Yep, that’s me!  Get your cotton candy!

Planning kids’ party games and activities can be a lot of fun.  I look for activities that bring in the imagination, are hands-on or simply a fun opportunity to win a prize.  In my mind, I had divided the activities into three groups and we moved around the house accordingly.Here is round two of the Circus Party posts!  If you missed last week on circus decorations, see here.

Getting Ready for the Circus

Opening Activity:  Making Clown Hats

Our High Wire Balance Beam

Once our clown hats were completed, we moved into the family room, where the kids had two circus “feats” to perform.  I explained that people in the circus do all kinds of things.  Some work with animals, some swing on a trapeze, some walk the high wire.  Before we could go to our circus, we had to walk the balance beam-high wire and then jump through a (hula) hoop just like the lions.  We all cheered each time a performer accomplished their task.When the kids arrived, they were invited to make a clown hat at the dining room table.  Stickers, markers, pom poms, pipe cleaners and fun derby hats were ready for our creative little clowns.  It is always a good idea to have kids occupied with a hands-on activity as you wait for all your guests to arrive.

Going Down to the Circus

“Admit One” Tickets for Games & Activities

How to Make the Circus Ticket Necklace:  I bought “Admit One” stickers from Oriental Trading Company, covered them in contact paper and punched holes in them.  I, then, cut a slit to the hole so that children would easily get their tickets off the necklace.  This idea came from Birthday Party Ideas.Then it was time to go downstairs to the circus!  Each child was given a circus box (see this post for a picture).  Inside were about 4 trinkets or treats and also this necklace.  Each activity corresponded to a ticket color.  For the games, prizes were automatic.  However, a prize was only given to the child on the time they turned in their ticket to play (excluding the Duck Pond).  They were welcome to play more if they desired.

Activities with Tickets:  Face Painting, The Duck Pond, Tin Can Alley, Pin the Nose on the Clown, the Ring of Fire and Cotton Candy Vendor (me).

Face Painting (Thank you to a very artistic girl from
our church youth group.) Plastic Lips Prize

Tin Can Alley – My son’s favorite.  Lollipops PrizeThe Duck Pond:  The numbers 1-3 were written on the bottom of the circus ducks and kids received candy pieces accordingly.

Pin the Nose on the Clown with Clown Bouncy Ball Prize

Ring of Fire:  Kids had to throw a stuffed lion threw the Ring of Fire.

A circus party requires a lot of work and a lot of hands.  I was blessed to have a cousin, a niece and two nephews help run all the games.  They even wore my silly hats and partial clown costumes.

Leaving the Circus

After games, we opened presents and had cake and ice cream.  But before the kids left, I had one last task for them.  I told them a short story of how elephants love peanuts and that earlier, we had some silly clowns stop by and those clowns HID all the peanuts upstairs.  So the kids grabbed their circus boxes and went on a peanut hunt all over my first floor.  *Disclaimer:  You should check and see if any of your guests have peanut allergies.  I didn’t and I should have!

All in all, it really was a fun party.  The kids were engaged and seemed to have a great time.

P.S. – Of course, I had the whole house filled with circus and calliope music thanks to Spotify and Amazon MP3’s.  Oh, how I love circus music.  🙂

Related Posts:
Circus Party Decorations

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