Deciding on a party theme can seem difficult but it is really very simple. A theme can be a favorite hobby, book or movie. It can even be a favorite color. Choose something the birthday person loves and run with it.
A birthday party theme could be centered around a holiday that occurs near the birthday. In the spring, that could be Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, or Mardi Gras. Children love the idea of Mardi Gras parties, even if they do not understand the religious part of the celebration. Buy inexpensive masks, feathers, stickers and sequins and let the children decorate their own masks to wear during the party. Give away strands of beads or plastic coins as game prizes and you will have a happy bunch of children. Mardi Gras can be a theme for the pre-teen through the teenage years. Saint Patrick’s Day is another easy holiday theme. Ask the guests to wear as much green as possible and get ready to take pictures as they try to outdo each other. Give a bucket of gold (gold foil-wrapped chocolates) to the person who arrives wearing the most green. Decorate the house with shamrocks and have guests find the leprechaun’s treasure. Draw a map with clues to look for the bucket of gold in or around your house.
While Easter may not be considered a theme for a party, all of the available Easter decorations and party supplies in the spring make it an easy choice. Go to dollar stores for inexpensive decorations (especially for a young child’s party) and use pastel crepe paper streamers to decorate. If the child is interested, an egg hunt could be part of the activities and small baskets could be used as party favors. Another idea would be to create eggs from craft supplies you may have in your house. Construction paper, ribbons, sequins and crayons are some ideas to use. If you are really a brave parent, have hard-boiled eggs ready and let the children decorate those. This is a perfect outdoor springtime activity, especially if you plan to use food coloring as your dye.
There are many special days in the spring, such as World Poetry Day, Dr. Suess’s birthday, and National Goof Off Day. Choose an offbeat holiday and make that the theme of the day. Search the Internet for lists of official “days” in each month and have some fun!
If you have trouble deciding on a party theme, ask the birthday person what they would like. Children love to be asked their opinions on decisions and to help plan their birthday party makes it even more special to them.
