This is a great way to get the wiggles out, occupy the kids, and use your imagination!
A great party game will create lasting memories for all. A relay race is always a great idea for kids. Not only are relay races great for holding kids' attention, they take little in way of set up and preparation, and once initial instruction is over all you need to do is sit back, watch and laugh!
The clothes horse relay is a very adaptable game that is always a party favorite, with very little effort on your part. This game is especially great for themed parties. If your theme is winter games, princesses, dinosaurs, Halloween, or anything else simply put together a large pile of similarly themed garments.
The Clothes Horse
Items Needed and How to Play
Guests, a big pile of clothes for each team, space, and a camera (optional)
You'll want to ensure you determine how many clothes are ideal for the number of players you have. You don't want to give your players too many clothes to put on and remove, since a lot of clothes will make the game take a while and will leave participants exhausted. Find a balance between making the game challenging and not making it last too long.
Appropriate ages:
This may not be the best game for younger party-goers since the players need to be able to dress by themselves. The target age should be over 4 at least.
Keep the age of your players in mind when selecting clothing. You may want to think twice about shirts with millions of tiny buttons, hooks or stiff snaps. The object is to dress quickly and move on. Don’t discourage your little players by picking complicated vestments. Always use clean garments that are either fresh from the store or just-washed. Nobody wants to put on James's sweaty jersey!
You may want to aim for participants to be roughly the same age. If there are a few years between participants, then the younger ones may be at a disadvantage. Older kids are almost always going to be able to dress faster than younger ones.
The object of the game:
To play, divide the group into teams. Place the clothing on the opposite side of the room. Each player must run to the pile of clothes and put on each item as fast as they can. If you are using a camera, have them pose for their photo. Then, remove the clothes and run back to tag the next player. Play continues until each player has the chance to attire themselves. The first team that finishes wins!
Variations:
The variety of clothing is not the only variation to this game.
The gloves: To make this game more challenging for older players, place limitations on how they dress. For example, include a large set of fluffy ill-fitting gloves in the clothing pile and stipulate that the gloves must be the first item put on. Then watch as they struggle to dress quickly while hampered by the gloves.
Pass it down: Instead of having each player race to the pile, have them form a line across the room like an old fashioned bucket line. The player at the head of the line nearest the clothing then puts on an article of clothing and passes it to the next player. The clothes are passed to each player until all articles have been tried on and removed. The first team to successfully transfer their entire pile of clothes from one end to the other wins.
Chaos: If you really want to make things chaotic, choose one person from each team to be a “neutral” person. This person won't put any clothes on. Rather, they'll throw clothes at each of their teammates. The idea is that each player will need to put on and remove the clothing items as fast as they can. Otherwise, a pile of clothes will start to pile up all around them! Kids will love being able to throw things at one another. Since clothes are soft, you can rest assured knowing that nobody will get hurt. The first team to put on all the clothes thrown at each player wins.
Your kids will love this game!