Pin the tail on the donkey

Age

For age 5 and above.

This game requires walking and moving around blind folded, as well as a bit of patience therefore it is best suited to kids just that little bit older.

Number of participants

Pin the tail on the donkey is a great birthday party game and therefore suitable for larger groups of kids. However it is worth noting that the kids take turns one at a time having a go and therefore if you have an exceptionally large group, the kids in line might get restless waiting for their turn.

Duration of game

The duration of the game will depend on how many participants you have, each kid will probably take a couple of minutes to have their turn.

Materials/equipment

• A blind fold
• A picture of a donkey with a detached tail
• Blu tack or sticky tape
• Optional: some music to play in the background to keep the kids in line entertained
• Pen for noting where each child put the tail and writing their initials.
• Optional – prize for winner of the game.

Cost

This game should cost next to nothing to prepare. The donkey image is available below, blu tack or sticky tape may need to be purchased if you don’t have any lying around at home and a blind fold can be fashioned out of a tea towel.

If you are giving a prize to the winner, then budget that into the cost of your game.

Preparation

• Print off the donkey template and tail. You may prefer to get it enlarged onto A3 or larger paper, this can be done inexpensively at a printing shop. Cut out the template and tail.
• Select an appropriate wall in your house (or the location the party is being held at) that has no hazards the blindfolded child could trip on. Stick the donkey (without his tail) onto the wall, roughly at eye level height of the kids.
• You can use blu tack or sticky tape to do this, whichever you prefer.
  

  

• Then place a small amount of blu tack or sticky tape to the back of the tail so that it will stick to the wall when the kids try to pin it to the donkey
• It is a good idea to prepare a couple of spare tails in case the original is damaged or torn
• If you have chosen to have music playing as well, make sure that is also ready to go
• Have the blind fold nearby for later.
• If you are choosing to give a prize to the winner of the game you may wish to wrap it in advance.

How to play

1. Have the kids line up single file in front of the donkey, perhaps with the birthday boy or girl at the front
2. Blind fold the first child and spin them around 3 times to disorientate them
3. Then give them the tail and let them make their way to the wall to try to pin the tail on the donkey
4. Then the child can take off their blindfold to see how they did.
5. Parent marks with a dot and the child’s initials where they put the tail.
6. This is then repeated for each child.
7. The child who put the tail in the closest spot to where it should sit on the donkey is the winner.

Tips

• An alternative way to play would be to give each child their own tail with their name on it to pin up one by one, leaving all the tails on the donkey. This way, a winner can be decided based on whose tail is closest.
• You can change the animal from a donkey to something else depending on if you want to match the game to a party theme. A fun alternative is to have a big picture of the birthday boy or girl and the children need to stick eyes in the right place – them getting stuck in the wrong place will be very funny to children.

Free printable

Download and print the donkey template.