Best Birthday Party Balloon Games – Action & Fun with Balloons: Balloons are not only perfect as a decoration for kids’ birthday parties – but you can also play many great balloon games.
Balloons are easy to transport, inexpensive, and infinitely diverse in terms of their use as a toy. Whether you play with it classic ball games or balloon games that are only possible with balloons – there are no limits to creativity.
As an inspiration for the next birthday party, we have collected 25 balloon games that invite children to run around, practice a skill, be creative, or even puzzle.
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The 25 Best Balloons Games for Children
The easiest way to invent balloons is to play well-known ball games with balloons, football with balloons, handball with balloons, volleyball with balloons. But the games are not original until you add a few extra rules or handicaps.
Balloon Relay Race
Two equally sized teams will be formed, both of which will each have to complete a similar obstacle course. The first child must take a balloon at one point and inflate it to a specified size. The balloon, for example, must be more significant than an object ready for comparison or an already inflated balloon.
From this point on, the player must carry the balloon with him. He can always tap it lightly with his finger and keep it in the air. The obstacle course leads him to the next player in his team. He has to take the balloon from the air. If the balloons touch the floor, the player must go back to his starting line. The team won first to finish.
Balloon relay race – Variant 2
Another variation is that each child holds the bulging balloon in between his legs as he runs or skips the obstacle course. If the balloon floats to the ground, the player must return to the starting line. If the balloon bursts with too much pressure with the legs, a new balloon must be inflated immediately.
Balloon Task Run
The children from two teams that hold a race against each other with tasks. The first player runs and grabs a candle at Station 1, which he lights. At station 2, he has to inflate and knot a balloon.
With a burning candle and balloon, he runs on to station 3. Here he has to take with straw water in the mouth. Now he has to go to station 4. Here he lets the water through the straw (which he still has in his mouth) in a measuring cup and brings the balloon with the candle to burst.
Only then he runs back to the starting line and claps the next player of his team, who now has to complete the same run. The winner was the team that finished faster. Or it will set a fixed time, and the team that gets the measuring cup fuller at this time has won.
Waterbomb relay
Two teams compete against each other, and each forms a Staffette between a refill. Each a basin or a tub. At the refilling station, the first player fills balloons with water and throws them to the next player. The balloons must not be served. They must always be tossed. Only in the target tank should the balloon burst.
The team whose tub is fuller after a particular time, e.g., 15 minutes, has won.
There are special balloon bombs that are perfect for this because they are smaller and thinner-walled and thus burst faster. Often already together with a pump to fill up.
Balloon Seating Football
The children from two teams of the same size and play in a room with a smooth floor on which one can sit and slide around. Of course, there are also 2 -goals and a middle line, for example, indicated with a chalk line.
The most important rule is: at no point in the game may a player get up. The balloon may, as in real football-only, be touched by the respective goalkeeper with his hands.
As a seat and slide pads (to protect the butt), the players can, e.g., doormats, old carpet leftovers, or old clothes use.
Burst balloons
A lot of balloons are inflated and spread over a large blanket. The children sit outside and hold the blanket to the ground. Now, one child may jump on the ceiling one after the other and try to burst as many balloons as possible.
Balloon Battle
The children are divided into two teams. Some get blue, the other red balloons tied around the ankle. For this purpose, a piece of twine about 30 cm long is suitable.
On a start sign, now everyone is trying to break the balloons of the opposing team. A player whose balloon is burst retires and has to leave the field.
As a variant, you can also stick the balloons on the players’ back or tie them to the waistband. Then the children try to tear off the balloons.
Journey with balloons
As with the classic children’s game trip to music. When it stops, it’s not about finding a seat, but in the middle of the room are balloons, just one less than a teammate. Everyone rushes on it now and try to get hold of one. Who does not get more and who makes one accidentally, gets out.
Caterpillar race
Again, 2- equal-sized teams will be formed. Each team gets a balloon less than players. Standing in a row, each clamp an inflated balloon between his stomach & the back of the in front person.
On the go, both caterpillars must run towards a target, if possible, without the balloons falling. The hands must not be used to hold the balloons. Each balloon correctly transported across the finish line will earn the team one point.
Dexterity Balloon Games
If the previous games were mainly about action, skill in these balloon games is essential.
The Threes
Always 3 -players get together and embrace each other at the shoulders. Between them lies an inflated balloon. At a start signal, everyone is now trying. As quickly as possible, to steer the balloon in their midst up over their heads. The trio team wins that first.
Inflate balloons in a team
The children split up into groups of equal size. Each team gets a balloon. The first player takes a deep breath and blows in. Now he has to pass the balloon to the second player. And he may also only blow in once, and so on.
The difficulty in this game is mainly to pass the balloon so that as little as possible, collected air escapes. The team wins whose balloon is the largest.
Break Balloons
On the branch of a tree, each 3- different sized balloons are bound. One after the other, the children are allowed to throw dart arrows, small stones, or chestnuts on them, whereby they have 3- litters per balloon. A giant balloon brings 1 point, the second-largest 2, and the tiniest 3 points.
Who has the most points, wins. In a tie, the winners of the first round compete in a second against each other.
The Last Unicorn
Balloons are hung on a string, e.g., a clothesline, filled with water. Always two children together form a unicorn. One takes the other on the shoulders, and this pulls on a prepared helmet (e.g., bicycle helmet) on which something lace is stuck like a thorn or a sewing needle in a cork.
Each team of 2 now has 2 minutes to burst as many of the water balloons as possible.
Couple Dance with a Balloon
The children find each other in pairs and sandwich a balloon at the chest level. But you must not hold the balloon with your hands.
Now music is played, e.g., a waltz and everybody has to dance and turn around in a circle. If a balloon falls or bursts, the couple leaves. The couple that remains at the end has won
To vary, you can also play different rounds with different music here.
- Blow up balloons to make a bet
- Who brings his balloon to burst by pure inflation first?
- Who can inflate his balloon the most with 5- breaths?
- Who can inflate the biggest balloon in precisely 60 seconds while jumping on one leg?
- Or while he is cycling?
Inflate the Balloon in the Water Bucket
Each player bends over a bucket of water and dips the deflated balloon in, holding the mouthpiece. Upon a start signal, the child now inflates the balloon as fast as possible. Either until the water spills over, or until the balloon bursts. What happens first depends on the size of the balloon and water bucket.
Either you measure the time, or two players compete in parallel against each other.
Electric Balloons
Two teams compete against each other. Each group receives deflated balloons in a team color. On a start sign, everyone must try to inflate as many balloons as possible and charge them electrostatically by rubbing their clothes or their hair.
The balloons are then hung on the wall or a hanging piece of cloth. After a fixed time, e.g., 5 minutes, it is counted how many balloons hang in which color.
The Sweater Game
One after another, each child must put on a sweater and then take off again while holding a balloon in the air, which may be accomplished only by tapping.
Either the time is stopped for each child and who has needed the shortest has won. Or again, two teams with the same number of players compete against each other, and the team wins first.
Balloon Games for Creativity and Puzzle
The Unique Balloon
All sorts of differently shaped (inflated) balloons lie around. Each child is allowed to choose one and write his name on it (or that’s what the play leader does for preschool children). You can also use balloon animals that the children are allowed to take home.
Now, all children are blindfolded, and the balloons mixed. Every child now has to find his balloon by touching it. Of course, children can also exchange.
Who Paints Most Balloon?
Each child tries to paint as many stick figures as possible with a felt-tip pen on a balloon. Sounds easy? Not so much with this rule:
The balloon is limp at the beginning and must be inflated, but must not be knotted! That means you have to stop the end with one hand and paint with the other on the balloon. Also, a fixed time is given, e.g., exactly 2 minutes.
Who am I?
Each child writes 1-3 things on a small piece of paper, puts it in the balloon, and blows it up. All balloons are well mixed and distributed in the room. Now every child takes a balloon, lets it burst, and reads the note. Then it has to guess who wrote the others.
Air Balloon Faces
Every child gets an inflated (white) balloon. The children get many different colored permanent markers (Attention, felt-tip pens dye on the clothes!) And can now romp artistic and paint balloon faces. Later it will be voted who painted the most beautiful.
Balloon Exchange
Each child gets an inflated balloon. There are balloons in at least 4- colors and each color about the same number of times. A child’s eyes are connected, and it is allowed to operate the music system or the pause button.
All children dance now and continuously exchange the balloons with each other. The child at the plant suddenly pauses and calls a color, e.g., blue. All children who now have a blue balloon in their hands get the point. Who has the most points after five rounds?
Dance of Balloons
The children sit in a circle, and between them, a transparent cover sheet is rolled out. All children hold on to the edge. The game leader throws first one, then gradually several balloons on it, and the children can now bring them by hand movements to dance.
In turn, two children in the middle can always lay down on the floor and enjoy the spectacle from below.
Tower of Balloons
The children get a lot of inflated balloons, double-sided tape, scissors, and string and get the task is to build a tower or building as high as you can make possible.
This should be free for at least 10 seconds. This game can also be played in teams against each other.
Balloon Mattress
20 to 30 balloons are packed in a duvet cover. Then one of the children should always be careful. It is essential that someone supports his head and also support the other children from the sides of the lying.
Model Balloon Animals
From elongated modeling balloons, you can model all sorts of shapes by skillfully twisting off individual segments. The best way for a grown-up game master is to teach the kids how to do that, and then they will do it. So every kid can take home his balloon or his balloon dog later.
Balloon games are not the only ideas for the birthday party that you find on adventure friendship. Have a look at our cowboy games for kids or witch games for kids. On Friendship, every month, there is an inspiration to find gifts and activities with children, partners, and friends.