Planning your 8-year-old’s birthday party doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By focusing on simple, classic games and activities that resonate with both you and your child, you can create a fun and celebration for all.
If you’re racking your brain trying to come up with ideas for your 8-year-old’s birthday party, don’t worry—you’re in the right place!
As a mom of three and the Editor of MKE With Kids, I’ve planned plenty of them and heard from many readers about what works and what doesn’t. To make your planning stress-free, here are 50 fun games and activities for your 8-year-old birthday party that are guaranteed to be a hit!
💡Want more inspiration? Visit our ultimate birthday planning guide is packed with crowd-pleasers.
Quick Picks: Best Games & Activities for an 8-Year-Old Birthday Party
DIY Obstacle Course
The perfect high-energy starter. Use cones, hula hoops, pool noodles, or anything around the house to build a race course.
Freeze Dance (Glow Edition)
Kids love it, it burns energy fast, and glow sticks make it feel like a party—even indoors.
Cookie Decorating Station
Low-prep, high-engagement, and doubles as a party favor. Works for every theme.
Water Balloon Games
If weather allows, nothing beats a balloon toss, relay, or free-for-all water balloon battle.
Treasure or Scavenger Hunt
Super customizable and great at keeping 8-year-olds focused. Adjust difficulty by theme or location.
DIY Tie-Dye
A hit for this age group. Bring white shirts; you provide the dye. It’s colorful, creative, and keeps them busy.
Movie Night + Popcorn Bar
Instant calm-down activity. Let kids build their own popcorn bowls, then get cozy with blankets.
Slip n’ Slide n’ Grab
Easy backyard setup and seriously fun. Kids love the challenge of grabbing objects as they slide.
Pizza-Making Party
Hands-on and delicious. Give each child their own crust and toppings—they love making their own lunch.
Glow Stick Dance Party
A simple crowd-pleaser to wrap up the event. Lights off, music on, glow sticks everywhere.
Best At-Home Birthday Party Ideas for 8-Year-Olds
DIY Donut-Making Party
Prep batter and glazes, print simple recipe cards, and let kids mix and decorate their own mini donuts. It’s messy, memorable, and perfect for morning parties.
Paint & Sip Art Studio at Home
Set up canvases, paint palettes, and sparkling juice. Kids love creating art “like real artists,” and everyone goes home with a finished masterpiece.
Mad Science Party
Turn your home into a kid-friendly lab with easy experiments like volcanoes, invisible ink, and slime. Add goggles and plastic beakers for atmosphere.
Wicked or Swiftie Themed Party
If your child loves musicals or Taylor Swift, go big on themed snacks, a simple photo booth, and music. Kids can make friendship bracelets or decorate “spell books.”
Fortnite Fort Night
Build indoor or backyard forts using boxes, blankets, Nerf gear, and LED string lights. Add themed snacks and a scavenger hunt for supplies.
Cookie Decorating Party
Lay out frosting, sprinkles, edible eyes, and tools. It keeps kids focused and works beautifully for winter birthdays or small groups.
Backyard Campout
Pitch tents, roast s’mores, make shadow puppets, and play flashlight tag. Works best with smaller guest lists and good weather.
Movie Night Pajama Party
Blankets, pillows, popcorn, and a favorite movie. Add a “concession stand” with candy and snacks for an instant upgrade.
Boba Tea-Making Party
Set up a station with cooked pearls, syrups, milk, and tea. Kids create their own boba drinks and mix-and-match flavors.
Jewelry Making Party
Friendship bracelets, bead kits, and charms. This is especially great for calmer groups or indoor celebrations.
Trendy Theme Party Ideas for 8 Year Olds
Swiftie Party
Are you ready for it? A Taylor Swift themed birthday party is so much fun for an 8-year-old! From friendship bracelets, to a Milk-Shake-It-Off station and watching the Eras concert, we’ve got the ultimate guide to hosting a party that will be a chart-topping hit for your 8 year old.
(We did this for my 10 year old last year, and created custom Eras-style invitations on Canva. Everyone loved them!)
Fortnite Fort Night
Do you have a little gamer with a birthday coming up? A Fortnite Birthday Party is the perfect theme to celebrate their special day, with real forts and Fortnite combined!
Wicked Party
Defy gravity with an enchantifying Wicked birthday party. Serve green popcorn & candy, emerald punch, and set up a Wicked-themed photo booth with witch hats and wands. Decorate spell books, and encourage everyone to dress up!
Nerf Birthday Battle
A spacious backyard or a local park makes the perfect arena for an epic Nerf Birthday Battle. To arm the troops, ask attendees to bring their favorite Nerf blasters.
Boba Party
Take your party to the next level with a boba tea-making station! Provide cooked boba pearls, tea, milk, and flavored syrups (like mango, strawberry, or matcha). Check out our guide for How to Host a DIY Boba Party.
💡Don’t forget about party favors! Check out these goodie bag ideas that aren’t junk for fun, practical, and creative party favors your guests will actually use.
Food Party Ideas
Cookie Decorating
All you need are some basic sugar cookies (store-bought or homemade), some frosting, sprinkles, and google eyes. Spread out the tablecloth, child-safe knives, spatulas, and spoons, and let the kids have at it.
Pro Tip: We recommend buying 3-5 cookies for each child on your guest list so that the activity takes longer and the kids can perfect their cookie-decorating skills.
Variation: You can also decorate cupcakes or get giant white birthday cake and have everyone take part in decorating it.
Pizza Making Party
Let each child create their own mini pizza! Provide pre-made dough or flatbreads, marinara sauce, shredded cheese, and an array of toppings like pepperoni, veggies, and olives. Bake the pizzas and enjoy a custom lunch made by the kids themselves.
Pro Tip: Use parchment paper to label each child’s pizza so everyone gets the one they made.
Bonus Activities: Let the kids decorate DIY chef hats with markers, stickers, and glitter to take home as a keepsake. Or, host a Pizza Box Art Contest and have them turn clean, unused pizza boxes into works of art.
Donut Making Party
One of my daughter’s favorite parties ever was a donut-making party at our house! Prep the ingredients beforehand and print out instructions for each child. Throw on a chef’s hat, and starting mixing! Check out How to Host a Donut-Making Party for tips and recipes.
Paint & Sip Party
Turn your home into a Paint & Sip Art Studio! Provide a canvas, paint, and carbonated fruit juices, sodas, or smoothies so your guests can paint and sip to their hearts content. Here’s a full guide on how to plan a Paint & Sip Birthday Party.
Creative Party Ideas
DIY Tie-Dye Party
A tie-dye party is a great way to throw a bright and colorful birthday party. Order a tie-dye kit ahead of time and ask the kids to bring a white t-shirt or other clothing items. Here are 10 easy tie-dye patterns for kids.
Once you’ve created your masterpiece, make sure to care for it correctly. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to wash your tie-dye shirt for the first time.
Jewelry Making
Set up a station with beads, string, and charms for friendship bracelets. A nod to Taylor Swift’s iconic bracelets makes this trendy and exciting!
Mad Science Party
A Mad Science birthday party is a hands-on, exciting party that will definitely work for this age group. From volcano eruptions to invisible ink, we’ve rounded up more than 100 simple science experiments for kids.
Pro Tip: Transform the party area into a science lab with beakers, test tubes, and lab equipment (safe, plastic replicas for decoration). Use glow sticks and black lights to create a mysterious, mad-science lab environment.
Magic Show
For a magic themed party, bringing in a magician is a great idea. Be sure to read reviews from other parents to make sure they’re a good performer. Or, you can learn some magic tricks on Youtube and have the kids perform them.
Movie Night
Lay out sleeping bags or blankets, pop some popcorn, and press play on their favorite movie. To make it unique, pick your child’s favorite movie and create snacks and decorations based on it.
Elevate the fun: Set up a popcorn bar with toppings like mini marshmallows, gummy bears, or sprinkles. Hand out glow-in-the-dark bracelets for a “movie theater under the stars” vibe.
Outdoor Twist: Use a projector for a backyard movie night. Add fairy lights and cozy pillows for a magical atmosphere!
Classic Party Games & Activities
Freeze Dance: Play music, and when it stops, everyone freezes! Add glow sticks for a fun twist.
Piñata Fun: Fill a piñata with candy, small toys, or themed surprises and let the kids take turns breaking it open.
Charades for Kids: Write kid-friendly prompts for them to act out, like “pretend to be a monkey” or “fly like a plane.”
Pictionary: Set up a whiteboard and pre-plan fun, age-appropriate clues for a hilarious drawing game. We recommend working together as one team to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Birthday parties are hard enough – you don’t need any Pictionary drama!
Musical Chairs or Limbo: Keep these timeless favorites on the playlist—they’re simple and always entertaining!
Karaoke Night: Set up a karaoke machine or YouTube playlist with kid-friendly songs. Bonus points if you pair this with a costume dress-up station!
Treasure Hunt: If you’re feeling motivated, organize a simple treasure or scavenger hunt for your party goers. If you have a birthday party theme, it’s a good idea to have the scavenger hunt go along with it. For example, if it’s a Harry Potter party, it could be a Marauder’s Map theme.
Glow Stick Dance Party: One of the best things about being a kid is letting loose and dancing up a storm. Give everyone a set glow sticks, turn out the lights, and put on their favorite music! Here are the 100 Best Kids Dance Songs to get your party started.
Bouncy House: Bounce houses make everything more fun. A bouncy house party is a fantastic way to ensure an energetic and unforgettable celebration for the birthday boy or girl. It’s the centerpiece of any great kids’ party!
Slumber Party: If you’re up for an extended birthday celebration, allow you child to invite a few friends to sleepover at your house. Kids love this added layer of togetherness, and we’ve got an epic roundup of fun things to do at a sleepover.
Water Games
Water Balloon Party
On a hot summer day, water balloon games are the perfect way to cool off. Here are 25 fun water balloon games you’ll all love. Afterwards, serve some ice cream or popsicles!
Slip n’ Slide n’ Grab
When you can’t have a pool party, a slip n’ slide is the best way to get wet and wild! Better yet, place random objects along the slip n slide. Try to grab them as you slide down! Any 8-year-old boy or girl would love to have a slip n’ slide birthday party.
Water Blob
Get a clear plastic tarp and fold it in half. Duct tape the three open sides so that they are completely shut. Leave a small opening to fill up the blob with water. Once it’s filled, close it up with duct tape. Everyone will love sliding, jumping, and laying on your new water blob.
Active & Outdoor Games for 8-Year-Old Birthday Parties
Backyard Classics
Obstacle Course: Use cones, hula hoops, pool noodles, or anything on hand to build a fun challenge course. Kids can race the clock or each other.
Capture the Flag: Split kids into two teams and see who can sneak across the yard to grab the opposing team’s flag without being tagged.
Sidewalk Chalk Art: Tape off geometric designs on the driveway and let kids color in each section to create a giant “stained-glass” mural.
Tug of War: Divide into two teams and pull! Add sprinklers underneath for a slippery, hilarious upgrade.
Balloon Bulls Eye: Attach balloons to a fence or board and let kids try popping them with darts or beanbags. Fill some with confetti for surprises.
DIY Giant Jenga: Stack oversized wooden blocks and take turns removing one at a time. The taller it gets, the louder the giggles.
Flashlight Tag: Play tag after dusk using flashlights to find and “tag” other players. Kids love the nighttime twist.
Kickball Game: Use whatever you have for bases and let kids play a classic playground favorite. Simple rules, lots of movement.
Dodgeball: Give each child a soft ball and divide the yard with a center line. Last player untouched wins!
Hide & Seek: An evergreen favorite. One player counts while everyone else hides—then the search begins.
Keep It Up: Use balloons or a bouncy ball and see how long the group can keep it in the air without letting it touch the ground.
Paper Airplane Cornhole: Fold the best paper airplanes possible and try to fly them into buckets or boxes across the yard.
Relay Races
Penguin Race: Hold a ball between your knees and waddle to the finish line. If it drops, complete a fun penalty like jumping jacks.
Egg & Spoon Race: Balance an “egg” (real or plastic) on a spoon, walk to a marker, and back again without dropping it.
Sly Fox: Kids creep up behind the “fox,” who counts to ten before turning around. Anyone caught moving goes back to the start.
Frisbee Toss: Set up buckets or baskets at different distances and see who can land their frisbee inside.
Climb the Ladder: Place a bottle on the lowest rung of a ladder and see how many soft throws it takes to knock it down. Move it up each round.
Cornhole: A backyard classic. Toss beanbags toward the angled board to score points.
Three-Legged Race: Tie two players’ legs together and race toward the finish line. Teamwork required!
Bowl Buckets: Place bowls on the ground, each with a point value. Kids stand behind a line and toss objects to score.
Horseshoes: Take turns pitching horseshoes toward a stake and try for a ringer.
Potato Sack Race: Use sleeping bags or sacks to hop across the yard. Expect lots of laughing (and tumbling).
Around the World: Use a laundry basket as a “hoop” and try different shooting spots, just like the classic basketball game.
Limbo: Play music, hold a pole or broomstick, and see who can bend low enough to get under it without falling.
Soccer Shootout: Set up two cones for a goal and let kids take turns shooting from a marked distance.
Tag Games Kids Love
Stuck in the Mud Tag: When tagged, players “freeze” with arms out. Teammates can crawl under the arms to free them.
Freeze Tag: Tagged players freeze in place until a teammate taps them free.
Tunnel Tag: Frozen players stand with legs wide apart to form tunnels. Someone must crawl through to unfreeze them.
Bandaid Tag: First tag = one hand on the “injury.” Second tag = both hands. Third tag = that player becomes “it.”
Spud: Players are assigned numbers. When their number is called, they must catch the thrown ball and yell “Spud!” Everyone freezes, and the thrower tries to tag someone within three steps.
Evening & Special Activities
Backyard Campout: Set up tents, roast marshmallows, and play flashlight tag. Works best for smaller groups and warm nights.
DIY Twister: Spray-paint colored circles on the lawn and play a giant outdoor version of Twister.
Beach Ball Shot Put: “Push” a beach ball from a starting line and measure each throw. See who can toss the farthest.
Giant Memory Game: Write pairs of letters or pictures on cardboard squares, lay them facedown in the yard, and play a life-sized memory match.
High Jump Challenge: Mark a takeoff spot and see how high each kid can jump and touch a tree or wall (safely).
Long Jump Challenge: Mark a starting line and see who can jump the farthest across the grass.
Ring Toss: Toss rings toward pegs for points—easy setup, big fun.
Seasonal Birthday Parties
Celebrating your child’s birthday in a specific season? Embrace the magic of winter, the crisp charm of fall, or the blooming beauty of spring with these seasonally inspired party ideas!
Winter Birthday Ideas
Ice Skating Party: Take the kids to an ice rink or set up a DIY ice skating area if you live in a cold climate. End the day with hot cocoa and s’mores!
Hot Cocoa Bar & Sledding: A hot cocoa bar and sledding party is the ultimate winter birthday celebration, combining outdoor fun with cozy treats!
Snowman Building Contest: If there’s snow outside, turn it into a creative competition where kids build and decorate their own snowmen. Provide fun accessories like scarves, hats, and carrots for noses.
Gingerbread House Decorating Party: Even after the holidays, kids love creating their own gingerbread houses. Provide lots of candy and icing for decoration.
Indoor Movie & Pajama Party: For cold, snowy days, host a cozy indoor movie night. Kids can wear their pajamas, snuggle under blankets, and enjoy themed snacks like “snowball” popcorn.
Fall Birthday Ideas
Pumpkin Decorating Party: Skip the mess of carving and have kids decorate pumpkins with paint, markers, stickers, and glitter. Perfect for all ages! You can also roast pumpkin seeds for autumnal party snack.
Campfire Party: Host a cozy campfire party with s’mores, apple cider, and a storytime session. Add a flashlight tag game for some after-dark fun!
Apple Picking Party: Visit an apple orchard with a small group of kids, and let them pick their own apples. End the day with apple cider donuts or an apple pie baking activity.
Hayride & Corn Maze Adventure: Many farms offer hayrides and corn mazes in the fall—perfect for a seasonal birthday outing. Pair it with hot cocoa or caramel apples for a sweet treat!
Spring Birthday Ideas
Garden Party: Celebrate spring’s bloom with a flower-themed party.
- Activities: Let kids plant their own flowers in small pots to take home.
- Decor: Floral centerpieces and pastel balloons.
Kite-Flying Party: Spring is perfect for flying kites! Set up in a park or open space and let kids design and fly their own kites.
Farm Animal Party: Visit a local petting zoo or farm where kids can interact with baby animals like lambs, chicks, and bunnies.
More Fun Party Ideas
Goodie Bag Ideas That Aren’t Junk
Simple, useful favors that won’t end up in the trash—and kids actually love.
Activities for Your 7 Year Old’s Birthday Party
Age-appropriate games and themes perfect for younger elementary kids.
Ideas for Your 9 Year Old Birthday Party
Fresh, fun ideas that work well for older kids who are ready for bigger activities.
Activities for a Girl’s Birthday Party
Creative, flexible ideas for girls’ parties—no stereotypes, just fun options.
Activities for a Boy’s Birthday Party
High-energy, hands-on party ideas boys this age tend to love.
Birthday Party Activities for Kids
A roundup of classic, easy-to-set-up games that work for any age group.
Kids Party Food Ideas That Are Budget-Friendly
Simple, crowd-pleasing snacks and meals that keep the cost down.
Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.
