Making your pinata into a pull-string pinata!

The pull-string pinata game is fun and simple. It is a more structured game than the traditional pinata game and is recommended for young children. To make your pinata into a pull-string pinata, you will need:

A sharp knife or pair of scissors	Glue	A pull-string kit

And, of course,

Your Pinata!

Remove the fringe from the bottom of your pinata. The bottom should be smooth.

Using a sharp knife, cut a 3-sided "trapdoor" flap measuring approximately 4" by 4" on the bottom of the pinata.

Make a small hole in the center of the flap and pull out any remaining newspaper. Fill the space with candy and/or toys.

Thread the ribbon that is tied to the cardboard washer through the hole in the flap from the inside out. This washer is used to reinforce the flap. It may be glued or taped to the inside of the flap so no part of the washer sticks out of the flap. The ribbon attached to the washer will be the one that releases the candy!

Close the trapdoor. Without sealing the door shut, hide the edges with tissue paper using glue or tape. Glue the ends of the rest of the ribbons to the bottom of the pinata and cover the ends with tissue paper, completely covering the bottom of the pinata. You don't want kids to be able to see which ribbon goes through the trapdoor, so you will want to cover as much of the bare space as possible. Allow the glue to dry.

To play the pull-string pinata game, line up children. Each child gets a turn pulling a string from the pinata. The only string that will release the candy is the one that you put through the trapdoor. The other strings will simply come off. When the candy is released, each child can grab a handful, and you can throw out additional candy as well, or provide each child with a goody bag. Some parents opt to tie a piece of candy to the end of each ribbon so each child is rewarded as he or she pulls the string off the pinata, even if the trapdoor is not opened. Have fun!