Pinata

This is a game that requires room and good supervision - the children are blindfolded (or not, if they are young and don't want to be) and they take a stick and try to break a hanging container that has candies and other small goodies in it. (Colorful bandaids were popular among the preschoolers here!). To make one, you can do something as simple as decorating a paper grocery bag with paints or crepe paper and then gluing and taping the top shut once the treats are inside. Run a string along the top edge before shutting the bag. You can also make a fancier one using a balloon and paper mache. The fun thing is that these can be decorated to match any theme.

Pin the _Something_ on _Something_

Traditionally pin the tail on the donkey, this game can be changed to fit any theme. In this game, blindfolded guests try to stick a paper 'tail' onto a poster of a donkey. You can take a piece of posterboard and draw anything with something missing - a nose on a clown or animal, the TY heart on a beanie baby, a spaceship in an outer space scene, and one year we gave Yoda (Star Wars) his staff. Just be sure to include an outline of where the object needs to land.

Drop the Clothespin Into a Bottle

This is another one that can be turned into a themed activity simply by using a coffee can with a plastic lid on it as the container to catch the clothespins. Cut a hole into the plastic lid appropriate for the age child. Then decorate the can.

Bean Bag Toss

You can make an easy Bean Bag Toss using a double layer of posterboard glued together and a large box. Use the large box as a base, and attach the posterboard to one side of it. Before attaching the posterboard, paint a design on it, allowing for one or more holes. We never kept score, but the kids had a lot of fun throwing those bean bags. One year we even gave bean bags as party favors - they're easy to make from fabric scraps if you sew.

Go on a Treasure Hunt

These are some treasure hunt ideas: You can scatter coins in the lawn and let the kids hunt for them, much like an Easter egg hunt. You can hide each child's goodie bag and then give that child a piece of paper with a hint for finding it - it could be a simple map drawing for a young child, a word or two, or a riddle for older children. You can also let the children do a paper clue based hunt as a group - with the goodie bag for the youngest being the first found, along with the clue to the next goodie bag, and so on.

Make a bracelet/necklace

This activity can be an activity the children can go to between other activities, or the main focus. A big bag of pony beads, some elastic cord, scissors and an adult to help when needed, and they can make their own jewelery. Be sure to supervise this one, so that necklaces and bracelets are not made too tight.

Make their own placecards or placemats

This activity could be as complex or simple as you want - children can decorate 3x5 cards or construction paper with a variety of stickers, cut outs (use an old beanie baby magazine for a source of a hundred or more beanie pictures), crayons, and colored pencils. If you have enough help to cover the placemats after they're done with clear contact paper, they will last a long time.