Decorations are the key to transporting your little guests to your theme characters’ world. Copy the colour scheme of the place where the characters live using coloured light bulbs, table decorations and balloons. Then you just need to buy a few fun items to enhance your theme.
To re-create an underwater paradise, use blue light bulbs and hang plastic sea creatures and nets from your ceiling. Large lollipops tucked into flowerpots and sweets hanging from trees turn your back garden into a colourful candy land.
Not sure what kind of theme party to have? Think about your child’s favourite books, video games, cartoons, comics or movies, and let one of them be your inspiration. A classic theme, like Winnie the Pooh or Sesame Street, is always a favourite.
Broaden your theme to encourage kids to get creative with their costumes. For example, choose superheroes or princesses and let kids pick their own favourites — or invent their own — instead of choosing a specific character as your theme.
Be sure to put out extra masks, hats and other items that match your theme (see below for ideas) so guests can add on to their own costumes.
Clothing and accessories to have on hand for guests:
• Theme-appropriate tops and bottoms
• Hats, glasses and wigs | • Capes or invisibility cloaks • Makeup for creating moustaches or other facial features |
Plan party activities that match your theme. Organize a treasure hunt for your Dora the Explorer theme, or plan a full-fledged mystery for a Blue’s Clues or Scooby-Doo themed party.
To keep kids occupied, create activity stations with different kinds of games. In one, place age-appropriate board games. Make another a more active zone, with balls and skipping ropes, and turn a third into a craft area, with crayons, markers, paper, glitter, stickers and clay. Ask guests to create masterpieces that are tied in with your theme.
Mini-size kid-friendly treats are perfect for little hands and big appetites. There are several ways to tie your party theme into your meal.
• Give your dishes clever, theme appropriate names like krabby patties (burgers) and kelp fries (french fries) for a SpongeBob party. • Use pastry cutters to shape food into fun designs. A crown pastry cutter quickly turns a standard dinner into superfancy princess pizza. • Incorporate your characters’ favourite foods into your menu. Serve carrot sticks or carrot cupcakes at a Bugs Bunny party, or add honey to a Winnie the Pooh party by pairing chicken nuggets with a honey-mustard dipping sauce. |
Fizzy Lemonade
You may need to adjust the proportions of this recipe to get your lemonade as sweet or as strong as you like it.
• 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 part superfine sugar
• 3 parts chilled sparkling water
• ice cubes
Combine lemon juice and sugar in a pitcher. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add sparkling water and stir to combine. Place ice cubes in tall glasses and pour lemonade over them. |  |
| 1. | Tutti Frutti / Elvis Presley
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| 2. | Peppermint Twist / Joey Dee and the Starliters |
| 3. | The Candy Man / Sammy Davis Jr.
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| 4. | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang / Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Original Cast
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| 5. | Splish Splash / Bobby Darin
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| 6. | Yakety Yak / Dillard Harford Dillard
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| 7. | Simon Says |
| 8. | Hokey Pokey
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| 9. | The Lion Sleeps Tonight / The Tokens
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| 10. | Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini / Assist and The Sunrunners
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