Help the children roll a piece of construction paper into a cone shape and staple or tape into place. Make the cone with a radius of about 8 inches. The children can paint or glue colored dots on the cone. Glue or tape different-colored curling ribbon around the inside bottom of half the clown hat. This resembles the clown hair. Glue a large pom-pom on the tip of the hat. To make the hats stay on, poke two holes on opposite sides of the hat and place a piece of elastic through both holes. The children will put the elastic string underneath their chins to keep the hats in place.
Make a tightrope by spray painting a wood stud, 2 inches by 4 inches by 8 feet, in bright colors. Lay the stud on the floor and have the children practice their tightrope walking skills. For added fun, award prizes for children who can walk the rope backward, balance a book on their head while walking the rope or hop the entire length of the rope on one foot. Award the children with circus-themed prizes, such as circus peanuts, popcorn and bags of cotton candy.
Have each one of your students select their two favorite animal crackers from a bag of crackers. Give the children markers and have them color their animals. After the crackers dry, paint the animal crackers with clear nail polish or varnish in a well-ventilated area. Once the varnish or nail polish dries, glue small magnets or flat-backed craft pins to the animal crackers. Each child should have a circus-themed magnet and a pin to take home.
Print a picture of a tiger with his mouth open and glue it on the bottom of a cardboard box. Cut the mouth out and lean the box against a wall. Draw a line about 10 feet from the tiger and tell the children to try to toss beanbags in his mouth. The player who gets the most beanbags in the tiger's mouth wins the game. You can purchase beanbags at a craft store or make your own using socks, rubber bands and dry beans.