You don’t have to plan an expensive outing or navigate a crowded festival to enjoy a little fall carnival fun. With a few household supplies and some imagination, you can create your own right in the backyard. Invite a few neighbors, set out some snacks and let the games begin!
An at-home carnival lets you set the pace. Children can revisit a favorite game, take a break or help run an activity. For those who find busy events overwhelming, familiar surroundings and a smaller group may make it easier to enjoy themselves. And if the weather doesn’t cooperate, several of these games work just as well in a hallway or living room.
Start by inviting the children to help. They can make signs, decorate the game stations and come up with silly names for each activity. Choose a few favorites from the ideas below to pull together a fun afternoon with things you already have.
- Pin the Face on the Jack-o’-Lantern: Draw a large pumpkin on poster board and hang it at child's height on the wall or fence. Cut eyes, a nose, and a mouth out of black paper, and add painter’s tape to the backs. Offer a blindfold and gently guide each child toward the poster to place a piece, with or without spinning! Enjoy the funny face you create together!
- Homemade Skee-Ball: Place an open cardboard box on its side on top of a step stool, with the opening facing players. Have an adult cut round holes in the back panel and label them with point values. Make a cardboard ramp with folded-up edges, rising from the floor to the box, and tape it securely in place. Roll lightweight balls up the ramp, adjusting the angle as needed, and see how many points you can score!
- Basket Toss: Set a basket a few feet away and toss a ball or rolled-up socks into it. Move the basket closer or farther away to adjust the challenge.
- Apple on a String: Hang an apple from a sturdy overhead support at each player’s mouth level. With hands behind their backs, players try to take a bite as the apple swings! Give each child their own washed apple, space players apart and have an adult supervise. It’s a classic alternative to bobbing for apples!
- Backyard Bowling: Line up empty plastic bottles on a flat surface and roll a ball to knock them down. Add a little water to the bottles if the breeze keeps tipping them over.
- Ring Toss: Make rings by cutting the centers out of paper plates. Toss them over upright plastic bottles. Let children decorate the rings before playing.
- Topple the Tower: Stack plastic cups in a pyramid and toss a sock ball to knock them over. See who can topple the tower or work together to knock down every cup.
- Carnival Cakewalk: Arrange numbered paper squares on the ground, securing them so they won’t slide or blow away. Walk around while music plays, then stop on a number. Draw a number to choose who picks the next song or receives a small treat.
- Spoon Relay: Place a ping pong ball or marshmallow on a spoon in each player's mouth as they move from beginning to end along a race path. Walk, tiptoe or weave around cones. Play as teams or simply see whether everyone can finish without dropping their ball.
Keep the extras simple. Popcorn, apple slices and water can make an easy snack station. Stickers, hand stamps, or a cheerful round of applause can serve as prizes. You can also give everyone a paper punch card to mark each game they try, with no scores required.
Leave room for different ways to participate. Some children may want to play every game, while others would rather keep score, rebuild the cup tower or hand out prizes. Make music optional and set aside a quieter spot for anyone who needs a break.
A few games, a handful of neighbors and an afternoon outside can be plenty. Let the children invent new rules, cheer each other on and enjoy what they helped create. You might find that your backyard carnival becomes something they ask to do again next fall.
