HONEY BEE

A super sweet party theme is the HONEY BEE BIRTHDAY. Cherish the life of bees with a party centered around them to celebrate your little one. All you need is:

  • Cute signs that include the words “honey” and “bee.”
  • Fruit tea in a dispenser to look like honey.
  • Lots of floral and greenery. The simpler the better, so try to stick with one kind of flower.
  • For decor, use hexagon-shaped tier shelves for cupcakes and other treats.
  • Make a rounded cone-shaped cake and use extra-thick icing piped around it in circle layers to create a bee hive look.
  • As party favors, “Busy Bee” finger puppets are available from Oriental Trading Company in bulk. $5 for 12.
  • Make a honey bee banner and hang it high above your table, high chair, etc.

 

WOODLAND ANIMALS

Your little animal will love a party filled with cute foxes, deer, owls and other animals.

Create the perfect WOODLAND ANIMALS PARTY with:

  • Cute animal masks on card stock, cut out and taped to a stick to hold up
  • Twigs, pine cones, acorns and other nature items for decor. Use wood for platforms to display treats.
  • Add non-edible animal decor to your cake for an added touch. Paint bark lines with brown food coloring.
  • Easy mushroom cupcakes need only a red icing top with white icing dots.
  • An easy treat is to stick a pretzel stick in a marshmallow and dip the end in chocolate and then graham cracker crumbs.
  • Other snacks include trail mix, chips, fruit and more.

 

ELEGANT FLORAL

Go boho-chic with this FLORAL BIRTHDAY PARTY. All you need for a simple, flower inspired party is:

  • A tiered layered cake for a minimal look, topped with fresh flowers and greenery. Set atop a classic cake stand.
  • Print out the letters you need for a floral banner to string onto ribbon.
  • Make sugar cookies and top with icing using a piping bag and star tip to create a rose look.
  • Use matching flowers in mason jars or other glass containers for decor.
  • Choose other chic treats like macaroons.
  • Use floral wrapping paper to frame for decor or line a tray to hold the drinks.

 

SEUSS’ “OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!” BIRTHDAY PARTY

Get back to the books with the classic SEUSS BIRTHDAY PARTY. Here’s what you need to bring this story to life:

  • Frame the book sleeve of a Seuss book for decor. Let guests sign the book.
  • Choose colored balloons to match the colors of the book and tether them to the book signing table and other places.
  • Paint mason jars or other containers like the stripes used in the book.
  • Make a tiered cake the same as the jars with the colorful stripes. Use black icing to fill in the gaps between the stripes and give it a drawn look.
  • Cut your child’s name out of colored paper that matches the colors of the theme, too.
  • For a table centerpiece, stick a bunch of twigs in a jar. Print out lots of balloons from the story to cut out and hang on the twigs.

 

RUSTIC CAMPING

Have fun in the outdoors with a RUSTIC CAMPING BIRTHDAY PARTY. Pull off this fun party with:

  • A rustic wood backdrop with your child’s name on it. Hang paintings of bears, deer, owls, etc. on it and set out props like a canoe, paddles, a-frame tent and more.
  • Make lots of treats on a stick. Using food coloring, paint a few trees on giant marshmallows or stick a marshmallow-rice treat on a stick and use icing to decorate.
  • Put together take-home treats in mini mason jars.
  • Use tin pails to hold snack foods like pretzel sticks, fruit, trail mix and chips.
  • Make cupcakes and top with a melted marshmallow, coated in graham cracker crumbs and a little piece of chocolate.
  • Have a fire pit for families to make s’mores.

 

EXTREME DONUT

Take your child’s love of donuts to the max with a DONUT-THEMED PARTY. Get creative with all the things you can do with a donut. Here are some things you can do:

  • Make milkshakes and top with a sprinkle covered donut with a straw stuck through the hole.
  • On your cake, add mini donuts or just make a candy item like gummy rings look like donuts by adding icing on the top and sprinkles. Then stick all over the cake or use as cupcake toppers.
  • Find pool floats shaped like donuts to use as props or decor.
  • Poke donut holes onto sticks and dip in chocolate and then sprinkles.
  • Find free donut printables online to print and cut out decor items.
  • Do a paper plate donut craft. Cut out the circle in the middle, paint the entire plate the color of a donut, then paint on the icing and use different colored tissue paper to glue on as sprinkles.

 

WHIMSICAL UNICORN

Unicorns are still popular now with kids of all ages. What better way to celebrate your birthday than with a UNICORN PARTY?

Here’s what you need:

  • Decorate cupcakes with different colors of icing with different tips on the piping bags for the hair. Use a little fondant to twist into a horn and to make ears.
  • Pop some popcorn and toss it into colorful melted chocolate for a colorful treat.
  • Have a craft for the kids to make their own unicorn headbands.

 

DINO-RIFFIC

They’re coming out of extinction with the return of Jurassic World. Here’s how you can do a DINOSAUR PARTY:

  • Make a simple layered cake and stack some cool (new) dinosaur toys on top and maybe use some small fake greenery, too.
  • Plan ahead and find white Easter eggs to save for the party to put tiny dinos in and hide around the yard for a hunt.
  • Fill a kiddie pool up with sand and hide lots of toy dinosaurs inside. Provide some sand toys for the kids to dig and find them.
  • Press a dino toy’s feet into sugar cookies before you bake to make “fossil” cookies.

 

FOR MORE IDEAS …

FUN WITH POOL NOODLES

Pool noodles are cheap and versatile. Play games like ring toss, or set up an obstacle course, but one of our favorites is field hockey, courtesy of Disney Family (family.disney.com). You’ll need:

  • Balloons (with several to spare in case of popping)
  • Two baskets or boxes
  • Pool noodles (one for each player)

Set a basket or box at each end of the yard, and divide your group into two teams, giving each player a pool noodle. Place your balloons in the middle and at the whistle, challenge the children to push or hit the balloons with their noodles into the opposing team’s basket until no balloons are free of the boxes or baskets. Whichever team has moved the most balloons into the box is the winner!

PARTY GARLAND

Burlap and Blue (burlapandblue.com) has an easy craft project you can do with the kiddos before the party even begins and end up with fun party garlands to decorate your space. You’ll need:

  • Watercolor paints
  • Plain white doilies (any size)
  • Baker’s twine
  • Poster board

Lay your doilies on the poster board to protect your floors or tables, and paint them with the watercolors. Burlap and Blue concentrated her paint on one half of each doily and then added water to fade it on the bottom half for an ombre effect, but feel free to let the kids mix up colors and get creative. Once the doilies have dried, string them onto the baker’s twine, and you’re ready to hang your party garland!

GOODIE BAG CRAFTS

Try a two-fer: design a fun craft for guests to make that will double as a goody bag. Minted.com suggests giving these party favor bags as part of a polka dot-themed party, but why not let your guests get creative and make them on their own? You’ll need:

  • Muslin bags
  • Craft paint
  • Foam stamps
  • Pencils
  • Parchment paper

Cut parchment paper to fit inside the bags, then use eraser end of pencils and foam stamps to dip in paint and create your design. Let the paint dry, remove the parchment paper, and you have a fun and unique bag to fill candy and other party goods.