teen, and one adult (if you have some around). Points are awarded for each round and points tallied at the end.

5. Hot Potato

Kids sit in a circle and an item is placed in the first child’s hands. Music is then played and the kids start passing the object around. When the music stops, the child holding the object is eliminated. The last child remaining is the winner. To make it more interesting, make the object the prize of the game.

6. Obstacle Course

Set up an obstacle course in your backyard and let the kids race to get to the end where a simple prize will be waiting for them.

7. Marble Toss

Get a piece of foam board (a sturdy cardboard box can do) and glue plastic cups on it. Cover the entire board with colored Styrofoam cups. At least four colors to represent a player. The players are then given marbles matching in color with their cups. The aim of the game is to throw your marbles into your color cup. The number of marbles in the players’ cup equals their number of points.

8. Pin the Tail on the Donkey

This is another classic that will never lose its appeal. All you need do is print (or paint if you’re artistic) a picture on a cardboard, leaving out a piece of course. If your party has a theme, be creative and use a picture that corresponds to the theme. The kids then take turns to be blindfolded and try to pin the missing piece in its place. Be sure to turn them around a bit to make it more interesting.

9. Ring Toss

Bring the carnival into your home with this easy-to-make game. All you need are a few bottles to throw some homemade rings over.

10. Duck. Duck. Goose!

Have the children sit in a circle and pick out one child (the duck) to get the game started. The duck then goes behind the line and walks around touching the children’s heads saying “duck” each time. After a while, the duck should touch one of them at random and shout “goose”, and run to the spot she was picked from. The goose then runs after the duck to try and stop her from reaching their spot. Failure to do so and the goose turns into the duck and the process is repeated.

11. What’s the Time Mr. Wolf

Pick one child from among the kids (best start with the birthday boy/girl) to be the wolf. All the kids follow the wolf asking, “What’s the time Mr. Wolf?” The wolf responds by stating the time starting from one O’Clock and going up. At one point, at the wolf’s discretion, the wolf then shouts, “Dinner time!”, and turns around to chase the other kids. The captured victim then becomes the wolf.

12. Escape The Monster

Set up two points a distance apart. The first point is where the game starts, you can call it anything, granny’s house is a good one. The other point will be “home”. Chose 1 or 2 children (even an adult) to stand in the middle (the forest) as the monsters. The aim of the game is for each child to run across the forest and avoid being caught by a monster. Any child who gets caught turns into a monster too. The children will run to and fro between home and granny’s place until one child is left. The last child remaining is the winner.

Party On

There you are, a list of party ideas to keep the party lively for a very long time. No need to fret over games or, worry about hiring an expensive entertainer who will just make them play the same games.

Featured Image via Pixabay

A Comprehensive Guide On How To Wash And Clean A Baseball Cap

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How to Wash and Clean a Baseball Cap

What was once your favorite cap to wear out on the town is now a stained, dusty, and dirty shell of the stylish cap it once was. What do you do? A lot of people will choose to bid farewell to their favorite cap and toss it in favor of a new one.

What if there was a way to give life back to your baseball cap and avoid having to buy new ones? This is definitely the more economical option and might be the only option if the hat you have is a collectible or limited edition hat that may be incredibly expensive, or downright impossible, to replace. Here’s everything you need to know about how to wash a baseball cap.

How Not to Wash a Baseball Cap

baseball caps

Before you roll up your sleeves and learn how to wash a baseball cap you need to know some important things to avoid if you want to ensure your cap survives the cleaning process. The first thing to avoid is machinery. Your washing machine or dishwasher may seem like convenient cleaning tools. But baseball caps are not down for either of these cleaning devices.

The threads may come loose, your cap could become warped, and the detergent used may not be rinsed away completely, which leaves a grimy film. A lot of people will recommend that you put your cap on the top rack of the dishwasher. But there is a better way to get a clean baseball cap.

Also, be sure to choose the right cleaning product. You will want to avoid anything with bleach in the ingredients. Instead, you will be using regular laundry detergent or dish detergent. Before you begin a thorough cleaning, be sure to spot test a part of your cap with some detergent mixed in water. If you notice discoloration then you should only use water to clean your cap.

Put In Some Elbow Grease

spraying cap

Now that you know that the washing machine and dishwasher are out of the question that only leaves one method of cleaning. That’s right! You’re going to hand wash your baseball cap! Don’t worry, this is not a time consuming task. Plus, if you really love your baseball cap, then you shouldn’t mind putting in a little bit of elbow grease to salvage it from a life in the garbage bin.

First, gather the tools you will need for cleaning. A large bucket is handy to have but you can use your sink if needed. You’ll want to choose a detergent or dish soap which, ideally, you have already spot tested as mentioned above. For scrubbing, choose an old toothbrush or a rag.

Finally, you will need a towel to dry your cap and something to sit the cap on for drying. Ideally, this drying “tool” will keep the cap elevated so air can reach all surfaces of the cap, inside and out. In a pinch, an old mason jar will do the trick.

Time to Get Scrubbing

cleaning baseball cap

You have your tools, you know what not to do. Now it’s time to actually begin the cleaning process. Put some detergent in your bucket and begin filling it with warm water. As the bucket fills, wet your toothbrush or rag and begin spot treating some of the really stained or dirty areas on your cap. You want to be very gentle when scrubbing to protect the threads on your cap which could break or loosen as a result of vigorous cleaning.

Once you have finished the initial spot treatment, place your cap in the bucket of warm water and detergent to soak for at least an hour. Throughout the soaking, you may want to check on the areas you have spot treated and scrub those areas a little more to help along the cleaning process.

Once you have soaked the cap and you’re satisfied with the stain removal you can rinse the cap with cold water. A complete and thorough rinsing is necessary to ensure that you don’t have a leftover soap scum feeling after drying.

When the water runs clear, and you don’t see any detergent left in the fibers of your cap, you can use a towel to pat down the excess water. Just like with scrubbing, you don’t want to be too rough on your cap. Definitely avoid wringing out your baseball cap if you want to maintain its shape and avoid warping. Once the excess water is towel-dried away, place the cap on an object to air dry.

Show Off Your New Baseball Cap

wiping baseball cap

If the cleaning and drying process goes well your cap should look as good as new! If there are some leftover stains you may want to go through the cleaning process once again. Now that you know how to wash a baseball cap you can keep those beloved hats looking great for a long time and save money on buying new caps. Share this with your friends and help them to keep their headwear looking clean as well!