THREE SUPER COOL CHILDREN'S PARTY THEMES (AND WHY WE LOVE THEM)

Coming up with a children's party theme that's both wildly entertaining and a cinch to pull off can be a daunting task for any parent. Just the mere thought of a handful (or more) of kids running around your house, each needing to be entertained, fed, attended to and likely thinking (if not blurting out loud) how much fun that party is or how much 'funner' that other kid's party was.

So we thought we share some of our favourite Children's Party Themes, ideas for making them the best party ev-ah and why we think they're good choices for your wee one.

THE WIZARD OF OZ THEME

WHY WE LOVE IT: At first thought, a theme centered around the classic Wizard of Oz might seem girly-centric. I mean, ruby slippers, good witches, bad witches, frilly ankle socks...doesn't leave much room for the boyish ego does it?  But The Wizard of Oz theme doesn't have to zero in on all things girl and there's a ton of ways to incorporate different elements of the film to make it gender-friendly. And that's why we love it.

BUDGET FACTOR: $$-$$$

SOME IDEAS:

Have kiddie-guests arrive dressed up in their favourite character from the movie. The possibilities are vast -- from the main characters like Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, Witch and Wizard to the less obvious like flying monkies, Winkies, the Mayor of Munchkinland and more.

Host a "Yellow Brick Road" scavenger hunt in the backyard or throughout the house using yellow fabric or yellow "bricks" made of Bristol board scattered in a path that lead in different directions to different movie themed items such as apples, flowers, oil cans, lollipops and more. The object is to collect all the items and make it to the Wizard of Oz at the end (played by an adult) to receive a prize.

Feature an outdoor screening of The Wizard of Oz on a big screen or as a night-cap for a slumber party.

Serve lunch items and tasty treats in various picnic baskets laid out on a blue gingham cloth.

Serve up a cake decorated with a yellow brick road running up the tiers and a hot-air-balloon as the topper.

ET LOFTE LOVES!!! Cake by For the Love of Cake

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SUPERHERO THEME

WHY WE LOVE IT: Budget friendly and gender-neutral are the key factors with this party theme. Not to mention FUN! What do we especially love about it? Rather than princesses and damsels, this party theme gives girls an opportunity to feel empowered by choosing heroines with special powers. What does it give boys? Who doesn't like to pretend to be a superhero with special powers and save the day??? Role playing is a great addition to any child's play. Plus it gives kids an opportunity to get creative and drum up their own custom-made superhero if they don't already have a favourite.

BUDGET FACTOR: $ - $$

SOME IDEAS:

Hand out invitations designed like a classic SuperHero comic strip or like a newspaper headline reading "Extra Extra!".  Don't want to spend money on custom-made invites? There are a plethora of stores that carry simple SuperHero themed party invitation packs.

Source: Love Paper Paint

Have kiddies dress up as their fave superhero or custom-create one.  Whether it's SuperMan, Rouge, SpiderMan, Batman or Mulan, kids will have a blast turning from ordinary human into superbeing.

Host a "Save the World" obstacle course in the backyard or throughout the house. Kids must complete each obstacle or "save the human" and get to the finish line to receive a medal from the mayor (again, played by an adult).

Have kids participate in a game of Dodge Ball but name it "Escape the Meteors, Save the World"

Play the classic SuperHero 'X-ray Vision' game: fill a box with a variety of objects and/or foods and have blindfolded guests take turns identifying the objects in the box merely by smell, touch or taste.

Rather than a Birthday cake, offer delicious cupcakes each topped with a different SuperHero emblem from Superman, Batman, WonderWoman and more. Or for a slightly different twist (and less sugar high), offer cakepops adorned with a superhero mask and cape.

Fill lootbags with SuperHero themed colouring pages, comic books, stickers and lollipops dressed with mask and cape.

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 OLYMPICS THEME

WHY WE LOVE IT: Not only will this theme encourage a ton of physical activity but it's not weather dependant as well. Have a wintery Birthday? Have Winter Olympics! Have a summer Birthday? Have Summer Olympics!

BUDGET FACTOR: $$-$$$

SOME IDEAS:

Send out invitations designed to resemble tickets for the Olympics.

Upon arrival, kids receive a custom-made shirt with the Olympic Rings and "2012 Birthday Olympics" on the front and the child's last name printed on the back. Not only will this get the kids excited about what's to come next but it also serves as a keepsake in lieu of the usual Lootbags.

This theme offers an abundance of Olympic activity opportunities! For Winter Olympics incorporate fun activities like "bobsled races" (a.k.a sliding), mini hockey/road hockey games, "figure skating" (wherein groups of kids put together a mini-performance to music either in skates or boots, on a rink or on pavement), "snow darts" (knocking down objects with snowballs) and table tennis (ok, ok this is technically a summer Olympic sport but hey, it's inside and it's warm!). Don't limit yourself to classic Olympic games however, feel free to get imaginative and custom-make your own 'sports' such as Fort Building competition, snowshoe race, snowman building race and more.

For Summer Olympics incorporate fun mini competitions like the long jump, running race, high jump, water polo, mini soccer game, "gymnastics" (a.k.a a somersault race), the trampoline, mini volleyball game, "triathlon" (obstacle course) and more. Again, feel free to add your own flavour such as a sandcastle competition or a karaoke competition.

Want to make it a kid-and-adult friendly party? Invite the parents as well and have them cheers their kids on from the "bleachers" where they can sit back, relax and sip on cool beverages.

Offer custom-made plastic medals or trophies to the kids once the Olympic competitions have been  completed.

Serve up a Birthday cake decorated with the Olympic Rings or figurines from different Olympic Sports resting on different tiers.

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DIY MONKEY-THEME FIRST BIRTHDAY

This Planner has a schedule chock full of parties, weddings and events and so when I have a personal, family celebration I tend to take the more simple yet intimate route. After all, there's only so many hours in a week!

Recently, my son turned one year old and a low key gathering of family and friends was our celebration of choice. The party was simple and casual with, of course, a few personal touches to make it special. We call our son our "lil' monkey" and so a monkey-themed celebration seemed fitting.

The colour scheme

Wanting something vibrant and fun, I chose orange and turquoise for the overall covers of the party. It was still boy-friendly while straying from the usual blues, browns, yellow and greens that a monkey-themed party might utilize.

The menu:

Keeping it simple while offering a variety of options and quantity for a guest count of thirty was key. Aside from the typical cheese and meat platters and veggies and dip as appetizers, we chose a simple low key lunch menu which consisted of:

• pasta with homemade meat sauce
• mini pizzas
• corned beef sandwiches on Pandesal
• ceasar salad
• lumpia 
• rolls with butter or an assorment of lunchmeat and cheeses

Dessert was simply homemade brownies, fruit salad and, of course, the butter pecan cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing.


The personal thematic touches

  

Turquoise linens covered the various tables in the room. A tower of cupcakes acted as a centerpiece for one of the tables while the others had stuffed monkeys and plastic bananas gracing their surface. Orange and turquoise balloons hovered in the corners of the room.

Orange and turquoise cupcake toppers were handmade to adorn the cupcakes. Cupcake toppers could have been purchased for $4 - $8 but I chose to make them myself to add that personal touch. I found the monkey label online and customized it in Photoshop so that it matched our theme colours. After cutting out the labels, I simply taped a toothpick to the back of one of them and then glued another label, facing out, to the first so that there was a front and back to the cupcake topper.

As a fun and unique parting gift for our guests, I created Monkey Cones. These handmade orange and turquoise cones were stuffed with sweetened banana chips for the adults and banana-shaped marshmellows for the kids.  To make the cones, I used orange bristol board and turquoise ribbon and again, finding a monkey label online, cut out monkey faces to glue onto the cone's front. To make the cone I found an online template and followed the directions. To house the cones I covered white party trays with styrofoam and covered the styrofoam with plastic grass that I had found at the Dollar Store.