DIY Christmas Party Activity - Naughty or Nice Kids Game!

"Lumps of Coal" Bounce out of Buckets.

Holiday Teddy Bears are an Awesome Top Prize!

NAUGHTY OR NICE KIDS GAME - SETUP & DIRECTIONS

Short Carnival Savers video/gif shows foam balls being tossed into four cute Santa buckets arranged in a row.

Supplies for DIY Naughty or Nice:

4 Red Buckets (we sell a mixture of bright red and green below - you will need two sets)
Black Felt Strips and Gold Felt to make "Santa Decoration" on buckets
Hot glue gun to adhere "Santa" decorations
Packing tape or duct tape to keep buckets in place
8 - 12 Lumps of Coal Toys, or if sold out, use Rock Stress Balls

Decorations and or stand behind lines (we added a white tablecloth under the buckets)
Prizes - at least consolation and top prizes for this game! (Holiday small toys are fun for this booth)

Game Setup:

Before the Christmas carnival (or holiday party), make your "Santa buckets" by cutting black felt in thick strips, cutting out a square belt buckle, and adding hot glue to your buckets.

Next, set up the game as shown above. Note: place the Santa Buckets about 6 - 8 inches apart to make this game challenging.

It is optional, but we used a white tablecloth under the game to show a "stand behind line" for kids. We have found kids are tempted to get closer to this game in their excitement to win!

Also, if you have children of different ages playing, have an additional line about 1 1/2 - 2 feet further back for the older kids to make the game more fair for the little ones playing!

How to Play the Naughty or Nice Carnival Game:

Children are given 4 "lumps of coal" toys to toss into the Santa Themed Buckets.

They must start with the closest bucket first and try to get the coal to stay inside each bucket in order. If they miss a bucket, they can try for that bucket again as each bucket gets harder to hit!

Game Winnings Suggestions:

0-2 Lumps of Coal in the Buckets = Consolation Prize
3 Lumps of Coal in the Buckets = Medium Prize (for a kids' classroom holiday game or small party, you can omit the medium prize for simplicity)
All 4 Lumps of Coal in the Buckets = Top Prize

Additional Hints & Tips:

Note: This game is much harder than it looks...the uneven "lumps of coal" seem to have an unpredictable bounce and sometimes will land in the bucket at first but bounce out right away, which helps to make this game a challenge!