Keep the children entertained during parties with these tips and ideas for creating some really exciting carnival games that kids will love.
Finding exciting games to keep the young ones entertained during birthday parties, community festivals, fundraisers, or parties of all kinds can be quite a challenge. Booths, midway games, balloons, prizes, and tickets can be purchased or rented but why not make your own? Here are some tips for creating some really exciting carnival games that kids will love.
First, you must decide if you will award prizes at each booth or if you will award tickets that can be redeemed elsewhere for prizes. Of course, you could do both.
Children of all ages love to hear the sound of a balloon pop. Create your own balloon darts game by tacking or stapling several balloons to a thin, standing sheet of plywood. Have several bags of extra balloons on hand. Use 2 or 3 darts and mark the throwing area about 10 to 12 feet from the balloon board. Mark the throwing area a little closer for younger players. Give each child 2 to 3 throws of the darts and award prizes or tickets by the color of balloon popped or the position of balloon popped. Provide only 2 or 3 darts at a time to prevent them from being thrown while someone is retrieving darts or replacing balloons.
Create your own bucket toss game by screwing empty coffee cans to a narrow board. Place the coffee cans an even distance away from each other. Paint the coffee cans with numbers and different colors. Decide which prizes or tickets will be awarded for each numbered can. The object of this game is to throw ping-pong balls into each can one at a time without missing or having the ball bounce out of the can. Mark different locations to toss from depending on the ability and ages of the players. It is a good idea to hammer the sharp edges of the cans down to keep anyone from cutting their hands when reaching in to retrieve a ball. As an extra precaution you can also place thick tape around these sharp edges.
An old favorite and very popular game is the cakewalk. Baked goods are usually donated for this game and you will probably need quit a few items. Create a circle of numbered squares. These numbered squares correspond with numbers on tickets that you create and place in a hat or jar. Have all players start on a numbered square, one person per square. Play music for a while then stop after a time. When the music stops, everyone will be on a different numbered square. Pull a ticket out of the hat or jar. The player standing on the corresponding number wins a baked item. The baked items can be numbered to match the squares and tickets or you can allow the winner to choose their own prize.
If your party is being held outdoors, water games can be added to the carnival. A great example is the floating duck game. Have about 15 or 20 rubber ducks, a few of them labeled with a number or color that represents a prize or a certain amount of tickets. Give each child one chance to pull out a duck marked for a prize.
Another exciting water game is played with a row of plastic soda bottles topped with ping-pong balls. Allow each child a set amount of chances to knock the ping-pong balls off the bottles using a squirt gun. Award prizes for each successful try.
Children love to play tic- tac- toe and a carnival-type game can be created on the carpet or hard floor. Using tape, create tic-tac-toe squares and create a throwing line about 5 feet away for younger children and 6 feet away for older children. Give players 4 beanbags to attempt to get three in a row. Award prizes accordingly.
What could be better at a party than to find a treasure chest with hidden items? Create your own treasure chest with a decorated square or rectangular container. Fill the container with something soft to dig through such as sand or birdseed. Hide toys or pennies within the material. Blindfold the player and allow them about 1 minute to dig through the material to find the hidden items. Award prizes for each item found within the time frame. Time can be extended for younger children.
Games can be provided for children that offer a prize every time the game is played. This way everyone can be a winner. A great example of this is the popular fishpond game. This game requires a person in front of a sheet or tarp to help the players cast their line and a player behind to attach a catch, or prize, to the line. An old fishing pole can be used here with string and a clothespin attached to the end of the line. Clothespins can also be color or number coded to represent different genders or ages for appropriate toys and treats.
Last but not least is another game that allows for a winner every time. Create a lollipop or sucker tree. Create the lollipop tree trunk with painted plywood or cardboard. The leaf area of the tree can be constructed with thick Styrofoam. Color-code some of the lollipop sticks to represent different prizes. Sink the lollipops throughout the Styrofoam and allow each child to pick one and try to get one that is color-coded. Each child wins by getting to keep the lollipop they picked.
