Games and Activities

Greet children as they arrive and welcome them to “NYC – Home of Spider-Man.” Have upbeat music playing in the background.

Give each child a press pass for The Daily Bugle, the paper for which Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man) takes photos.

While the kids wait for the party guests to arrive, have them create Spider-Man masks using pre-cut masks from heavy cardstock and craft supplies. The kids can wear these during the party and take them home as party favors.

Spider Web Escape. Have all the party guests assemble in a circle. Have each one extend their right hand into the circle and grab the right hand of another party guest. Have each child extend their left hand into the circle and grab the left hand of any party guest except the one whose right hand they are already holding. Explain that they are now in a human spider web and must escape by untangling the web while still holding hands.

Spider Catch. Hide plastic spiders throughout the party area. Leave some completely visible, for they act as good Spider-party décor. Explain that Spider-Man's spiders have gotten loose. Instruct the party guests to find and collect the spiders.

Photo Fun. Divide the party guests into two teams. Explain that they are all photographers for The Daily Bugle, just like Peter Parker. They must go around taking pictures of the party area to document the event. Hand out a disposable camera to each team, and make sure the guests pass the camera around so all children get a chance to take a photo.

Pin Spider-Man on the Building. Draw a building (can be as simple as a large rectangle with smaller square windows) on the poster board. Mount on a wall. Cut Spider-Man shapes from the remaining poster board (trace the outline of Spider-Man from a poster or print from a Spider-Man website). Place a piece of tape or poster hanger on the back of each Spider-Man (you may want to place the tape on each Spider-Man during the party, so they don't all get stuck together before the party, or mount them on a place like the refrigerator during the party as they await the activity).

One by one, blindfold children, spin them around, and point them toward the target. Assign a floor of the building to pin Spider-Man. The child who sticks their Spider-Man closest to the correct floor is the winner! You may want to play this game several times to give the kids more chances to win. Try varying the floor of the building.

Back-to-Back Balloon Pop. Blow up at least one balloon for every two party guests (more are required if game is to be played more than once). Pair up the guests, and have them stand back to back. Place an inflated balloon between the backs of each pair of guests. When you say “Go,” the guests must press their backs together until they pop the balloons. Caution: Some young children dislike balloon popping. If this activity is bothering some of the guests, move quickly to the next activity.

Super Power Test. Have all guests sit in a circle. Explain that their super powers are about to be tested:

• First, test their super hearing abilities by playing the pre-recorded sounds one at a time. Either have the children yell out their guesses as to the name of the sounds, or have them write answers on pieces of paper.
• Second, test their super smelling ability by blindfolding children one at a time. Then place a particular item in front of them to smell. Have them smell items until they guess correctly. Then move onto the next child.
• Third, test their super ability to see. Reveal enlarged and reduced pictures of everyday items, one at a time, and have everyone guess the name of each item.
• Finally, test their super tasting abilities. Blindfold one of the party guests and bring out a bowl full of items to eat. Make sure to cover the bowl with a napkin so the other party guests cannot see all the food items. Take one food item out and let the blindfolded child taste. Keep feeding the child food items until the child correctly guesses what they taste. Then move onto the next child.

Warning: Before testing their tasting abilities, identify if any children have allergies .

Green Goblin Freeze Tag. Elect a guest to start as the Green Goblin by standing in the center. Have all the other guests line up at one end of the square area. Start the game by announcing, “Spider-Men, you must pass by the Green Goblin without being tagged. If you are tagged you become a Green Goblin Servant. Green Goblin Servants must keep their right foot planted on the ground, but can reach out to tag Spider-Men turning them into more Green Goblin Servants.” All the guests try to run across to the other side of the play area as the Green Goblin tries to tag them. If tagged, the guests become Green Goblin Servants, and they must reach out and tag the other Spider-Men running by while keeping one foot planted. The game continues until all the Spider-Men become Green Goblin Servants. The last Spider-Man can be the new Green Goblin.

Mr . Freeze. Explain that everyone must dance while the music plays, but must freeze when the music stops. Start playing the music. Stop the music. When all the children have frozen, start the music again. Keep repeating this, letting the music play for different lengths of time.

Musical Spider Webs. Place spider webs on the backs of red paper plates and place them in a large circle on the floor. Have the kids walk in a circle and each time the music stops, take a web away.