Do you have a little one with a birthday coming up? Then it's time to celebrate! Your kid will be as happy as a clam with any of these summer birthday party themes. Continue reading "5 Summer Birthday Themes for Kids" »
December Birthdays
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and you know what that means? It's December and it's time to celebrate all your favorite December babies! If there's a month made for fun festivities, it's this month. So what are some of the best ways to celebrate December birthdays? Well, we put together a short list of some of our faves: Continue reading "December Birthdays" »
Four Fun Party Ideas for Kids
Back in the day, you were happy to get those letters that spelled “Happy Birthday” on your cake while your friends sang, and then you played outside. Not anymore. Parties are way more fun, and way more themed. Here are some really fun party ideas you're going to want to do. Continue reading "Four Fun Party Ideas for Kids" »
Easy and Simple Sesame Street Birthday Party
There is not much more that my son loves than Elmo and the “Letter of the Day” song. Most kids are enamored by Sesame Street, and parents love that they love it because it’s so educational. Why not make this the theme of a party? Sesame Street Birthday Parties are fun and very simple for parents to host. Here are a few ideas for a modest party that won’t break the bank.
Party Decorations
The great thing about Sesame Street is there is an endless supply of decorations. You can spend anywhere from $5 to $500. Shop at your local party store. They'll have great ideas. Use street signs as party deocr but instead of "Sesame Street", name it after your special birthday boy or girl. Include the bright colors of seasme street throughout the party, as well as incorporate the characters. Don't forget to have Sesame Street playing in the background.
Sesame Street Party Food
Have you seen the adorable vegetable and fruit trays staged after the characters? For Elmo, use cherry tomatoes or sliced strawberries. Spread them out on a round platter evenly and then place 2 small round containers of white dip for eyes and place a blueberry in the middle. You can use broccoli for Oscar The Grouch, blueberries for Grover and pineapple for Big Bird. These are absolutely adorable and the kids will love them.
Party Games
The Letter of the Day and Number of the Day songs are so much fun for the little ones. To personalize these songs, choose the Letter of the Day to be the child’s name, and the Number of the Day the age he or she is turning. These are fun songs to sing with the littles while they clap and stomp along.
Instead of your traditional Pin the Tail on the Donkey, try Pin the Nose on Elmo. If you are artsy or have a friend that is, Elmo can easily be drawn on a roll of paper, and then making tiny tissue poms for his nose! Just use a little double sided tape to help the nose stick.
There you have it. Age appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers, and engaging enough for parents to participate with them. Enjoy planning!
Batter Up – Baseball Themed First Birthday
Recently I got to celebrate my son's first birthday. Being just one-year-old, he's not quite able to voice preferred theme ideas for his party, so we went with something pretty universal and characteristic for a warmer-weather birthday bash. We picked baseball, and I'm so glad that we did. More specifically, we stayed in the red and white category and utilized everything from borrowed baseballs to old Coca-Cola glass bottles. It was fun, and I want to share how we pulled it off!
Make it a Joint Affair
Probably the best decision I made when planning this party was to combine it with some friends of ours whose little boy was born three days after ours. To share all the details that come with trying to pull off a halfway decent party is so nice. It was my friend's idea, and as soon as she suggested it I was sold. We were able to split costs on food and decorations, PLUS we could use both of our connections to borrow a lot of things that ended up being staples at the party–like our tables, centerpieces, and most importantly our venue!
Be Flexible
When rain pulled the plug on our initial plans of having it on a baseball field, we used a local high school field house (for free!) that ended up being the most ideal location possible. It was indoor, but still roomy enough for kids to run around and be crazy for a little while. My favorite thing about it, other than the intense sporty feel of the place, was that it was a perfect indoor playing ground for the kids. Having it indoors brought to mind how chaotic the party may have been on a huge baseball field. The kids were more contained, yet were in a location where they didn't feel contained. When I was dreaming up this party I envisioned a baseball diamond, but having to re-think it provided us with more insight on how to improve the flow of the party.
Choose Two Colors
We decided to stick with red and white for almost everything we contributed to the party's visual. Even the food was mostly red and white. It made it pop and actually made it easier to shop for essentials. I had a few clear vases that I filled with red candies to add a little flair to the food table. We borrowed baseballs from friends that we sat around as decoration. We had only a few long tables that we placed around benches for seating and they had red (disposable!!!) tablecloths on them.
The Coca-Cola bottles I mentioned were borrowed as well and were clear with red and white writing on them. We used them as one of the table centerpieces filled with white daisies. Not EVERYTHING was red or white, but for the most part we tried to stick with those colors so that the baseball theme would really stand out. You can choose the colors of your favorite baseball team, as well!
The Food
Our party was right after lunch, so we just provided snacks. Like I mentioned, we scattered clear vases with red candy in them around the food table. That was easy decoration, plus, it was another food option for our guests.
Any party's biggest food contribution is always the cake. We decided on cupcakes after looking online and finding a cute and easy way to ice cupcakes so that they looked like baseballs. We iced the top layer with white and then used red icing for the baseball stitches. It was super easy, just a little time-consuming.
We devoted an entire afternoon to our cupcakes. Our party was fairly small, so we ended up making about 50 cupcakes and we probably could have used more. I recommend coming up with a rough estimate of people you are expecting and doubling that number when you're deciding how many cupcakes to prepare. You can always let people take some home.
Instead of making individual cakes for the birthday boys to eat, we made two oversized cupcakes iced like baseballs. Neither one of us owned an oversized cupcake pan (I don't know anyone who does) so we improvised Continue reading "Batter Up – Baseball Themed First Birthday" »
Have S'more Fun
Planning a kid's birthday party can leave mommies scratching their heads. How do moms work, raise their children and plan unique birthday parties? Moms read the Celebration Advisor of course.
This summer, give your little boy or girl a party everyone can enjoy. A camping themed party can be a fun and relaxed way to celebrate the passing of a joyful year. Not only can you celebrate your themed party in your own backyard, but everyone in the family can be a part of the preparation and activities.
S’more Party Food
For your camping themed party, you have plenty of options for your food that everyone will enjoy! A buffet style food table is ideal and will be just as relaxed as the mood of your party.
For starters, send the men of the family to their favorite spot, the grill. Hot dogs and hamburgers are the perfect meal for picky eaters and are budget friendly to make for a group of 20 kids.
Lets not forget about dessert! For a sweet treat, allow the boys to eat dirt, well “chocolate dirt”. Fill a mason jar with three layers: brownie, chocolate pudding and crushed Oreos. To wash down dessert, serve “bug juice” which is Kool Aid with floating gummy worms. This will be the hit of the night.
Fun Camping Activities
There are plenty of fun party activities that all kids will enjoy! For the afternoon, a rented jump castle can be used for rotation around hot dogs and hamburgers. After dinner, I suggest a scavenger hunt to allow their tummies to settle. They can search for fun items around the yard and go on an outdoor adventure. To cap off the night, a movie night on the lawn is the perfect way to end the night, just add s’mores for an extra treat.
Party Decorations
All decorations for this party can be homemade or if you're not into DIY, you can easily visit your local party store. However, if you plan to use DIY party decor, there are lots of fun ideas to create a fun camping themed party.
Start off with old wooden planks for “no girls allowed” signs. To bring the jump castle into the camping theme, simply place another wooden sign with “Don’t feed the bears” written on it. The jump castle resembles a cage and is the perfect area for the kids to act like animals. For the entrance, make your own cloth banner for “Camp Landon” using triangle pieces of cloth for a rustic look. All of these fun party decorations combined together will truly transport you to the woods.
Party Favors
Make sure your guests take supplies as they travel on the trail back home. Some party favors that can be used over and over are:
- Flash Lights: easy access night-light
- Trail Mix: the perfect snack for later adventures
- Seed Packets: to start wildlife of their own
Saying thank you with these great party favors will truly be the icing on the cake for them.
Wedding and Party Network is camping out and we’re inviting you. Enjoy a s’more on us with this great party theme idea!
How To Create A Clown Town Kids Birthday Party
Need A Party Theme Or Idea For A Kid's Birthday Party? Think Clowns!
Clowns are great for birthday parties. They are fun and make little ones giggle. So throw a clown town kids birthday party. How? Hire a few professional clowns. When you hire the clowns find out which special skills they have, such as balloon animals, face painting or magic tricks. It is important to know what the clowns will be doing to entertain the children.
In Clown Town Everyone Has A Job (Skill)
Hire several clowns with different skills and set up little towns (performance areas) for the children to visit. Use cardboard, paint and markers to create the backdrop for each town. For instance, you've hired 3 clowns: one who does juggling and magic, one who does balloon animals, and one who paints faces. Create a "stage with curtains" for the magic-juggling clown. Now the magic-juggling clown has the perfect place to perform his magic for the kids.
You can do the same thing with the balloon animal clown. Draw a circus tent or zoo setting on a piece of cardboard. Be sure to sue bright colors when you paint the cardboard.
The face painting clown will need more than a backdrop. This clown will need a chair or stool for the kids to sit on while she paints faces. Paint animals, balloons, butterflies and superheros on the cardboard. This backdrop will contain all the images the clown will paint on your kiddos faces.
Not An Artist? Easy Tips For Creating Party Backdrops
If your not good at free hand drawing, use coloring books. Grab a page out of a coloring book and have it blown up at a copy store. Using the enlarged page as a pattern, you can now trace the pattern on to the cardboard. Another decorating option can be found at your local party supply store – decals and stickers.
Making A Sturdy Clown Town
To set up your clown town, use more cardboard to brace the cardboard towns. You will angle the cardboard in similar fashion as a desk top picture frame. If the party is outside or in a garage attach the card board to the walls or fence with packing tape.
Decorating The Party Food Table
Decorate your food and gift tables with balloons and streamers. Use colored craft paper as tablecloths and place your snacks, clown party cake and punch on the tables and call it the snack town.
The kids will love the clown town. The clown town layout is great for managing large groups of kids. Each clown town can handle a different set of kids. For example, send one group to the magic clown and another group to the face painter. By rotating the smaller groups, each child will have a better opportunity to see the clowns perform.
WeddingandPartyNetwork.com is happy to bring you this party planning idea.
Dads, You Can Build An Awesome Party For Kids
Dad's do you feel left out when it comes to planning a party for your child?
You are not alone. Many times, Dads feel left out when it comes to planning kids parties. What they don't realize is moms are tired of planning every party for their child. This year try reversing the roles. Dads let the moms sit back and watch as you do it all.
Dads don't panic you can plan it. Yes you can. For dads looking for children's party ideas, I've got four easy steps to building a great party. Use the following steps as the building blocks in constructing a great kids party.
STEP 1 – Party Theme
Start with a theme (a concept for the party – pirates, star wars etc.) which help focus the other basics steps and guide us in planning the party. For our example, the party will have a construction theme.
A construction party consists of the parents helping the party attendees to build an item. You can choose to build any number of things. For children ages 3-5, build a truck or a car with construction paper. Using pre-cut paper trucks and cars have the children color and draw in wheels or special features. You can cut cars and trucks from your old car magazines and let the kids glue them to old milk cartons as a way to build their own car. For kids 6-10, build bird houses out of Popsicle sticks. All you need are popsicle sticks, glue and some craft paint. You can buy bulk popsicle sticks at most craft stores. These are just a couple of theme suggestions. When choosing a theme draw from your own and your child's interest.
STEP 2 – Party Invitations
Invitations should include a minimum of four things: Who, What, Where, When.
Begin by setting the date and the place. Once you've got that you can decide about whom to invite. Most experts say for children 3-5 invite their age plus 1. So, if your child is 3 invite four, 4 invite 5, 5 invite 6. With children 6 and over you can use the rules given or invite the amount of kids you feel comfortable entertaining.
Invitations should be personally delivered or mailed at least 2 weeks prior to the event. I also suggest picking an invitation that displays the theme. For our example it needs to be something that represents a construction theme. Hanny Manny invitations would be a good example of a construction theme or even ones that have Tonka Toy backhoes or dirt movers on them. You should be able to find kids theme invitations at party or stationary supply stores.
STEP 3 Party Decorations:
When choosing decorations work from your theme. You'll notice that when you were choosing your invitations the party store carried theme decoration as well. You will find that items like napkins, posters, plates, cups and other theme party decorations will compliment the Hanny Manny or Bob the Builder invitations you have already selected. If you can't find character or decorations based on your theme, use colorful streamers or balloons to dress up your party area. Although not necessarily a decoration, party favors are a must. Now is the time you will want to pick up the party favors. The best kids party favor is a small gift bag containing candy, toys or fun items for each child.
Step 4 Party Food:
A little food goes a long way with kids since most kids 3 to 10 years old would rather play than eat. I recommend with younger kids in this age group you serve cake and ice cream only. But the cake should be specially designed around the theme. As for drinks, I suggest bottle of soda and water or juice boxes. Be sure to contact your bakery one week ahead, so they can create your party theme cake.
So there you have it dads. A blueprint for building the perfect kids party. Go out and build one today!
These tips for planning a kids party were brought to you by the wonderful local party vendors in the United States and Canada.
Chalk It Up Party
Chalk Theme Party
This party idea came to by way of my neighbor, an ever inventive father of two. His daughter’s birthday was soon approaching. Since he is a single father in need of party help, I suggested he choose a party theme related to one of his daughter's favorite activities. It seems Christina, 4 soon to be 5, was into drawing. In fact, her dad said he had works of art everywhere in his house.
So the party girl was into drawing and this lead to Chris (the father) to decide a party outside on his driveway would work. His plan was to get several tubs of sidewalk chalk for the entertainment part of the party. The little party Picassos could draw all over his driveway to their hearts content.
The day before the party Chris power washing his driveway and sets up some tables he rented. On the day of the party, I helped him by stringing some colorful streamers and balloons, as well as assembling the party favors bags. Each child received a bag of party favors containing coloring books with crayons, black craft paper with chalk (black works best for chalk) and some bubble gum and assorted candies. The cake was an airbrushed version of one of his daughter’s art pieces. The cake was so cool! Christiana squealed with delight when she saw her own drawing on her birthday cake. Between the cake, the party favors and sidewalk chalk entertainment, the kids had a blast. Chris could not have picked a better party theme for Christina's birthday party.
I suggest, if your going to have Chalk It Up Party, you do it in early spring or early fall. Driveways either cement or asphalt get extremely hot during the summer months and can burn bare feet and knees. You’ll find this theme is a minimal effort party that young kids can enjoy. As a parent you can pull it together in a short amount of time and clean up is a breeze.
A New Approach To Tween Girl Parties.
Planning A Party For Your Pre-teen Daughter?
Of course you can always do a party for your tween girl using the many tween idols of the day; Hannah Montana or High School Musical. While these are great themes, every party your child has been to in the last six months has been a Hannah Montana party. UGH!! By now you've grown tired of the same theme, but your tween's birthday is drawing near. So what to do?
Creating Your Own Teenage Superstar
Ask yourself what does my tween girl want? To be glamorous and dress up like older (teenage) girls. You know the phrase 12 going on 20. So for one day, her birthday allow her to be a teenager (with full adult supervision of course). Employ a teenage girl and maybe her friends to do the tween girls make up and hair. Buy a few inexpensive foundations, and eye shadows, lipstick for the teenagers to use on tweens. Create a runway decorated with streamers and lights. Have the tweens walk the runway as the teenagers vote on who has the best style. You can even give the winner a special prize. For party favors give mini little lip gloss along with some inexpensive nail polish and bracelets. Hanging out with real teenages is the best part for these tweens.
If it is a small party, you can have the tweens make their own pizza. If not, order pizza from your local pizza parlor. For the "cake” choose something unusual like cup cakes or fancy cookies. Create a special drink for the tweens or serve an assortment of canned sodas.
Using a popular tween idol for a themes is certainly okay, but it can also be fun for you to do a creative party such as the one above. Plus this is an added bonus teenagers like to be idolized by the younger set as well so you get bring the two groups together.
