Try this twist on tug of war at your next birthday party. It can be done inside and involves all the guests equally.
Elephant Tug of War
When your guests arrive:
Step 1: Divide the guests into two even teams. Try to make the teams even by size as well. Don’t put all the taller or stronger children on one team.
Step 2: Tell the teams to each pick one child to be the elephant.
Step 3: Make a line on the floor with a piece of tape, or chalk, or have the children stand on opposite sides of a doorway.
Step 4: The elephants then hold hands, and try to pull each other across the line, or through the doorway.
Step 5: Continue until every guest has had a chance to be the elephant.
Step 6: The team that pulled their opponents over the line or through the door the most times wins.
Things to Keep in Mind
Since this game involves a lot of pulling, it's possible that an injury could occur. To try to lower the risk of this, encourage all participants to avoid getting too intense or rowdy. It's easy for kids to get overwhelmed by competitiveness, which could cause issues. Putting your all into it is fine, but getting so intense about it that it puts others at risk is not!
Keep some basic first aid supplies on hand in case there's an injury. If someone gets hurt, pull them out of the game right away. Keeping the teams even will not only keep the game fair, but it will ensure that the other team isn't injured by the strength of the bigger team.
If you have an odd number of guests, consider having a parent step in to even the teams out. Of course, make sure this won't make the teams too uneven in terms of strength. You can also have a guest take turns sitting out so the teams stay even. Have the kid who sits out help you watch the teams to make sure everyone is playing correctly so that they still feel included.