A school carnival can be one of the most memorable experiences in a child's life. I still remember walking through the halls of my school and playground playing fun carnival games like ring toss, duck pond and balloon darts! But how can you make these carnival activities for kids both fun and educational? Take a look at these classic carnival game ideas for kindergarten and first grade, with a focus on math and literacy.
Getting Ready For Your Classroom Carnival
The first thing you'll want to do is gather everything you need for your classroom carnival. If you plan on playing some of the classic games you'll need simple props like balloons, rubber duckies, tin cans, and balls. You may also want to serve some fun carnival food like pizza, popcorn and ice cream. And of course you'll want some simple prizes such as stickers or mini erasers to add to the fun!
There's no sense in you breaking the bank to provide the fun for your students. Send a letter home to parents asking for donations for anything you need. And while you're at it, ask for parent volunteers for the big day.
Carnival Activities For Kids
There are so many easy DIY carnival games that young children love. Here are a few ways you can make classic carnival games fun and educational for school:
1. Duck Pond
Pick up 11 rubber duckies from your local dollar store and write the numbers 0-10 on the bottom with permanent marker. Place the ducks in a small tub or bucket of water and have students choose two ducks from the pond. Have kids make an addition sentence from the two numbers.
Would you rather avoid the mess from the water? This simple game has kids choose the ducks and then write an addition sentence on the corresponding worksheet.
2. Carnival Tattoos
A simple and easy activity to add to your carnival games are temporary tattoos. Set up a station with some fun carnival themed tattoos, a small tub of water and sponge. Let kids choose a couple of tattoos to put on their arm or leg!
3. Measure The Midway
A great way to add some math practice to your school carnival is to play the Midway Measurement game. Have kids measure the distance to each carnival ride on the midway. Kids can use non-standard units of measure such as circus peanuts or real peanuts to measure each midway. It's a fun way to make your carnivals games educational.
4. Bean Bag Toss
Grab a few buckets and bean bags for this carnival game. Give each bucket a point value and have kids toss the bean bags to see how many points they can earn. This is a great way for kids to practice addition during your carnival party.
5. Midway Munchies
No carnival would be complete without some yummy carnival food! Give this game a fun twist by having kids buy some midway munchies and match coins to the value of each carnival treat.
6. Obstacle Course
Set up some outdoor carnival games and include an obstacle course for kids to race through. Ask your gym teacher if they have any fun props you can use for this game. You can set up hula hoops, tunnels to climb through, jump ropes, balls to bounce and more. This is a great opportunity for kids to move and run and get out some of their energy during that last month of school!
7. Balloon Game
A traditional carnival game that everyone loves is ballon darts. In this game, you will need to blow up balloons and attach them to a wooden board. Students can throw darts to try and break a balloon.
If this sounds to risky to do with young children, try this simple Rhyme Time balloon game instead! In this memory game, students will turn over balloons on the board to reveal two rhyming words. Students will be having so much fun they won't even realize they're learning!
8. Dunk Tank
If you're really feeling inspired a dunk tank is always good for a few laughs at your school carnival. You can sometimes rent a dunk tank from a local rental company. If this seems to overwhelming but you still want to have some water fun, fill up a bucket of water balloons and let kids have fun tossing them.
Have your students line up in two lines facing each other. Students will toss a water ballon to the person across from them. Each time they successfully toss the ballon without breaking it, they each take a step back. The goal is to see how far back they can get without breaking the balloon.
9. Ferris Wheel Fun
Every carnival always has a ferris wheel! Of course you won't be able to set up a real ferris wheel but here's a fun game to add to your carnival activities. In the Ferris Wheel Fun game, students will choose a card and count the syllables in each word and then add it to the ferris wheel car that has the same number. It's an simple and easy game for kids to practice literacy skills during your school carnival.
10. Ping Pong Palooza
A simple game that you remember from your college days involves red solo cups and a ping-pong ball. Set up 10 red solo cups on a table and number them 1-10. Have kids bounce the ping-pong ball and see where it lands. Whoever lands their ball in the cup with the highest number is the winner!
11. Fishy In The Dishy
Remember the classic carnival game with the fish bowls all lined up on a table? The object of the game was to toss a ping-pong ball into a bowl to win a fish. Although those are fun games at a real carnival, here's how you can play it at school.
For the Fishy In A Dishy game you'll need a fishing pole dowel rod with a string taped to it. Add a magnet to the end of the string. Students will fish for words with vowel pairs and add them to the correct fish bowl. Little kids will have a good time hooking their magnetic fish and have great fun learning about different vowel teams!
12. Crazy Can Toss
A simple game you can set up at your school event is one where you set up empty tin cans in a tower on a table. Students can toss tennis balls or bean bag at the cans to try and knock them down. This is perfect for practicing some hand-eye coordination!
How can you make this classic game educational? Have students practice subtraction with these crazy can toss task cards. They simply count the cans and then write and solve the subtraction sentence.
13. Soda Pop Toss
Gather some old pop bottles and line them up on the ground. Have kids throw plastic rings and try to land one on top of the bottle. Add some fun prizes for the winners.
14. Carnival Crafts
A simple craft is always fun to add to your own carnival games and this cotton candy craft is sure to be a hit! All you need are some simple patterns, cotton balls and pink or blue chalk. Have students rub some chalk on a paper plate to make a little power. Next have them rub the cotton balls in the chalk to coat them with color. Glue the cotton balls to the cotton candy templates for a fun craft.
15. Carnival Treasure Hunt
A fun game to add to your carnival activities for kids is a simple scavenger or treasure hunt. Give kids a list of simple carnival games, activities and food you might find at a carnival. You can list things like a rollercoaster, merry-go-round, face painting, video arcade, duck pond, cotton candy, hot dogs, candy apples and more. Hide pictures of these items all around your classroom or school and have kids search for the items. Younger kids will love this game!
16. Carnival Cuisine
Finish up your carnival festivities by having kids make a fun fair food snack. Kids can follow the directions in this Carnival Cuisine activity to make a yummy treat with animal crackers, popcorn, circus peanuts and candy.
Younger children will love all of these fun and educational activities during your carnival. They'll have a great time learning and spending the day with their classmates. These carnival activities for kids are great for an end of the year theme day, a family math & literacy night or even get to know you activities at the start of the school year!
Ready to have some fun with a classroom carnival? This resource has everything you need with lesson plans, 9 fun and engaging hand-on carnival stations, carnival signs, anchor charts, crafts and more!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS RESOURCE
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BOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi, I’m Molly, the creative mind behind Firstieland. With over 35 years of experience in early childhood education, I’m your primary support for resources that will save you time and make learning feel like play. Learn more about my mission for Firstieland here.
