Fun Games to Play With Balloons

Party games with turns and rounds, and no popping game among them: press Pick 3 new games.

Fun Games to Play With Balloons

  1. Fewer and Fewer: Hands, Elbows, Heads1. The whole group keeps one balloon up using both hands. 2. After ten taps the host calls, one hand. After ten more: elbows only. Then knees, then heads. 3. If the balloon lands, the group goes back one stage. 4. Clearing all five stages in a row wins the game for everyone. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon.
  2. Branch Tetherball With a Balloon1. Hang a balloon on a long string from a low branch or a clothesline so that it floats at chest height. 2. Two players stand on opposite sides and bat it, one clockwise and one the other way. 3. A point is won when the string wraps fully around the branch in your direction. 4. Unwind and play to three. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon, string and a low branch or line.
  3. One Puff, Stop Before the Drop1. Set a balloon at one end of a long table. 2. A player gives it one puff of breath, from behind the end of the table. 3. The aim is for it to stop as close to the far edge as it can without going over. 4. Mark each stop with a coin. Two puffs a turn, and the nearest coin wins the round. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon, a long table and coins.

Next step One-minute stunts with a balloon

How it works

These fun games to play with balloons are party games with turns, teams and rounds, not one-minute stunts. One bag of balloons covers most of them, and none asks anyone to pop a balloon.

Read the full guide

Balloon games for parties, by the room you have

In a living room, start with Keep-it-up games, which need little more than a balloon and a cleared floor. Target and toss games with no popping suit a hallway. With guests who would rather stay in their chairs, choose Seated and pairs games for a room of adults.

Before you blow anything up

Ask about latex allergy. Children under eight can choke on an uninflated or broken balloon, so an adult blows up every balloon for them and clears a popped one away at once. Each game repeats the line.

Tips
  • Blow balloons a little under full size: they last longer in a keep-up game.
  • Outdoors, play only when the air is still, and count the balloons back in afterward.

Questions and answers

What are good balloon party games for adults?

Ones with a contest in them. Bat to Buzz Quiz turns a balloon into a buzzer, Balloon Portraits, Guess the Guest fills a quiet quarter of an hour, and Table Tunnel Goals gets a whole room on its feet.

Which balloon games work from age eight up?

Named Player Taps the Balloon, Balloon Golf, Nine Placemats and Armful Dash need no skill and no blowing. For younger children an adult blows up every balloon and picks up the pieces of a popped one, as each game says.

How many balloons do you need?

Most games use one balloon for the group or one for each team. How Many Can the Circle Carry? and Armful Dash are the hungry ones, at a dozen and twenty.

Are there balloon games without popping?

All of them. This list has no popping game, no stomp and no sitting on balloons, which keeps the noise down and leaves no balloon scraps on the floor.

More tools

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All 48 games

Keep-it-up games 8

  • A Word a Tap 1. Two teams take turns with the balloon. 2. A team keeps it up while building one sentence, one word for each tap, with each player adding the next word. 3. When the balloon lands, the sentence ends. 4. The team with the longer sentence that still makes sense wins the round. Best of five. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 4 to 12 in two teams. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon.
  • Add a Player Every Ten Taps 1. Two players start and keep one balloon up for ten taps. 2. At ten, a third player steps in. At twenty a fourth, and so on. 3. Nobody taps twice in a row. If the balloon lands, the newest player steps out again. 4. The game is won when the whole room is in and reaches ten taps together. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon.
  • Fewer and Fewer: Hands, Elbows, Heads 1. The whole group keeps one balloon up using both hands. 2. After ten taps the host calls, one hand. After ten more: elbows only. Then knees, then heads. 3. If the balloon lands, the group goes back one stage. 4. Clearing all five stages in a row wins the game for everyone. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon.
Show all 48 games (45 more)

Keep-it-up games, continued

  • In Seat Order, One Tap Each 1. Sit in a ring of chairs and number off around the circle. 2. The balloon must be tapped by number one, then two, and so on, whatever side of the ring it floats to. 3. Players may stand to reach but must sit again before their next turn. 4. Count how many times around the ring the balloon goes before it touches the floor. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 5 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon and a ring of chairs.
  • Keep-Up Categories 1. Choose a category, such as things in a kitchen. 2. Each player who taps the balloon must name something in the category at the moment of the tap. 3. No repeats, and nobody taps twice in a row. 4. A silent tap or a repeat ends the rally. Count the taps and try a harder category. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 3 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon.
  • Last Touch When the Music Stops 1. Play music and keep one balloon in the air as a group, with nobody tapping twice in a row. 2. Whoever has the music stops it without looking. 3. The player who touched the balloon last takes a letter of the word POP. 4. Three letters and that player takes over the music. Play until the music has changed hands three times. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon and music.
  • Named Player Taps the Balloon 1. Stand in a loose circle with one balloon. 2. Tap it upward and call the name of someone else in the circle. 3. That player must be the next to touch it, and calls a new name as they tap. 4. If it lands, the named player takes a letter of the word OUT. Three letters and you become the judge of close calls. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: one balloon.
  • Three Colors in the Air 1. Make three teams and give each one balloon of its own color. 2. All three go up at once in the same space. 3. A team may touch only its own color. 4. The first balloon to land costs that team a life. Each team has three lives, and blocking with your body is not allowed. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 15 in three teams. Time: 10 min. Props: three balloons of different colors.

Carry-and-pass relays 8

  • Forehead Pairs, Sidestep and Turn 1. Pairs trap a balloon between their foreheads, with hands on their own hips. 2. They sidestep to a chair, turn a full circle around it and sidestep back. 3. Unlike a carry between shoulders or backs, both players can see each other, which makes everyone laugh and drop it. 4. A drop means three steps back. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 8 to 20 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon for each team and a chair.
  • Knee-to-Knee Handoff 1. A runner shuffles to the far line with a balloon held between the knees, as in the well-known waddle relay. 2. The difference is the handoff: at the line a teammate is waiting, and the balloon must pass from knees to knees with no hands. 3. The teammate shuffles it back. 4. A balloon that touches the floor at the handoff starts the handoff again. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 8 to 20 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon for each team.
  • One Finger Each Carry 1. Pairs hold one balloon between them using one index finger each and nothing else. 2. They walk it through a slalom of three chairs and back. 3. If it drops, both go back to the last chair they passed. 4. Tag the next pair. A second round is played with little fingers. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 8 to 20 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon for each team and three chairs.
  • Plate Tray Hand-Along 1. Every player holds a paper plate flat, like a tray. 2. The first player rests the balloon on their plate and rolls it onto the next player's plate. 3. No hand may touch the balloon. 4. A balloon on the floor is scooped up with two plates. The first team to pass it down the line and back wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 20 in teams. Time: 8 min. Props: a paper plate each and a balloon for each team.
  • Seated Feet Pass 1. Each team sits on the floor in a line, side by side, leaning back on their hands. 2. The first player grips the balloon between both feet and swings it to the next player's feet. 3. No hands at any point. 4. When it reaches the end, the last player stands, carries it to the front and the line shuffles down. Play until the first player is back at the front. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 20 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon for each team.
  • Static Passenger Relay 1. Each walker rubs the team balloon on a sleeve or a sweater until it clings to their clothes. 2. They walk to the far wall and back with hands behind their back and the balloon riding along. 3. If it falls, they stop, rub it and stick it on again. 4. The next walker must charge it up afresh. First team home wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 16 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon for each team.
  • Three-Balloon Shuffle 1. Each runner must carry three balloons at once across the room: one under each arm and one held against the chest by the chin. 2. No balloon may be gripped in a hand. 3. At the far line they drop all three into a laundry basket and walk back. 4. The next runner fetches all three from the basket the same way. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 16 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: three balloons and a laundry basket for each team.
  • Two Rulers Carry 1. Each team has one balloon and two rulers or wooden spoons. 2. The first player lifts the balloon between the two rulers, like giant chopsticks, and walks it around a chair and back. 3. A dropped balloon is picked up with the rulers only. 4. Hand both rulers to the next player. First team through wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 16 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon and two rulers or wooden spoons for each team.

Target and toss games with no popping 8

  • Balloon Bowling at Paper Cups 1. Stack ten paper cups in a pyramid at the edge of a table. 2. From three paces away, players bat a balloon at the stack with one swipe. 3. Count the cups that fall off the table. 4. Two swipes a turn and three turns each. The lightness of both balloon and cups is what makes it hard. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon and ten paper cups.
  • Balloon Golf, Nine Placemats 1. Lay nine placemats or sheets of paper around the room as holes, numbered in order. 2. Each player taps their own balloon from one mat toward the next and counts the taps. 3. The balloon has to come to rest touching the mat. 4. Fewest taps over nine holes wins. Play in groups of three so that nobody waits long. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 9. Time: 15 min. Props: a balloon each and nine placemats.
  • Bat It Into the Basket 1. Stand a laundry basket in the middle of the room and mark a line three paces away. 2. Players take turns batting a balloon from the line with an open hand so that it drifts down into the basket. 3. No throwing: the balloon must be struck. 4. Three tries each. A balloon that stays in scores 1, and from five paces it scores 3. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon and a laundry basket.
  • Doorway Hoop in Three Taps 1. Hang a plastic hoop in a doorway with string, at head height. 2. From a line four paces back, players tap a balloon toward it. Each player gets three taps to send it through. 3. Through on the first tap scores 3, on the second 2, on the third 1. 4. Play five rounds. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon, a plastic hoop and string.
  • Longest Throw of a Thing That Will Not Fly 1. Mark a throwing line. 2. Each player throws a balloon as far as they can, in any style: overhand, like a spear, spun like a disc. 3. Mark where it first touches the floor with a slip of paper. 4. Three throws each. The longest mark wins, and the style that worked best is named after its inventor. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon and slips of paper.
  • Plate Rings Over a Balloon Post 1. Tape a balloon by its knot to the seat of a chair so that it stands upright. 2. Cut the middles out of six paper plates to make rings. 3. From three paces away, players toss the rings to land over the balloon. 4. Six rings a turn. A ring that settles all the way down around the balloon scores 2, and one that hangs on top scores 1. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon, tape, a chair and six paper plates.
  • Sock Shots at the Balloon Row 1. Hang five balloons on strings from a broom handle laid across two chair backs. 2. From four paces away, players throw rolled socks to hit them. 3. A hit that makes a balloon swing scores 1. Calling the color first and hitting it scores 3. 4. Five socks a turn. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: five balloons, string, a broom and five pairs of socks.
  • Table Tunnel Goals 1. Two tables at opposite ends of the room are the goals: a balloon batted underneath one scores. 2. Two teams bat one balloon with open hands only. 3. Nobody may hold it, carry it or guard a goal on their knees. 4. First to three goals. After each goal the other team restarts from the middle. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 14 in two teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon and two tables.

Static and air tricks played as contests 8

  • Blow It to Exactly a Foot 1. Each player gets one balloon and no ruler. 2. Blow it up to what you judge to be exactly twelve inches across, and pinch it shut. 3. A judge measures each one against a ruler. 4. Closest wins. Play again for six inches, which is harder than it sounds. Ask about latex allergy first. This one is for players of eight and over, and all the pieces of a popped balloon are picked up at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon each and a ruler.
  • Coin Inside, Longest Whirl 1. An adult drops a small coin into each balloon before blowing it up and tying it. 2. Hold the balloon by the knot end and swirl it until the coin rolls around the inside. 3. Stop swirling. The room counts the seconds until the coin drops flat. 4. Longest whirl wins. Balloons with coins in them are collected by an adult afterward. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon each and small coins.
  • Let It Go: Nearest the Chair 1. Put a chair in the middle of the room. 2. Each player blows up a balloon, does not tie it, aims and lets go. 3. Mark where it lands with a slip of paper bearing the player's name. 4. Nearest the chair after three flights each wins. Nobody can aim one, which keeps it fair. Ask about latex allergy first. This one is for players of eight and over, and all the pieces of a popped balloon are picked up at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon each, slips of paper and a chair.
  • Name the Squeak Tune 1. A player wets a finger and rubs it along a blown-up balloon to make it squeak. 2. By pressing harder or softer they try to squeak the rhythm of a tune everyone knows. 3. The others guess. 4. A right guess scores for both. The room may ban the game after five tunes. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 3 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: one balloon.
  • One Breath, Biggest Balloon 1. Every player holds an empty balloon to their lips. 2. On go, each takes one breath and blows it into the balloon in a single go. 3. Pinch the neck and hold the balloons side by side. 4. The room judges the biggest. Three rounds, with a pause between them. Ask about latex allergy first. This one is for players of eight and over, and all the pieces of a popped balloon are picked up at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: a balloon each.
  • Static Can Race, Two Lanes 1. Lay two empty drink cans on their sides at one end of a smooth floor or a long table. 2. Each racer charges a balloon by rubbing it and holds it near the can without touching. 3. The can rolls toward the balloon. Lead it down the lane to the finish. 4. Touching the can sends it back to the start. Winners stay on. Ask about latex allergy first. This one is for players of eight and over, and all the pieces of a popped balloon are picked up at once. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: two balloons and two empty drink cans.
  • Static Confetti Lift 1. Scatter a handful of torn tissue paper on a table for each player. 2. Everyone rubs a balloon on their hair or a wool sleeve for ten seconds. 3. On go, each lowers the balloon over the paper once and lifts it away. 4. Count the scraps clinging to it. Three rounds, highest total wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon each and torn tissue paper.
  • Two Strings, Two Rockets 1. Thread a drinking straw onto each of two long strings and tie the strings across the room, side by side. 2. Each racer blows up a balloon, pinches it and tapes it under a straw. 3. On go, both let go. 4. A single rocket on a string is a well-known stunt: here two race, best of three, and the loser's lane goes to a new challenger. Ask about latex allergy first. This one is for players of eight and over, and all the pieces of a popped balloon are picked up at once. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 12 min. Props: two balloons, two straws, string and tape.

Seated and pairs games for a room of adults 8

  • Balloon Portraits, Guess the Guest 1. Give every guest a blown-up balloon, a marker and the name of another guest on a slip. 2. Each draws that person's face on the balloon in two minutes. 3. Line the balloons up along a shelf with numbers. 4. Guests write who they think each one shows. Most right wins, and every portrait goes home with its subject. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: a balloon and a marker each, slips and pens.
  • Bat to Buzz Quiz 1. Each table gets one balloon as its buzzer. 2. The host asks a quiz question. 3. To answer, a table must bat its balloon above head height and call the answer before the balloon comes down. 4. A wrong answer passes the question to the next balloon in the air. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 30 in teams. Time: 15 min. Props: a balloon for each table and quiz questions.
  • Draw on the Balloon, Team Guesses 1. Two teams sit facing each other. 2. A drawer gets a word and a marker and must draw it on a blown-up balloon, turning it to show their team. 3. The curve and the squeak are what change this from drawing on paper. 4. One minute a word. A fresh balloon comes out when the old one is full. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 4 to 14 in two teams. Time: 15 min. Props: balloons and markers.
  • How Many Breaths? 1. The host holds up a balloon blown to full size and an empty one of the same kind. 2. Each guest writes down how many of the host's breaths it will take to blow the empty one up to match. 3. The host blows, and the room counts aloud. 4. Closest guess wins and chooses who blows the next one. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: two balloons, paper and pens.
  • How Many Can the Circle Carry? 1. Sit in a circle and pass one balloon to the left, hand to hand. 2. Every ten seconds the host feeds in another balloon. 3. Nobody may hold two at once: pass one on before you take the next. 4. When someone ends up with two, count the balloons in play. That number is the circle's score. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: a dozen balloons.
  • Keep a Straight Head 1. Partners sit facing each other, and one balances a balloon on top of their head, hands in lap. 2. The other asks friendly questions and tells jokes to make them laugh, nod or turn. 3. Time how long the balloon stays on. 4. Swap. Longest time in the room wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 12 in pairs. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon for each pair and a timer.
  • One Puff, Stop Before the Drop 1. Set a balloon at one end of a long table. 2. A player gives it one puff of breath, from behind the end of the table. 3. The aim is for it to stop as close to the far edge as it can without going over. 4. Mark each stop with a coin. Two puffs a turn, and the nearest coin wins the round. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon, a long table and coins.
  • Question Balloon, Right Thumb Answers 1. Write ten light questions all over a blown-up balloon in marker. 2. Guests sit in a circle and pat the balloon to one another. 3. When the host says stop, the guest holding it answers the question nearest their right thumb. 4. This is the beach ball question game, played with a balloon so that it can be done in armchairs. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon and a marker.

Outdoor games on a still day 8

  • Armful Dash 1. Pile twenty balloons at one end of the lawn. 2. One player at a time has ten seconds to gather as many as they can hold and walk them to the far line. 3. Only balloons still held at the line count. 4. Carry them back to the pile for the next player. Most in one trip wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: twenty balloons.
  • Balloon Column 1. Each team gets six balloons. 2. The aim is a standing column: balloons stacked one on another, held only by one hand under the bottom balloon and one on top of the highest. 3. Teammates may steady it with breath, not with hands. 4. The tallest column to stand for a count of five wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 16 in teams. Time: 10 min. Props: six balloons for each team.
  • Basket Catch From a Sheet Launch 1. Four players hold a bedsheet by its corners with three balloons on it. 2. On three, they snap the sheet tight and launch the balloons. 3. Catchers with laundry baskets try to catch one before it lands. 4. Air balloons fall slowly and drift, so the catchers have to read them. A catch scores, and catchers and launchers swap every three launches. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a bedsheet, three balloons and two laundry baskets.
  • Branch Tetherball With a Balloon 1. Hang a balloon on a long string from a low branch or a clothesline so that it floats at chest height. 2. Two players stand on opposite sides and bat it, one clockwise and one the other way. 3. A point is won when the string wraps fully around the branch in your direction. 4. Unwind and play to three. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon, string and a low branch or line.
  • Cardboard Fan Tug 1. Lay a rope across the lawn and put one balloon on it. 2. Each team has two sheets of cardboard. 3. On go, both teams fan. The balloon must cross the other team's back line, three paces behind the rope. 4. No touching the balloon with the cardboard. Swap the fanners after each point. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 4 to 12 in two teams. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon, a rope and four sheets of cardboard.
  • Leashed Balloon Walk Around the Markers 1. Tie each balloon to an arm's length of string. 2. Racers hold the end of the string and walk fast around a course of three markers. 3. The balloon may not touch the ground or the racer. 4. A touch means standing still for a count of three. Balloons stay on their strings from start to finish. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 8 min. Props: a balloon on a string each and three markers.
  • Shadow on the X 1. On a sunny, still day, chalk five crosses on a path or lay five paper plates on the grass. 2. A player holds a balloon on a short string. 3. The aim is to move so that the balloon's shadow covers a cross, and to hold it there for a count of three. 4. Time how long it takes to cover all five. Fastest wins. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a balloon on a string and chalk or paper plates.
  • Slow-Pitch Balloon Baseball 1. Lay out four bases in a small square on the grass. 2. A pitcher taps a balloon toward the batter, who hits it with an open hand and walks fast around the bases. 3. Fielders may only bat the balloon, never carry it, back to the pitcher's spot to stop the run. 4. Each base reached scores 1. Three batters a side, then swap. Ask about latex allergy first. With children under eight, an adult blows up every balloon and picks up all the pieces of a popped one at once. Players: 6 to 14 in two teams. Time: 15 min. Props: a balloon and four base markers.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions, written for this site for a party at home with adults and older children. The wording is ours, and the player counts and times are our estimates. No game here pops a balloon on purpose or lets one go outdoors. The line on children under eight in every game follows the balloon label in US Consumer Product Safety Commission safety alert 5087, read on 2026-10-02: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/5087.pdf Licence: own work