Glow in the Dark Party Games for Kids

Throw an epic party with these fun glow in the dark party games for kids! These games are perfect for glow parties, family parties, BBQs or a summer night.

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I love hosting themed birthday parties for my kids. It makes planning them so much easier because I have a direction to go. So when my (now) 10 year old son asked for a glow party this year for his birthday, I said “yes!”.

With his birthday being in March (and living in Utah), we didn’t have the option of going outside for glow in the dark games. But that doesn’t mean that we weren’t able to have some serious fun inside! We turned off the lights in our basement and it was plenty dark.

While we weren’t able to go outside for these glow in the dark party games, all of them could easily be transitioned outside. You’d just have to wait until it was dark enough for the glow sticks and other glow in the dark toys to be seen.

8 Glow in the Dark Party Games for Kids

Cornhole with Light Up Board and Beanbags

Have you ever played cornhole? No one quite knows when or who started this game, but it’s gained popularity in the last 15 years as a fun backyard activity. This is probably because it’s portable, easy to learn and doesn’t take a lot of skill. Basically it’s perfect for a bunch of kids trying to have a good time!

I found this awesome plastic cornhole with lights around the hole and light up beanbags for inside play. It’s smaller than the regular size cornhole. Plus it folds up flat and has a storage space in the back for the beanbags. Because it glows, you can play this outside too!

If you already own a cornhole set, you don’t need to buy a whole new set to play in the dark. you can buy this cool LED cornhole lights kit to add to your existing set.

Glow in the Dark Basketball

We have a mini basketball hoop that hangs over one of the doors in our basement. I was able to find a set of mini glow in the dark basketballs. They charge in the light and while they aren’t super bright, they were easier to see than if we used regular balls. You could also tape glow sticks around the frame of the mini hoop and around the rim of the hoop to help with visibility.

I taught the boys how to play “Horse” and they loved it! In case you aren’t familiar with the game, here’s an easy explanation of “horse” from Jr. NBA.

Dance Party

This is not an original idea, but that doesn’t make it any less fun! We pulled out black light bars, a couple small disco balls and turned on some music. We also had a few glow in the dark accessories, such as, light up glasses and rings, glow stick necklaces and bracelets, and pop tubes. A dance party worked great as both a stand alone and a filler activity while I set up other activities.

Glow in the Dark Ball Toss

Surprisingly, basketball and this ball toss game were the two most popular games at the party!

To play this game, you need a few small buckets, wiffle balls and glow sticks. If you don’t have these items already, you can buy a glowing yard pong set which comes with buckets and balls.

Break the glow sticks and poke them through the holes of the wiffle ball so they are curled up inside. We had 3 balls so each person got 3 shots.

Then set up the buckets. We had 3 buckets so we did it in a triangle shape with two in the front and one in the back. If you have more buckets you could do a different orientation. Choose a point system and decide on rules.

We changed them up a bit every few rounds, but here are some suggestions:

• The ball can bounce once before going into the bucket.
• If the ball goes into the bucket, but then falls over, the shot doesn’t count.
• The ball cannot bounce before going in.
• If the ball goes in and falls over, the shot still counts.

Glow Stick Ring Toss

The ring toss is a variation of the ball toss. We used a paper towel holder as the “stake” that the “rings” (glow stick necklaces) were tossed onto. If you were to play this outside, you could get a glow stick wand and poke it in the ground. The strategy for this game is a little different from the ball toss and it felt different enough that the kids enjoyed it.

Light Up Tumbling Tower (aka Glow in the Dark Jenga)

This game is a classic for a reason! It’s quick to set up and quick to play. Not to mention that you can have as many or as few players as you want. This light up tumbling tower is great as a glow in the dark party game option. The best part is that you can play it again even when the party is over!

Glow in the Dark Capture the Flag

Did you play capture the flag as a night game when you were a kid? Well, now you can play the glow in the dark version! This game definitely falls into the outdoor category but if the weather is nice enough to play, then it’s a great option. I love this glow in the dark capture the flag set because it includes everything you need for up to 20 players!

Glow in the Dark Tic-Tac-Toe

Another classic game that is easy to set up and play. You could have more than one game going at a time depending on how many people are playing and which set up option you choose (3 suggestions are listed below).

You have three options for setting up a glow in the dark tic-tac-toe game:

• Least expensive: Connect glow sticks together in the following groups: 1) 4 sets of 3 sticks for the grid lines, 2) 4-5 “O’s” made by connecting 2 sticks into a circle, and 3) 4-5 “X’s” made by crossing the sticks in an X when placed on the game board (approx. 8-10 sticks needed)
• Mid-range: Buy a glow in the dark yard tic-tac-toe game set so you can reuse it. I found an option for a set that uses bean bags and a different set that uses flat disks with the Xs and Os printed on them.
• Most expensive: Make a tic-tac-toe board using glow sticks, as listed above, and buy a set of light up bean bags. The part that makes this option more expensive is that you will need to purchase 2 sets of light up bean bags. Then you use colors instead of Xs and Os. *NOTE* If you already have the glow in the dark cornhole game, you could use the light up bean bags from that game instead of buying a separate set!

Want more fun activities to do with glow sticks? I have a whole post with 15 ideas for playing with glow sticks. Some of them are repeats of the glow in the dark party games for kids that I have listed here. But there are many more games and activities that your kids will love if they love anything glow in the dark.

Additionally, if you are looking for more great ideas on how to throw an epic glow party check out this post from my friend Alia at Party Like A Cherry!

Glow in the Dark Party Games & Supplies Shopping List

• Glow Sticks
• Light Up Party Pack (includes glasses, rings, bracelets, etc)
• Black Lights
• Mini Glow in the Dark Basketballs
• Wiffle balls
• Mini Disco Balls
• Light Up Cornhole Set
• Light Up Tumbling Tower
• Glow in the Dark Capture the Flag
• Light Up Tic Tac Toe
• Neon Glow Party Paper Goods (Plates, Napkins and Cups)
• Glow Party Invitations and Envelopes

I hope these glow in the dark party games for kids helps you pull together your own awesome glow party!

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