Carnival Games!

It’s that time of year when there’s going to be a Halloween party, a trunk or treat, or that special school carnival where homemade games are going to fill the night as fun entertainment or sometimes they can be a unfortunate attempt that doesn't get much action.

Hey, I certainly know from the reaction of my own kids, that if you don’t put thought into the game, it’s going to show. In our family, one of our favorite traditions has been our annual Halloween bash. We started our annual backyard party when our kids were little for the purpose of bringing families like ours together with our friends where we could attend not just an adult party, not just a kids party, but a family party. The goal was for families to dress up together and know that they were invited all together for a night of fun, where everyone could see the cute costumes that everyone’s creativity and imagination’s came up with.

Over the years with our four kids having friends from school and friends from church, the party grew and we loved it! At one point we had 400 people, yes that was 400 people attend our Halloween bash.

So how do you have a party of that size affordably? You make it a potluck. Our motto is we will supply the tricks if you were kindly supply a treat to share. We had a soda bar where we would serve soft drinks from liters of soda and gallons of lemonade.

The treat table was a fun place where our friends and guests could bring a Halloween treat that they had seen possibly on Pinterest that looked cute and it gave them the reason to make it.

So then what was our biggest contribution? The carnival games.

The biggest hit with the children year after year was WIN A FISH. Yes we would go to our local Petco and buy a few hundred goldfish that we would place in little containers with lids and little packets of food for the kids after winning the game to take home with their new little pet. Here’s a photo of our set up where you had to bounce a ping pong ball into the target that was a red cup and avoid getting the ball in one of the many clear cups.

Another one of our games that we used for so many years, was the fill a balloon until it pops game. My husband constructed this game and painted it to look like TNT boxes that the kids were pumping until they filled their balloon with air. The first one to pump their balloon until it explodes wins!

This is what the game looks like…

I would purchase 4 inch dart balloons off of Amazon and we would have two people working the game where they would put new balloons on as the next contestants stepped right up. Not only did the kids love the game, but it brought excitement to hear the popping the balloons.

Here's the balloons that work the best:

Here is a quick list of other easy to make carnival games that might not involve so much manpower, but are certainly fun and will get the kids stepping right up:

• Toilet paper, mummy wrap. With the toilet paper shortage over, it’s game on for the mummy wrap. Simply give each team of 2 rolls of toilet paper and see who could make their partner a mummy first.

• The toilet paper bride. This game is funny, especially if it is mainly a girly party. Same concept, take two players as a team against another team, armed with two rolls of toilet paper, then they are to design a bridal gown on their partner using just toilet paper and a timer. These turn out hilarious as future fashionistas try to make a dress on their partner out of only using toilet paper.

• Pumpkin bowling. In this game, you need a little bit more space and some pretty round pumpkins. Simply take 2 L bottles and fill with a little bit of sand to hold them upright. We all know the game of bowling, and this is the same just using a pumpkin as your bowling ball. This gets funny and nerve-wracking as you don’t want to throw the pumpkin too hard and crack it open as you try and roll it down to hit the pins.

• Face Paint booth. Oh, the face paint your partner booth is another one that kids seem to absolutely love. Given free rein, the face paint just seems to be hilarious to children. Note: This one does need a little supervision. As you can imagine things can get a little wild, but the kids sure do love it.

• An easy DIY ring toss. We have used these homemade rings for so many Halloween parties. I simply take rope and duct tape to make the ring, then used my kids soccer cones to toss the ring onto the cone.

• Balloon pop- This hilarious game requires two people to go back to back and pop a balloon between them. For the couples carnival games, you can put the ballon between them and try and pop it.

• The Cake walk- You don't have to have more than 5 homemade box cakes or a tray of cookies as the winning items for this fun game. Simply grab as many chairs as you can. The game is played with one more person than there are chairs. Place them in a circle and have the kids walk around and around the chairs while playing music. When the music stops everyone must sit down. With one that doesn't get a chair is out. Play until there is a winner. To make it more fun, use lawn chairs for a up and down laugh.

Those are just a few ideas for a fun contribution to a block party, school party or your own backyard Halloween bash. Keeping kids engaged and occupied during your party is important. You want them having fun, and you don’t want them to find their own fun where they aren't supposed to be. I might have been there, I might know that.

Xo,

Mama