Carnival Games for Kids

Kids love to go to a carnival fair, where they can buy tickets to play various games. You can give your children the same joy, by throwing them a birthday party with a carnival theme. To make this carnival theme birthday party a grand success, you will need some good carnival games ideas. These games should be fun and resemble the games that are played in a carnival fair as much as possible. There are many kids carnival party ideas that you can make your kids play at the party that are thoroughly enjoyable.

Ideas for Carnival Games

Here we will bring to you a selection of carnival games ideas that your kids are sure to love. Some of the materials required for playing these carnival games can be easily found at home. Some of the materials can be purchased from any stationery or craft store. Make sure that you explain the rules of the carnival party games thoroughly to the kids.

Can Knockdown
For playing this carnival party game, you will need some empty sauce or preserve cans and also some golf balls. Stack the cans in such a way that it forms a pyramid. Each player gets turns in throwing the golf balls at the cans. If golf balls are not available, you can also use small-sized rubber balls for this great game. The first kid who knocks down all the cans successfully wins a prize. This is one of the best carnival games to make at home.

Duck Pond
This is a great carnival games ideas for kids and there is likely to be much screaming and squealing involved. Purchase some rubber ducks in different colors and place them inside a small inflatable pool. The kids can line up one by one and they need to choose a rubber duck of their choice. Then you can give them a plastic net attached to a long stick to scoop the duck up. The kid who successfully retrieves "his" duck in the quickest possible time, will win a prize.

Mock Goldfish Toss
Mock goldfish toss does not involve tossing live goldfish at kids. It is a fairly simple and straightforward game where you have to set up a row of empty goldfish bowls and let the kids toss ping-pong balls into it. Each kid can get three chances to successfully put a ping-pong ball inside the gold-fish bowl. The kid who is successful in placing a ball inside the bowl, will get a prize. In case there is a tie, you can make the kids try to place three ping-pong balls inside the goldfish bowl. The prize for this carnival game can be a live goldfish placed inside a plastic bag with water.

Hoopla Stand
One of the best homemade carnival games ideas for kids is the Hoopla stand. First you need to arrange some prizes like toys, books and treats placed on a carpet. Now ask the kids to throw a hoop around their favorite prize from a preassigned distance. For a kid to win a prize, the hoop must be completely around the prize.

Dart Throwing
What is a good carnival without a dart throwing game. For this game you need to make a plywood backboard and then attach a number of inflated balloons into the board. The balloons need to be small, about the size of your fist. Give each kid three plastic darts and ask them to throw three darts at the balloons. The kid who pops the most number of balloons gets a prize.

Make sure that the carnival games and ideas are simple and not too complicated. The purpose of a carnival game themed party, is that the kids should have a lot of fun. Always make sure that you hand out not one, but two or three gifts for each carnival game. In this way no kid will go away disappointed.