Are you planning a birthday party and have no idea how to entertain a large group? Perhaps you have ideas, but have reached your party budget? Here are ten easy and inexpensive party games the whole family will enjoy.

1. String Donut Eating Contest

Materials: One dozen donuts (or more.), string, scissors.

Directions: Tie each donut to a string and hang them from a tree branch or clothesline. With their hands behind their back, the participants will race each other to finish eating their donut when you say “go.”

Variation: Blindfold older children and adults to make the game more challenging.

2. Cookie Face Race

Materials: Cookies with flat sides, chairs.

Directions: Have participants sit on a chair. The leader of the game will place a cookie on each forehead. Without using their hands, players must race to move the cookie from their forehead to their mouth and catch it in their mouth. This game will provide endless giggles for both players and their audience as they try and master their facial muscles to move the cookie. With a large group of players, do a couple of rounds then a final round where the winners challenge each other for the Cookie Face Master title. Be ready to record or photograph this game; it´s an instant favorite.

Variation: Tie hands behind their back, or challenge older players to compete standing up.

3. Musical Chairs

Materials: Placemats, music.

Directions: Mix up this classic game by ditching the chairs and using placemats outside. When the music plays, players must move in a circle around the placemats. When the music stops, players must race to stand on a placemat. The person without a placemat is out of the game. Take a placemat out each time until only one player is left.

Variation: Each time the music stops, have players change direction. You can also have players skip, dance, spin, or walk backward to make it more fun and challenging.

4. Over, Under

Materials: Two or more wrapped boxes with treats inside.

Directions: You will need two equal groups of at least five players or more. Each group stands in a line facing forward, with the person in the front of the line holding the box. When you say go, the players must pass the box backward, starting over their head, then under between their legs, over, under, alternating until the box makes it to the player at the back of the line. When it reaches the last person, they must run to the front of their line and do it again. When the original line leader makes it to the front of their line first, that team wins. The winning team gets to unwrap their box and keep the treats.

Variation: Use several empty boxes with only one box that is filled with treats. Teams will have to play a few rounds to find the winning treat box. Fill the trick boxes with confetti, paper or small objects to add weight.

5. Birthday Wrap

Materials: 1 dozen rolls of toilet paper or streamers.

Directions: Two teams of three players will race to wrap one player in paper or streamer from head to toe. The person being wrapped must stand in place and cannot move or assist their team.

Variation: Add a time limit or more groups for a harder challenge.

6. Balloon Pop

Materials: Two dozen balloons, two hula hoops.

Directions: Fill up balloons with air, tie them and set them aside for the game. Have two equal teams line up at one end, and place two hula hoops across at another end. When you say go, the person at the front of the line must run to the hoop, pop the balloon, race back and high five the next person in line to go. The first team to make it back wins the round.

Variation: Add obstacles such as boxes to jump over, or a chair to crawl under before players can reach the hoop.

7. Banana Tag

Materials: None.

Directions: Go over the rules before the game starts. You will need to designate boundaries for the game. When the game starts, everyone is ¨it¨. When a player gets tagged, that player must sit down where they were tagged. They can stand up again when the player who tagged them gets tagged. If two players tag each other at the same time, they have to play ¨rock, paper, scissors¨ to determine who will sit down. Players who want to take a break must stand outside of the boundaries, so players inside don´t get confused about who is active in the zone.

Variation: For a final round, people who get tagged are out of the game. Offer a prize to the last person standing.

8. Birthday Leap

Materials: Two ropes of equal length.

Directions: Start by placing the ropes a few inches from each other. Everyone participating must take a turn and leap over the ropes without touching them. When everyone has had a turn, place one of the ropes a little farther. Have everyone leap over again. Continue doing this for several rounds. Players who touch the rope are out. Keep separating the rope a bit farther, and soon you will have players running and leaping over the ropes. Offer a prize to the grandest leap.

9. Tall Towers

Materials: Stacks of paper, tape, paper clips, feathers.

Directions: Set the same amount of materials on flat surfaces for three or more equal teams. Explain that teams will have three minutes to talk about how they can build the tallest tower possible with the materials they have. During these three minutes, no one is allowed to touch the materials. When the time runs out, teams will then have five minutes to build the tallest tower without talking.

Variation: Have the teams race to build the tallest tower in five minutes using ONLY paper.

10. Balloon Blast

Materials: 3 dozen balloons, string, scissors.

Directions: Fill up balloons and tie three to a string. Leave plenty of room on the string to tie later. Prep at least a dozen of these, depending on how many players you anticipate. To play the game, designate a space where players can run around. Each player will tie the string of balloons around their foot. When you say go, players must run around trying to pop other players´ balloons without getting their own popped. When players have no more balloons, they must sit out of the game. The last person standing wins the round.

Variation: Create teams by using only two balloon colors and have teams try and pop the other groups´ balloons.

Rosa Escobosa lives in Salinas with her partner and two-year-old son. She works in after school, attends college, participates in local 10K´s and charity drives, hosts hikes for families, and is currently working on starting her own Etsy store selling crafts online.