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Children's Birthday Party Game

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Ideas and Tips
For Busy Mums

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First the Explanation
The following pirate birthday party game has the advantage of being high charged with energy that will keep even the wildest pirate happy, safe and amused and because no-one is eliminated all of the children are kept involved all of the time.

Alternatively the game can introduce competitiveness by eliminating children who are slow, do the wrong action or when joining with others (eg “three men in a boat” “man overboard”) are left without a partner.

Personally I do not like eliminating children as those who are out can feel awkward and no longer feel part of the group.

At a children's birthday party you want everyone to enjoy all of the party so best avoid elimination games. It also becomes difficult to control as some (many) of the children eliminated will simply join back in again – and it becomes confusing to remember who was out and who is not.

The last thing that you want is children to start accusing each other of cheating and falling out with each other. Parties after all supposed to be fun. Trust me on this, avoid elimination games!

Before you begin you have to explain to the children the various activities that they must undertake following each command given.

It is best to start with only a few commands and expand the number of commands as the game progresses especially for younger children who may become confused if you have too many commands.

The speed with which you call out the commands will dictate the level of frenzy that you wish to create. Calling out commands faster and faster will excite the children and make them react faster and the opposite is also true.

Please remember not to get then too excited.   Good children party entertainers know the benefit of varying the pace and thus maintaining control of the children.

If space is at a premium say in your home you can omit the running commands such as “port” “starboard” and “main deck”.

Party children should be spread out in front and facing the “entertainer”.   When a command is given the children have to perform the activity associated with that command.

Many of the commands have more than one possible action. You might want to use only one action and show this to the children or you could advise them of all the possible actions related to each command, and let them choose which one they prefer.

I tend to build the commands into a story, which the children act out.

For example you could say: It’s a nice morning for a sail.   “Look the Captain’s coming” and he has “got his Daughter” and the "Admiral's coming" too.   Ok mateys lets “check the compass” before “climbing the crows nest”.   “Look East” – all’s well - “Look West”.   No sign of “pirates on the horizon”.   Check out the “port” side and the “Starboard” side.   It looks like “stormy weather”.   Oh no “man overboard”, better “man the lifeboats” etc………..

To add atmosphere it is a good idea to play pirate music for the pirates to dance in between the commands thus introducing an element of musical statues or musical bumps.

You will come up with variations of your own to add to your repertoire but there is more than enough here to satisfy even the meanest pirate.

Now the Commands
Each command is followed by the action

Captain's Coming
Children salute and shout out "Aye Aye Captain"

Captain's Wife
Everyone curtseys (even the boys think this is hilarious).

Captain's Daughter
Children pose like a model (one hand on hip. the other outstretched and slightly bent) and say "Oooooooooooh!" or make a wolf whistle.

Admiral's Coming
Children stop and salute (like captain's coming) but must continue to stand to attention until the instruction “Admiral's gone” - giving opportunities for catching children out!

Scrub the Decks
Children crouch down and pretend to clean the floor with their hands.

Climb the Rigging
Children pretend to climb a rope ladder.

Boom Coming Over Entertainer makes action of boom moving across deck.
Children must duck down to avoid.

Crow’s Nest
Children stand on one leg which becomes the mast, the other foot rests on that knee to become the crows nest and their body is the pirate looking out to sea, hand above eyes OR Children peer into the distance and shout “land ahoy"

"Land Ahoy" with a direction
The children look in the direction called (port, starboard, with hand's cupped just above their eyebrow's looking for land.

"Land Ahoy" with no direction
Here the children decide which direction they want to look.

Port
Run to left-hand side of hall

Starboard
Run to right-hand side of hall

Bow
Run to front of hall

Stern
Run to back of hall

 Compass Point
Children all gather in centre of hall

East West North or South
Children all run in appropriate direction.

Stormy Weather
Rock from side to side.

Ship Aground / Ship’s struck a rock
Children all fall on the floor and remain still.

Man the Lifeboats
Run to a wall / line on the right side of the area.

OR call out a number (e.g. 6) and the children have to get into groups of six and “row” their lifeboat.

OR Pair up facing each other, soles of feet touching and join hands then rock backwards and forwards in rowing motion

Man over board
Three children pair up, 2 joining hands to make a ship and the third in the middle with his hand above his eyes looking overboard for the fallen sailor.   Anyone alone is out.

OR Children jump as if going over the side and then sink down holding nose with one hand and raising other hand in air as if going under water.

OR Children pretend to jump into the water, grab a partner and then swim back to the ship together

OR children join into groups of three sitting on the floor one behind another making rowing actions.   If done as a game the children not in a group are out of the game.

OR children jump in the air and land as if jumping over the side of the ship.

OR piggy back a partner.

OR children have to find a partner and lift them up. Any children on their own are out.

OR children have to find a partner and hold on to them. If any child does not have a partner, they are out.

OR children lie on their backs waving legs and arms in air as they drown.

OR children pretend to fall over the side of the ship and swim for their lives!

OR children shout “Splash!” and put their hands above their eyes to peer into the sea in search of the missing pirate.

Sharks in the Water
Crouch with bent arm forming fin of shark

OR Crouch on floor with hands over head

OR Sit with feet off floor, hugging knees

Mutiny
Run around the room sword fighting everyone.

Walk the Plank
Children have to walk in a straight line one foot exactly in front of the other with arms outstretched to the sides.

OR Children wiggle hips and blow a kiss.

Bandits on the horizon
Children pretend to have machine guns and shout the bandits

Submarines
Children lie on floor with one leg raised like a periscope.

OR Lie on back with arm in the air.

Bombs overhead
The children crouch and cover their head for ‘protection’. They are not able to get up until ‘All clear’ is called. Anyone who gets up or moves before the ‘all clear’ is out.

Fire the Cannon
Children run in to pairs and pretend to light the cannon, shout “boom!” and jump in the air.

Hit the Deck
Children lie down on their stomachs as quickly as possible.

Rats on board
Children sit on the floor, hugging their knees, whilst feet are raised off ground.

Last One in line for Dinner
Children all line up in a very straight line.   Last one in line is out.

Pieces of Eight
Run around and pretend to catch a parrot

OR Flap arms on the spot and shout "pieces of eight".

Up on Deck!
Children have to jump on to their feet. The last person left with their feet on the floor is out! 

Cook's Coming
Children rub their tummies and lick lips. 

Cook's Gone
Children pretend to throw up

Here are a few more ideas to make-up your own actions to:
Up periscope; Down periscope; Storm at sea; Seagulls overhead; Abandon ship

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 Pirate Birthday Party.
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Pirate Pete is based in Glasgow, Scotland
 

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