- Have everyone sit in a circle and hand the birthday boy a pillow or soft cushion. Start some music and tell him to toss the pillow to someone else in the circle, who has to hold it for at least one second before tossing it to someone else. Stop the music at an arbitrary point. Similarly to musical chairs, the child holding the pillow when the music stops is out. The last child sitting is the winner.
- Kids of this age group love a traditional piñata. You can either purchase one ready to fill with candy and small toys or make your own. Suspend the piñata with ropes between tree branches or something else that's sturdy. Since the guests will be taking a swing at it with a bat or stick, be sure that it is hanging at a height that they can reach easily and that the kids are lined up a safe distance away. Hand a child a stick or bat, blindfold her, turn her around a few times and let her take a swing. Let every child take a turn. It will probably take at least a few times through the line before the piñata breaks and the candy flows out.
- A treasure hunt can be played inside or outside. In the fashion of an Easter egg hunt, hide lots of small items around a specific area and have the kids search for them, placing them in a paper bag or basket as they go. You can tailor this game to the theme of the event, such as gold coin candy for a pirate party. To keep this activity from taking too long, set a time limit and tell the kids that the winner is the one who collects the most.
- You'll definitely want to play this one outside since it can be particularly messy with 5-year-olds. Have all of the kids line up side-by-side on one side of the yard and give them all a spoon with a hard-boiled egg on it. On the count of three, everyone has to run to the opposite side of the yard and back to the starting point while carefully balancing the egg on the spoon. Anyone who drops the boiled egg has to go back and start from the beginning. The first one to cross the yard and back without dropping the egg wins.
