Birthday party themes are becoming more and more popular these days. Gone are the parties of the past where a sack race, an egg spoon relay and a cake were sufficient. Now you'll find entire aisles of department stores dedicated to birthday party themes! How do you go about choosing one? The first place to start is with your child's favorite things. Does your son go crazy over Spiderman? Is your daughter nuts for Barbie? These would be obvious places to start and there are plenty of supplies available for these themes. But what if your kids are more eclectic in their tastes, or have outgrown traditional themes?
For very small children, it's best to go with a simple theme, like trains or balloons. They won't notice if you spend weeks preparing the decorations, so a couple of simple decorations will suffice.
For the 4-8 age bracket, birthday party themes rule. These kids want the latest and greatest. They'll usually be pretty happy with themes from movies (X-Men, Finding Nemo, The Hulk, etc.), but some children want something out of the ordinary. Or maybe you don't want the same silly paper plates as the neighbor's party.
You can choose a more obscure theme based on what your children enjoy doing. If your son likes nature walks and camping, why not plan a birthday theme around that? The kids could sleep out in the back yard or you could head to the nearest national park for a picnic and some great outdoor games, roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire and have them back by bedtime.
Some other less common birthday party themes for this age group include Video Game Marathon, Make a Book Party, Bake fest, or Puppet Party. Each of these themes is a unique, fun concept that kids would love. Just remember to base your theme on what your birthday child enjoys, or no one will have fun.
For older kids, 9-12, themes are still fun, but they have grown out of the whole Spiderman plate stage. Now they want more sophistication, more elegance and more fun. It's tough to work within these guidelines, but your preteen will help you out. Kids this age are pretty decisive about what they do and do not want in their party! Ask your child what his ideas for the party theme are.
Also, by this age, birthday parties tend to be more gender-oriented. Girls generally only invite girls to their parties and boys stick with their male friends. This lets you choose even more specific birthday party themes.
Here are a few ideas to get the brainstorming session started:
A Scrapbook Party - each one brings photos and they make albums
A Cake Decorating Party - they decorate mini-cakes
A Fashion Fest - Watch taped model shows, try on clothes (thrift store) and do a runway show
Race Car Party - Go to the track and watch a race, talk to a driver
Pool Party - Hit the local swimming pool or back yard pool
Zombie Fest - Watch horror movies, go through a chamber of terror, dress up like zombies
If you have teenagers, it's probably best to let them plan their own parties, within reason. They aren't as interested in themed birthday parties and may prefer just to hang out with their friends.
Whenever you are choosing a birthday party theme, make sure you get the approval of the child. This is important, so don't go overboard if your son is whining about too many decorations. And remember, have fun!
