Have you spent ages racking your brain for theme ideas for a children’s party? Or have you not made it past this first crucial step?
Don’t fear. I have put together a selection of great themes for children’s parties! But I haven’t just stopped there. Oh no. I have also compiled a list of suggestions for costumes, food, decor, and even entertainment to help children’s event organizers in their planning process.
Pop Stars
Description and reason to choose: “Britain’s Got Talent” and the “X Factor” have given birth to a nation of pop star wannabes! So give little stars the chance to be real pop stars for the night! Reasons to choose this theme include its popularity among older children and the relative ease of costume design!
Costume ideas: Children will just love dressing up as their favorite pop star! Be warned, this may lead to a room full of Justin Biebers and Katy Perrys!
Food: What do the rich and famous eat? Well, whatever they want, obviously! Food ideas include: hot dogs, burgers, chocolate fondues, and make-your-own ice cream sundae.
Decor: Lots of microphones, directors chairs, stars, disco balls, spot lights, cameras, and a stage.
Pirates
Description and reasons to choose: Pirates is an old favorite when it comes to party themes. Its recent popularity is all thanks to the success of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise. Reasons to choose pirates as a children party theme include its enduring popularity, its appeal to children of all ages, and the relative ease of costume design and purchase.
Attire: Plenty of eye patches, peg legs, bandanas, hooks, torn shirts/shorts, parrots, and facial hair.
Food: Seafood galore!! Fish fingers, scampi, seafood gumbo — the options are endless.
Decor: Skull and cross bones flags and blue lighting. Props could include parrots, sails, ships wheels, treasure chests, ships mast, fishing nets. A pirate’s party color scheme is red, black, and white.
Description and reasons to choose: As well as being one of the most successful film franchises ever, this theme is hugely popular amongst children of all ages. Who wouldn’t want to be a wizard for the day? One of the many pluses for choosing this theme is the amount of “Harry Potter” merchandise available for decor and costumes. Children will have a magical time.
Costume ideas: Black capes, scarves, black pointy hats, wooden wands, broomsticks, an owl, and for those going for the Harry look, a lightening shaped scar on the forehead and round-rimmed glasses.
Food: Hogwarts is famed for its feasts and scrummy food, so all kid’s favorites: pizza, ice cream, candy, and cake would go well with this theme.
Decor: Candles (fake obviously, to prevent a hazard), goblets, wooden tables and benches, cauldrons, stone wall backdrops and plenty of spell books.
Description and reasons to choose: The Disney princesses have been hugely popular amongst little girls since the late 1990s. Enter any toy shop and you will see some form of Disney Princess merchandise. This is the perfect theme for a young girls party, as they will all love dressing up and getting the chance to be a princess for the day!
Costume ideas: Currently, there are 10 Disney Princesses, from Snow White and Pocahontas, to Rapunzel and Belle. The Disney Princess costumes are widely available, or you could create your own version.
Food: So what do Princesses like to eat? Lots of pink fairy cakes, cup cakes, and candy.
Decor: Create an enchanted castle look for the venue with stone wall backdrops, thrones, turrets, crowns and tiaras and possibly the odd dragon or two.
Description and reasons to choose: Which young person doesn’t love “High School Musical” and know all the hits? Older children will just love dressing up as their favorite character and singing along to all the songs from the movie.
Costume ideas: Young party goers will get to dress up as Gabriella, Troy, Sharpay, and the rest of the gang, so be prepared for cheerleaders, Wildcats, and posh prom frocks!
Food: Serve traditional high school cafeteria food: pizza, sub sandwiches, milkshakes, and carrot sticks with ranch dressing.
Decor: Decorate your venue with plenty of high school paraphernalia like satchels, school exercise books, cheerleading pom-poms, school lockers, wooden desks and signs that say ‘Go Wildcats’ or ‘High School Forever’! The color scheme could include the wildcat colors of red and white (for streamers, balloons and even cake icing).
Animals/Zoo
Description and reasons to choose: The perfect party theme for younger children, it allows organizers and parents plenty of choices when it comes to costume ideas. A great theme for organizers who want something a little different for young party goers!
Costume ideas: Parents can let their imagination run wild, literally! Get your child to dress up as their favorite animal, or pick something out of the ordinary (Aardvark, Meerkat, Lemur??). This theme calls for plenty of fur/scales, pointy ears, fangs, paws and tails!
Food: Animals are either carnivore or herbivore, so how about sliced veggies and dips, salads and mini steaks or perhaps animal shaped treats and snacks.
Decor: If you’re just going for the animal theme then you’ll need plenty of foliage, fake (or potted) trees and shrubs, jungle noises, water features, green balloons/streamers and anything else that will make the venue look like the great outdoors! For those who have opted for a zoo theme, then don’t forget bars, cages and lots of straw strewn about the place.
Monsters
Description and reasons to choose: This children’s party theme is perfect for younger boys! Let their inner monster escape as they get the chance to dress up and run around like creatures from another planet! Alternatively, this theme is great for parties around Halloween time.
Costume ideas: You could get your child to dress up as their favorite famous monster character (from “Monsters Inc.” and “Monsters Vs. Aliens”) or use your imagination to create your very own scary monster. Let your imagination run wild as there is plenty of room to be creative with this theme. Monster costume ideas: extra eyes, fur, scales, tentacles, extra limbs, fangs, and pointy ears!
Food: Monster themed snacks could include green “slime” smoothies and cupcakes decorated to look like monsters.
Costume ideas: Lots of green skin, tentacles, extra limbs, silver, and helmets. Children will love getting dressed up as green aliens, astronauts, and even planets/stars!
Food: Serve your young guests rocket shaped fruit kebabs, cupcakes with silver balls on them, spaceballs (meatballs), sandwiches cut in the shape of stars, rocket shaped ice lollies, and green jelly cups (decorated with eyes and made to look like aliens).
Decor: Venues should have dim lighting, lots of LED stars and planets. Props could include spaceships, comets and how about spaceship control panels.
