How to Make Own Carnival Games

Stack several tin cans into pyramids--you'll need six or 10 cans for one pyramid--and place them on a table. Give your players the baseballs--usually three per person--and have them throw them at the cans from a set distance to try to knock them down.

Draw targets onto sheets of plywood or cardboard by drawing multiple circles within one another and painting the circles. Use toy dart guns or archery bows (make sure the projectiles are soft and safe) to have your players try to hit the targets.

Cut plywood or cardboard into an oval racing track. You can race remote-control cars on this track by giving a control box to each player. If you can't get the cars, use small toy animals and dice; have your players roll the dice and move their animals the number of paces indicated on the dice.

Create a small bowling alley by laying plywood boards on the ground and placing plastic bottles (try the two-liter size) at the end. Have the players roll a large rubber ball--like the type often used in kickball--toward the bottles to try and knock them down.

Create the ringtoss game by filling several glass bottles with water or sand to weigh them down and place them in rows or on a table. Have the players toss the small rings toward the bottles, and try to hook them onto the bottle tops. Another variation is to place the bottles onto shelves.