Piñatas are always so much fun, and it just wouldn't feel like a birthday in our family without one. But we like our parties to be family affairs, and that usually means the guests span a large age range. That works well for the actual whacking of the piñata (the bigger kids actually have a chance of breaking it open!), but when it comes to the dive for candy, it's a problem. Tears. Accusations. Unjust distribution of candy. It's not pretty.
That's why, in our family, we do it a little differently.
We don't stuff the piñata with loose candy. We stuff it with baggies of treats--one for each child. The kids still have the fun of seeing the piñata tear open and treats shower out. They still get to dive for the goodies. But there's one for each kid, and nobody feels slighted, or at a disadvantage because there are bigger, stronger kids around.
I can't take credit for this idea. It was a tactic my mother employed at my own birthday parties, many years ago. Yesterday's post about miniature ice cream sandwiches was her idea, too. My mom rocks!