My goal with my parties is to make them special and different. Anyone can purchase all the pre-made elements for a party. I want my kids to value “homemade” more than store bought. You can certainly buy any Thomas the Train party supplies that you want. You can add homemade touches too. Every time I do a party, my homemade games and activities are enjoyed more than the pre-made games that I purchased. Every time!
Keep in mind that the more you recycle from everyday things, the more money you save. I use a hoola hoop at almost every party. You can hang them and throw something through it as a game. Any theme works with this game. For Thomas, you could throw coal pieces (black bean bags or homemade bean bags made out of a black stocking and rice) through the hoop. The sky is really the limit when you are using things you already have. Things like hoops, balls, riding cars and paper are a good thing to keep a good stash of for use with your parties.
Okay so here are many ideas for a great Thomas the Tank party…..
Invitation
-My favorite invitation for a train party is to take a wooden train piece (Garage Sales, Consignment Shops, or Store Bought for about a buck a piece) and write with a permanent marker all the details of the party. Then the children can use them in their train collection.
-You can always use your handy computer and printer to print out an invitation. Adding your child’s picture is always a nice touch. You can copy and paste Thomas from many places on the net. Just goggle him.
– If your child is turning 2 which seems to be the age that a lot of children choose Thomas, you can write or print CHOO CHOO LOOK WHO’S 2 on the invitation.
– You can make red bandannas out of red material that you find cheap and send each child a bandanna and add a piece of paper with the party details asking them to wear their bandannas to the party.
-You can use cotton as your steam if you construct a train out of paper to send.
Decorations
You can do so many things with a train party to decorate. Use as many toy trains or Thomas things that you already have to sit around and decorate with first. Always make your signs instead of paying for pricey ones that you will throw away. You can hand write them or print them out with copy and paste Thomas’ and your child’s face. I use photo paper and then keep the signs. There are many other ways to decorate your event space.
-Choo Choo “track” everywhere. You can place thick masking or duct tape on your floor to make a track all over the party space. Leave trains out for the guests to play when you aren’t involved in an activity. You can also get your guest excited by making train tracks on the front sidewalk with chalk.
– Decorate with yellow, red and blue since those are Thomas colors and add stickers or cut out computer images and glue them to Dollar Store banners. I am always asked where I purchased my banners because they haven’t been seen them before. I use a cheap banner and glue stick a themed image on it. I print it so I don’t even pay for stickers.
– If you decide to make some of the elements (discussed later) for the games, you can have these displayed out front where everyone can see them as decorations too.
-Place railroad crossing signs everywhere. You can print these or make them with paper and a marker.
Cake
-You can always purchase a pre-made cake.
-You can make your own and add trains to it.
-An idea that I love it to buy one of those sets of cake pans with several train pieces. You bake the little cakes ahead of time and then let the children help icing and decorate the long train cake as an activity. Or make this train cake yourself and display it as a decoration too.
Food
-Cut sandwiches out with a train cookie cutter.
– Use graham crackers and pipe icing to make a train as a sample and then sit it out with the supplies so party guests can make their own.
– Whipped cream or white icing can be steam so you can add that to anything.
– Any black round food could look like coal so you can label it as coal or add it to another food item.
Activities
– Guests can decorate real train pieces for the birthday child with permanent markers as a special train keepsake.
– You can set out huge appliance boxes with the bottoms cut off and allow the children to decorate the “train” prior to playing in it.
– The children can do track painting with toy trains dipped in paint and then roll across paper, or canvas goodie bags or anything.
– The children can color Thomas coloring sheets easily found on the Internet.
Games
-Clear the steam! Ask the children to clear all the steam from the party table (or any space) so you can go on with the party. You fill the space with white balloons and have the children either just clear them or pop them and hide candy inside.
-Pin the hat on Sir Topham Hatt. Make this yourself. Copy and paste an image of Sir and then enlarge it and print it. Cut hats out of black paper and play like pin the tail on the donkey. Use red bandannas for the blindfolds.
-Coal clean up. When you are in another room, have someone place “coal” all over the track that you made out of tape. Run in and yell to the children that you need them to be useful like Thomas and clean the coal off of the track. Have them throw the coal into buckets or laundry baskets taking turns. You can make the coal out of black bean bags, black stockings with rice in them or black rice filled socks.
-Choo Choo Relay. Put a large box over a ride on toy to make an engine. You can spray paint it if you like. Have the children push a friend in the engine during a relay race. If you do not have a ride on toy, ask around, those things are everywhere.
-Play the Conductor Says instead of Simon Says.
-Play Thomas, Thomas Percy instead of Duck, Duck Goose.
Favors
-trains of any kind
-marshmallows in a baggie as steam
-conductors hats
-red bandannas
-train whistles
-anything you can find at the Dollar Store and then place a Thomas sticker on it. You can do it with yo yo’s, mini Frisbees, bubbles, anything that you can find cheap.
Your children will remember homemade elements more than the pre-made ones for sure. They are original and fun to remember. Skip the pricey stuff and go for the easy, cheap and fun ways to produce a party!!
