If you are looking for fun party games to liven up your kids’ party, pinatas always go down a treat. This action-packed party game lets the little ones unleash some of their excitement and grab a share of birthday sweets and toys. However, there is a bit of an art to organising this party game, to make sure it goes smoothly.
As experienced party planners, we know exactly what it takes to make sure your pinata game is a roaring success.
We’ve heard tales of some chaotic scenes and never-ending games, so we’ve created a list of tips and tricks to perfecting your pinata game and becoming the ultimate pinata host:
- Pick your party pinata
Your three choices for a fun pinata game are:
- Self-made pinatas for the creatives amongst you
- Papier-mache or cardboard pinatas that need to be smashed open
- Pull-string pinatas (ideal for younger party guests)
Pull-string pinatas are just as fun and this ensures a gentler game, where each child takes it in turns to pull a ribbon until the right one releases the goodies. You can buy pinatas for pretty much every kind of party theme imaginable, so whether you have a hoard of unicorn lovers or mini marvel action heroes, you’ll find the perfect pinata from online retailers.
- Fill your pinata with the goodies!
Your pinata will have an opening for you to insert your choice of treats into. Sweets are the most common items to put in your pinata, but you can also add toys and even accessories related to the party theme, such as bracelets or stickers. When it comes to filling your pinata, we recommend small, light items and enough to make party guests feel that there was a good reward for all their whacking efforts!
Tip – Don’t put anything in that could get damaged or could hurt someone if it landed on them.
- Location, location, location
One of the most important decisions for a successful pinata game is to choose where to hang your pinata. The bigger the space the better, and the pinata will need to be able to swing in all directions. A good place to hang it could be from a tree branch in the garden. You’ll need to set up a place to hang the pinata so that it is level with where all the kids can reach with a stick (at arm level so they don’t end up underneath it).
We recommend that you don’t put the pinata up until you’re ready to start the game, as kids won’t be able to control their urge to mess with it. If a huge, colourful donkey appeared in your room, you’d probably get curious too, right?
- Form an orderly line
An adult should instruct the children to form a straight line, a safe space away from the pinata and ideally get them to sit down while they await their turn. This will help to avoid them getting into the path of a wayward stick (and leaving the party with more than a party bag!)
Create a line which they need to stay behind until it is their turn and explain that they have to wait until the last person has placed the stick on the floor and returned to the back of the line before it is their turn.
- Smack and whack until it cracks!
Now it’s time for the fun part. Let each child take it in turns to have a go at whacking the pinata a couple of times. It generally takes 30+ whacks to smash the pinata and for the sweets to be scattered onto the floor. However, if it goes on for longer, you might want to weaken the pinata with a strategic snip with the scissors. Nobody wants to miss the rest of the party games, after all!
- Plan for the unexpected
As you’ll know, when it comes to planning games with excited kids, there’s a good chance that things won’t always go as planned. In an ideal scenario, when the pinata breaks, each child gets their fair share of the goodies. The reality is that some kids might plunder the lot before everyone else gets close to the goodies haul. So, as well as having your negotiation tactics at the ready, we recommend that you keep a good amount of goodies to the side for the kids that are not as quick off the mark or are a bit shy.
