Birthday parties should be a fun time to celebrate the birth of your kid, not a time for you to stress out about expenses or other party arrangements. Instead of renting out an expensive venue for your child’s party, or scouring the local party store for games, engage the kids in a unique and creative set of birthday party games you can do all at your house.

Birthday Cake Diving. This game is better for older kids, since younger ones might find it a little bit harder to play. You should also do this game either outside or in a room without carpeting, since it is messy. Bake several extra birthday cakes—they don’t have to be fancy. Insert small objects into the cakes, such as plastic rings (like the ones kids wearing for dress-ups). Use an extra amount of icing on the cake to make it messier. Line up the kids, with a cake in front of each one. The kids race to find the object or objects you have hidden inside each cake, with the first one to find them all winning a prize.

Animal Hunt. This game involves the kids searching for “lost” animals you scatter around your house of yard. Many party or toy stores sell small stuffed animals you can use for this game. It is best to purchase at least twice as many animals as there are kids at the party, so everyone has the chance to find at least one animal. Similar to an Easter egg hunt, you hide the animals in advance and then tell the kids they need to be rescued. You can even buy small plastic safari hats from a party store for the kids to wear as they look for the animals. Once a kid finds an animal, he gets to keep it.

Play Freeze Dance. Similar to musical chairs, freeze dance involves a parent playing music for the kids to dance with. The parent randomly pauses the music and the kids have to all freeze in place, no matter how crazy of a pose they are striking. Any kids caught moving before the music starts again are out of the game. The game becomes harder the faster the music you play, so if the kids are not being challenged change the type of music you are playing.

Set Up a Picture Booth. Create a booth out of sheets and shower rods, setting it up in one corner of the room. Set up a table next to the booth, and lay out an assortment of dress up clothes and props. If you don’t have many props or clothes to use, either ask neighbors if you can borrow theirs or hit up your local discount store. The kids can then dress up and pose as you take their pictures. Print the photos off later and put them in cheap frames, giving both your child and friends a unique way to remember the special day.