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You are here: Home / Holiday Fun / Backyard Family Carnival

Backyard Family Carnival

March 1, 2017

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GoldfishGameTime #CollectiveBias

One weekend back in 1991, I put together a backyard carnival and charged the neighborhood kids 25¢ to play games. Thinking about that recently had me running to Walmart for bulk boxes of Goldfish® crackers to put together a Backyard Family Carnival!

Backyard Family Carnival

A backyard carnival is a great way to take advantage of the warm weather many of us have right now. Everything can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes, making it great for some extra snack time fun.

The Family Carnival was themed around Goldfish® crackers because my kids are big fans! The perfect solution for my kids snacking and mealtime recipes, and great for making carnival games!

Every great carnival has a ticket booth, and this backyard family carnival was no different. One difference, I didn’t have the kids dipping into their piggy banks like I did back in 91′.

Nope, these printable carnival tickets were free, and just required a smiling kid ready to have fun! A small table with a bright tablecloth, ice water, and little cups of Goldfish crackers make a great ticket booth.

PS: You can grab the printable carnival tickets at the end of this post for your carnival.

Backyard Family Carnival

Once tickets were acquired, it was time to play some carnival games! First up, spoon relay races across the yard.

Spoons piled high with Goldfish crackers, in the hands of smiling kids, squealing with joy as they race across the grass in hopes of keeping every cracker in its place. We played two rounds of this, a second round only so I could sit out and watch all their happy faces running at me.

Those little moments are what I cherish, and they are a win-win for parents and kids when everyone is smiling.

Backyard Family Carnival

After racing, it’s off to the balloon pop! A cork-board covered in small balloons, some filled with Goldfish crackers. Be the lucky one to pop a balloon with crackers and you win!

Now, my kids are all four and older so I didn’t mind letting them toss a dart while supervised. However, I did let the twins walk up and pop the balloon of their choosing instead of tossing the dart, to make it a bit easier for them.

Backyard Family Carnival

When the last balloon is popped, it’s time to head to the cup challenge. This is a game I love to play whenever, and it’s based on one of my favorite games from a certain clown show on TV growing up.

Five cups lined up in a row, a handful of Goldfish crackers, and good aim are what you need. The goal is to try and toss a cracker into each cup, and whoever makes it into all of them wins!

Backyard Family Carnival

A good old fashioned game time rivalry between parent and kids was a great way to finish up the Backyard Family Carnival.

Driveway checkers made with a chalk checkerboard and Goldfish crackers as checkers. Snack cups of Goldfish crackers came in handy here, so the kids don’t snack on their game pieces.

The Snack That Smiles Back®

Backyard Family Carnival

Is the weather warming up in your area? If you’re looking for something different to do outside, this backyard carnival will spark joy, one smile at a time for the whole family.

Backyard Family Carnival

Grab these carnival tickets for your own backyard carnival!

Backyard Family Carnival

Pin this Backyard Family Carnival for family fun later!

Backyard Family Carnival

Filed Under: Holiday Fun, Party Ideas Tagged With: Free Printables, party ideas

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Crystal says

    March 2, 2017 at 12:08 am

    That’s so much fun! We’ve got spring break coming up soon, and this will be a lot of fun to recreate with my family.

    Reply
  2. Dawn McAlexander says

    March 2, 2017 at 12:16 am

    That looks like a lot of fun. I could only imagine just how much fun you could have with Goldfish. They are also really tasty to eat, too!

    Reply
  3. Our Family World says

    March 2, 2017 at 2:54 am

    These are fun idea to do with kids! I’m glad that you shared it it’s really fun and unique!

    Reply
  4. Neely Moldovan says

    March 10, 2017 at 10:53 am

    What a fun idea. I bet this would make a super cute and fun birthday party!

    Reply
  5. Catherine Sargent says

    March 10, 2017 at 2:05 pm

    This looks like a lot of fun. I will have to set something like this up for my niece and nephew.

    Reply
  6. Saidah Washington says

    March 10, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    I just love this idea so much. I think it’s fun to create fun memories with your kids in your own backyard.

    Reply
  7. Trish says

    March 10, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    What a fun idea! It looks like the children all had a terrific time. I really like the cute activities you planned too!

    Reply
  8. Amandam says

    March 10, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    You can definitely do a lot to bond. Love the checkers.

    Reply
  9. Annemarie LeBlanc says

    March 11, 2017 at 2:00 am

    Great idea to keep the kids entertained. I love that this is an outdoor activity. Children should have more outdoor play, not hooked up to gadgets and stuff.

    Reply
  10. Marielle Altenor says

    March 12, 2017 at 12:45 am

    I love this! Such a fun way to enjoy each other’s company. I’m looking forward to warmer weather so that we can have some fun in our backyard too.

    Reply
  11. Tiffany VanSickle says

    March 13, 2017 at 10:32 am

    What a fun idea! This would be perfect for a birthday party!

    Reply
  12. Nadine Cathleen says

    March 13, 2017 at 6:52 pm

    What a lovely idea! I bet they had so much fun! The pictures look so adorable, would love to attend sth like this as well. Good memories for the scrapbooks !

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. DIY Backyard games ideas for kids - Berry&Maple says:
    April 11, 2018 at 2:10 am

    […] Backyard family carnival ideas […]

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