How To Make An Easy Homemade Piñata From A Balloon

Are you looking for a cheap and easy way to make a piñata at home? Use our easy tutorial to learn how to turn a balloon into a cool DIY party game your kids will ask you to make for every gathering!

yellow plastic bat hitting balloon piñata hanging from a tree.

Why You Will Love This Craft

KID-FRIENDLY – Kids of all ages will love getting a little messy with flour paper-mache.
CUSTOMIZABLE – Easily decorate your piñata to fit any theme!
GREAT FOR PARTIES – No matter what holiday, a piñata is always a hit.

Supplies You’ll Need

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balloon, newspaper, bowl, flour and measuring cup on a countertop.

1 Balloon*
1 1/2 Cups Water
Newspaper or Old Brown Bags
1 Cup Flour
Colored Tissue Paper
1 T Salt
Small Prizes

Notes About Supplies

This pack of balloons has also been a hit for extra games around our house.
You can use cardboard or a different base than a balloon.
You may want to double the paper mache recipe to 3 cups of water and 2 cups of flour to make sure you have enough.

How To Make A Piñata From A Balloon

BEFORE YOU BEGIN – Blow your balloon up to the desired size and place it in a bowl. This will help you have a stand to work on.

hand using whisk to make flour paper mache.

Step 1: Make Paper Maché Paste

Combine flour and salt into a large bowl. Add water. Whisk together until smooth.

hand with scissors cutting strips of brown bag.

Step 2: Cut Strips Of Paper

You will want to precut your newspaper or old paper brown bags into strips of paper about 1 inch wide. This can vary depending on your project.

hands putting brown paper into flour paste.

Step 3: Dip Paper Strips In Paste

Dip a whole strip of newspaper into the flour mixture. Pull it out while keeping it flat on the edge of the bowl or use your fingers to remove excess paste.

Step 4: Add 1st Layer To The Balloon

Keep strips flat and place them on the balloon or base. Rubbing it to get flat.

Step 5: Add Second & Third Layer

Overlap strips in different directions. You do not want the papier-mache strips to all go the same way. You can add color with regular tissue paper.

Step 6: Let Your Piñata Fully Dry

Your piñata base may take up to 24-48 hours to completely dry.

Step 7: Let Dry, Pop The Balloon & Cut A Door

Cut out a shape on the top big enough for you to drop your prizes into. Use an X-Acto knife to cut a square flap from the top. Do not cut the whole shape. Cut 3 sides so the top of the piñata flips open.

hand holding xacto knife cutting a hole.

Step 11: Add A String

Punch or cut two small holes far enough away from the opening and add a string or ribbon across the top.

prizes inside a homemade balloon piñata.

Step 11: Add Prizes

Add lightweight prizes inside your piñata.

new tissue paper on top of paper mache balloon pinata.

Step 12: Close The Lid and Add More Paper Mache

You can tape the lid shut. For best results, we recommend adding a small amount of papier-mache and new strips on top of the door seams. Let it fully dry.

Tips

Use thinner paper for smoother results.
Make sure to rotate the piñata when drying. We kept ours in a bowl and just rotated it. On a sunny day, you can also speed up the drying time by placing your balloon outside.
Don’t put too heavy prizes inside the piñata.
Add confetti with the prizes for extra fun.
3-4 layers should work for strength. Don’t use more than 4 layers, as you might end up with a very sturdy piñata that is too hard for kids to break.

Piñata FAQs

Can you use glue instead of flour paste?

Yes, a watered-down glue mixture should work if your newspaper is thin enough. We have even used old brown paper towels (the kind schools use) for papier-mache projects.

Do you have to use a balloon?

No, you could use thin cardboard or even a cereal box as a base for your homemade pinata.

little boy hitting balloon piñata with a plastic bat.

Creative Piñata Games To Try

We normally just use the classic blindfold-and-take-turns method for breaking the piñata, and then everyone gets to pick up candy and prizes once it breaks. Here are a few other games you may want to try.

CLASSIC BLINDFOLDED SWING – Kids take turns swinging while blindfolded with adult guidance for safety.
TEAM RELAY – Split into teams and rotate turns with one swing per player to keep everyone involved.
PASS THE SWING – Like the classic hot potato game, kids pass the stick around while music plays, whoever is holding it when it stops gets the turn
TIMED CHALLENGE – Set a timer and see how many hits the group can get before time runs out
FREEZE SWING – Kids can only swing when music is playing, when it stops, they have to freeze.

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Making a piñata from a balloon is a little messy, but so worth it. We just love that you can create such a customized DIY party game with very basic supplies. Have fun making your homemade piñata!