Theming a child’s birthday party is now a far easier task as the number of themed birthday supplies available via the Internet at very affordable prices is increasing all the time.
While some kids and their parents like to go for popular TV and movie character themes, others often want to go for something a little more traditional, like a pirate or unicorn party. There are plenty of themed party supplies available for such parties too, but what about activities that go with the birthday party theme? Here are just a few ideas centred around some of the most popular of today’s kids birthday party themes:
Pirate Party Ideas
Long before Jack Sparrow hit the big screens children of all ages often begged Mum and Dad to throw a pirate party for their birthday. There are a number of different pirates themed party supply sets available suitable for lots of different age groups but to make your pirate party really go with a bang there have to be plenty of pirate related activities going on at the party:
Walking the Plank
All you need for this game is a wooden plank set on the floor. For older kids, you can make the game a little more challenging by setting the plank on bricks to raise it off the floor by a couple of inches.
Each child has to balance their way along the plank (harder than it sounds) without falling off into the sea. Real pirates used to blindfold their victims before sending them off the plank so that too is a way to make the game even harder.
Safer Sword Fighting
Pirates love sword fighting, kids love sword fighting but even plastic swords can cause a little more damage than you’d like at a boisterous pirate party. A safer alternative is to have the kids duel it out with balloon swords instead.
Peg Leg Race
A three-legged race with a pirate twist. The party guests are split into pairs and then each of them has one leg tied to their partner’s. Set up an obstacle course in advance (stuffed parrots, cardboard treasure chests, plastic palm trees, wherever your imagination takes you) and the winners are the team who negotiate the course successfully with the fastest time.
Unicorn Party Ideas
Unicorns have been popping up in fairy tales and other stories of enchanted worlds for centuries and unlike their close relatives dragons, they (usually) embody all that is sweet and good and therefore appeal to kids of all ages, especially little girls.
A unicorn themed party can be a great idea for children of all ages. Here are some ideas to make your unicorn party unique and unforgettable
Unicorn Mane Races
Print out pictures of unicorns from the internet or buy a few inexpensive unicorn posters. Use ribbon or streamers to make enough ‘unicorn tails” so that each guest has one of their own. Choose an area (indoors or out) that has plenty of running space.
Create a starting line and hang all the unicorn pictures a good running distance away.
Divide the children into two equal teams. Explain that the object is to be the first team to attach all of the colored streamers to its unicorn picture, forming the unicorn’s rainbow mane. The race is then run as a relay and play continues until one team has all of their streamers in place, forming a complete unicorn’s mane.
Fairy Story Time
There are so many great books that feature unicorns that not including a story time at your unicorn party would be a real shame. Some great titles to check out from the library? The Unicorn and the Moon by Tomie DePaola, Unicorns I Have Known by Robert Vavra or If I Found a Wistful Unicorn: A Gift of Love by Ann Ashford.
Unicorn Piñata
A unicorn makes the perfect piñata. Give each child a balloon sword to whack it with for even more fun.
Cowboy Party Ideas
Kids have been having cowboy themed birthday parties for decades but they are still as popular as ever. You can certainly get a great many cool cowboy themed party supplies but how about ideas for fun cowboy party activities’? Well here are just a few:
Gold Rush
Scatter gold chocolate coins all around a designated area and send the party guests off a gold “mining” expedition. The kids, of course, get to keep whatever ‘gold” they find!
Snakebite
Before the party, fill a plastic lidded tube with beans or something else that rattles. Decorate the tube with eyes to make a “rattlesnake” Have your party guests sit in a circle and pass the ‘rattler’ while snippets of country and western music are played.
The player holding the rattler when the music stops (the one who ‘bitten’) is out. The last player left “unharmed” is the winner.
Brand the Calf
Draw a picture of a calf or print one out from the Internet. Place the picture on a wall. Mark an X somewhere on the calf’s rear. Blindfold each child, spin him around, and then have him mark his brand (initials) on the calf with a crayon. The child who comes closest to the X is the winner.
Some variations on this theme include pin the star on the sheriff and (of course) pin the tail on the horse.
