21 November 2008

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Theme Ideas
For Your Child's Birthday Party

By Amy Pellow, Event Coordinator
Owner of A Touch of Excellence, Rochester, NY

The most important factor in hosting a successful birthday party for your child is to plan well so that it is fun and interactive for the kids, not simply a place for them to just run around and play randomly. Designing activities and decorations around a specific theme can go far in maintaining the kids' focus, and to this end I have provided some ideas for theme parties. (If you have suggestions for additions to this list, please email suggestions@KidsOutAndAbout.com with the subject "party theme ideas.")

Sponge Bob Square Pants

You'll need someone to dress up as Sponge Bob, to take pictures with each child. Print out Sticker prints and have a small album for each child to trade stickers. You could go Jelly Fishing, find Jelly Fish or starfish and hide them in the yard and give each child a net. Have hamburgers to eat and call them Crabby Patties. If you have a cat, make a sign for around it neck "Gary," as the character is a snail, but meows like a cat. You could also get a pineapple as a centerpiece for your table. Party stores also supply lots of Sponge Bob paraphernalia, decorations, pinatas, etc.

Hawaiian Luau

If you have a pool, you can have a Hawaiian Luau. Get leis for the kids to wear. Have them wear their bathing suits and get grass skirts for them to wear if they choose. They can drink from coconuts (real or plastic). Have a luau and have them dance as they do in a luau. As gift bags, you can give them a pair of sunglasses, beaded necklaces or bracelets. Have the girls wear flowers in there hair.

Other Theme Party Ideas

Beach Party: If you have a swing set, and a sandbox, then you can have a beach party. Set up a volleyball or badminton game, or even crocket. Have summer foods for lunch.

Sports: Sports themes are easy, as stores have all kinds of theme decorations. Favorites seem to be baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. Favors can be sports cards, and of course you'll play the sport at the party.

Ice Skating: You can do the limbo, hokey pokey

Pool Party: If you don't have a pool or want to go to a community pool for the party, you could get a slip -n-slide.

Dora The Explorer: Other than the paper products, one of your games could be the clues and finding them on a nature hike. If you have a dog, you can have the dog as Swiper. For this theme, too, there are all kinds of decorations available commercially.

Magician Party: Hire a magician and the kids could bring their best trick. (A magician local to the Rochester area is Chris Wilkinson, The Magic Guy, who also performs at Soccer Sam's in Webster. His phone number is 224-8414.

Nascar Party: Zoom around with a racing theme! Have potato sack races, or one legged races or wheelbarrow races, or all three. Young kids have a great time at this, even if they don't know what Nascar is. Of course, party favors are matchbox cars.

Old-Fashioned Slumber party: You can also have old-fashioned milkshakes or root beer floats.

Carnival Party: Have clowns, Cotton Candy, Hot Dogs, Balloons, Stands with games like a carnival.

Junior Olympics: Have sports contests as they do on Olympics. Make sure everyone can win a prize!

Safari: Decorate as in a jungle. Party favors could include small plastic binoculars.

Treasure Island: Everyone dresses up as pirates. You can have a treasure chest with gifts for games, ie.. map with clues to find the treasure…recreate the atmosphere of the days of Black Beard and Captain Hook. Read a (short) pirate story before the games to get them in the spirit.

Ideas from Readers

Fire Fighter Party: Contact your local fire department for a tour. Ours did it for a donation. For my son's 4th birthday we went on a tour of all of the trucks and equipment. For a birthday treat we made "fire hydrants" (cupcake in ice cream cones frosted yellow). We did a project where all of the kids made oxygen tanks by covering a 2 liter bottle with tin foil and adding straps with wide fabric ribbon. For favors we gave each child a plastic fire hat (found at the dollar store) filled with stickers and treats. This was a really fun party and the first one that our local fire dept. has hosted. It was memorable for the kids and firefighters! --Kristen Gendron, Palmyra.

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If you live in the greater Rochester, NY area, and if instead of doing the party yourself, you'd prefer to sit back, relax, and let someone else take care of the details, email Amy Pellow or call her at 585-425-0963. All you have to do is supply the names and addresses of who to invite and Amy does the rest, even the food! Amy's business, A Touch of Excellence, has organized events from the smallest birthday party to the largest golf tournament in Rochester.

©Amy Pellow, 2004
All rights reserved.