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How to make a piñata on your own – what to fill for a child or adult for a holiday and birthday

This post provides step-by-step instructions for making a homemade piñata for special occasions like birthdays and holidays. Through a combination of unique items along with common materials, a truly one-of-a-kind, captivating piñata can be crafted. Furthermore, this post offers ideas of what to fill the piñata with, depending on whether its intended recipient is a child or an adult. With this guide, you can easily create a piñata that will make any occasion memorable and exciting!

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From a box or a ball, you need to form a frame that is completely covered with fringe from strips of colored paper, put your child’s favorite sweets inside – this is a general principle that describes how to make a pinata with your own hands. Traditional Mexican fun for knocking down a toy with sweets will help captivate children so that they do not get bored. It can surprise not only with its contents, but also with its appearance. There are many options for making a pinata at home..

What is pinata and how to make it

This is the name of the hollow toy, inside which various sweets are laid. It is made using papier-mâché technique. Nuts and sweets, small toys, or even notes with wishes can also be used as a filling for a surprise. It all depends on the triumph for which the pinata game is intended. It is based on ordinary balloons or boxes glued with old newspapers or toilet paper..

Girl breaks a pinata

Appearance story

The idea of ​​such fun entertainment belongs to Mexico, although, according to some, the pinata is a prototype of Chinese lanterns. In China, the celebration of the New Year was always accompanied by the presence of a large figure of a bull or a cow, which was filled with five kinds of seeds and flowers. After breaking, its remains were burned, people left only ashes for themselves. It was believed that next year would be so successful. In Mexico, this fun has become an attribute of only children’s parties..

What is needed for

The toy itself is suspended from a tree branch or other items on the street or in the room. The child’s eyes are tied with a dense fabric, after which with the help of a bat he must get through the body of the product. As a result, sweets sprinkle from the inside. Children must collect them, and the one who will have the most will receive a special prize. It can be a machine, a doll or any other toys and sweets.

How to make a piñata with your own hands – step by step instructions

The first step in manufacturing is gluing the frame. It can be done in two ways. In the first case, a balloon is used and not too wide strips of newspapers with which it is glued. The second option is to make a cardboard frame. This method is suitable if it is assumed that there will be a pinata in the form of any animal, multhero or figures.

From newspaper strips

This is a classic version of the frame for this toy. The necessary materials and tools for this workshop are as follows:

  • newspaper sheets;
  • balloon of the desired size;
  • flour;
  • water.

Instead of paste from flour with water, you can use regular PVA glue. The frame manufacturing instruction includes the following steps:

  1. Inflate the ball to the required size, tie the tip.
  2. Cut newspaper strips. Optimum length – 20 cm, recommended width – 1-2 cm.
  3. Mount the first layer of newspapers on a ball using plain water. Do not seal the latex product completely – the knotted tip should remain intact. Through this hole you will lay inside the candy.
  4. Wait for the first layer to dry, then glue the ball with newspaper strips using a paste.

Papier Mâché Pinata

DIY out of the box

The second method of manufacturing the frame is no less original. In this case, you can give the shape of a heart, a multi-colored star, horse or numbers. The latter option is especially relevant at the birthday celebration. Instructions for the manufacture of the number “1” are as follows:

  1. On the sheet of cardboard double draw the outlines of the numbers, cut the blanks with scissors.
  2. Make additional strips that will be the sidewalls of the frame.
  3. Join cut elements with paper tape..

Out of the box

Pinyata paste

It is necessary to use a paste immediately after cooling, therefore it is necessary to cook it just before the start of work. Ready it is not stored for a long time. You can apply with a narrow paint brush. To prepare, you will need:

  • wheat flour – ? st .;
  • starch – 2 s.l .;
  • cool water – 1 tbsp .;
  • boiling water – 0.5 l.

Although this method is called cooking, the paste is prepared in a slightly different way. The instructions for this include the following simple steps:

  1. Combine flour with starch.
  2. Then pour cold water, mix.
  3. Add the resulting solution to boiling water, stir until a homogeneous consistency and cool.

Pinata paste and newspaper strips

Pinata decoration

After making the frame, you need to decorate it to get a beautiful pinata. The classic decoration is corrugated or crepe paper. Tape the toy in a circle down with a fringe, making each strip overlap. It will take about a day to dry, after which the product is ready for registration. Depending on the purpose, it can be supplemented with eyes, ears, a tail, made like Kinder Surprise, a heart, a crocodile, Mickey Mouse or other heroes. Key Features of Traditional Mexican Pinatas:

  • they are decorated with ribbons of bright colors;
  • classic form – a star of Bethlehem or a horse;
  • may just be a holiday decoration, i.e. it’s not necessary to fill it with sweets and break.

Pinata Kinder Surprise

For birthday

For a children’s holiday, you can make a pinata in the shape of a sun, a toy or an animal. The most original option for a birthday is a number. Do-it-yourself pinata is suitable for a birthday boy of any age. Adults can use photographs of past years for decoration. Although the same is suitable for the baby, even if he is only 1 year old. A traditional cone shaped cap will be no less original.

Decorating a piñata for a birthday

Halloween pinata

The classic Piñata for Halloween is pumpkin. For its design you will need corrugated paper in orange, black and green. Another interesting design method is to make a piñata with your own hands in the shape of a ghost. In this case, corrugated paper in black and white is needed. A papier-mache ball will look no less frightening.

Halloween pumpkin pinata

For Christmas and New Year

You can make a piñata with your own hands on New Year’s theme in the form of a large Christmas ball or the tree itself, a snowman, a Christmas sock or a wreath. For design, not only green or white corrugated paper is suitable, but also multi-colored. If you make an accessory in the shape of a Christmas candy, then for decoration you will need white and red corrugated paper.

Christmas candy pinata

DIY pinata – workshop with photo

Popular today is a piñata do it yourself in the theme of different cartoons. Favorite heroes lead children to complete delight. For manufacturing requires almost the same set of materials. Only the color of the corrugated or wrapping paper and some accessories for decoration differ. You can simply glue the frame over with the images of cartoon heroes, then the toy will also be made on a certain topic..

Angry birds

From the ball you get a very original do-it-yourself pinata in the style of birds from the game Angry Birds. For the master class you will need the following:

  • air balloon – 1 pc.;
  • filling – sweets, small souvenirs;
  • water – 1 tbsp. + 5 st .;
  • acrylic paints – red, white, black, beige;
  • flour – 1/4 tbsp .;
  • red satin ribbon – to make 1 pinyata mount;
  • newspaper and paper – 7-8 sheets.

The easiest way to make a red bird from Angry Birds is to paint a papier-mache balloon. It is done like this:

  1. Inflate the ball, tie it, stick on the entire surface the newspaper strips moistened with water, allow the layer to dry.
  2. Mix flour with a glass of water. The rest of the liquid is put to boil, then add the flour mixture to it. Cook for 3 minutes, let cool.
  3. Then stick several layers of strips, preferably 2-3, already out of paper, using a paste. Everyone should dry for about 8 hours. Near the tip, leave a hole not sealed.
  4. After drying, the ball burst and take out. Make 3-4 holes around the perimeter, insert the tape. Fill the toy with filling, seal the hole.
  5. To outline the muzzle of the bird – eyes, beak and eyebrows, as shown in the photo, color.

Angry Birds Character Pinata

Spider man

Corrugated and plain colored paper will be used here for decoration. In general, the following materials will be required for the master class:

  • air balloon – 1 pc.;
  • filling for piñata – at its discretion;
  • water – 1 tbsp. + 5 st .;
  • flour – 1/4 tbsp .;
  • tape or rope – 1 pc. for hanging;
  • black paper – 2 sheets;
  • newspaper – 7-8 sheets;
  • corrugated red paper – 10-11 sheets;
  • shiny paper – 1 sheet.

You can take the first stages of making the frame and cooking the paste in the previous workshop. One can only decorate the finished piñata base:

  1. After the frame has dried, the ball will burst, take it out. Near the hole at the top, make a couple of holes through which to pass the tape.
  2. Cut corrugated paper into strips with a thickness of about 3 cm. On each along the entire length, make cuts, but de to the end, to get a fringe.
  3. Paste all the piñata pasted with strips. Next, cut out black lines of about 1 cm thick from black paper. Glue them on the workpiece, as shown in the figure, in the form of a web.
  4. Cut out the eyes of the spider from black and shiny paper, fix them on top of the cobweb.

Spider-Man Pinata Mask

Cold heart

The next version of piñata is also made very simply, almost using classical technology. For the master class you will need:

  • air balloon – 1 pc.;
  • filling – sweets, tinsel, small souvenirs;
  • water – 1 tbsp. + 5 st .;
  • acrylic paints – white and blue;
  • flour – 1/4 tbsp .;
  • satin ribbons – 10-12 pieces;
  • newspaper – 7-8 sheets;
  • jewelry – images of characters from the cartoon “Frozen”.

Instead of newspapers, you can use paper that is sold with shoes. Instructions for making piñata to their own hands and includes the following steps:

  1. Inflate the ball, tie the tip with a long thread.
  2. Cut the newspaper into strips about 3 cm wide.
  3. Put the ball on some basis – a saucepan or a jar.
  4. Criss-cross lay a newspaper on it, just soaked in water. Leave to dry for 2-3 hours.
  5. Mix flour with a glass of water, and boil the rest of the liquid. Then pour the flour mixture there, cook for 3 minutes over low heat, cool.
  6. Paste the ball with the second layer of the newspaper, dipping it already in the paste. Leave the part with the tip open. Allow to dry and perform another 1-2 layers.
  7. After complete drying, cut off the tip of the ball, pull it out.
  8. Pierce the bottom of the pinata with an awl or cut it with an office knife, insert the tape there. Seal the hole with paper.
  9. Fold the stuffing inside, make several holes near the top hole, insert the tape into them several times. Seal a hole with paper.
  10. Mix acrylics, cover with a blue pinata.
  11. When dry, stick on top of the cartoon characters image.

Pinata with Frozen Cartoon Characters

Pinata Transformers

This do-it-yourself pinata is made from plain cardboard. Such a frame can have any shape you need. The list of materials and tools includes the following:

  • cardboard box – 2 large pieces;
  • blue corrugated paper – 10-12 sheets;
  • white and blue paper – 5-6 sheets each;
  • ribbon for hanging – 1 pc.;
  • water – 1 tbsp. + 5 st .;
  • acrylic paints – white and blue;
  • flour – 1/4 tbsp .;
  • Scotch;
  • candy for filling.

The paste can be welded according to the technology described above from flour diluted with water. Do-it-yourself pinata is done according to this instruction:

  1. Cut 2 blanks from cardboard, drawing a shape roughly like the face of an autobot in the photo.
  2. Cut the sides and connect all the parts using tape.
  3. Using the finished paste and paper, glue the workpiece in 2-3 layers, allowing each to dry for 6-8 hours.
  4. On the upper part closer to the edges, make two holes where to stick the tape. Fill with sweets, glue holes.
  5. Draw the front part with blue paper using double-sided tape and the rest with corrugated fringe.
  6. On the front side, stick the autobot face cut out of white paper according to the drawing.

Pinata with the logo of the Autobots from the movie Transformers

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Harvesting for this piñata can be done according to the master class of birds from Angry Birds. Only the decoration will be different, for which it will be required:

  • corrugated paper – green and orange;
  • printed eyes and a mouth for a turtle.

After gluing and drying the ball, you can begin to design it with the indicated materials according to the following simple instructions:

  1. Make a lot of fringe strips from green paper, practically for the whole pinata, and from orange – only 4-5 pieces.
  2. The last stick in the middle. Green to draw the remaining surface of the ball.
  3. Fill with filling, mask the hole with masking tape.
  4. On the side to make a bow turtles bandanas, as shown in the photo.

Ninja Turtle Pinata

Pirate pinata

Another type of piñata, where the blank is a ball using the papier-mâché technique. You can do it according to the instructions in the first master class. For decoration you will need:

  • black corrugated paper – 10-12 sheets;
  • orange corrugated paper – 1 sheet;
  • printed image of a skull – 1 pc.;
  • stick – 1 pc.;
  • black cardboard – 1 sheet.

The design here is very simple, and the child will cope with it. Having made the blank, you can proceed to decorate according to the following instructions:

  1. From black corrugated paper, cut the fringe in the form of strips, glue them over the whole ball.
  2. Stick the skull image on top.
  3. Attach a low black cardboard cylinder to the side. Insert a stick in its center and glue a few short strips of orange corrugated paper to it..

Cannonball pinata with pirate symbol

How to fill piñata

There are many options for filling piñata for children. The main thing is not to use fragile beating and sharp objects that can injure the child and others. It is not necessary to fill the toy completely, but to about half, so that there is empty space. So the pinata will not be too heavy, and upon impact it will begin to swing and dodge.

Pinata with sweets and sweets inside.

Sweets and tinsel

The classic stuffing toys are sweets. Sweets should be light and small, because they will pour on the baby’s head. It’s better to choose toffee and candy. Chocolates in the process of beating can be substantially damaged. Another filling option is confetti and tinsel. If you add small pieces of foil, you can make pinata breaking more spectacular.

Pinyata sweets

Toys and souvenirs

When choosing toys for filling piñata, you should know that they must be soft and small so as not to burden the structure and injure the child after breaking the product. Figures of soldiers, small cars – fit when the hero of the occasion is a boy. Erasers, bracelets, bows and hairpins – such a “stuffing” will be happy at the girls’ holiday.

Toys

How to break a piñata

You can use a bat or a stick to break a pinata. The right to the first blow is given to the smallest participant, because because of growth he is unlikely to be able to immediately break the toy. As a result, everyone will be able to participate in the fun. As for the location, it is better to hang the toy on the street, for example, under the branches of a spreading tree. At home it should be the largest room.

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Comments: 3
  1. Teagan

    Can anyone share a simple and easy guide on how to make a homemade piñata? Additionally, I’m curious about what sort of items could be filled inside to make it exciting for both children and adults, be it for a holiday celebration or a birthday party. Any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated!

    Reply
    1. Sophia Rice

      Making a homemade piñata is a fun and straightforward process. Firstly, gather materials like cardboard, newspaper strips, glue, tape, tissue paper, and string. Start by shaping the cardboard into your desired piñata shape, such as a star or animal. Then, papier-mâché the cardboard by layering newspaper strips soaked in glue over it. Allow it to dry completely before repeating the process for added strength. Once dry, decorate the piñata using colorful tissue paper and glue. As for fillings, include a mix of items suitable for both children and adults. For youngsters, consider small toys, stickers, and candy. For adults, mini liquor bottles, individual snacks, and small trinkets can add excitement. Remember to adjust fillings according to the occasion, like chocolates for a birthday party or themed items for holidays. Enjoy creating your homemade piñata, and let the fun begin!

      Reply
  2. Luna Mitchell

    I would like to know how to make a piñata from scratch. Can you provide some step-by-step instructions on creating one? Also, what are some fun and suitable fillings for both a child and an adult for different occasions like holidays or birthdays? Thanks!

    Reply
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