Piñata making is fun for all ages. It goes along in three stages, which can be done on different days or spread out over one day…

The base:  The easiest is magazine subscription stamps (or Easter Seals - something of that nature) stuck onto a balloon. Newspaper papier mâché strips work well too. You want stuff that isn’t too tough to whack apart! Let each layer of paper dry well before adding more.

The innards:  Once you have a dry and fairly sturdy (at least a few layers) shell, you’ll need to carefully cut a few-inch hole in what is to be the bottom of it. (Or you can wait until you’ve shaped it more, if you prefer - also, it might be stronger then.) Stuff some wrapped candy, tiny light-weight toys, etc. into the hole and paste a couple of sheets of newspaper over it. (You’ll end with a layer of colored tissue paper over this membrane.)

The shape:  Papier mâché is also good for building up the contours of the animal (or whatever) shape you want. You can lay strips over wads of newspaper, wrap them around cardboard toilet paper or paper towel tubes, smaller balloons, etc. Just try to plan ahead a bit so that you don’t reinforce the strength of the structure too much - remember that it’s supposed to be whack-apart-able!

The decorative touches:  Remember that it can’t be too tough... No doubt that’s why tissue paper and crepe paper are so ubiquitous on Mexican piñatas (and crepe paper streamers are wonderful flying around while the poor thing is being hit at!) Stickers and/or a mosaic of other paper (i.e., that will come apart) would also work well.

Let ‘er rip!