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18 Kids' Birthday Themes That Will Bring Out Their Inner Party Animal
Whether your kid loves vintage race cars or wants to wear a gown and crown on the special day, there's a themed party idea for every birthday boy and girl.
Planning a birthday party for your kid? With so many different themes and interests, it's easy to get lost in all the Pinterest clutter. Whether your child love mermaids and unicorns or is super into Sesame Street and Pokemon, picking the right kids' birthday party theme is one of the most important things you can do to give your little one the best time ever. Before you throw yourself into the wrong theme, narrow down your kid's birthday party ideas by simply asking them: "What type of party would you want to have?" Or, if you're dealing with a toddler: "What's your favorite character from a show?" or "What's your favorite movie or show?"
Once you pick a theme based on your little one's current interests, start building your party plan:
• Where is the party going to be? Your house, at an outdoor public place like a park, an indoor play space you have to rent out?
• Set a date and make invitations. Everyone loves Etsy for invitations these days. There are many vendors and artists who offer custom digital prints that you can pay design fees for under $10. Then, you can just go to your local printer or Staples, or print yourself at home.
• Next, plot and conquer DIY birthday decor or source from Amazon or Etsy.
Whether you have a toddler who loves music or a millennial who is too cool for school, a Coachella-themed party will please both. Step one: Order a cake adorned with sun-catchers, flower crowns, and music notes like this one from NJ-based baker extraordinaire Carolyn Klein Rodriguez. Step two: A matching backdrop and similarly-colored treats will complete the vibe. For our daughter's 3rd birthday (pictured), instead of sending a regular paper invitation, we sent VIP passes with party details on them.
A Sesame Street-themed party has a four requirements: Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and white, green, and yellow accents. In addition to the two-tiered cake with the faces of your child's favorite Sesame Street characters (also created by NJ-based baker extraordinaire Carolyn Klein Rodriguez), we also made fruit and vegetable platters with their color schemes.
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Enchanted 'Encanto' Party
Ysolt Usigan
You won't be able to get through this party season without going to an Encanto-themed party or two. If your kid wants to do it up Encanto-style, the good news is, there are plenty of characters to center your party around. For an Isabella party (like the one pictured from my daughter's latest shindig), focus on the flowers—especially in the cake (like this one from NJ-based baker extraordinaire Kelly Hilberth of I Smell Icing) and a balloon garland (like this one from NJ-based balloon artist Balloon Inspirations by Kathy). A Bruno party can be chockfull of surprises, magic, and the color green. A Mirabel party can include a fun sing-a-long!
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Wonderful Witch Gathering
A Kailo Chic Life
While most kids won't ask for a witch party, if you do have a child who's into the magic arts, one fun, kid-friendly way to throw a witch party is to use word art, bat stickers, and moons. Ideal for Halloween times, it doesn't mean you have to go black and orange. Swap out the pumpkin- and fall-colored balloons and decor for metallic pinks, purples, and gold.
What kid wouldn't want to attend a party in their pajamas? Get cozy and let kids customize their pancakes with a variety of add-ins like strawberries, blueberries, or chocolate chips. And don't forget to top off a fresh stack with a heaping pat of butter, some syrup, and of course, whipped cream.
Bring the spa to your girl. Set up manicure/pedicure stations, zen tents for relaxing, and a clothing rack with sweet robes. Serve tea sandwiches, unicorn cupcakes, and face masks.
When in doubt, this frozen sweet treat is always a good idea. Go all out with a build-your-own sundae bar, ice cream shaped cookies, chocolate, and more.
Ariel herself would find this party so fin-tastic, she'd give up her voice to attend it. Think: mermaid tails, seafood, and shells. This party theme is best for the girl who loves ocean life as much as she does sushi.
When in doubt, go with Mickey Mouse. The decorate-your-own Mickey Mouse face is one of the major highlights of this party, and acts as a great souvenir your party guests can take home along with their treat bags.
Arghh, there seem to be many sweet treats and treasures to find at this party. Sip on Caribbean punch, follow the map to find the treasure, and have goody bags full of loot ready for your pirate partygoers to take home.
The kiddies don't need to go out to the deep sea to swim with these sharks. Hang blue canopies, complete with cutouts of sharks and other marine life, to make it seem like the kids are actually "swimming underwater." Serve shell-shaped pasta with fish sticks and shrimp to make the party a true ocean experience.
The perfect party idea if your kids are a little older. Play rounds of Pokemon Go and keep score to give out prizes later. Have the kids trade playing cards, and then dig into Pokemon character cupcakes.
For the child who is all about the glam, this posh party will be an elegant and entertaining event. Let guests choose from racks of princess costumes to dress up in and then pamper them with a hair and nail spa. Once they get glammed up, they'll be ready for dinner and dessert fit that's for a prince or princess.
There's nothing scary about this zoo-themed birthday bash. Use large cutouts of animals as backdrops for fun photos, and make sure to include safari hats for the kids to wear while they explore all the fun you have planned.
Something as simple as a bubble can make for an awesome party theme. You and the kids will soon discover all the potential party fun you can make with bubble wands, bubble wrap, bouncy balls, and more.
Discover the fun of the deep blue sea with this aquatic theme. Hang netting all over the walls and pin photos of the birthday boy or girl growing up throughout the years. Have a sand art station as well so everyone can take home a piece of the beach with them.
How could you not have fun at summer camp? Days filled with arts and crafts, sports, swimming, and more... Naturally, it makes such a fun birthday theme because the possibilities are endless. Print "summer camp" T-shirts, set up an arts and crafts table where party guests can make fun projects they can take home, and have a DIY hot dog roasting and s'mores bar.
As a member of the Special Projects Team, Annie works with the GH Tested program writing up product reviews and roundups and helps plan and run annual expos and events like the GH Parenting Summit, Xmas in July Expo, Cleaning Summit, Winter Essentials Expo, and more. When she’s not working, she can be found running, listening to true crime podcasts, designing graphic collages, or sipping on a margarita.
Ysolt Usigan is a lifestyle writer and editor with 15+ years of experience working in digital media. She has created share-worthy content for publishers Shape, What To Expect, Cafe Mom, TODAY, CBS News, HuffPo, The Bump, Health, Ask Men, and Best Gifts. A working mom of two, her editorial expertise in parenting, shopping, and home are rooted in her everyday life.