Carnival Party Games

Carnival theme birthday parties are becoming very popular. This party theme is so much fun and very easy to organize.

Carnival parties generally have between 8 - 12 games depending on the age of the children and the number of guests at the party. Also, you should have one adult or older child that is not part of the party available to run each game. You can recruit an older sibling and their friends, family members or neighbors to help you out. Usually friends and family, especially kids, are more than happy to help!

To set the stage for your party you need to set up some kind of ticket booth. A ticket booth can be made or purchased. Once you have your ticket booth, you need to purchase admission tickets for the games. Admission tickets can also be printed online.

As the kids arrive at the party, they come to the ticket booth and are given tickets for the games. Each game should have a sign on it stating how many tickets are required to play. Make the number of tickets needed for each game different. This makes the carnival more fun.

Purchase a bunch of small toys, stickers and candies for each game station. You don't have to go crazy. A bag of lollipops and large roll of stickers can go a long way. After a child plays the game, you can award them a prize. Give each child a small box or bag to take with them to each of the game stations so they have somewhere to keep their prizes.

Very Important Note: Every child should receive a small prize from each game station even if they do not do well. Children can very easily get upset and you certainly don't want any tears at your carnival party!

Bean bag toss games are always lots of fun. There are many different bean bag toss games on the market to choose from. There are carnival and clown themed bean bag toss games available to coordinate with your carnival party theme.

If your child has a favorite character, you can incorporate that into your party instead. For example, there are bean bag toss games in the following designs: Disney Cars, Dora the Explorer, Pirates, Mickey Mouse, Monkeys, Jungle Animals, and many more.

You could also make a simple bean bag toss for your party. Gather any buckets, pails, baskets or small boxes you have around the house. Then, purchase bean bags. In addition to the basic square bean bags, they are also available in lots of fun shapes such as frogs, turtles, bunnies, pigs, etc. You can arrange the containers on the lawn and have the kids toss the bean bags into them. The smaller containers will be worth more points than the larger containers. A fun and inexpensive bean bag toss game for your carnival party.

The classic "Guess How Many Jelly Beans are in the Jar" game is a must at your Carnival Party. This traditional carnival game is fun for everyone and it is always exciting to see who the winner is going to be.

Not only is this guessing game fun, it is also inexpensive. All you need is a large clear jar or container and some candy. Typically, jelly beans are used in this game, but you can use any type of candy that you want such as M & M's or Skittles. The winner gets to take the jar of candy home with them as the Grand Prize.

Duck pond carnival games are easy to organize and the kids will love it! You can simply purchase a small wading pool or use one that you already have. Then, you need to purchase rubber ducks. I would get a minimum of five dozen ducks.

In order to work with your Duck Pond game, you will need to use specialty weighted rubber ducks. These ducks will not flip upside down while in the pool. If you cannot find weighted ducks, you can take regular rubber ducks, make a small hole in the bottom and fill them with water. This way they will float.

There are a two ways to play the Duck Pond Game.

Duck Pond Matching Game
Write numbers or put colors on the bottom of the ducks and the person has to pull two ducks out at a time to find a match.

Duck Pond Prize Game
Write numbers or put colors on the bottom of the ducks. Each number or color represents a type of prize. For example, blue is for a sticker, red is for a lollipop, etc.

A Basketball shoot game would be great for your Carnival Party. If you have a basketball net already, then you are all set. Simply give each person a certain number of tries to get the ball in.

If you don't have a basketball net or if the net is too high for the age of the party guests, you could purchase an inexpensive hoop and ball set. This game is so much fun, I am sure you kids and their friends will get a lot use out of the it even after the party is over.

The balloon dart game is another traditional carnival game. Here is what you will need for your balloon dart game:

• Large poster board or plywood
• Balloon Pump
• Water Balloons
• Darts

Fill the balloons with air using a balloon pump ahead of time and place in a closed container. Have additional balloons available. Attach the balloons to the board with scotch tape or staples. Place numbers or colors behind the balloons on pieces of paper. Each number or color will represent a prize. If the person pops a balloon, they win the prize behind that balloon.

Tin Can Alley Games and Milk Bottle Toss Games are also classic carnival games. These games can be purchased or you can make your own game.

To make your Tin Can Alley game, simply use empty tin cans. You can use old juice cans or large vegetable cans. Remove the labels on the cans before you use them to give them that classic carnival game look. Purchase bean bags. Stack the cans in a pyramid and have the kids try to knock the cans over with the bean bags.

Toss Across Tick-Tack-Toe games are always fun at a carnival. Again, this game can be purchased or you can make your own version of the game to cut down on the party expenses.

To make your own Toss Across game, get a large piece of paper or cloth and make a grid. Generally, five grids by five grids works well. The grid should include an even amount of X's and O's. The party guests have to throw three bean bags and try to get three X's or three O's.

You can also incorporate competition games into your Carnival party. Some great games include the potato sack race, egg and spoon race, water balloon toss and an obstacle course.

Another great carnival party activity is a bounce house. A bounce house can be purchased or rented. Bounce house rentals range from about $100-$250 depending on what type of house you get.

Other carnival activities include face painting and balloon animal making. If it is in the party budget, you could even hire paid entertainers and/or offer the pony rides.

• Personalized Carnival Invitations
• Carnival & Circus Partyware
• Carnival Party Decorations & Balloons
• Custom Carnival Party Favors
• Wholesale Circus Party Favors
• More Carnival Game Ideas
• Carnival Food Ideas
• Popcorn & Snow Cone Machines
• Toy Grabber Machines
  
  Click here to visit my Carnival Circus Party Page!