Here’s a fun and tasty game for older toddlers and preschoolers! We call it, “Finding Froggy.” This game is based on the traditional sleight of hand magic trick.
You will need a bag of marshmallows, food coloring, 1 small paint brush, 3 opaque cups –paper ones work great, and a clean flat surface.
First, decorate a whole bunch of frogs by using a small paintbrush to paint food coloring onto the marshmallows. Red is great for the eyes, and yellow and green make lovely spots for the back. Try and prepare these before the day of the party so you don’t get overwhelmed with preparations on the day of. Alternatively you can just buy colored marshmallows. Young kids are very suggestible so if you tell them that they are frogs, most of them will happily go along with it even if the marshmallows are not decorated at all!
You can set up either at a table or sit anywhere and use a large cookie sheet for your surface. Place your three cups upside down and invite the kids to come and “find Froggy!” It’s best if you use an exaggerated stage magician voice. Hold up one of the “frogs” so the children can see it, and say, “If you can find the froggy, you can eat it!” Put the “frog” under one of the cups then quickly begin moving the cups around on the cookie sheet. Be careful not to squish your frog or tip over the cups! After about 15 seconds, ask the children to guess where the frog is. The child who guesses correctly gets to eat it. Make sure you move the winner to the back of the crowd so that every child gets a chance to win. If mobbing becomes a problem, move to a place where only 1 or 2 kids can get close enough to touch the cups.
Quick and easy variation: Use frog gummy candies instead of marshmallows.
Healthy variation: Use raisins instead of marshmallows and tell the kids that they are very hungry frogs and that the raisins are yummy flies!