Cowboy Theme Activities

• Place cowboy hats around the party area for decoration. Marcy Maloy/Photodisc/Getty Images

  When planning a cowboy-themed party for your little one, be sure to plan several activities to keep the party guests busy. From "Wanted" outlaw posters to sawhorses, turn the party area into an area for your cowboys and sheriffs. Play exciting games kids will love, and award cowboy-themed prizes, such as hats, sheriff badges and red bandannas to all game winners.

Wheelbarrow Relay Race

• Let all the players select a partner and divide the partners into two even teams. Mark a starting line and about 15 feet away place a bale of hay with a cowboy hat on it. Have each team line up at the starting line. One of the partners in each line will get down on his hands and knees. When you say, "Go," his partner will reach down and grab his ankles. The partner will "walk" on his hands around the bale of hay, while his partner is holding his feet, and back to the rest of his team. Then, the next pair in lines goes and does the same thing. The first team to have all their players race "wheelbarrow"-style around the hay bale and back wins the game.

Horseshoe Decorating

• Have a horseshoe-decorating contest for all party guests. Most craft stores sell foam horseshoe craft kits. If you cannot find the kit, just use a horseshoe template to make several horseshoes. Place a table out with glitter, markers, colors, rhinestones and stickers for the guests to decorate their horseshoes. Award prizes to the best, funniest, silliest and scariest horseshoe.

Cow Patty Throw

• Use brown beanbags or flying discs and several different-sized buckets. Make sure the flying disc will fit in each bucket used. Mark a point value on each bucket. Place a standing line about 10 feet from the buckets. Place higher value buckets farther away from the standing line and lower value points closer to the standing line. Give each player five flying discs or beanbags to try to toss in the buckets. The player who scores the most points wins the game.

Pass the Cowboy Hat

• Get all party guests to sit in a circle and give one child a cowboy hat. Play some country music and have the guests pass the hat. The guests must put the hat on before passing it to the next player. When the music stops, the person with the cowboy hat is out of the game. Keep playing until only one player remains, who is the winner of the game. Give the player the cowboy hat to take home as a party favor. The person controlling the music should not be able to see the circle to make the game fair.