Alligator party games and crafts

Here are some fun games and crafts to play at an alligator party or safari party!

1. Play “Alligator Alley” by laying alligator cut-outs, socks, or another sort of marker across your party room. Instruct kids to hop, skip, jump, or run across the “infested water” without stepping on any of the “alligators.” You can also call this game “Saving Mr. Monkey” and tell the kids they need to get past the gators to save the monkey on the other side of the river! – via The Payne Family

2. Make alligator handprint t-shirts – via Snips of Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

3. Play “Whack-a-Gator” with kickboards (so cute!) – via A Nest for All Seasons

4. “Feed the Alligator” beanbag toss – via The Preschool Experiment

5. Alligator ring toss game – for sale at Oriental Trading

6. Paint alligator clothespins – via Parenting Family Crafts

More Ideas!

Create alligator shadow puppets from basic materials, then put on a shadow puppet show.

“Feed the Alligator” – Just like pin the tail on the donkey, but in this safari themed game each child is blindfolded and must try to feed the alligator by pinning a cupcake in its mouth.

“Catch a Gator by the Tail” – Have a grown-up wear a “tail” (which can be as simple as a rope tied around your waist with a long piece hanging down the back). Run around and let the kids chase you, and when one catches you by the tail, throw some candy and then keep running while the kids scoop it up. Then the chase is on again! The game continues until all of the candy is gone.

“Fishing for Gators” – Create a fishing game using this idea from Mini-Eco, but make the game with gator shapes instead of fish. For an added twist, write numbers on the gators and see who can hook the biggest gator (take turns where everyone catches one gator each, and see whose gator has the highest number).

“Musical boats” – Cut boat shapes from poster board, or just lay small towels around the room to serve as “boats.” Let the children hop from boat to boat until the music stops. Remove a boat each time the music stops. Anyone left without a boat is “eaten by the gators.” The last child on a boat wins!

“Swamp scavenger hunt” – Hide swamp-themed items like stuffed alligators, seaweed, and fish. If you’re playing outside, add items to the list like “a large round rock,” “brown leaves,” and “a very small twig.” Give the kids a lists of the items to hunt. The player who finds the most swamp items wins!

“Crossing the Swamp” – Cover an area with a large blue sheet. Place a stuffed or plastic alligator on the sheet. Have the kids line up, and as they cross the “swamp,” chant “I’m walking, I’m walking, I’m walking across the swamp. I hope that alligator doesn’t go chomp!” Encourage the children to make a alligator chomping gestures with their arms. Continue the game with other movements such as swimming, tip toeing, jumping, crawling, hopping, etc. (via StepByStepcc.com)