• Party games for young kids should be fun but simple.kids image by Marzanna Syncerz from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  Parties for young kids will be successful if you are careful to plan the activities to suit the age of the attendees. Every good party needs games, but very young children will need lots of help as they figure things out. The main goal should be to plan games that keep the kids busy and let them have fun.
  
  

Fish Something Sweet

• This game provides kids with a fun way to get some party treats. Use individually wrapped candies that are appropriate for the age of your partiers, and fasten a metal paper clip to each candy. Put all the candies in a bucket, dish pan, or other container. Make a fishing pole from a stick, a piece of string, and a magnet. Let each child have a turn fishing for treats, lifting out two or three candies, then passing the pole to the next child. You'll hear plenty of laughter as the kids watch each other fish candies out of the bucket. The kids will enjoy the fun of the game and the challenge of "catching" their favorite candies.
  
  

Duck, Duck Goose

• Duck, duck, goose is a game that has been a children's favorite for many years. It works best with a medium to large-sized group. It's a great way to burn off some excess energy and let the kids have some fun with a simple chase game. Have all the children sit in a circle on the ground. One player is the fox. She walks around the circle, tapping each player on the head and saying "duck" as she continues around the circle. At some point she will tap one player and shout "goose!" then run as quickly as she can around the outside of the circle. The goose must get up and chase her before she reaches the goose's original spot and takes a seat. If the goose catches her, the player who was the fox is the fox again. If not, the goose is now the fox and starts around the circle, tapping each player until he arrives at the one who will be the next goose.
  
  

Treasure Hunt

• Buy a stuffed toy, such as a dollar store dinosaur, to use as the treasure in this game. Let everyone see it, then take the children to another part of the house or yard so they cannot see where the treasure is being hidden. Let the guest of honor hide it in one room or a particular area of the yard. Then have the other kids come into the area and search for the toy. Whoever finds it is the winner of the round, and that child gets to have the next turn hiding the toy. Kids love this game and enjoy the thrill of the hunt. For very young players, leave the toy partly exposed to make sure they can find it.