Coolest Carnival Game Ideas for a Circus and Carnival Birthday
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If you're throwing a Carnival or Circus party, here are some of the coolest Circus and Carnival Party Ideas.
For many of the parties you can set up game booths, such as the ones in carnivals and circuses. For the booths you will need lots of helpers - so see if you can get teens from your neighborhood or any of your friends to help out.
A few months prior to the party, gather up all your kids McDonald, Burger King, Wendy's, etc. toys from kids meals (you might also have friends who are looking to throw such toys away) and put a box of toys by each game booth. You can purchase nicer toys for big-prize winners.
Since you don't want your toys to run out so fast (the kids of course will want to play millions of times), you can give out a certain amount of raffle tickets and tell the kids that basically they can play as many times as they want, but to win a prize they need to give in a raffle ticket and play. They then will need to give each booth a raffle ticket to play the game.
You can also change this around and have the kids play the games, if they win they receive a raffle ticket and just like at an arcade they get to cash in their raffle tickets for prizes (the more raffle tickets the better the prize).
Here are lots of cool booth and carnival game ideas:
Penny Toss
Take a board and cover it with brightly colored wrapping paper. Then take metal cans and cover with different colored wrapping paper. Put masking tape on the bottom of each can and arrange them onto the cardboard. Put the board on a table and put a line of masking tape on the floor as a starting line (you can vary the distance of this line with regard to the age of the kids). Give each kid a few pennies and let them try throwing them into the cans. You can give out a prize to whoever gets their pennies into the cans.
Knockdown
For this carnival game, put empty tin cans on a table in the form of a pyramid and let the kids throw beanbags or balls at them. If they knock down a certain amount, they get a prize. You can also have the kids use water guns to squirt water at the tin cans and knock them down.
Feed the Lion
On a big cardboard box paint the face of a lion with a hole for his mouth. Designate a throwing line and let the kids toss beanbags into the lion's mouth.
Elephant Ring Toss
Paint big ears and the shape of an elephant's face on a box. Then take an old vacuum hose and connect it to the box as the elephant's nose. Use thick metal wire to hold the hose up and let the kids try and throw rings onto the elephant's nose.
*Remember to submit your own Carnival game ideas...
Ping Pong Toss
Collect glass jars and put them all on a table (create spaces between each). Give out little ping-pong balls and see if kids are able to get the balls into the jars.
Guess the Weight
Have lots of different objects (a brick, half a bottle of water, a tape recorder, a big book, etc.) and let people guess the weight of each object. Then weigh each object and whoever got closest to the real weight wins a prize.
Mouse Holes
Take a cardboard box and cut three holes on one side of it (to resemble mouse holes - make sure a golf ball can make it into the smallest hole). Make the holes three different sizes. Then let the kids roll golf balls and try and make it into the holes. Give different points for different holes.
Bucket Toss
You need a few buckets and a few different size balls. Set the buckets in a straight line with spacing between them (about half a foot between each). The best score would be getting the smallest ball in the farthest bucket.
Dart Throw
Use a piece of wood or thick board and with tape or thumbtacks attach balloons (you can also do this on the side of an old building). Use little balloons if you want it to be harder and bigger balloons if you want it to be easier. Give each kid three darts to throw at balloons (make sure you have enough balloons ready to continue adding to the board as they pop them.)
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More Booth and Carnival Game Ideas
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Polka Dot Carnival Game
Take a large sheet and paint polka dots on it. Then cover a table with this sheet and let the kids try and throw coins. They need to get the coin completely ...
Bottle Rings Carnival Booth Game
Collect lots of glass bottles and put them on a table in a bunch - all of them touching each other. Then let the kids toss little rings (ones that are ...
Candy Throwing Game
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The Candy Throwing Game isn't just for little kids it is a game that can be played for ages 3 and up; even adults can play it!
You need:
Tin buckets ...
Artic Candy Pond
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You get a baby or toddler swimming pool and buy all kinds of different candies. Place the candies at the bottom of the small swimming pool and then get ...
Bazooka and Whipped Cream
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The object of the game is to find the piece of Bazooka Bubble Gum on a plate while standing with your hands behind your back searching through the whipped ...
Doughnut Eating Game
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Tie a string between two trees or any two objects. Tie a doughnut to the bottom of the string and have the kids eat the doughnuts without hands (it's important ...
Pony and Horse Ride
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You need a Miniature Horse or just a small horse for toddlers. For bigger children, you will need a normal sized horse. Have someone guide the horse or ...
Ping Pong Bouncer Game
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Get a large box about 3’ x 3’ square (width). Cut down three sides to about two feet high and the fourth side all the way off, which will be the opening,...
Washer Toss Carnival Game
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Use large washers or poker chips (washers seem to be best) to toss onto a 2’ x 2’ carpet square that has been marked off with paint or tape in the shape ...
Rubber Duck Race
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Place some pieces of rain gutter (like the kind on your house) side by side on tables. Cap both ends of each piece, fill with water and put rubber ducks ...
Grocery Knock Down
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Set empty food boxes on a shelf and try to knock them down with a tennis ball. You can put shelves for each player and whoever knocks theirs down first ...
Toy Toss Carnival Game
Not rated yet
1. Go out to a store or even look around your house and buy cheap toys for kids to toss.
2. Give each child 3 toys to throw.
3. These children will try ...
Fetch The Marble Game
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You will need a flat transparent bucket or rectangle shaped plastic tray and marbles.
Put the marbles in the bucket or tray, then fill it halfway with ...
