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I have enjoyed making things with paper mache for my kids’ last few birthdays. So, I wanted to paper mache something fun for my son’s ball themed birthday party as well. But, I was worried that making a normal sized ball pinata wouldn’t work well. He is only two so he can’t hit a traditional pinata very hard. I didn’t want him to get frustrated over not being able to break it and a giant ball seemed kind of boring. So, instead of making one big pinata, I made all the kids their own pinata ball.
I placed ball shaped party favors inside for each kid. Then, they were able to break them in any way they wanted. Also, with the simple shape, both my 4 year old daughter and 2 year old son were able to help make them.
How to Make a Pinata Ball Filled With Favors
Supplies:
Prepping the Ball Pinatas:
Before I started making the individual ball pinatas, I needed to know how big they should be. So, I went shopping for fun ball party favors. This was slightly hard since most balls are choking hazards for 2 year olds. I settled on punching balloons, sports ball hacky sacks, ball shaped tops, and Dum Dums. I put them all in a pile and blew up 6 balloons (one per kid guest) to the smallest size that I thought would easily fit it all. Then, I found little bowls to place the balloons in so they wouldn’t roll all over.
Paper Mache:
Now, I started with the paper mache. Once again, I made this very simple 2:1 water to flour ratio paper mache paste. My son helped stir. Then, I tore a bunch of newspaper into strips and got to work dipping them in the paste and placing them on the balloons. I have tried to get my 4 year old to help me every time. She still didn’t like it, but my son loved it. He dipped the strips and I rubbed off the extra paste. Then, he placed the strips on the balloons. I smoothed them out a bit more then he could and occasionally added strips of my own to spots he had missed.
I put a few layers of paper mache on each balloon and let them dry between each one. My son helped with a couple and I did some on my own.
After all the balls were made and had dried, I popped the balloons inside. The tied end of the balloon was still sticking out so I used this existing hole to cut a flap in the ball. Then, I placed all the prizes in each pinata ball.
Lastly, my son and I put more paper mache strips over each flap to seal up the balls. I made sure this last layer was as smooth and round as possible.
Painting Each Pinata Ball:
We now had a pinata ball for each child that was coming. I thought it would be fun to paint each one the favorite color of each kid coming. Both kids wanted to help this time. We all painted and painted until the newspaper no longer showed through. This took more or less coats depending on the color.
Once they dried they were ready to go. I placed them in a basket at the end of a scavenger hunt I made for the kids.
Conclusion of Making Pinata Balls
I am proud of this fun twist on pinatas. I always enjoy getting to watch kids have fun with what I have made. And they all enjoyed getting their own pinata to try to open. At first everyone didn’t know what to try. I went to go find a bat, but before I was able to the kids started experimenting. With a mix of tearing, peeling, and dropping everyone was able to get theirs open a little differently. I loved getting to see the problem solving and the joy of success.
Also, I really enjoyed making these with my kids. I am glad that at least my son had fun with the paper mache. Painting with both of them and six different colors was a little crazy, but a lot of fun. I would highly recommend making these for your next party or even just as a fun special activity.
If you liked making these pinata balls, check out our other paper mache crafts and ball party ideas.
