Games for a Mermaid Themed Birthday Party

Save the Sea Creatures

For this game, you will need a large blue sheet or vinyl tablecloth and a collection of plush or inflatable sea creatures (at least one per player). Place the sea creatures on the ground and spread the sheet out on top of them. Have the players gather around the sheet, each pick up an edge, and start shaking it to create waves. Tell the mermaids that a fisherman has swiped all of the sea creatures from the ocean, and they must work together to rescue them. Call out the name of one of the mermaids. That person must run under the sheet, pick up one of the sea animals and toss it onto the waves. The mermaids try to bounce it around without letting it fall. Keep calling out names and tossing sea creatures until they have all been returned to the ocean. 

Underwater Limbo

Decorate a broom handle with blue and green colored curling ribbon. Tie long lengths to the broom handle so when you hold it up like a limbo stick, the ribbon dangles down like waves. Instead of the limbo song, play something that fits the mermaid theme (such as Under the Sea) as party guests do the limbo.

Musical Sea Shells

Draw large seashells on poster board, paint or color them, and then cut them out. Set up the chairs for a game of musical chairs and tape the seashells to the seats or backs of the chairs. Play a mermaid, underwater, or beach-themed song as the players circle the chairs. 

Mermaid Tail Race

This game puts a mermaid twist on the classic potato sack race. To play, you can purchase potato sacks from the party supplier and dye them green to look like mermaid tails or make your own sacks out of felt. Once you have your green sacks, cut two pieces of felt to look like fins, and sew or pin them to the bottoms of the sacks. Have the kids step into them to put on their mermaid tails, and then hop in them to the finish line.  

Seaweed Tangle

This game is all about making a big, fun mess of “seaweed” all over the yard. Give each mermaid a roll of green crepe paper streamers. Set up a few checkpoints through which they must run on their way to the finish line. Have different players start at different checkpoints. While they are running, they must hold up the streamers so that they unravel behind them. Set up the checkpoints in a zig-zag pattern so they will have a fun tangle of seaweed to “swim” through while playing. 

Mermaid Treasure Hunt

This is a fun scavenger hunt for your little mermaid guests. Take several “treasures” such as seashells, fake jewels, and shiny trinkets, and hide them around the party area. Fill a baby pool with water and tell your party guests that this is the mermaid treasure cove. Tell them the Sea Witch has stolen all of the treasure from the cove and scattered it throughout the sea. It is the mermaids’ job to find the treasures and return them to the cove.  

Mermaid Freeze Swim

Play some mermaid or sea-themed songs to which party guests can play this underwater version of freeze dance. While players dance, they must also make swimming motions with their arms. Anytime the music stops, they must freeze like as if the Sea Witch has turned them into a statue. Anyone who doesn’t freeze is caught by the Sea Witch and out of the game.  

Fishing Game

This is an easy DIY game to put together last minute if you're running out of time and supplies. You can either use a stencil to cut out the fish shapes or freehand it. Use different colors of paper and markers to customize the fish shapes. Then, make punch holes to put the metal paper clip through. This will allow the fish to attach to the magnet from the fishing rod.

For the rod, wooden skewers or chopsticks work well to attach some string to it before hot gluing a round magnet at the end.