Children hardly can wait for it – their birthday. In order to make it a great experience, not only presents are needed, but also game ideas. Puzzles for children's birthday parties are ideal because they are fun, challenging and entertaining. The little ones can even learn something in a playful way. This is also something all the invitees will be happy about: By offering clever puzzles and tricky games, you ensure that the little guests will remember the day for a long time.
It's important that the puzzles match the children's age. The best way to do this is to take into account what the children have already learned at school, what skills they have and what they are interested in. So what could that be? You will find many different ideas on this page.
Anyone who has ever taken a look at a puzzle booklet at the kiosk knows: There are countless different kinds of puzzles. Therefore, there are many possibilities. Here's a selection of puzzles for children's birthday parties that are fun and exciting for children.
Knowledge puzzles, for example, are fantastic. Base them primarily on the children's interests. Do they like animals or sports, do they love nature, or is there a comic book hero they admire? Put together a few questions to match.
Animals:
Sports:
Nature:
Comics:
Other types of puzzles you can resort to are:
With children, it is very important to match the puzzles to their age. Complaints will come quickly if they don't: That's way too easy! Or: That's way too difficult! The following tips will help you to create the right puzzle for the children's birthday party.
Puzzles for children of kindergarten age shouldn't be too tricky. Ideally, you should focus on visual things. For example, create a series of pictures. Ask the children to find the appropriate word for each picture, and this will result in a sentence. For example, pictures of a child, a foot, a fence, and a lion might yield: Peter goes to the zoo.
For children between 4 and 6 years old, fun knowledge puzzles that really only require a little logical thinking are a good idea. Ask questions like: Which weighs more? 1 kg of stones or 1 kg of feathers? Laughter, but also astonished faces are inevitable here!
The same applies to puns. Here, the children learn to think outside the box and can guess together what the answer might be.
Puzzles for children between 10 and 12 can be significantly trickier. In this case, you can rely on easy crossword puzzles and make a small competition out of it. Whoever figures out the solution word first wins! It gets a bit more exciting when you combine the questions with activities.
Ask questions like: Which meadow flower is named after an animal? Dandelion! However, here it is not enough to simply give the answer. Have the children show the answer. So, whoever knows the answer rushes to the garden, picks a dandelion, and presents it.
Good to know:
The myCityHunt treasure hunt is a scavenger hunt with lots of puzzles that is also appropriate for older children and teens. Each player needs a charged smartphone with mobile Internet and a ticket – that's it. There are no further preparations needed.
Your kids are sure to invite only their best friends to the birthday party, the ones they particularly enjoy playing with and know well, right? So that your offspring really feels like the main person of the party, why not create a puzzle that is all about them! Here are a few example questions:
Your child will also love a theme party that is all about their favorite hobby or other interest! The number of possible themes is vast:
Are you a fan of the crossword puzzle? Then you surely know this too: If the questions are way too easy and answered in the blink of an eye, it simply isn't fun. It lacks the challenge and there is no feeling of success at all. If, on the other hand, the questions are far too difficult and you can barely answer anything, frustration sets in and, if you're honest, you don't really feel like it anymore.
This is also how your children feel when they are faced with puzzles. They shouldn't be too easy, but they shouldn't be too tricky either. But this is easier said than done. If you are unsure whether you have chosen the appropriate level of difficulty, then simply test it out with your children!
But beware: don't use the tasks you have planned for the children's birthday party. Doing so will spoil the surprise. Pick two or three puzzles that have a similar level of difficulty and let your children solve them. Ask the parents of the little guests as well. After all, not every child has the same level of knowledge and strengths just because they are the same age. No one should feel under- or over-challenged. That way, the birthday party will be a great success for everyone.
Equipped with the above information, you have already taken a big step towards creating your treasure hunt. However, you will have noticed that there are many things to consider and that developing your treasure hunt takes a lot of time. There is also the question of whether the participants will like their treasure hunt puzzles in the end. Therefore, it is worth considering whether you want to plan and organize the treasure hunt yourself or whether you would prefer to use a tried and tested concept. In the following table, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of both options.
| Organize yourself Pros & cons self-organization |
Book tickets Pros & cons ticket booking |
| Very time consuming | Simple booking |
|
|
| Paper only | Intuitive web application |
| Free of charge (except material costs) | Not free of charge |
| Customizable | Not customizable |
There are many different puzzles suitable for children's birthday parties. A knowledge quiz about the favorite club or an exciting discovery tour through the forest are all good ideas. Number puzzles or syllable puzzles are also suitable if the children are in the process of learning reading and arithmetic, for example. Older children enjoy tricky logic puzzles that they can solve together. A small reward should not be missing.
Children like to puzzle, but they have certain preferences. When it takes too long to find the solution, frustration increases. Even tricky puzzles for children's birthday parties should therefore not take more than a few minutes to solve. In terms of pedagogy, it is better to let the children puzzle together, either in one large group or in two groups that compete against each other. This way, the little ones can support each other.
Puzzles for children's birthday parties fulfill various functions. They are suitable, for example, to distribute small gifts. Whoever knows an answer gets something. Naturally, every good scavenger hunt and every exciting treasure hunt also needs a few tricky puzzles.
Scavenger Hunt
Treasure Hunt
Escape Game
