Decorations
(For a 3 ring circus party)
Colors should be bright primary colors (red, yellow and
blue). Put big bunches of helium balloons around the party area.
If the party is
outdoors
put up a shade and decorate it like
a circus tent, making red and yellow stripes down the sides with
streamers.
Create a circus
tent with
crepe paper streamers. Tie many
streamers together and hang from a tree or ceiling fan (that is not
turned on)
and stretch each string of crepe paper outward to create a circular
tent.
Make a cotton candy
centerpiece by gluing cotton balls to an empty paper towel roll and
lightly spray it pink.
Have tickets for
the
party games.
Print
out this circus birthday banner and hang it up.
Cakes
Decorate a round cake as a clown face.
Stack two round
cakes and
top with a cone with the same diameter as the cakes, made from
cardstock, on top and decorate as a circus tent.
Clown
Cupcake Cake A bunch of cupcakes decorated as a single cake.
They're simple and easy to serve.
Costumes/Dress
up
Offer face painting (use acrylic paints and have wet wipes
available to remove the painting if needed).
Make clown hats
from
cardstock.
Make
a clown nose made from egg cartons. Separate each
section of the egg carton and spray paint. Then use yarn or elastic to
tie the
nose on.
Games
and Activities (Make this the greatest
show)
Animal
Bingo
(ages 3-8)
Make
Bingo cards with pictures of circus animals on them.
Either find pictures of animals on-line or use stickers. Play as you
would regular Bingo.
Fish Pond (ages 3-8)
Make a fishing pole by tying a string to a dowel rod with a
clothespin tied at the other end of the string. Spread a sheet across a
corner
of a room. Have someone hide behind the sheet and attach small toys or
candies
to the fishing pole and tug like a fish so the child knows when to pull
up.
Bean Bag Toss (ages 3-10)
Decorate a large cardboard box with a clown or a lion. Cut
three holes in the box. Toss bean bags through the holes for a small
prize.
Seal Balance (ages 3-12)
Try some circus animal tricks at your circus party. Balance a ball on
your nose like a seal.
Lion Jump (ages 3-12)
Try to jump through a hula hoop like a lion.
Clown Relay (ages 3-12)
Hold a relay race running with clown shoes. Make the clown
shoes by cutting a hole in the top of shoe boxes so they will fit over
the
shoes of the participants. Then decorate the shoe boxes and tape them
closed.
Ring Toss (ages 3-12)
Set out glass bottles of soda (the kind with a long neck).
Use diving rings or rings from mason jars to toss on the bottles. If a
ring
lands on the neck of a soda that drink is won as a prize. Put the
bottles close
together to make it more challenging for older guests and spread them
out a
bit for younger guests.
Face Painting (age 3-16)
Use acrylic paints to paint simple figures on everyone’s
cheeks. Try painting some of these ahead of time on paper so you know
what you
can do. Keep wet wipes handy in case someone is allergic to the paint
and complains
of it itching. Everyone can be a clown at your circus party.
Animal
Blast (ages 5-10)
List different animals you might find at the circus on
strips of paper. Put each strip in a balloon and inflate the balloons.
To play
the game have a guest pick a balloon, pop it, and then mime the
animal
listed inside while the other guests guess which animal it is. Allow
young
guests to make animal noises.
Elephant Ball (ages 5-12)
Try to stand on a ball like an elephant (they use all four
legs). Use a sturdy ball like a basketball and do this on grass or
someplace
with a little cushioning for when they fall off the ball.
Marshmallow Fight (ages 5-16)
Cut ½” PVC pipe into 8” long sections. Give everyone a piece
of pipe and a handful of miniature marshmallows. Put a marshmallow in
one end
of the pipe and blow from the other end—this is an outdoor activity.
Marshmallow is difficult to get out of carpet.
Bubble Gum Bubbles (ages 6-12)
Give everyone a piece of gum and allow a minute to chew and
get it soft. Then have a contest to see who can blow the biggest bubble
from
bubble gum. Things could get a little sticky at your circus party with
this game.
Circus
Scramble (ages 8-16)
Unscramble the names of the circus performers and circus
animals.
Penny Flip (ages 8-16)
Set out cans of soda or canned fruit drinks. Take turns
flipping pennies on the cans. If a penny stays on a can that can of
soda is won
as a prize.
Bowling (ages 8-16)
Mark a bowling lane on your driveway with colored masking
tape. Set out empty 2 liter soda bottles that have been spray painted
white as
bowling pins as one end of the lane. Bowl using a soccer ball or a
basketball.
Crafts
(No juggling required, but it might be fun!)
Clown
Hats
(ages 3-12)
Decorate a piece of construction paper or cardstock. Then
twist into a cone and tape in place. Punch holes on the sides and tie
bits of
yarn through each hole. Use the yarn to tie under chin to hold the hat
on the
head.
Circus Figure (ages 3-10)
Paint a toilet paper roll yellow. Glue a cut out of a lion
face and paws to the roll and add a tail of yarn in back. Or paint the
roll
white and decorate it with bright stripes or spots. Glue a cut out of a
clown
face, hat, hands and shoes to the roll.
Draw Your Own Clown (ages 3-8)
Color a blank clown face—or have face parts available to be
glued on—put in a balloon for the nose. Click
for this PDF file here.
Circus Train Decorations (ages
3-10)
Give every guest a box with windows cut on the sides and
covered with colored paper. Decorate as a circus train car. Then put a
stuffed
animal inside. Put each box in a wagon (request on the circus party
invitation that
every
child bring a wagon and stuffed animal) and go around the yard as a
circus
train. You can borrow wagons from neighbors in case someone doesn’t
have one.
Refreshments
(The
Ring Master can't forget these at a circus party!)
Carnival
Foods
Circus peanuts, peanuts, popcorn, candy apples or sliced
apples dipped in caramel or bananas dipped in chocolate on a popsicle
stick or
corndogs.
 Clown
Ice Cream Cones
Put a scoop of ice cream on a piece of waxed paper with a waffle or
sugar ice cream cone upside down on top,
like a
hat. Decorate the ice cream scoop with frosting to make it look like a
clown.
Take
Home Gift Ideas (No clowning around...
These are important)
Provide a decorated paper lunch sack filled with prizes won
in the carnival games.
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