Add some fun and excitement to a birthday party with this homemade prize punch game. This activity is easy to make yourself. It uses inexpensive items that can be purchased at the dollar store.
This DIY punch a prize party game is a welcome addition to any event. It’s a great idea for birthday parties, family game nights, or school or community fairs or carnivals.
This game is based on an old Price is Right game called Punch-a-Bunch. In that game, contestants would punch through for higher ticket prizes, but the concept and fun is the same.
Homemade Prize Punch Game
How to Make a Prize Punch Game:
Supplies needed:
- paper or plastic cups
- tissue paper
- ribbon
- tape
- scissors
- poster board
- poster board stickers
- prizes
Directions:
- Fill each plastic cup with small items such as toys or candy. (see our list of ideas below)
- Cut the tissue paper into squares, large enough to fit and fold over the top of the cups.
- Cover each cup with a tissue square. Tie a ribbon around the tissue paper and tie in a knot.
- Curl the ribbon ends.
- Repeat this process for the desired number of cups.
- Decorate a poster board with stickers. Set the cups on top of the poster board.
How to Play the Prize Punch Game:
There are several ways to play this game. You can choose which one would work best depending on the type of event you’re planning.
- Have the birthday child punch the cups for prizes. You can decide how many cups you would like them to punch, either all cups, or as many as the age they are turning. (For example, when my son turned 6, we made 12 cups and he was able to keep the prizes from 6 cups. My daughter is turning 14, so we created about 25 cups and she’ll keep the prizes from 14 of the 25 cups.)
- One at a time, have each child at the party punch one cup. They are then able to keep the prize from the cup they chose to punch. This method works very well for classroom parties as well.
What Should I Use as Prizes?
Anything small enough to fit inside your cups will work as a prize. It can be fun to use things that go along with your party theme such as candy necklaces and rings and costume jewelry for a princess party or matchbox cars for a car themed party. This doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. I’ve even included some things on the list that are free!
Here are some prize ideas:
- candy
- money (coins or bills)
- confetti
- small figurines
- matchbox cars
- bubbles
- costume jewelry
- crayons
- small containers of playdough (homemade or store bought)
- beads
- small plastic toys
- trading cards
- gift cards
- stickers
- erasers
- socks
- hair accessories
- makeup or nail polish (think teen girl party!)
- pieces of paper with affirmations on them
- homemade coupons for things like a later bedtime or special time with mom or dad
Variations on the Punch a Prize Game:
- Advent Calendar. Use it as an advent or countdown calendar. Number each cup and every day, your child can punch through and take their prize of the day as they count down towards Christmas or another event. Each cup could contain a chocolate, a small prize, or a paper with a holiday activity written on it.
- Punch Prize Board. Use hot glue to secure the bottoms of the cups to a foam board. Once dry, prop the board up or hang it.
- Pair with Another Game. Use the punch prizes to reward the winners of another game such as the winning team in a Minute to Win It challenge.
- Customize. Depending on the theme of the party or time of year, you can customize your game by changing the colour or design of the tissue paper on the cups, the colour of the cups themselves, the decorations on the poster board, and the prizes inside the cups.
- Incentivize it. Set up the punch prize board and use it as a reward for chores being done, goals reached, books read, potty prizes, etc.
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