Every year you hear about some of the parties your child has been invited to and some of the creative things the parents put together for each party. The last thing you want is for your child’s party to be the neighborhood dud.

In order to prevent that, make it fun and keep it active by planning games for the party. Sure, you could do pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. But that has been done quite enough. Why not try something a little different this time?

At a recent party thrown by two doting parents for a little girl, they set up their own carnival game. It was a wall of balloons pinned up with prizes listed on small papers underneath. The children stood in a line to throw darts at the balloons.

Once a balloon was popped, the prize was read and given and that child stopped going through the line. These clever parents had made sure that every child could win a prize, even if they had to go through the line ten times to hit a balloon.

Taking this as an example, you could use other carnival games like throwing ping pong balls into glasses, fishing for ducks in a wading pool pond, or bowling for prizes with a kiddie bowling game. Just make sure that the games fit the ages and interests of the group of children you’re inviting and your party should be a real crowd pleaser.