Category: Party

Children’s 4th of July party!

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Celebrate the United States’ Declaration of Independence with all the fireworks, stars and stripes that go with it for your 4th of July kids party next year! All you need is an assortment of traditional patriotic foods such as apple pie, hamburgers and ice cream, and a firework-worthy location to create the most magical commemoration of American freedom you and your family have ever experienced.

4th of July party besides the fireworks is fantastic family fun and great food. You can start by pledging allegiance to your grill and making some of America’s favourite barbeque foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, steak and chicken. Try adding an Independence Day twist to some of your favourite classics by incorporating an American flag or the colours red, white, and blue in each dish. For example, you can buy some toothpicks with an American flag attached from a party store and stick them in each of your hamburgers.

Your 4th of July party success depends largely on the location of your family gathering, whether it is a cosy barbeque or fun picnic.

Since the 4th of July takes place in the summer, it is wise to select a children’s party venue where you and your patriots can enjoy the beautiful weather and even a fun firework show after the sun sets. If you aren’t willing to host your 4th of July bash in your garden, try staking out a spot at the beach or the park where you can best enjoy the sunny weather (weather permitting of course!!!)

 

A Mario themed party

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All things Nintendo, especially Mario, so for a fun children’s party theme, why not follow these ideas?

Why not make it an outdoors party (weather permitting) so for decorations hang blue plastic tablecloths along the fence and place cut-outs of Mario goombahs coin blocks and hills drawn on poster board.

Music can be downloaded from the game which can be copied to CD and played in the background When the children arrive they can be given a fake moustache.  They can also be given red visors with the letter M painted on it (like Mario’s hat).

How about playing the game Mario Party musical “chairs”. Instead of chairs, put a picture of each character on a piece of cardboard paper and put them on the ground in a circle.

Next you can get the children to decorate their own Mario sun catchers. Put a piece of masking tape on the back so you cab write each of the children’s name on so we could tell them apart when the paint dried.

For the cake you can cover the cake in green icing and put a Mario figurine on top. To make it look like a scene from the game add mini marshmallows for clouds and mini chocolate bars for blocks a gummy mushroom and premade cake letters for the Birthday boy’s or girl’s name.

After cake the gifts can be opened and the children can get to take turns playing Mario Party 5 on two of the GameCube’s or Super Mario Brothers on the NES that can be set up around the house.

 

Creating fun memories

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Although kids’ parties can be stressful and slightly challenging to plan; your child is sure to get so much out of it and have such a good time as they celebrate their special day. Kid’s parties are all about having fun but there are real benefits that go with having a party too, that parents probably don’t’ even think about like.

Most people can look back on their childhood and recall a few magical memories from a children’s party that was either thrown in their honour or that they attended in order to celebrate someone else. These occasions often live long in the memory and as a parent, it can be just as exciting to throw your own child a party and give them tonnes of wonderful memories to look back on.

The interaction that children experience with other kids of a similar age is vital in their early development. Their interaction and social skills will be developed as they have heaps of fun, constantly interacting with their friends.

One of the most important parts of any kids’ party is the children’s party entertainer and not just because they hold the focus of the children whilst you can take a break. A great kids party entertainer will be able to really amaze the children and open their eyes to host of really exciting activities, invigorate their imaginations. The first time a child sees a seemingly impossible magic trick, or their made to feel really special will provide an unforgettable memory and teach them something really new and intriguing.

As a child, there’s nothing more exciting than your birthday party. But as a parent, one of the best parts of throwing a party for your child is the priceless look on their face as they enjoy their special day and the delightful way in which they tell you all things they loved about it.

 

Choosing the right entertainment

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There are loads of different options to choose from to make it a fun occasion but it’s important to choose what is right for your children’s party.

When planning a children’s party, one thing that will be firmly on your list of things to do is ‘hire the entertainer’. However, with so many different kinds of performers available, how do you go about choosing the perfect person to keep your little guests engaged for the duration of the event and to take the stress off you?

The Magician

A brilliant magician can really add a sense of wonder to your party. Watch as the kids are left amazed at the seemingly impossible tricks performed in front of their eyes and then encouraged to get involved in some of the magic themselves. It can be a lot of fun for families too, particularly seeing how baffled kids are by how the magic is done.

Science Parties

Science Parties are a relatively new but very exciting kind of children’s entertainment and something extremely varied and engaging for the kids and suitable for ages 4- 12. They are perfect if you are looking to mix fun and excitement with learning all about just how fantastic and fun science can be.

Kids get to watch really colourful and visual science demonstrations as well as fun experiments. Plus, science related games. This is another great option for parents as it’s very different from what you see at most parties. But we’d only recommend this if you know your kids are into science.

The Puppeteer

Puppet shows are great for children of all ages and have been part of our culture for thousands of years. They’re normally aimed at 3-7 year olds but can work for 2 years too. Even if the younger children don’t fully understand the storyline or the jokes, they can still enjoy the visual aspects and get involved with audience participation, which usually includes shouting things to the puppets and doing loads of funny actions.

Puppet shows can be the main event or form part of a huge mix of party activities. Either way, it goes down a treat and is often one of the things kids remember best.

 

Make your own party bags

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Every parent wants to be imaginative and give their little guests an amazing party bag. So why not let the kids make their own party bags at their children’s birthday party?

If you purchase some white paper party bags with handles which are perfect for the kids to draw and colour on with some colouring felt tips or pencils. Children can write their names and draw some great pictures or shapes, you could even use stencils. The coloured party bags have a special shiny coating which pens cannot be used on. Give the kids a choice of crafty bits to add to their bags e.g. fun stickers, peel and stick alphabet foam letters and shapes, die cut card shapes, trimmed fabric piece with fabric embellishments etc. –

 

Fold over the top of the colour party bags and hole punch. Thread some ribbon through and tie in a bow, makes a lovely finishing touch! You can theme your party bags to suit your children’s party theme e.g. Pirate Party, Princess Party, Fairy Party, Under The Sea Party.

 

You can fill your party bags with your handmade crafts from the party or why not fill a tub full of goodies and ask each little guest to put their hand into (in turn) to uncover a special treat to take home.

 

Getting the children involved in making their party bags makes them it a bit more special. The children are more inclined to cherish their bags when they get home, making the party even more fun.

 

Children love arts and crafts and will happily sit on a craft table for hours rather than running around a party venue trying to create their own fun and generally being a ‘bit silly’. Distraction is the key to a successful children’s party.

Toddler parties

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We all want our kids to learn their ABC’s but it always seems to be not that fun in learning them. Why not create an ABC party and bring the fun back into learning!!

Decorate your party room with punched out letters (you can buy these in any stationary shop and even supermarkets.  Use primary colours on tableware, tablecloths and balloons to match your primary coloured decorations. On each balloon spell out each child’s name attending the party, using sticky letters.

Kids Party Food

For the children make letter cut-out sandwiches (tuna, egg, or ham using white and brown bread to add colour. Serve alphabet cookies and make a cake to resemble a big alphabet block. If your child has a four or five letter name put one letter on each side of the cake with the first one on top if he/she has 5 letters!

Party Bags

Buy brown paper bags with handles and make the front of each bag look like an alphabet block by painting a thick border around the perimeter with a cut-out letter pasted in the front, the first letter of each guest’s name.  Fill the bags with a word search book (according to age of child); or an alphabet book; or you could buy fridge magnet letters and make sure the child’s name is in their bag.

Games/Crafts.

Buy white t-shirts and iron on transfer paper for your computer. Find a program that will let your print alphabet letters.   Print each child’s letter on paper and then iron on to the front of each shirt; the day of the party of each child find their letter and have them imprint their hands on the back of the shirt (using fabric paint).  Do at the beginning of the party so hopefully they will be dry before they go home.

You could also play a game ‘what letter am I?’ Place a sticky letter on your guest’s forehead and he/she has to ask questions about the letter, for example what words do my letter come in? It may seem easy to you and I but a 3 or 4-year-old may find this a bit tricky, but on the other hand it’s a great learning game without them even knowing!!

 

Entertainers for Kids Parties

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Children’s entertainers were something of a rare treat at kids parties some twenty years ago. Now they seem to be a necessity for every children’s party. You’d almost be hard pushed to find a child that hasn’t had a children’s entertainer at some point, between the ages of 4-8. As this seems to be the most popular age for kids to have children’s entertainers.

Parents have realised more and more the benefits of getting a children’s entertainer for their kid’s party. Children’s party entertainers certainly help take the stress off of organising a party yourself. Many parents have retold tales of how they organised their own kids party, and whilst it went well they’d never relish the idea of doing it themselves again, owing to the levels of stress that went along with it. Plus, it seems rather a shame, that whilst the kids are having a great party, the parents have so much to organise that they don’t get to enjoy seeing how much fun their kids are having and all the fun activities that children’s entertainers do for the kids. After all a children’s party only happens once every year.

The advantage of hiring children’s party entertainers is that they know what they’re doing (well the good children’s entertainers should know what they’re doing!) and so it can take the stress off parents a great deal if they hire someone to take care of the children’s party entertainment for them. It is also much more likely that the kids are going to enjoy themselves a great deal more with a kid’s entertainer than if parents try to do it themselves (unless of course you’re a teacher that is used to handling 30 kids at once) but even then, a kid’s entertainer can usually offer a great deal of variety for children at a party.

That said, even with a children’s party entertainer, there can still be plenty of other things for parents to organise and worry about like the hiring of a venue, organising the food, getting RSVPs back. The best advice is simply to plan well in advance so that is doesn’t have to be done all at once. If done in good time, organising a children’s party should be a really enjoyable experience and dare it be said – fun! But if left to the last minute it can be a daunting and stressful task. All in all, leave plenty of time to plan a children’s party and try to enjoy it!!

 

Christmas children’s parties

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Christmas is by far one of the most magical experiences of childhood. From being too excited to sleep to peeking out of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh, the memories of the holiday season become some of our most treasured.

In the run up to the big day, throwing a Christmas party for the kids is a great way to make this year even more memorable. Plus, it’s an opportunity for you to get your creative juices flowing and fill the house with festive fun.

Invitations

Snowman Invitations: To make, simply cut out a snowman shape from white card. You can then cut out and stick on a hat made from black card, and stick on a scarf made from felt. Add the face with coloured pens, or use googly eyes for extra impact.

Fancy Dress

When it comes to fancy dress, you’re spoilt for choice. Ask all of the kids to dress as something Christmassy – this can be anything from a penguin to Santa Claus. Provide them with a few ideas on the invitations to get them started.

Decorations

Aside from the essential Christmas tree, you can have lots of fun creating a festive wonderland in your home.

Santa’s Grotto

A great idea is to create a Santa’s grotto – choose a small room, which you don’t need to use and drape the walls and any furnishings with fabric in deep red and purple.

You can then decorate the room with fairy lights, Christmas lights and decorations to make it feel festive. Get one of the adults to dress as Santa Claus and send the children into the ‘grotto’ to collect their party bags and any other treats.

Get Crafty

There are lots of simple Christmas decorations that you can easily make with the kids and the whole family. Try making garlands from pine tree leaves, pine cones, tinsel and baubles. Other ideas include; painting the tips of pine cones white for a snow-effect, cutting snowflakes out of paper to string around the house.

Activities

Every party needs plenty of fun activities to keep everyone entertained. Why not try:

Pass the Parcel

This is a classic game, which can easily be adapted for the festive season. Hide gifts between layers of wrapping paper – the kids pass the parcel round the circle, and if they’re holding it when the music stops, they get to open a layer.

Gift Wrap Relay

Divide the children into two teams and provide each team with a gift-wrapped box – you should also prepare stations with pre-cut wrapping paper and cello tape. Each child has to run to a station, un-wrap and then re-wrap their box, before running back to their team and passing it on to the next person. The first team in which every child unwraps and rewraps the box, wins.

Mystery Stocking

Fill a stocking with a collection of ‘mystery’ party bag fillers, with a distinctive tactile feel. Each child has a chance to feel the fillers inside the stocking – if they can guess what they are without looking, they get to take them home.

 

Party games for kids 5+

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Musical Chairs or Cushions

Set up chairs or cushions in 2 rows back to back. Put out one less chair/cushion than there are children. Start playing the music and ask the children to walk all around the chairs/cushions until the music stops. When the music stops, the children must each sit on a chair/cushion. The child without a chair/cushion is ‘out’. You might like to have a bowl of sweets to offer to each child that is ‘out’ so they don’t feel too humiliated – but don’t make it so tempting that everybody wants to be ‘out’! Then remove another chair/cushion. If there is ever a tie, don’t spend ages making a decision, just replay that round.

Animal Musical Chairs.

The player left standing must pull the name of an animal, written on a piece of paper, out of a hat. Then, they must act it out while the other guests try to guess what the animal is. Start the music again and repeat the game until there’s only one chair left.

Musical Statues

Play some music, and watch the children dance and jump about. Without notice, turn off the music and the children need to freeze. If anybody moves, they are ‘out’. As with musical chairs, you might like to have a bowl of sweets to give to this child so they don’t feel too humiliated – but don’t make it so tempting that everybody wants to be ‘out’! Repeat until there is just one person left.

Hot Potato

Sit the kids in a circle and choose one to sit out wearing a blindfold. Begin by passing a potato around the circle, while the ‘blind’ child stands to one side. Everyone must accept the potato, and may not hold it longer than a second. At any point the ‘blind’ child can yell, ‘Hot Potato’, and whoever has the potato is out (Think about using that invaluable bowl of sweets again!) Continue to play until there is only one person left, and they are the winner. A really good variation is to follow the theme of your party. Use an appropriate item to pass around the circle instead of a potato.

Duck, Duck, Goose

This classic kids game is perfect fun for any kids party entertainment. Gather your guests to sit in a circle and let the birthday child begin as the ‘Goose’. They walk around the circle tapping each child on the head, saying ‘duck’ with each tap. When they are ready to choose the next person to be Goose, they say ‘goose’ when tapping that person on the head. That child gets up and chases the birthday child around the circle. If the new Goose does not tag the birthday child before they make it all the way around the circle and sit in the open spot, then the new Goose becomes ‘it’. If the new Goose tags the birthday child, then the birthday child remains ‘it’ for the next round and the game continues.

Decorate a Birthday Banner

Unroll a roll of unwanted wallpaper and mount it plain side up on a wall within easy reach of your guests. At the top of the ‘banner’, write ‘Happy Birthday (your child’s name)’. You could lay the paper on the floor if you’re worried some of the artists may mistake your wall for their canvas!

Provide a variety of crayons and felt pens and let the children create their own masterpieces. Don’t forget to ask each artist to write their name and age beside their drawing. You can even encourage them to write a special message to the birthday child. After the party, fold it up and save it, or if you’d prefer, take a close-up picture so you can tuck it inside your photo album later.

 

Shiver me timbers!!!

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Shiver me timbers! Ahoy ye hearties and avast thy chase for a booty of pirate party ideas are right here on this site which marks the X. For all sea dog pirates who are searching for party idea treasures for their young swashbuckler, look no further. For here lies the Pirate Party Ideas shared by families from around the world!

Are you ready to transform your home into a family fun Caribbean port and your garden into a pirate ship? Pirate parties only come once in a lifetime and you want to make it one that your little pirate.

Here’s a children’s party theme they will remember forever.

 

Invitations.

Pirate party invitations can be a treasure map, a treasure chest, or a Jolly Roger flag with a skull and crossbones.  Just be sure to make them really special by using a fancy font, or calligraphy.  Be sure to give the start time, end time, date and location of your pirate adventure.

 

Decorations

Set the mood for your party with great decorations like a Jolly Roger flag flying on a ship’s mast, some old wooden signs pointing to the Caribbean or a banner over the drive saying “landlubber beware”.  Cover the party table in black or red and accent with streamers, balloons and confetti.    If you’re really ambitious you can create a pirate ship out of some large appliance boxes for a special play area just for the party

 

Pirate Games.

What pirate party is complete without some pirate games like a treasure hunt?  Games like walk the plank, pin the eyepatch on the pirate, or a cannonball toss, add excitement to the party and provide a time for everyone to interact

 

Costumes.

A pirate party for kids just isn’t the same without all the pirates dressed in their buccaneer outfits.  Being shipwrecked and marooned at the party really requires the right outfit and the magic of pirate costumes makes the party special.

 

Snacks and Drinks

Don’t forget snacks and drinks for all of your buccaneer guests.   Certainly snacks and drinks that prevent scurvy are always top of the list, but sometimes it’s best to incorporate some healthy vegetable snacks while providing a pirate dip.

 

Have fun!!!