How to plan a carnival party for kids

Planning & Preparation: Tips for a successful carnival party with children

A good carnival party needs a thoughtful planning. Nothing spoils the fun more than getting stressed during the final preparations because the time simply wasn't enough. To make preparation easier for you, list everything important for the party together with your child. From the venue of the bash to ideas for sweet treats, fun games and the right decorations.

First note when and where you want to celebrate. You may even need different premises and these should preferably be booked well in advance of the upcoming party. Also the guest list is an important point that should be determined at the start of the planning.

Important: Make all decisions together with your kids – after all, they're the ones it's about. Also, your little ones will be very proud to be allowed to help shape their own carnival party.

Decide together which preparations they can actively help can. The decorations you plan for the party, for example, you can make during the fun carnival crafts into practice. If you want, make your own invitation cards and send them to your guests with a load of confetti. That gives the whole thing an even more personal touch.

You should also consider in advance whether you want to choose a theme for your carnival party. The little guests can orient themselves to it with their carnival costumes and recipes and decorations can also be matched to it perfectly. If you have enough time, you can even make the even make the costumes yourselves.

Finally, decide on an approximate timeframe, in which you want to carry out all ideas and planned steps. This will guarantee your carnival party is an incredible success – and not only for your children.

Directly to the decoration ideas

Checklist – Countdown for your Carnival party

To keep a cool head during party planning, a checklist is a lifesaver. This way you always have all your important items in sight and can check them off one by one. It saves you many headaches and brings joy to your children when they can actively help.

We put together a small checklist that lets you kick off the countdown for your Carnival party. Have fun!

Set the date for the Carnival party
Choose a location for the Carnival party
Choose a theme
Make the guest list
Create invitation cards
Send invitations early
Decorations make or buy
Children's costumes make or buy
Prepare food
Create a playlist
Songs/CDs pick out for singing together
Make a games list & prepare materials

Decoration ideas for kids' carnival parties

Now you'll probably want to start planning the party right away and make the first preparations for your carnival party. Decorations are, of course, among the first tasks you can do together with your little carnival-goers.

At Carnival these can be quite extravagant, so there's no limit to your creativity.From invitation cards and confetti cannons to garlands and fun party hats: Ideas for Carnival crafts are a dime a dozen.

We'll give you two tutorials that provide initial ideas and inspiration for your own creations. Get creative and dive together with your little crafters into the colorful carnival world.

Making invitation cards for carnival parties

Materials needed:

Here's how:

Cut cards from colored cardstock – the shade is, of course, up to you.
Decorate the invitations exactly as you'd like. You can sketch designs on the cards, color them in, or craft and glue on decorations. These could be clowns, streamers, balloons and anything funny that suits the carnival season.
If you choose the clown motif, sketch it on the card first. Your children then decorate the clown as they please, by coloring it in or simply sprinkling it with glitter. Once you're happy with the result, move on to the content of the card.
These details are important in the invitation for your guests: - the salutation: who is the invitation addressed to? - is there a theme? - when & where does the carnival party take place? - is there a deadline by which guests should accept or decline? - a phone number so guests can contact you - your best regards
Send your invitations on time so your friends have enough time to plan their schedules and aren't already invited to another carnival party. A handful of confetti in the card provides a fun surprise effect when opening.

Craft colorful garlands for the carnival party

Materials needed:

colored construction paper
craft scissors or decorative scissors
craft glue
pens & paints
stapler (if needed)

Here's how:

First choose the construction paper in the color of your choice. You can use as many colors as you like. Of course you can also make garlands in just one or two colors. There are no limits to your creativity.
Cut the paper into thin strips from which you'll later make rings. To do this, you can use different scissors that give the cut edges individual patterns.
Now form the first paper strip into a ring and glue the ends together. If you want your carnival garland to hold especially well, simply staple the ends together.
Now take another paper strip. This time in a different color, if you like. Pull this through the already made paper ring. Again glue or staple the ends together.
Repeat this as often as needed until you have a colorful garland of your desired length.
When your garland is finished, you can place it wherever you like and make your room shine in colorful hues.

Popular carnival costumes for children

When carnival is just around the corner, there's one thing that makes children's hearts beat even faster than candy already does: Carnival costumes.

They are the highlight for little party animals, as they can take on different roles, explore new worlds and at the same time even their development is promoted. And all of this in a very playful way.

Through role play children gain self-confidence. They learn to better assess their own abilities and gradually come to understand the adult world better.

If you've scheduled enough time to prepare your carnival party, you can even make your own carnival costumes. This increases the anticipation for carnival even more, and you also foster your children's creativity.

Popular Carnival costumesare animal costumes but princesses and knights are also popular with the kids. Let them have a say when choosing their costume for the children's carnival. From their favorite animal to the funny clown with a wig and matching costume accessories you are completely free to implement it.

Buffet, Candy Bar & Co. - how to make your children's carnival party a deliciously fun event

Whether sweets or savory — at carnival the food also looks great. Grab your kitchen utensils and get started right away. We've collected a handful of recipes for you here, ranging from colorful drinks and tasty finger food to a playful candy bar full of treats.

Kids' punch, colorful juices & lemonade – drinks for a colorful carnival party

Non-alcoholic cotton candy cocktail

Ingredients:

about 2 tbsp sugar
food coloring
flavoring of your choice
ice-cold mineral water with lime flavor
cotton candy (make your own if necessary with a cotton candy machine)
6 long wooden sticks

Preparation:

First color the sugar with a few drops of food coloring. For a bit more flavor, add a few drops of food flavoring.
If you have a cotton candy machine, wait until it is ready and add the sugar. How much sugar you can put into the machine is best taken from the instruction manual. Depending on the machine, the process may need to be repeated for larger amounts.
Wait a while until the first strands appear from the heating element. To get an oval-shaped cotton candy, move the sticks several times around the heating coil. This way you catch the strands best and wrap them horizontally around the stick.
Next, remove the cotton candy from the sticks by either cutting it off with scissors or pulling it off with your fingers, then distribute it into the glasses. Alternatively, you can buy ready-made cotton candy at the supermarket.
The glasses with cotton candy are now ready to serve. Place them on the table, but only fill them with mineral water when the cotton candy cocktail is about to be drunk.

Raspberry lemonade

Ingredients:

500 g raspberries
250 g sugar
4 limes
4 sprigs of mint
ice cubes
1.6 l mineral water

Preparation:

Juice two limes and top the extracted juice up to 250 ml with water.
Put the mixture together with the raspberries and sugar into a pot and bring it to a syrup for three to five minutes.
Then strain the syrup through a sieve and let it cool.
For the raspberry lemonade, now take the remaining limes, wash them thoroughly and cut them into pieces. Also wash and dry the mint and then pick off individual leaves.
Fill the glasses with lime pieces and 50 ml of raspberry-lime syrup each. Then top everything up with chilled mineral water and add the fresh mint. Your fruity and super colorful raspberry lemonade is ready.

Finger food – carnival party buffet for small appetites

Mini pizzas

Ingredients:

300 g flour
½ cube fresh yeast
1 pinch of salt
3 tbsp olive oil
approx. ½ cup lukewarm milk
tomato sauce (strained tomatoes)
herbs
Topping: sausage, vegetables and cheese as desired

Preparation:

Sift your flour into a bowl. Make a well in the middle. Put the yeast into it in small pieces.
Now add the olive oil, salt and lukewarm milk. Knead the ingredients thoroughly with your hands or a mixer until a smooth dough forms. Use only as much milk as needed until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers.
Shape the dough into a ball. Cover the dough ball with a tea towel and let it rise in the bowl for about an hour.
After the hour, knead the dough again on a floured surface.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat) and roll out the dough with some flour.
Use a round drinking glass to cut out your mini pizzas. Keep rolling out your dough and cutting until it is all used up.
For the topping of your mini pizzas, use one to two teaspoons of tomato sauce per pizza and spread it evenly on the minis.
Now add some grated Gouda on top, then finish topping the mini pizzas as you like. For carnival you can create funny faces with your toppings. We eat with our eyes, and that makes it taste even better.

Mini burgers

Ingredients:

For the patties:

500 g minced meat
1 tsp paprika powder
salt
pepper
minced meat seasoning (optional)
onions (optional)

For the buns:

250 g flour
140 ml lukewarm milk
¼ cube fresh yeast
½ tsp sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
some sesame seeds for sprinkling

For the topping:

a handful of lettuce leaves
cheddar
1 red onion
pickles
ketchup
mustard (mild)
mayonnaise

Preparation:

First put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour a little of the lukewarm milk into it and add the yeast in small crumbs. Sprinkle a little flour on top and let it stand for about 15 minutes.
Then add the rest of the milk, an egg and salt. Now you can knead the ingredients together into a smooth dough. Let the bun dough rise in a warm place for about an hour.
Meanwhile you can prepare the burger patties. Put the minced meat together with the spices into a bowl and knead well.
Shape the seasoned minced meat into small burger patties. You can use a glass as a cutter so the patties are all the same size and round.
When the bun dough has risen, knead it once more before dividing it into twelve equal pieces. A glass is also ideal as a cutter here.
Shape the cut pieces into small buns.
Now beat an egg with milk and brush the tops of the buns with it. A few sesame seeds finish it off.
The buns need about 15 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile you can fry your previously formed burger patties in a pan with enough oil on all sides.
Finally wash the lettuce and tear it into pieces, halve the cheese and cut the onion into rings. When you have taken the buns out of the oven and they have cooled sufficiently, spread ketchup and mild mustard on the top half and on the bottom half place a lettuce leaf, burger patty, a slice of cheese, onion rings and pickles. However, you can top the burgers however you or your children prefer.

Candy bar with all sorts of treats

Baking doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the dough:

200 ml lukewarm milk
70 g butter
500 g flour
50 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cube fresh yeast
3 egg yolks

For the filling and decoration:

neutral cooking oil for frying
400 g jam without pieces
powdered sugar for dusting

Preparation:

First warm the milk and butter in a pot. Mix the flour together with sugar, vanilla sugar and salt and add the yeast in pieces. Then also pour in the lukewarm milk-butter mix.
Then add the three egg yolks. Knead the entire dough until a smooth mass forms. Afterwards, let it rest covered with a tea towel for about 30 minutes.
When the yeast dough has risen, flour your work surface and divide the dough into about twelve equal pieces. Shape the dough pieces into balls.
Place the shaped doughnuts with sufficient space between them on a baking tray and let them rest covered for another 30 minutes.
Next heat the cooking oil in a pot. This part is best done by you as parents. The fat should become so hot that small bubbles form when you put a wooden spoon into it.
Caution: Pay special attention to your children in this step.
Once the oil is heated, carefully add the doughnuts into the fat. Reduce the heat and let the doughnuts fry for about three minutes on both sides until golden brown.
Then remove the doughnuts from the fat with a slotted spoon and let them cool on a piece of kitchen paper.
For the delicious filling of your doughnuts, use a piping bag with a thin nozzle to fill with your jam. Then fill the doughnuts carefully with as much jam as you like. Children should do this part with your support, as the jam can easily squirt back out of the doughnuts.
Finally dust the doughnuts with as much powdered sugar as you like. And your carnival treats are done. Enjoy!

Fun Amerikaners with colorful decoration

Ingredients:

For the dough:

100 g soft butter
75 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
2 eggs
250 g flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 pinch of salt
3 tsp baking powder
80 ml milk

For the decoration:

150 g powdered sugar
lemon juice as needed
gummy snakes, puffed rice, Smarties, colorful sprinkles, etc. for decorating
food coloring

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan).
Put butter, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and beat together until frothy.
Then gradually stir in the eggs as well as the flour, starch and baking powder.
Next add the milk and mix everything well again.
With a spoon, place equal-sized heaps onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake your Amerikaners for about twelve minutes until golden brown. For cooling, place them on a rack.
When the Amerikaners have cooled, you may decorate them as you wish. To make the decorations stick, mix a glaze of lemon juice and powdered sugar until a thick mass forms.
Spread this evenly on the smooth side of the Amerikaners. Now you can decorate them with puffed rice, Smarties and colorful sprinkles or paint funny faces with food coloring. Tip: You can also color the icing with food coloring. This way your Amerikaners shine in the most colorful colors — perfect for children's carnival.
Done!

The classic carnival games for young and old

On your marks, get set, go: Who will take first place in the chocolate kiss eating contest and who is the king or queen of freeze dance? These are just two of the most popular carnival games that will definitely liven up your party. And that's true for both young and old.

The classic carnival games also include the musical chairs or the well-known balloon dance.

No matter which games you choose, our ideas will bring you lots of fun. You can even arrange the carnival games into a kind of Olympics.

To the carnival games

Frequently asked questions about the carnival party for children

When should we start planning our children's carnival party?

It's best to start already a few months before Carnival with your party planning. Then you'll have enough time to plan all details and ideas and also to set a timeframe for the preparations. You start by deciding on the venue, the guest list, and the selection of costumes. Everything else then builds on that.
Which theme is suitable for a children's Carnival party?

Which theme is suitable for a children's carnival party?

You should make the theme of your carnival party dependent on your child's choice of costume and personal wishes. If your child has chosen an animal costume, it's natural to plan a party with the theme "animal world". The same applies to other costumes. Also with current children's series or Disney classics you usually can't go wrong.

What should be considered for carnival parties in your own home?

Make sure already during the planning of your carnival party that you really have enough space available so that your children can invite all the guests they want. If necessary, you may have to move some furniture. You can actually play this through once beforehand as well, before it turns into chaos shortly before the party. In general, you should also take care of the well-being of your guests. With the right decorations and a tasty buffet you've already won everyone's hearts.