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| Party Themes & Party Games Choosing a Party Theme | | Many parents find that choosing a theme for the party is a good idea:
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Character Themes
Popular party themes based on characters include Princess, Fairies, Circus Clowns, Hello Kitty, Pirates, Dinosaurs, Spiderman, Bob the Builder, and many more. You could even ask the children to come in fancy dress. For unisex parties, a Pirates and Princesses or theme is fun and allows the boys to come dressed up as pirates and the girls as princesses/fairies.  Another fun theme that everyone loves is a Hawaiian Luau Party. The cool part about having this theme is that you can use the party supplies for adult parties and children's parties because it is so versatile. |
Color Themes
Color themes are also a great idea. Pick a single color or a color combination (eg pink and purple or blue and green) and choose items in those colors (eg tableware, balloons, hats, blowouts etc.) The overall effect can be very impressive. The latest color theme is the Glow in the Dark themes for super cool night time parties and slumber parties! Get out your black lights and hire a face painter with glow in the dark paint for a roaring good time! This is a super cool way to learn some scientific facts too, but takes lots of supervision. Check out http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/halloween-party-glow-ideas |
No Theme
Don't forget that your party doesn't have to have a theme. You can create a fantastic party by simply choosing a general tableware design that you like and adding general accessories (hats, blowouts, balloons etc) that take your fancy. This allows you the freedom to choose items you really like, instead of having to stick rigidly to a theme. |
Popular Children's Party Games
| | Musical statuesGather the children into a group. Start the music and allow the children to dance and move around. When the music stops, the children must stand completely still - like statues. Look to see which child is the first to wobble and ask them to come and stand by you. Then resume the music and keep going through the same process until only one child is left and reward him or her with a prize. To keep all of the children happy and interested as the game progresses, it is useful to do two things. Firstly, once a child is out, award them a small prize, such as a small sweet and secondly, tell the children that once they are out, they become judges and need to help you in judging which child is out next. This should avoid any upset children. | Traffic Light
Everyone stands in a row. The birthday child stands facing them several feet in front of them. When he yells "Green" the kids run toward him until he says "Red" and turns around. Anyone he sees moving is out and must go back to the starting line. This is repeated until one child touches the birthday child and they are the winner. This game is great for boys ages 6 and older. Due to the "elimination" process, some younger children may not understand. Musical Bumps Similar to Musical Statues, but instead of the children freezing like statues each time when the music is turned off, they must quickly sit on the floor cross-legged. The last child to sit down is out. Continue the process until you have a winner. To keep all of the children happy and interested as the game progresses, it is useful to do two things. Firstly, once a child is out, award them a small prize, such as a small sweet and secondly, tell the children that once they are out, they become judges and need to help you in judging which child is out next. |
Dressing Up Game A really fun party game, that's different. Go through your wardrobe and gather together as many items clothing as you can. Old, worn and tatty items are just fine, as are adult sized clothes and items such as hats and scarves. At the party, place all of the clothes in a pile on the floor and explain to the children that when the music starts, they have to put on as many items of clothing as they can. A mad rush will follow with lots of laughing a giggling, as the children quickly dress themselves up in lots of mismatched items of clothing. After about 5 minutes, turn the music off and count how many items of clothing each child is wearing (not counting their own clothing). It might be helpful to have a few adults counting at the same time. The child who has managed to put on the most items of clothing is the winner and wins a prize. Musical chairs An all time favorite party game. Place a line of chairs in the middle of the room or all. The number of chairs needs to be one less than the number of children playing the game. Start the music and have the children skip or move around the line of chairs. When the music stops, the children need to sit on a chair as quickly as they can. The child that has not found a chair to sit on is out. Continue this process until only one child is left and award them a prize. To keep all of the children happy and interested as the game progresses, it is useful to do two things. Firstly, once a child is out, award them a small prize, such as a small sweet and secondly, tell the children that once they are out, they become judges and need to help you in judging which child is out next.
Having a costume party is always a hit! Get your halloween costume early this year and get more bang for your buck! My favorite website to shop for costumes is Costume Express. Popular Children's Activities & Crafts Decorate your own cupcake! Pin the Tail on the Donkey
How to Make Your Own Pinata Pinatas are fun party toys that contain all kinds of goodies, making them perfect for any birthday party or other children’s celebration. They are generally made from paper and other easily breakable products, as they are designed to shatter when struck, releasing all of their precious goodies to the kids below. While they were historically crafted in shapes that resembled stars, they can be found in nearly any shape or size today. 
Gather the MaterialsIn order to make a pinata, you only need a few common household items. First, make sure that you have at least two cups of flour, three cups of water, a balloon, some newspaper, paints or markers, crepe paper, and string. You should also stock up on candy or small toys to put inside of the pinata when you have finished making it. To begin making your first pinata, you should start by inflating a balloon to its maximum size. A balloon is used because it is an easy item to build a shape out of, although if you have some impressive artistic ability you can sculpt any shape pinata you choose. Tie off the balloon once it has been inflated and set it aside for later use. Create the Pinata ShellYou should now concentrate on making the shell of the pinata. Mix your flour and your water together to make a paste and set it aside. Next, you should cut the newspaper into many strips that are roughly one inch in thickness. Dip each strip into your paste mixture and place the strips on the balloon until it is totally covered, save for a small hole at the top of the pinata which you will later use to attach the string and add in any candy or gifts as pinata filling. Once the balloon is covered in newspaper, set it aside for several hours to dry (depending on your climate). When the balloon has dried and the newspaper feels somewhat solid all the way around, take more of your newspaper strips and add another layer to the pinata. Repeat this process one or two more times in order to make sure that your pinata will remain nice and strong - so that it will not break after just one hit. After all of the layers have dried, you should pop the balloon and attempt to fish it out from inside of the newspaper. Decorate the PinataDecorating the pinata is a fun project for the whole family, and can be done with a variety of paints, markers, and crepe paper to your family’s liking. Let everything dry once the decorations are complete. On the day of the festivities, punch two small holes in the top of the pinata and thread the string through them in order to hang the pinata somewhere that is out of the way of nearby breakable objects. You can then fill with goodies via the hole in the top.
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