The Best Games for Different Age Groups
Often we are asked to recommend games for particular age groups. Here is a description of which games we recommend for different types of events. Recommendations are based on challenge level and popularity, but this is NOT a complete list of games.
We have divided our games into the following categories in terms of safety (for both players and games):
Low supervision: General supervision of play is always required, but these games can be played *with* and will not break.
General supervision: These games don’t need to be actually manned and run by an adult and don’t break easily, but supervision is required to maintain safety. An example would be running and jumping on cornhole boards, or pulling the heavy Skeeball off its table).
More supervision: These games don’t need to be actually manned and run by an adult, but they can break easily or become unsafe and therefore must be watched to ensure proper game play. For very young children, they would require direct supervision at all times, but for older children may not require more than general supervision. And example would be the Coca Cola Ring Toss, which has glass bottles, or the Flap Attack, which has heavy balls that could be dropped by the youngest players.
Direct supervision: These games must be manned and run by an adult (or teen) at all times. They can be played, but not played with, and should never be left unattended. Examples include the Pig Race, which is handmade and delicate, and the Frog Flinger, which contains breakable ceramics.
For community events or groups of children over 50, ALL carnival games require direct supervision of an adult or teen volunteer at all times.
Recommended for the youngest kids (3-4):
Low supervision lawn games:
Connect 4
Tumblex
Low supervision carnival games:
Fish Bowl
Can Toss
Wrecking Ball
More supervision:
Witch Pitch
Dunk a Duck
Direct supervision:
Pig Race
Kids in this age group love to stack things and pour things. Popular lawn games are the giant Connect 4 and the Tumblex (plastic Jenga) blocks. Popular carnival games are the Fish Bowl, Can Toss, and Wrecking Ball. The Fish Bowl games comes with colored stones in the bowls, and kids love to play with them and pour them back and forth. The bowls are plastic, so it’s ok that the Fish Bowl often ends up being a tactile play table. The Can Toss also makes for stacking fun, as does the Wrecking Ball game. Other games that work well for younger children are the Pig Race and the Dunk a Duck, although these will require someone to man the games, and we prefer to rent these with an attendant unless there will be someone at the event who will man the games for the entire time. The latter games can be played by young children, but not played *with* as the Fish Bowl, Can Toss, and Wrecking Ball can be played with.
Recommended for ages 5-7:
Low supervision lawn/party games:
Connect 4
Tumblex
Ladder Ball
Slingshot
Low supervision carnival games:
Fish Bowl
Can Toss
General supervision lawn games:
Soccer Kick
Cornhole
General supervision carnival games:
Spill the Milk
Skeeball
Witch Pitch
Milk Can Toss
Bullseye
Chickens Can Fly
More supervision:
Dunk the Duck
Pirate Hook Ring Toss
Direct supervision:
Frog Flinger
Pig Race
Balloon Pop
Flap Attack
Kids in this age group still like to play with the Fish Bowl game, but can also play some of the more challenging games. Throwing games such as Spill the Milk and the Balloon Pop are very popular with this age group. For Nerf gun fans, Dunk the Duck can be played with a small nerf gun, although we cannot provide these.
Recommended games for ages 8-10:
Low supervision lawn/party games:
Connect 4
Cornhole
Soccer Golf
Tumblex
Soccer Kick
Slingshot
Ladder Toss
Low supervision carnival games:
Skeeball
Flap Attack
Chickens Can Fly
WhipnSkip
Ring Toss (tabletop games)
Direct supervision carnival games:
Pig Race
Balloon Pop
At this age, personal preference plays a big roll, so we generally recommend letting kids look at the games online and choose what they like. Many children will have theming preferences, and may want games that fit their theme or which just look good to them, regardless of the challenge level.
Ages 12 and up, including adults:
Other than for community events with large numbers of people, we consider most games to require only general supervision of the host if the age of the guests is 12 or over. Choices at this point will depend mainly on preference and theming, but in terms of game play, we recommend:
Lawn games:
Connect 4
Tumblex (kids only – for adults, please request wooden Jenga from our Rustic collection)
Ladder Ball
Cornhole
Soccer Kick (best for kids and teens)
Slingshot (best for kids and teens)
Carnival games:
Skeeball
Flap Attack
Ripsaw Runner
WhipnSkip
Chickens Can Fly