Air Balloons is a fun group game ideal for older kids to show off that competitive streak. With a quick setup and minimal equipment needed, you can play this game anywhere.
This is a literally breathtaking game and it will surely be very chaotic, and hysterically silly for kids to play.
Features of Air Balloons Game
| ★ Game Name | Air Balloons |
| ★ Group size | any |
| ★ Age | kids |
| ★ Type | active |
| ★ Skill | coordination |
| ★ Place | indoor or outdoor |
| ★ Time | up to 10 – 15 min |
| ★ Preparation | no |
| ★ Materials | balloons |
Aim of the Game
The aim of Air Balloons is to try to keep your balloon up in the air longer than anybody else. You can’t touch the balloon and have got to use your own lungs to keep it in the air, so who’s got the strongest?
Group Size
This game works best when you have a large group of kids, so we recommend only playing Air Balloons with groups of eight or bigger. There is no maximum group size as you can split the group into as many teams as possible.
It is also better for older kids age 10+, but you can make the game easier and more suitable for younger kids – check out the alternative versions of the game further down the page.
Preparation and Materials
For this game, the only materials you need to play are:
- Enough balloons for one per team, plus a few extra
- One timer per team
- Paper fans – optional
Before starting the game, you need to inflate the balloons. Have at least one balloon per team, plus a few extras in case there are any accidental breakages! You can get the kids to help you inflate the balloons but to make the game fairer we advise you blow them up ahead of time.
How to Play Air Balloons
Divide your group of kids into teams of 3-5 players. There is no maximum number of teams, so if you have a large group then split the kids into as many teams as needed. Each team receives a balloon, a timer, and a fan if you are using them. Nominate one child from each team to be in charge of timing.
Once all the teams are organized, explain to the kids that they have to try to keep the balloon in the air as long as possible without touching it. This means they have to use their breath and the fan to keep it afloat. The kid in charge of timing has to record how long the team manages to keep the balloon in the air. As soon as the balloon touches a player or the ground, the timer is reset to zero.
The winning team is the group that manages to keep their balloon in the air the longest. Watch out for any players cheating by keeping the time incorrectly!
Alternative Versions
There are a few variations to Air Balloons that you can try with the group:
- If the kids are struggling to keep the balloons in the air or if you have a group of younger children, allow them to use the heads, hands, or another body part to keep the balloons up
- To make things more challenging, give the players more than one balloon per team. They need to try to keep them both in the air at the same time!
Air Balloons is one of the best group games, especially for older kids. Because you can split the kids into as many groups as you need to, there really is no upper group limit either.