Pin the Tail on the Donkey is a favorite party game that's been around for generations. It's ideal for young children because the rules are simple, yet it's fun for them to watch and to play. It's not hard to master the basic rules of the game, and the idea translates well to just about any other animal, person, cartoon character or even vehicle you like.
The Basics
The game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey involves a blindfolded child attempting to attach a tail to a donkey who's missing one.
The donkey and multiple copies of its tail are usually drawings. The picture of the donkey is hung on a wall, a child is blindfolded and handed a picture of the tail, which has a pin or piece of tape at its end, and told to pin the tail on the appropriate spot on the donkey.
You need at least four children to make the game interesting. You can make it more fun by spinning each child gently a few times to disorient him, but be sure to tell the other kids to stay out of his way. Part of the fun is watching the blindfolded child aim for the wrong objects, but you don't want that pin aimed at a child. The one who gets the tail closest to the correct spot on the donkey is the winner.
Variations
You can come up with any number of variations on the basic idea of Pin the Tail on the Donkey to fit your party theme or child's interests. For example, if your daughter loves ballet, play Pin the Ballet Slipper on the Ballerina. If she's a fan of princesses, play Pin the Tiara on the Princess. Boys who play baseball will probably like playing Pin the Ball on the Catcher's Mitt. If the party theme is clowns, play Pin the Big Red Nose on the Clown.
You can also use popular characters from movies and video games. Pin the Mane on Alex the Lion or Pin the Glasses on Harry Potter are two examples.
Finding or Making the Game
You can buy a game, which is a large picture of a tailless donkey and six to eight tails plus instructions, online or at a toy store, or you can make your own. If you're playing a variation on the donkey version, you might have to create your own, customized game.
Find pictures in coloring books or story books, scan them into your computer, enlarge them and print them out. Or find pictures online that you can purchase for a small fee, or use for free. Many clip-art sites allow private use of their pictures at no charge.
Be sure to make multiple copies of the object that's being pinned on, and have pushpins or tape for attaching them. Also print out a copy of the rules and, after the party's over, store everything in a box so that it can be used again.
Tags: Tail Donkey, blindfolded child, multiple copies, party theme, spot donkey