DIY Pin The Tail Party Games - Tutorial

When it comes to planning a party for kids...Party games are essential. And what better way to keep the kids entertained and occupied than the classic party game, "pin the tail on the donkey"?

Pin the tail on the donkey can be tailored to fit just about any party theme. And, believe it or not, it's easy and inexpensive to make!

For Grace's Bunny Themed Birthday Party, pin the tail on the donkey became pin the tail on the bunny.

You'll need between 1/2 a yard to a yard of felt, depending on the size of the shape you want to make.  I found an image I liked (Wazzyjump), imported it into Block Posters, blew it up to the size I liked and used it as a pattern.  Trace or draw your image onto the felt using chalk, which can be easily erased or wiped off.

Cut your image out and then pin to fabric.  I knew I would hang the pin the tail on the bunny in a door frame, so I needed fabric wide enough to span the door frame.  If you don't want to buy fabric, a frugal option would be using an old bed sheet.

Pin your image into place and sew around the perimeter.

The view from the back illustrates how the bunny was sewn into place.

To finish, sew a hem around the length and width of your fabric background.  *If hanging from a door frame, create a pocket to slide a curtain rod into by folding the top over approximately an inch and a half and sewing the edge down.

I used a similar technique to create the doorway puppet theater.

Decide on a tail.

I used a large white pom pom and double sided tape. 

Hang, give your party goers a spin and watch as they try and pin the tail on the bunny.

Want a no-sew version?  I've got you covered there as well.

For Grace's circus themed birthday party, I made a no-sew pin the fez hat on the elephant.

Cut your details out of felt and glue them into place.

*Ok, so I did sew the curtain rod pocket on the top but you could just pin it up and omit sewing altogether.

For the fez hat, I cut out fez hat shapes out of brightly colored felt, made a slit in the top of the hat and knotted the end of some yard through the hat.  To make them stick, I applied some no sew velcro, the hook side or scratchy side, to the back of the fez hats.  The hook or scratchy side should stick to the felt when your party goers attempt to pin it into place.

You can customize the traditional pin the tail game to just about any party theme.  Pin the head lights on to the car.  Pin the tiara on the princess.  Pin the superhero mask onto the superhero.  Pin the bow onto Hello Kitty.

What version of pin the tail would you make?

Originally shared at One Artsy Mama.