Birthday Parties: Three Themes for Tots
There are dozens of kid places that would love to host a birthday party for your tot, and they are plenty of fun. However, you can have fun at home with these party themes, plus your child (or siblings) can help you get the party ready, which can turn into a lot of fun for weeks in advance. There are simple themes based on favorite characters (Thomas, Mickey, Cars, or Princess) you can discover at your local retailer like Target where you can buy invites, gifts and decor. Our themes go an extra mile of being creative with simple things that kids love. Pick a theme based on what your little one enjoys the most. Send the invites 3-4 weeks in advance and ask for a week in advance deadline. Then, you will have enough time to get the right amount of food, crafts and goody bags for your party. A great way to remember to give your guests their goody bags is to place each one on a hanger with their coat if you have a small amount of guests, or even give them to the moms upfront. Send a thank you note within a few weeks and relax until the following year. Try these three successful party themes for your child's next birthday. Have fun!
Movie Premiere
Invite
Simply print it out on colored paper, but the details should be drawn similar to movie titles. For example: You are invited to the premiere of "Dylan's 2nd birthday" starring Dylan. Turn this into a movie program.
Decor
You will need the red carpet (glue two pieces of red foam paper together) and stars (cut star shapes and stick them with double-sided scotch tape on the windows). Find a few pictures of the movie stars you and your tot like, print them and place throughout on the walls.
Activities
- Roll out the red carpet (shop for a piece of red fabric about 6 feet long). As the guests walk in, snap a movie premiere picture of each one that you can later put in a sparkly frame.
- The frame is easy to make. Simply get two pieces of colorful construction paper, cut a large square in the middle of one of them and glue it onto the uncut piece just half an inch on 3 out of 4 sides (so you can slide the picture in). Add some glitter or stickers on the top and you are done. This way, each photo will appear in a beautiful sparkly frame and it is a fun crafting activity for kids.
- A popular game of Guess that movie character is perfect for this occasion. Little ones can pretend they are a Thomas train or a dancing Mickey. One person pretends he is the character using only gestures and no words while others try to guess. Each winning guess gets a special sticker (film-related, of course).
- What would be a movie themed party without a movie? Show a short kids' cartoon or movie and offer snacks.
Food
Use star-shaped cookie cutters to make grilled cheese sandwiches for the little stars.
Offer movie theatre snacks: pop-corn to kids over 4 and adults, junior mints, gummy bears, M&Ms, etc.
Goody bag
3-D glasses and a bag of M&Ms are the perfect parting gifts for this themed party. For a small party, you can also splurge on an Awards Night Statuette
Rock Stars
Invite
You will need to cut two circles for each invite - one out of black paper and a smaller one out of white. Then, glue the white circle in the middle of the black circle and there you have your "record" invite. Pick the paper that is thin enough to go into a regular mailing envelope.
Decor
Similar to how you made the invites, make a few records, or copy some of your own and cut out the shapes. Then, using a piece of yarn or string, string them on around the windows and walls. You can also draw (or copy) music symbols and cut them out of foam paper and place throughout.
Activities
- The first obvious activity is having a big box of music toys for kids to play with - you may have some already bought, or offer pots, sticks and shakers to play with. You can make music with just about anything!
If you've seen musicians playing music for kids at various kid spots, ask them if they do parties. Another good place to check is at local music classes, or scout on the web. If one of the parents can play, this is a cheap alternative - just learn a few songs and get ready to rock!- If you have a karaoke machine, this may be fun for older kids and adults. Check out your local ON Demand from your cable company, you can find karaoke there too.
- Ask the kids to sing any song they know and offer temporary music tattoos for each one. You will be amazed at what a great show you can put together unrehearsed!
- Finally, a game of musical chairs is in order!
Food
Order a cake shaped like a guitar or bake cupcakes and ice them with a music symbol. All the popular kid staples - mac & cheese, hot dogs, and PB&J are all good rock star foods too.
Goody bag
Windy City Inflatables makes a lot of fun inflatable instruments - guitars, keyboard, saxophones, and microphones - a perfect gift for the occasion.
Cooking party
Invite
Your invite should look like a restaurant menu. The easiest way to do it is to use some graphics from the web and print them on colored paper. Use the language found in a typical menu but twist it around to fit your occasion. For this kind of party, kids should get involved in cooking at least some of the food, so list what they will make.
Decor
This party is really more about decorating the kitchen than anything else. Turn this into a kitchen birthday celebration.
Activities
- Every chef needs a hat, so start your cooking party with the making of their own chef paper hats. Use this link on eHow.com on how to make your own paper hat.
- All the guests should already have your invites that list the party's menu. Now start reading through each recipe - read it in full before you make each dish. Then, get your ingredients and cooking tools ready. Kid-friendly utensils include measuring cups, mixing bowls, wooden spoons, and whisks. You can find plenty of kids-friendly recipes on a site like this.
- For younger kids, making apple or carrot prints is another fun activity. Or, try turning strawberries into mice by adding icing.
Food
This is the easy part here, since the whole party will revolve around food. I suggest a pizza with creative toppings, fruit salad and baked chips with home-made dip for a fun and healthy menu.
Goody bag
You can find party-size bags of various foods - from pretzels and goldfish to candy and mints - these are great for cooking favors. Another good inclusion is cookie cutter with fun shapes. Or, check out growingcooks.com for cooking-themed party favors.
