Gather your Western buddies for a day of fun at the ranch of the dude with these themed cowboy celebration with games, activities and more.
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Horse Riding Races
Let the kids form a line and race on stick horses or horse constructed from pool noodles. They can race against one another or divide in teams to race relay style.
To create a pool noodles horse make sure you fold the top of the noodle and secure it using twine. Decorate it with googly eyes and an eagle made of craft foam, fabric or yarn.
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Balloon Stampede
Your play space should be filled with balloons. Set the cowpokes loose in a stampede of balloons. The balloons should be filled with prizes like cowboy-themed stickers and temporary tattoos prior to balloons are inflating. After the stampede has ended the kids can return and take home the prizes.
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DIY Wanted Posters for Wanted Posters
This fun activity for your cowboy theme will require a bit of prior preparation. When you mail your Western invitations to your guests, add the parents with a request to send you a picture that shows their children. You can also capture photos of guests when they arrive and print them at the right time for the event. After you have a picture from each of your guests, place it on cardstock, paper or posterboard (depending upon the dimension you prefer) with the words “Wanted” written over the top. Make sure you leave enough space below the photo for your children to add their own personal touches to the poster.
Write down one Old West nickname per guest at the party on a tiny piece of paper. These names will be used before the guests’ real names on the wanted posters. A few suggestions:
- Dastardly
- Coal Eyes
- Rattlesnake
- Panhandler
- Lasso
- Saddle Hands
- Leather Foot
- Bootprint
Then fold the cowboy names and put them in a cowboy’s hat.
In another cowboy hat put up the documents that you’ve written your bad deeds. You could combine a mix of the traditional Wild West crimes like bank theft and train hijacking, along by combining them with silly acts like staying up late at night or burying your vegetables in napkins.
Gather guests at a table with their preferred posters, markers, crayons along with cowboy stickers and any other decorations you’d like to use. Distribute the cowboy hats, and let each child choose a piece of paper from each. They should then finish their posters by adding their cowboy names and the crimes for which they’re wanted. A completed poster could read: “Wanted! Coal Eyes Matthew. To: Feeding it his dog’s homework.”
Place the posters in the space for the party until the conclusion of the celebration. After that, take them home as favors for the party..
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Lasso Toss
Get your guests together to play Old West lasso tossing. Since real lassos are hazardous, you should think about using a hula-hoop and rope rings in place. Set up a rocking horse or sawhorse a reasonable distance from the line at which the players will sit. Each player will be given three attempts to wrap the lasso around the neck of the horse.
If you don’t own an actual rocking horse, you can try placing the ground with a sticks the horse in the dirt.
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Beanbag Boot Toss
To play the game, place cowboy boots on the table. Draw a line about a couple of feet from table. Let players sit behind the line, and throw beanbags towards the boots. Give prizes to those who knock a boot over.
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Rodeo Rides
If you own a sawsaw that you want to use, put a saddle on the ends. Set one child on each saddle and let two adults steer the seesaw to move it up and down.
Another option to offer rodeo rides is to attach the seat to the red wagon bicycle, or any other suitable ride-on toy. Let an adult guide the rider through the rodeo ring or obstacle course.
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The Snake In My Boot Relay
This game is a blast for any themed party with a cowboy theme however, it could be particularly enjoyable at the Toy Story celebration. Split gamers into 2 teams. Each team will be given one cowboy boot. On the opposite side of the playing area, put two buckets full of rubber snakes. At the signal the first player of every team will race each other to find the snake, carry the snake back and put it inside the boot. They then race to tag the next player in line as they race to place the snake inside their boots. The race continues till one group has all its players pick up a snake, and then drop it inside the boot.
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Tin Can Target Practice
On a table’s or sawhorse’s edge, place one tin can for each player. Let the kids stand at least a couple of feet away from the tins. Then, each participant will be given an squirt gun as well as an empty bucket to refill. At the time you announce the start for the match, players splash water into the cans, hoping to knock them over. If a player falls on his can, he’s entitled to win a prize from a variety of trinkets.
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Gem Mining
Prior to the event, have your kids draw a collage of rocks. Mix the rock art with plain rocks, and then put them in the baby pool that is that is filled with water. Give your kids sieves and let them mine for the stones. You can play the game in the Sandbox. Place gold-painted rocks or nuggets in the sand, and let them panhandle to find the gold.
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Blindfold Branding
Pin the Tail on the Donkey is a well-known game played at parties, and is frequently modified to fit the theme of the party. This version is a western one instead of putting an animal’s tail onto the donkey, kids are able to stamp their own brand on the back of a cow.
Affix a poster to the wall of the image of a cow. Cut a large sponge in the form of a horseshoe. fix it to the stick. The horseshoe-shaped sponge should be dipped in an art paint. Blindfold participants and determine who has the best chance of marking the cow’s image in the pre-determined location.
Different variations on the game pin the tail to play include:
- Put the tail of the horse.
- Attach the badge to the sheriff.
- Put the hat on the cowgirl.
- Attach the boot to the cowboy.