Princess Birthday Week: Day 4 - Games

As it turns out, all the kids were far too nervous to play any of the games we had prepared! Next time we will definitely put the kids in a separate area so they aren't in the middle of the room with everyone starting at them. Here are 5 fun and simple games to keep the little guests entertained at your next princess gathering:

Dress-up
This one is easy! Just hang a variety of pretty dresses, jackets, hats and tutus on a rack and let the little ones put their imaginations to work.

Princess Musical Pillows
A princess take on the classical musical chairs. Instead of chairs, lay down a row of pretty decorative pillows. If there are 6 kids, only use 5 pillows. Turn on some princess music, have the kids dance around the room and stop the music. The child who doesn't sit on a pillow is out and the last one standing gets to wear a special tiara.

Cinderella's Slipper
This is very similar to hot potato. The children stand in a circle and pass a pretty high heel around while music plays. Stop the music, strike the clock midnight (ring a bell perhaps) and the child left holding the slipper has stayed too late at the ball and is out. Again, the last one standing gets to wear the tiara.

Face Painting
I don't think one ever gets old, even for me!!

Princess I-Spy
Put a variety of items on a pretty serving tray (jewelry, doll clothes, ribbon, polly pocket size dolls, candy, etc, etc).

For younger children, give them clues to help them guess the item you are thinking of. For instance, "I spy with my little eye, something pink." Let one child guess, give another clue and choose another child to guess until the item is chosen. Let the one who guesses correctly keep the prize, but limit it to one item per child until every child gets a prize.

For kids a little older, you can also turn this into a memory game. Let them look at the items on the tray for 10 seconds, cover it and have them write down what they remember. The one with the most correct items gets to choose a prize from the tray. Rearrange and continue until every child has a prize.

Check back tomorrow for my final princess party post - some close-ups of the party decor!