NERF Party Games and Activities

My boys love having NERF gun battles, so when it came to picking a party theme for my two youngest boys, it didn't require a lot of discussion. My 10 year old requested an "epic NERF battle", and my 8 year old wanted a "target shooting area". Today, I am sharing the details of all our super-fun NERF party games and activities.

Before the battle started, the kids applied their war paint.

Then, to ensure that everyone was safe, I made them all put on safety glasses.

Then, I set up a NERF gun battlefield. I spray painted some boxes with camo spray paint, I made some obstacles out of mats, I added some pop up tents we had a home, and blew up some orange and blue balloons.

The kids spent most of the party having their battle, but they took out a little time for some of the other games and activities too.

I created a DIY prize punch that they could shoot with their NERF guns. When they hit a prize, they got to keep it.

I also had a "guess the number of candies" station. The kids all made guesses, and the child that guessed closest got to keep the jar of blue and orange jelly beans.

I also made some fantastic shooting target games for the kids. 

To make a spinning target (see photo):

1) Cut four squares from a cardboard tri-fold. (I got mine at the dollar store.) Then, trim the squares in duct tape to make it look more colourful and neat.
2) Turn the four squares into round targets, and decorate with markers.
3) Tape a paper straw and coin to the back of the circles (for weight).
4) Insert a skewer through the straw, and tape the two ends to the tri-fold.

I also stacked plastic cups with army men, and converted another tri-fold by cutting out a rectangle and hanging plastic cups.

All of the NERF party games and activities we had at our party were easy and inexpensive to put together, and the kids all had a fantastic time. If you have a NERF gun fan in your house, you should give them a try!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)



PS - Find more NERF party ideas (including party food, FREE party signs and party favours) here.

Follow East Coast Mommy on Facebook for more easy and inexpensive ideas for family fun.

For a closer look, check out the video I made here:

Hockey Party Games

Every birthday party needs fun games for the kids to play, so today I am sharing the fantastic DIY hockey party games our party guests played at my son's 9th birthday.

The best part about these games is that they are easy, inexpensive, and really fun.  They are guaranteed to add a special touch to any hockey themed party.

My son really wanted to play floor hockey with his friends, so I used a cardboard tri-fold make an easy and inexpensive scoreboard.  I even used some chalkboard stickers so that they could change the periods and scores with chalk.  The kids had a lot of fun with it.

I also made a "prize punch" using foam core and plastic cups from the dollar store.  The kids were able to choose a cup containing hockey cards, and then they were able to trade them with each other.  You can find the full tutorial for the DIY prize punch here.

Finally, I used a piece of bristol board to make a hockey version of "pin the tail on the donkey".  Our game was called "pin the puck on the ice".  I drew a rink on a piece of bristol board and added a team sticker to centre ice.  Then, I made some black circle "pucks" from a piece of construction paper. 

I believe that DIY elements make a party special, and these DIY hockey party games are easy and inexpensive to put together.  Of course, these games are great for a child's birthday, but they would also be fun at a year end team party, don't you think?

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

DIY Prize Punch

When it comes to children's parties, the little "DIY" details are what make the event special. For my son's 9th birthday, I made this simple (and totally fun) DIY prize punch.  It was a big hit with the party guests. It is easy to make, and it uses supplies that you can buy inexpensively at the dollar store. 

To make your own DIY prize punch, you'll need:  

• a piece of foam core 
• tissue paper 
• plastic glasses
• tissue paper
• scissors
• a glue gun

Then:

1) Fill each cup with a little prize.  (My son's party had a hockey theme, so our cups contained hockey cards.) Any prize will work as long as it fits in the cups.

2) Cover each cup with two squares of tissue paper, and secure in place with hot glue. (I glued one on, secured it in place, and then glued on the second one.)

3) Use hot glue to secure the cups to the foam core.

That's it!  You can use a piece of ribbon to hang the board, or you can lean it against a wall.

You can use different colour cups and tissue paper to match the colours scheme of your party too.

I absolutely LOVE this idea, don't you?

With a small amount of effort, you will have a board full of prizes that can be claimed by choosing a cup and "poking" through the tissue paper.

Here's a fun carnival game prize punch I made for a carnival themed birthday party.

It would be fun for a Christmas countdown too.

Aren't these inexpensive DIY prize punches adorable?  I love that the prizes and colours can be customized to any party theme.

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Don't miss out on any of the fun... follow me on social media here.

     

PS - If you are looking for some easy carnival games, you might want to check out this fantastic post (with tons of DIY carnival games made from recycled materials and dollar store supplies): 

DIY Spy Party - 5 easy and inexpensive games

Last summer, I threw a SPY PARTY for my 7 year old, and the DIY games I prepared for the kids were a huge hit!  Today, I am sharing the tutorials for 5 easy and inexpensive DIY spy party games.

1) Dynamite (hot potato) - This was a really popular game with the children at the party. The kids sat in a circle, and passed the "dynamite" around the circle until the alarm went off.  Whoever was holding the dynamite when it "exploded" was eliminated.  The game continued until there was only one child left.

To make the dynamite, wrap three empty paper towel rolls in red tissue paper.  Then, attach the rolls together with black electrical tape.  To finish, attach a cheap kitchen timer from the dollar store, and add a few wires (for looks), if desired.

2) Pom pom shooter target practice - The party guests had a great time shooting pom poms at this target (which was made from an old box).

You can find the full tutorial for the pom pom shooters here.

And you can find instructions for making a target practice from a box here.

3) What's missing? - This is an easy game, but it was very popular with the party guests.  To play, the guests were shown a bunch of "spy items".  Then, the children were asked to close their eyes while I took an item away.  After they opened their eyes, the kids had to guess which item was missing.  Fun, right?

4) Spy training relay - This game is simple, but lots of fun for active children.  I divided the kids into two teams.  Then, the kids did a relay where they had to change into a "disguise" before they ran their leg of the race.

5) Pin the disguise on the spy - This "spy" version of "pin the tail on the donkey" is simple, fun, and totally cute.  I printed an 8X10 picture of my son's head, I taped it to a piece of bristol board, and I added a hat.  Then, each child was blindfolded and given a moustache to tape to my son's face.  Cute, right?

I love how easy and inexpensive these DIY spy party games are. They'd be fun for an afternoon of "playing spies" too.

Do your little ones love pretending to be spies?  My boys definitely do!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find the full spy party details here.

Spy Party {pom pom target practice}

I am currently planning a DIY Spy Party for my middle son's 7th birthday. Given that he and his friends will be training to be spies, I knew I needed some sort of target practice, but I didn't want to give all the kids guns, so... I thought it would be fun to make some pool noodle pom pom shooters. I got the idea for a pool noodle pom pom shooter from FSPDT.  (You should totally check out her version if you get a chance.)

For our version, I used black balloons and "moustache/secret disguise" duck tape.  Cute, right?  I love how easy and inexpensive these were to make.  Here's all you need to do:

1)  Use a serrated bread knife to cut a pool noodle into short pieces.  I made mine slightly taller than the width of the duck tape.

2)  Cut the top off a balloon with a pair of scissors.

3)  Place the balloon onto the pool noodle, and tie the top into a knot.

4)  Secure the balloon to the pool noodle with duck tape.

These are perfect for my son's spy party, but they would be fun any time.  My boys have been playing with them ever since I made them.  Trust me... they will keep your little ones entertained for hours!

Do you have a little one that would like these pool noodle pom pom shooters?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Harry Potter Party Games

Today I am sharing another one of the fun elements of my son's Harry Potter party... the DIY Harry Potter Party Games.  With 20 little guests, it was important to make sure there were plenty of great games to keep the little ones entertained.

We played 6 games.

1) Charms and spells class - I pretended to teach a class using the spell books and quills I made for the guests.  The children loved practicing the spells and trying them out on each other.  {You can download the spell book I created here.}

2)  Howarts Freeze dance - We played freeze dance using some spells from Harry Potter.  We used Tarantallegra to make legs dance uncontrollably and Petrificus Totalus to make the kids freeze like a soldier.

3)  Pin the Scar on Harry - I drew Harry Potter on a piece of bristol board and gave every child a scar to place on his head. 

4)  Bean Bag Toss - I made a simple beanbag toss using an old cardboard box.  {You can download a template of the head a drew here.}

5)  Wingardium Leviosa - The kids used the wands I made for them to try balloons in the air.

6)  Piñata - I made a simple piñata using a balloon and some paper mache.  Then, I drew a simple owl on it using a sharpie.  Easy peasy!

All the guest had fun with our Harry Potter games, and they were all easy and inexpensive to put together. It doesn't get much better than that!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)