8 Innovative Ideas to Make Your Kid’s Themed Birthday Party a Hit
Planning a birthday party for your child can sometimes feel more stressful than having the kid in the first place, and when you add in the common kiddie demand for a theme, it can feel like a daunting challenge.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. This article condenses all the wisdom we have to offer on themed birthday parties into 8 useful tips to make this stressful experience a fun one for you as a parent and organizer.
1. Use invitations to provide event details
The first step to making your child’s birthday a success is to ensure all the guests have all the info. This includes the theme, of course, and other details such as the venue, timing, et cetera.
The best part is, you don’t need to worry about the design aspect! You can easily create your own vibrant, customized themed invitations by using birthday invitations templates offered by services like PosterMyWall. You get to choose whichever theme works best with your creative vision and your kid’s latest obsession.
Send these out, and let’s get this party started!
2. Choose the perfect theme
Evidently, a themed birthday party requires a theme. While most of the time children take the lead in this arena and already have several ideas picked out well before their big day, it doesn’t hurt to have a few of your own at your disposal.
You can’t go wrong with the classics. So go ahead and utilize any of the following fan favorites for the perfect bash:
Superheroes
Halloween/fancy dress party
Wild West
Pirates
There are also lots of kid-specific options out there:
Disney/Pixar characters
Animal party
Color theme (pick your kid’s favorite)
Robots
And so on. Since there’s no end to the list, pick one, and commence planning!
3. Match the decor to the theme
Decor is the first thing guests notice when they walk in the door.
Bright, colorful, and aesthetically appealing decor will instantly boost everybody’s mood and put them in the partying spirit. Conversely, drab walls and surfaces might dampen the mood and set a bad starting point for the party.
Thankfully, with themed birthdays, you don’t have to spend too much time coming up with color combinations and ideas for decorative motifs from scratch. You simply have to match the theme you chose.
Streamers always add that old-school touch, and a couple of themed birthday posters will also do the trick.
For a more modern touch, rent a carnival cart prop in which to serve snacks or themed party favors. You can also match napkins, balloons, confetti, or even a themed piñata to spice things up.
Now that your party base is set, you’re all set to move on to the particulars.
4. Curate a themed menu
Pop quiz time.
Question: Approximately 20 hyper kids are showing up at your house for a party. What do you serve to placate them?
Answer: FOOD!
Curating a menu that goes according to your theme can seem like a hassle, but having your food match the theme and decor can really bring a cohesive touch to the party.
You can guide guests about your menu by easily creating a menu card with the help of customizable templates available online. This tiny gesture is not only helpful information for guests, but it also elevates the level of your party by making it appear more professionally put-together.
Nowadays lots of businesses offer themed catering such as party snacks including birthday cakes, mini cupcakes, sandwiches, and so on, along with themed utensils and cutlery. That is one option to go for, and one that is sure to attract children.
However, you don’t need to splurge on fancy catering services; just DIY it! You can match and contrast little pops of color in the food with the theme rather than having an exact replica of Thor’s head on a cupcake. This idea is light on the pocket and adds an elegant touch to the event.
5. Let your child play the grownup
Delegating some duties for their party not only inculcates a sense of responsibility and ownership within your child, but it also takes some of the weight off your own back.
Talk to them about what good hosting etiquettes include, such as checking up on their guests in case they need anything, helping in serving the food, giving directions to the washroom, and so on.
Most kids will jump at the opportunity to play ‘adult’, which leaves you free to focus on more big picture stuff.
6. No Party Without Some Jams
It’s true. You need to pipe some music in there to really get the ball rolling. Plus, kids love a dance party! Imagine a bunch of tiny pirates and cowgirls jamming to the Kidz Bop version of Blinding Lights. Cute, right?
Unlike everything else, the music doesn’t have to be themed. But if you are, say, hosting a Disney party, then it goes without saying that Let It Go will be somewhere on your playlist.
So, turn up the volume and bask in the success of your groovy-themed party!
7. Say cheese!
Kids these days are just as obsessed with taking pictures as we are. And why shouldn’t they?
Set up a little photo booth in one corner of your house, add some homemade props (or have the kids craft them themselves at the party – it’s more fun!), and find a family member to snap pictures of all the little ones.
And there you have it. Framed memories!
8. Game over!
Now that you’ve probably stuffed 20 children with all manner of sugar, you will need to provide them a way to vent their hyper energy. This one’s easy. All kids love games, and when there’s a competitive element involved, all the better.
Here are some easy ideas that are bound to keep kids occupied and engaged for hours:
Plan a treasure hunt. The specifics of this can be tweaked to make it more theme-appropriate, but it doesn’t get more classic than this.
Invite a magician or other performer. Face painting is a cheaper alternative.
Have a series of classic party games to break up the larger group into smaller, more manageable ones: pass the parcel, musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, break the piñata, and so on.
Conclusion:
Having gone through these 8 extremely achievable ideas with immense potential to turn your child’s birthday party one to remember, you should be feeling pretty confident in trying your hand at it.