Ice Fishing - Winter Festival Game Idea!

This is A Matching Game - See Details Below!

We Choose Winter-Themed Names to Match.

ICE FISHING - SETUP & DIRECTIONS

Short Carnival Savers video/gif shows fishing for magnetic fish with magnetic fishing line in a pool with penguins floating on foam icebergs.

Supplies for Ice Fishing Game:

3 or more Fishing Poles (sold out - we are sorry)
12 or more Magnetic Fish (sold out - we are sorry)
Permanent Marker
12 or more and Foam Glue
Toddler Pool filled with a few inches of water*
Pitcher or water jug to fill a few inches of water in pool
Decorations and Buckets for Prizes
Consolation Prizes (we show some fantastic Holiday Prize Ideas below) and Top Prize for the winners

Game Setup:

Before your Winter Festival or carnival, combine your Iceberg Crafts with Foam Glue (or adults can use waterproof glue) to help the iceberg craft be more durable for the game.

Next, in order to add more challenge to this game, we make this game into a matching game. So each iceberg and fish will have a number or a name that the players will try to match.

We choose four different winter-themed words to put on the fish and the icebergs to have kids match up.

We used WINTER, ICE, POLAR, and SNOW.

Add one of the words above to the bottom of each fish or iceberg using a Permanent Marker.

(Note: because the kids are smart, be sure to make sure each fish has a different word on their fin, or the kids will memorize that all the redfish have "ICE," and they will be able to make a match better.

How to Play the Ice Fishing Game:

Players are given a Magnetic Fishing Pole, and they go fishing for a fish.

Once they catch a fish, they see the word on the fin, choose a floating iceberg and hope that the iceberg matches the word on the bottom of the fish.

For example, a child chooses a fish, and the name on the word on the bottom is "ICE". Next, the child selects an iceberg, and the word on the bottom is "SNOW." They receive a consolation prize.

No matches = a consolation prize.
A Fish and an Iceberg with Matching words = a top prize

Based on math, the set-up for this game gives each player about a 1 in 4 chance to win a top prize. So when choosing your prizes, you will need 3/4 consolation prizes and 1/4 winner prizes!

Additional Hints & Tips:

Note: For younger children, this is a super fun game and they will love that their chances of winning are the same as the older kids!

Don't be surprised if older children do not choose to play this game, it may see a little bit too simple or childish for kids in 4th or 5th grade.

*Safety Note: If you use water for your game - have an adult present at all times and drain the pool of all water when finished. Please follow the Consumer Products Safety Commission's Guidelines for any carnival game with water. Click here to learn more!