A Medieval Fair
Kids from about 4th grade and older will enjoy learning about the Middle Ages and participating in a carnival.
Set Up: This will take a little creativity, but you should be able to set up several carnival “booths” made from toys and games kids already have. Any kind of game of skill will work here, such as throwing darts or a ball at a target or tower of cans. Foot races and jumping contests would be good, as well as sack races and three-legged competitions. Make several different contests in different areas of your party space and recruit a parent or teen to help at each one if you can.
Invitations: Write them out in “Old English” inviting the Lords and Ladies to attend.
Arrival: As kids come, have some recorder or harp music playing and let them make a hat or shield they would like to wear to the fair. Boys may like to make a shield from cardboard and tinfoil, and girls may want a cone-shaped hat with a scarf flowing from the end. Crowns would be good, too, for either gender.
Main Event: Ask what the kids know about the Middle Ages and give them a little basic information about how the king would hold a fair every year and the subjects would come to compete. Let them travel from booth to booth and try the games of skill. You could award prizes for the best throw, fanciest hat, or longest jump. The Disney version of “Robin Hood” is a classic movie that will keep almost any kid entertained even if they have seen it before, and would work well when the games are finished.
Refreshments: You could serve a cake in the shape of a castle, or put small knights and ladies on cupcakes.
