Tag: idea

Alphabet parties

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We all want our young ones 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 table wear, tablecloths and balloons to match your primary coloured decorations. On each balloon spell out each child’s name attending the party, using sticky letters.

Children’s 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 boarder 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.

Letter T-shirts ahead of time.  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!!

A party for the 4th of July

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Join in the fun and celebrate the United States’ Declaration of Independence with all the fireworks, stars and stripes that go with it for your 4th of July party this 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 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 for the kids and all the family.

Since this sunny holiday takes place in the summer, it is wise to select a party location where you and your patriots can enjoy the beautiful weather and even a 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. Although many cities do not allow fireworks to be set off to avoid accidental fires, there is always the option of driving the family over to a park where fireworks are not prohibited. And don’t forget to be safe and bring a bucket and some water to ensure that all the fireworks are properly extinguished.

Hire a Limo for a teen party

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The birthday diary of a teenage girl….

Three girls, 2 boys. We got picked up on a Friday night in a Limo supplied from my dad. We all rode around for a half hour making lots of memories by taking pictures. After that we rode to our favourite place to hang out a big shopping centre complete with restaurants, movie theatre, and tons of shops.

We went to dinner at TGI Fridays We enjoyed the 50’s feel of the restaurant.

We had burgers, fries, and milkshakes. At 6 o’clock the waiters and waitresses all danced to the song “stayin alive” We all enjoyed and started singing along. After this we all went to the mall. We all shopped and hung out at the mall. This is where they used their money.

Then after this we went and caught a movie. We all laughed through the movie. After this we went outside to and ice-cream parlour where we had ice cream and I opened presents. I also handed out the gift bags.

For the boys they had sweets and these really cool sport pens. I had trouble finding things so I also gave them these cool posters of skateboarders and skate board keychains. For my girlfriends, they all got sweets, lip gloss, nail polish, eyeshadow, keychains, a bracelet, a necklace, and I bought us all matching shirts that said “Best friends”.

After the boy’s parents arrived my Mum took my 3 friends and I home to sleep over. When we got home we talked, read magazines, did each other’s make up and painted each other’s nails. Each girl used the stuff provided in her gift bag to do her makeup and nails. I bought them in special colours for each girl.

I had the best teenage Birthday ever and my Mum and Dad are just brilliant at organising and they also gave me my privacy.”

A teenage beach party

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It’s tricky when the children reach their teens, you want them to have a teenager birthday party but they are not too keen on grownups being there.  If you live by a beach and your teenager’s birthday party is in the Summer, weather permitting too, it would be great fun to organise a beach party for your little grown up.  Here is an account of one such beach party which you will see he really enjoyed:

“For my 14th birthday, I had the most AMAZING party! I invited 14 people, 7 girls and 7 boys. Everyone met at my house on the morning of the party around 10:30am. At 11am, a limo came and picked us up and drove us to the nearest beach, which was about half an hour away. We blasted the music in the limo and took a load of pictures from our smart phones. We had a lot of fun. We arrived at the beach around 12:15. We rented a room for the day at the coolest little hotel opposite the beach. The hotel had a pool, lounger chairs, tables and a refrigerator in the room to keep drinks and stuff in.

When we got there, we had lunch. We got burgers and chips. We also had sweets, cookies and stuff to munch on. My mum and dad set up our spot where my mates could sit and chill on the beach. By our wind breakers we had plenty of towels, drinks, and sunscreen.

After we ate lunch and changed into our bathing suits in the room, some people from a surf team came and taught us how to surf! We had 6 boards and 3 instructors and everyone took turns. When they went surfing, we were playing in the ocean or tanning. After the surf pros left we all played in the sea some more and had a huge sand fight! After that Everyone got into teams of 2-4 people and we had a sand castle building contest. 

 We had just the most amazing day and it was so cool!! My mates talk about my birthday all the time and I am pretty chuffed that my Mum and Dad arranged all of this, they are the best parents EVER!!”

Ahoy me Harties!!!

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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 parents 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 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 eye-patch on the pirate, or a cannonball toss, add excitement to the party and provide a time for everyone to interact

Costumes.

A pirate party 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!!!

Throw a World Cup Football Party

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With the World Cup just around the corner, we’ve all been given the excuse to don our England shirts once again, gather around the TV in the middle of the day and wait with baited breath to see if this could finally be our year?

However, what about the little ones in your life? The World Cup is a great opportunity to throw a fun, football-themed party for your kids and their friends. It’s also a handy opportunity to get them thinking about different cultures, as well as potentially getting them into a new sport.

Here are our tips for throwing a World Cup party this summer.

Setting the Date

It just wouldn’t be right to throw a football party without watching a football game. You can find all of the England team’s upcoming fixtures throughout the Cup on the Web.

Fancy Dress

Get all of the children to come as a famous footballer – past or present – from a different competing country. You can find out all the nation’s taking part and you can buy replica kits from most sports shops or online, or the kids can get crafty and put together their own.

Invitations

Making your own invitations is a great way to put in that little bit of extra effort. You can also use the invites as the big reveal, to let the kids know which nation’s kit they’ll be dressing up in.

Write the names of all of the competing nations onto bits of paper and place them in a hat. Get your child to help you randomly pull out a piece of paper for each guest who will be attending. You can then theme each invite based on which team they will need to be dressed up as – decorating them with the specific nation’s flag is a great idea. 

Decorations

When it comes to decorations, flags are the obvious way to go. In the spirit of embracing different cultures, don’t just stick with the England flag. Cover the children’s party venue in flags from all of the competing nations, for a colourful display.

You can also get themed table-ware such as a goal table setting.

Food

The food is where you can really start to get adventurous – and get the kids to try something new as well! Get busy in the kitchen and make a variety of dishes from competing nations. Here are some great ideas:

England

Fish and chips is the go-to-dish and is guaranteed to go down well with any fussier kids. For an easy option you can try fish fingers.

France

Great French dishes to serve include a yummy Provencal omelette cake (great for vegetarians too!) and French Toast.

Spain

Try serving some tapas dishes to bring some Spanish flavour to your party. Simple dishes such as potato chunks and salsa tortillas are usually safe bets. Italy

If you’re looking for child-friendly party dishes from around the world, you’d be silly to leave Italy off the list. Make some large pasta dishes such as lasagne for everyone to tuck into and try your hand at some home-made pizza.

Children’s Party Activities

Five-a-Side Football

The most obvious activity – if it’s not chucking it down – is five-a-side football. Split the kids into teams, set up two goals and let them burn off some energy!

Football Relay Course

Buy some cones online and set up a relay course. Split the kids into teams – the first team to have every member dribble a ball around the cones and back wins.

Penalty Shoot Out

Split the kids into teams and put an adult in goal. Each child gets two attempts to score a goal – the team that achieves the most goals wins.

Guess the Flag

Turn the decorations into a fun learning activity and get the kids to guess which country each flag represents.

Hand out prizes to the winners.

Party Bags

Handing out themed party bags at the end of the event is a great way to thank everyone for coming and make sure they have a reminder of the day. 

The World Cup is a great excuse to throw your kids and their friends a party they’ll love – plus you can use it as an opportunity to get them learning about different cultures and trying something new!

Party games for children 2 – 3 years

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Air Balloon (3 upwards)

This is more of a time filler than a game with a winner and is enjoyed by everybody because it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are! It’s a good way to start a party whilst you are waiting for everybody to arrive. Before the kids party, insert a small, light-weight gift such as a Stretchy Smiley Men into the opening of a balloon before inflating it. Then, blow air into the balloon and repeat until you have a balloon for each guest. The children have to try keeping the balloon in the air for as long as they can just be using their head. Once given the go ahead they can enjoy bursting the balloon and retrieving their prize!

Pass the Parcel (3 upwards)

Before the party wrap a gift into a layer of paper. Now wrap it in another layer and repeat until you have the same number of layers as you do guests. (If you have more than about 15 guests it’s more fun for your guests if you play the game with 2 parcels). Seat everyone in a circle and play some music for a short time. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping. (Have a bin bag ready so you can keep tidy from the start!) Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed. The winner keeps the present.  Three variations include:

1. Putting a forfeit in each layer e.g. name 2 animals beginning with p, count from 20 backwards, kiss somebody wearing blue….

2. Putting a gift in each layer. Have a look at our really special made up pass the parcels which save you a huge amount of time and inspiration. If you make up your own, choose fairly small gifts to stop the parcel becoming unmanageable and you might like to follow your party theme if you have one. 

3. Cinderella Pass the Parcel – another special pass the parcel but more of an effort for you. You need a pair of Cinderella type dressing up slippers and as man y girly gifts as you have guests. First, wrap one slipper with a girly gift. Repeat wrapping individual layers and tuck a girly gift in each layer. About halfway through the number of layers you choose to use, insert the other slipper and a girly gift, and keep wrapping. Play the game in the normal way. Continue until the first slipper is unwrapped. Then, reverse the passing order until the second slipper is uncovered. The 2 girls holding the slippers then ball room dance around the circle, wearing one slipper each.

Animals (2 upwards)

This is game is fun for small children who are naturally intrigued by animals and can’t cope with the intricacies of a more complicated game. Have a selection of animal masks or small wild animals– the same number as you have guests. Hold one up, one at a time. Ask all the children to imitate the animal. Continue, changing the animal just as soon as you feel the time is right! At the end of the game, give a mask or animal to each child. This could be a good ‘going’ home game if you’re brave enough not to hand our party bags!

Sleeping Lions (3 and upwards)

Surprisingly loved by a huge age range, this is a great ‘calming down’ game before handing your guests back to their parents. Ask the children to ‘sleep’ on the floor like a sleeping lion. The moment anybody moves they are ‘out’. In reality, you can ignore the odd twitch and your guests can stay ‘sleeping’ until somebody comes to collect them! You will look marvellously in control and the children will have calmed down into a contented and peaceful state.

Ideas for a Minions party

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As a parent, it’s unlikely that you haven’t heard of the ‘Minions’. But if they’ve somehow passed you by, they’re essentially small, comical characters with their own language, who’ve been around for thousands of years. All they want is to serve the most despicable villain around but unfortunately, they have a bad habit of getting them killed due to their persistent oafishness.

However, the only thing that you really need to know is that kids love them. And if you’re planning a party, ‘Minions’ is guaranteed to be a popular theme. Here are some great ideas.

Minion Food

When it comes to kids party food, you can really get creative with a Minions theme. Some great ideas include:

Minion Birthday Cake

Simply cover a sponge cake in white icing and then mould the Minion figures and shapes from coloured fondant. 

Single Minion Birthday Cake

If you’re not a confident baker, this single Minion birthday cake is the perfect choice. Simply coat the cake base in coloured frosting before decorating with black piped icing and fondant.

Minion Decorations

Minion decorations are all about the colour scheme. A great example is:

Blue, White and Yellow Table Decorations.

A blue table covering and yellow, white and blue tableware is the easiest way to get the look. On a side note, we also love this blue and yellow popcorn idea! 

Minion Games

No party is complete without some children’s fun games and activities – don’t forget to hand out prizes.

Stick the Goggles on the Minion 

A twist on the classic ‘stick the tail on the donkey’, ‘stick the googles on the Minion’ is guaranteed to be lots of fun. First, draw a Minion on a large piece of paper (minus the goggles, of course!) and then draw some goggles on a piece of card and cut them out. Place some double sided tape on the back of the goggles, blindfold each child in turn and see if they can guess where to stick the goggles on the Minion! 

Minion Fancy Dress

Fancy dress is always a popular party activity and Minion fancy dress is a great opportunity to get creative. The simplest outfits only require a long sleeved yellow top and dungarees. However, if you want to go all out, making goggles and decorating yellow hats will be lots of fun.  

A Minion party theme is guaranteed to be popular with the kids – plus you can have lots of fun creating the food décor and activities.