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Choosing a Birthday Party Theme
Birthday party themes are becoming
more and more popular these days. Gone are the parties of the past
where a sack race, an egg spoon relay and a cake were sufficient.
Now you'll find entire aisles of department stores dedicated to
birthday party themes! How do you go about choosing one?
The first place to start is with your
child's favorite things. Does your son go crazy over Spiderman? Is
your daughter nuts for Barbie? These would be obvious places to
start and there are plenty of supplies available for these themes.
But what if your kids are more eclectic in their tastes, or have
outgrown traditional themes?
For very small children, it's best to go with a simple theme, like
trains or balloons. They won't notice if you spend weeks preparing
the decorations, so a couple of simple decorations will suffice.
For the 4-8 age bracket, birthday party themes rule. These kids want
the latest and greatest. They'll usually be pretty happy with themes
from movies (X-Men, Finding Nemo, The Hulk, etc.), but some children
want something out of the ordinary. Or maybe you don't want the same
silly paper plates as the neighbor's party.
You can choose a more obscure theme based on what your children
enjoy doing. If your son likes nature walks and camping, why not
plan a birthday theme around that? The kids could sleep out in the
back yard or you could head to the nearest national park for a
picnic and some great outdoor games, roast hot dogs and marshmallows
over a campfire and have them back by bedtime.
Some other less common birthday party themes for this age group
include Video Game Marathon, Make a Book Party, Bake fest, or Puppet
Party. Each of these themes is a unique, fun concept that kids would
love. Just remember to base your theme on what your birthday child
enjoys, or no one will have fun.
For older kids, 9-12, themes are still fun, but they have grown out
of the whole Spiderman plate stage. Now they want more
sophistication, more elegance and more fun. It's tough to work
within these guidelines, but your preteen will help you out. Kids
this age are pretty decisive about what they do and do not want in
their party! Ask your child what his ideas for the party theme are.
Also, by this age, birthday parties tend to be more gender-oriented.
Girls generally only invite girls to their parties and boys stick
with their male friends. This lets you choose even more specific
birthday party themes.
Here are a few ideas to get the brainstorming session started:
For Girls:
A Scrapbook Party - each one brings photos and they make albums
A Cake Decorating Party - they decorate mini-cakes
A Fashion Fest - Watch taped model shows, try on clothes (thrift
store) and do a runway show
For Boys:
Race Car Party - Go to the track and watch a race, talk to a driver
Pool Party - Hit the local swimming pool or back yard pool
Zombie Fest - Watch horror movies, go through a chamber of terror,
dress up like zombies
If you have teenagers, it's probably best to let them plan their own
parties, within reason. They aren't as interested in themed birthday
parties and may prefer just to hang out with their friends.
Whenever you are choosing a birthday party theme, make sure you get
the approval of the child. This is important, so don't go overboard
if your son is whining about too many decorations. And remember,
have fun!
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