PINATA Advice

Almost ALL pinatas now come with the pull string, it doesn't have one?

Make a line on the floor; unless you're at bat, you stay behind the line!

I always let the younger kids hit first... if push comes to shove, let the older kids have at it with the piñata on the floor.

Funny side note, for my husband's birthday 2 years ago, I got a super sparkly girly cupcake piñata for his birthday and filled it with airplane bottles of scotch, LOL!! It was a hit! Super funny, NO ONE was expecting liquor to come out ;)

ah let them hit it. We've had many parties with pinatas - the kids - even the little ones - love to whack at it. have the tiniest toddlers go first - and let the big 13 year old finish it off. they love running for the candy and it's just straight up fun. as long as you supervise no one will get hurt.

btw - some of them are incredibly hard to break - we had to have the dads bust up - despite lots of hits by the kids nothing happened!

have fun

Eh, I would just let them take turns wacking at it! Not blindfolded like someone else suggested and keep the kids back while its anothers turn. Our kids had a blast beating the heck out of that thing. I dont know if it was just the one we had, but this sucker wouldnt break! My husband even beat the hell out of it! I finally had to just rip it apart. It was really fun though. I still have hilarious pictures of the kids faces while they were hitting it. Too funny!

To convert it. Get a bunch of gift wrap curling string, about 2 feet long. cut a 3 sided square in the bottom. Tap the string to the inside, and use packing tape to close it.

A pull string pinata really only works to 'open up' with the strings when they are all pulled at the same time. If they are pulled one at a time, it doesn't do anything and someone ends up beating on it.

Or instead of using the stick, they can each take turns kicking at it.

One fun thing you can do is to 'Toss the pinata'.
Okay, so you fill the pinata, but instead of closing it you leave it open. Then the kids each take a turn tossing it in the air. See what falls out.

Some fun things to put in are:
silly bands
tattoos
fun erasers
rings
fun socks (Target $1 section)
chunky fun erasers
zoobles (bakugan for guys)

I have converted one before. cut a three sided square on the bottom, like a door. Poke a hole in it where a doorknob would go if it was a door. Put a piece of ribbon through the hole, tie it up into knots on the inside so it won't pull back through the hole. Fill the pinata through that door with small pieces of candy (, no lollipops they get stuck.) Now tape the door closed. Tape some other pieces of ribbon to the bottom of the piñata and let them hang down. When a kid tugs a string that's just taped, it comes right off. If they tug the one that is tied through, the door opens and the candy falls out.

I wouldn't try to convert it, it might not work correctly. My friend does one at every b-day party for both of her kids. This time she tried the one with the strings, and the whole group of strings came out together on the first "pull".

For hitting it with a stick, line the kids up youngest to oldest. That way the little ones get to try before the big kids smash it open. Each child can have 3 chances to hit it before they get back in "line". Do not blindfold the kids, and have a "safety" area where all kids must stand several yards away while one child swings. Usually a few things will fall out before the whole thing breaks open, and you don't want kids running toward the kid swinging, so explain to them that they cannot rush for the candy until YOU say GO. If you emphasize the rules, and have the parents of the little ones there to help, you can do this safely. Have fun!

Put the rope from pinata thru a pulley and over a tree branch. We have done that for years.

Safest way to do a pinata---no blindfolds!!!
He-l-l-l-l-lo-o-o-oo...I have seen so many kids hit with the stick it's unreal!

No blindfolds on kids.
Start with older kids first so they can start to wear it down a little.
Don't let anyone near the swinging area.
Instead of keeping the whacking going and going.....have Dad open it up at some point and scatter the candy.

You can't convert it, and all these children are a little young to smash a pinata. Saw it in half, and do it back up with some packing tape, or saw it halfway through.

I found with pinatas that the kids who are older and stronger can use the stick or use various sizes of baseball bats...Very effective. One of those thick plastic ones does the trick every time :)

I would think if you put a slit in the top with a box cutter and taped a string inside and taped on the outside, it would work just fine. OR using the same method, make two slits and run a string through to create a loop and tie the hanging string from there:)
Same goes for filling it.
I'd fill with stickers, tatoos, some 3 pack crayons, markers (yes, the parents may hate you for that one - LOL) littel note pads, coloring sheets folded up, stamps, mini playdougs, silly putty or maybe one special "golden egg" that has a small gift card in it??
Have fun!

There is a safe Pinata on the market called Pullata. It uses an inflatable stick so no one gets hurt.
Good luck

I don't know how to convert it but definitely do it or take the loss and buy the string one. We did a pinata once, the stick kind, I think my daughter was 7 that year and it was so dangerous. Never did it again.
As for what to put in, if it's hot weather by you, avoid chocolate. Small candies like starburst or the individually wrapped lifesavers could work well, I know they're chokable for the tiny kids but you can't please everyone and may need to set a minimum/maximum age limit for the pinata activity. Good luck