Check out Dunkin, the laughing donkey. Thsi professionaly designed character is made out of latex.This great looking puppet will be a great addition to your show. Both ears move together or independatly. Let Dunkin salute your audiance with his ear for a great finish.
It takes more than balloons, streamers and matching plates to create a birthday party your child will never forget!Often, what makes a child’s birthday party a huge hit is a simply prepared game or activity. We’ve collected our favorite party games and traditional party games that can be played as-is or adapted to match your party theme. If this is your first children’s birthday party and you are bit intimidated, don’t worry. We also have tips and advice from our party professionals.
What games are right for my party?
First you’ll need to select a party theme. Then ask your child what they would like to play at their party. You can purchase pre- prepared party games or adapt a traditional party game so that it works with your theme. For instance…
“Duck, Duck, Goose can be changed to “Princess, Princess, Knight”
or Spiderman, Spiderman, Green Goblin” etc.
With some artistic skills, markers and poster board, Pin the Tail on the Donkey can be turned into ”Pin the Crown on the Princess”.
Next, you need to consider your party space and whether you’ll need to play indoors. We recommend that you select games that can be played indoors and outdoors or have a few easy games planned in case there is
a weather change.
Tips for Birthday Party Games
Select Appropriate Games
Some games will be a hit and others will be a “dud”. When appropriate, ask your child to participate in the party game planning. If they think it’s a fun game…their friends probably will too. Consider your party space and the age group of the children.
Be Flexible
If you sense that a party game is not going well, let it go and move on to the next activity. Or, make a quick adaptation to an existing game. If your party games are dependant on the weather…be prepared to take the party indoors if necessary.
Be Prepared
Have all games set up and ready to go before the party. Make sure you understand how the games is played.
Everyone is a Winner
Parties are a time to have fun, which means all guests should go home smiling. If you are going to provide prizes, try to reward all players just for participating or avoid prizes all together. Especially when entertaining very young children who have yet to develop a grasp on sportsmanship. Consider playing most, if not all games without prizes but everyone gets a candy or sticker. When all of the games are complete…everyone receives their goody bags.
(1) Catch the Balloon
Indoors
Equipment: 3 or 4 balloons
Formation: Circle
Arrange the players in a circle on the floor
and have them number off. Put the highest
number in the center to act as ‘it’.
“IT” holds a balloon and calls out a number while dropping the balloon
to the floor. The holder of that number then tries to catch the balloon before it touches the floor. If the player is successful ‘it’ tries another number. If the balloon touches the floor then that player is “it”.
(2) Buzz-Bomb Balloon
Indoors
Equipment:
1 balloon per player, not inflated
Tape or string to make a target
Formation: line or circle
All players inflate their balloon. Some players may need help
When the adult helper says “1, 2,3,GO!”
The players release their balloons in the direction of the target.
If you are having a theme party, use a picture from the theme as
the target center. Score 5 points for the closest balloon and 15 points
for a direct hit. This game works well with teams – each team gets their own colored balloons; red, blue, green etc. Or, you do not need to keep score at all and just have fun playing the game several times.
(3) Back-to-Back Balloon Pop
Indoors
Equipment: A supply of balloons
Formation: Pairs
Pick teams of two.
Have the pairs stand in a line or circle back to back, with a balloon held between their backs. On the leader’s signal, the players press together, trying to burst their balloon. The first team to pop its balloon wins.
If you prefer not to have winners, play until all of the balloons are popped.
(4) Poor Kitty
Indoors
Equipment: 1 blindfold
Formation: Circle
Arrange the group in a circle with a blindfolded player in the center.
Then have the players move around the circle very quietly.
The blindfolded player should approach the circle in any direction
and secure a victim who, in a disguised voice, says ‘poor kitty’ and then imitates the ‘meow’ of a cat. If the blindfolded player fails to identify his prisoner, he releases him and the game continues. If he succeeds,
the two change places.
(5) Blind man’s Bluff
Indoors
Equipment: 1 chair per person;
1 blindfold
Formation: Circle
‘It’ is blindfolded and stands in the center of a seated circle while the players change seats. ‘It’ now sits on a player’s lap. No words are spoken. He must guess whose lap he is sitting on. If he’s correct, the two change places. Prizes for game playing should be small toys, stickers or candy.
This will make it affordable for each child to get more than one.
(6) What’s My Line ?
Indoors
Equipment: None
Formation: Circle
The children sit in a circle. One player leaves the room,
while she is away the others decide what she should be when she returns.
If they decide on a Rock star, for example, they call her back and she has to ask each player in turn what she has to buy for herself. One will say guitar, another a fancy costume, another a microphone and so on. If the “guesser” goes all the way around the circle without guessing what she is, then she must go out again. Then the players will choose something else.
This game is very easy to adapt for different age groups ,
interests, and party themes.
(7) A.B.C. Ship
Indoors
Equipment:
Formation: Circle
Players form a circle with the parent or helper. Starting with the child on the parent’s left each player has to say in turn…
1. The name of a ship – Arcadia;
2. The name of the Captain – Alex
3. Sailing from Port – Aberdeen;
4.Sailing to Port – Alexandria;
6. With a cargo – Apples;
They follow on through the letters of the alphabet….
NOTE: This game can be easier on younger children,
if played as follows.
1st child names the Ship, 2nd child names the Captain, 3rd names
the port etc….To move things along, eliminateThe “a port name”,
or another category.
(8) Animammal Conference
Indoors
Equipment: Construction paper; scissors
Formation: Pairs
Each person is given a cut-out piece of
construction paper with the name of an animal (e.g. Kangaroo )
Then pairs are selected so that,
for example, a Kangaroo and a giraffe are together. Each pair creates a name of their animammal (e.g. Giraffaroo).
Pairs can then set out to try and guess the names of other animammals in the group.
(9) Simon Says
One player is the leader and orders the other players to make
motions by saying
“Simon says thumbs up” or
“Simon says hands on your head.”
The leader also makes all of these motions. If he omits “Simon says,” however, and just orders ”Thumbs up,” the players should not make the motion. Any player who does, is out of the game. The winner is the player who remains in the game the longest.
(10) Circle Keep Away (Hot Potato)
Players form a circle.
A bean bag is passed from player to player while one player sings, whistles or claps. When the music or clapping stops, the player who has the bean bag is out and sits in the center. The last one out wins. Stops should be made frequently so the game moves quickly and players will not be out for
a long period.
(11) Red Light, Green Light
Two lines are established at opposite ends of the playing area.
One line is the goal line; the other is the starting line. One player is
“It” and stands on the goal line.
“It” shuts his eyes and counts to 10 a number of times. At the end of the count to 10, he calls out, “Green light” or any other color light. While he is counting, the players advance toward the goal line. When “It” calls “Red light,” he opens his eyes and all of the players & must stop moving. Any player who “It” catches in motion must return to the starting line. Players can continue moving if any color other than “Red light” is called. The suspense of the game occurs as the players wonder what color will be called. The first player to reach the goal wins. The last one is “It”
for the next game.
(12) Captain, May I? or Mother, May I ?
This is similar to Red Light.
There is a goal line and a starting line. The player who is “Captain” stands at the goal line. The “Captain” addresses one player at a time to “Take one giant step” or “Take 5 baby steps” or “Skip three steps”, etc. That player must remember to say “Captain, May I?” and wait for permission before he can advance. If the player forgets to ask permission first, he must return to the starting line. The Captain then addresses another player on the line and continues until one player finally reaches the goal line. That player then becomes the “Captain.”
(13) Duck, Duck, Goose
All of the children will sit down in a circle facing each other
They are now the “Ducks”. Pick one child to be the Fox.
The Fox slowly walks around the outside of the circle, gently tapping the other players heads while saying “Duck” each time he/she taps.
After a few times around the circle, the Fox selects a “Goose” by tapping
a players head and calling “Goose!”. The Goose quickly jumps up and chases the Fox around the circle, trying to tag him before he can get to
the spot where the Goose was just sitting. If the Fox succeeds in taking the Goose’s place he is now safe and the Goose becomes the Fox.
If however the Fox is tagged while running from the Goose, he must
start the game again.
(14) Hopscotch
A good old-fashioned game of Hopscotch can be adapted to many party themes by changing the the appearance of the chalk-created hopscotch playing area.
You’ll Need:
Sidewalk Chalk
Stones or any other creative playing pieces
How to Play:
Have each child take a turn going through the following instructions:
Toss a small stone onto section 1.
On one foot, hop over the section with the stone, onto 2, and then onto 3. Then, land with both feet on 4 and 5 at the same time.
Hop onto 6 with one foot, and then land on 7 and 8 with both feet.
Continue to 9 and then 10 on one foot. While on 10, jump, turn around, and then hop back to the beginning in the same fashion. When you land on section 2, bend down and pick up the stone, hop onto 1, and then hop off.
Toss the stone onto section 2, and continue as above, skipping over the section with the stone.
If a child misses a toss, steps on a line, or steps out of the pattern, the next child in line takes a turn. A player is finished when he/she has tossed a rock onto all ten spaces and completed the hopping sequence for each toss.
San jose kids party entertainer
The first thing to do after setting the party date is to decide the theme of the party. There are several ways to choose a theme. Themes can come from a favorite character, a favorite toy etc. For 6th birthday party, you can organize a fairy party where you can decorate everything with a fairy charm. Here are some birthday party ideas for 6-year-old child:
Magic Party: If you opt for magic party theme for your child’s 6th birthday party, then you can get the kids to come dressed as magicians. Get the kids to make their own magic wand from dowels decorated with colored ribbon, glitter, paint and stickers. You can organize magic party games like hiding lots of white rabbits made from craft paper, around the house or garden. Whoever finds the most rabbits gets a prize.
Circus Party: Ask the kids to come dressed up in either circus or any sort of carnival costume. For decoration, create different activity areas and put up large signs saying what each activity is e.g. Popcorn Stand, Toss the hoops, Restroom, Ticket Booth. You can purchase some superb cardboard cutouts or make your own out of cardboard boxes, tables, canopies, sheets etc. To make it more fun and realistic, give the kids some ticket coupons as they arrive at the party and these will be used for the games, stalls and food.
Craft Party: A craft party theme is more popular with the girls. Ask the kids not to come in their best clothes but to come dressed as artists. You can organize some craft party activities like decorating, painting, jewelry making etc and some craft party games also. You can give gifts to the kids like pencil, Craft kits, Sketchpads and pencils etc.
Fond memories remain in the minds of impressionable kids for their entire life. So it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their kids have a happy and fun filled childhood. One of the ways of doing this by celebrating birthday parties in such a way that it becomes the best ever experience for the child. A birthday party worth remembering will give your child a little much more than a toy gift. The everlasting memories of his or her birthday party will stay with them till later life, and will bring the parents and the child closer. Here are a few fun filled ideas to help the parents in organizing the best birthday party for their 3 year old kid.
The best way to put together a memorable 3 year old birthday get-together experience is to do something related to your child’s interest. One of the biggest difficulties in organizing a birthday party for a kid is that the parents quite often try to integrate adult birthday party ideas. It should be taken into consideration that a child’s mindset is different from the adult’s mindset, so it is better to choose ideas that are favorable to kids and not to the adults.
Try to read your child’s mind. Try to know about your child’s preferred comic strip characters, dream jobs, and other fantasies. Your child will be highly surprised if you throw a pirate themed birthday and will be thrilled to know that you remember that he dreams to be a pirate.
Another important aspect that should be considered while arranging a 3 year old birthday party is that your home décor should match up to the theme. A 3 year old kid is creative, and is enjoying the best years of life, so organize a well planned theme party, with masks and toys. Shop for all the toy stores around for perfect accessories and home decor which can balance the selected theme. For instance if you have chosen a pirate themed celebration, then buy stuffed parrots as return gifts. You can also buy eye patches and decorate your home with ship, water, and artificial trees all around.
Your 3 year old kid birthday party is incomplete without games and excitement. Children like to indulge themselves in games in their birthday celebrations. For example for a party based on the princess theme, the children can indulge in hunt for treasure around the house to search for of unicorns and princess glass slippers and tiaras.
You can make your kid birthday worth remembering with a little sensitivity and a sincere effort. Your child has all the right to have a good time on his third birthday party. So help him out in making this an awesome experience for him
You can arrange a fun packed 3rd birthday party for your kid even though it is very exhausting for the parent to keep up with these little devils. But you can make this occasion as thrilling as possible without over-doing it for your kid.
There is no need to go over-board. There are 4 must things for your 3 year old kid.
(1) Invite friends
(2) Family
(3) Presents
(4) and, most importantly the cake.
The following are some of the inexpensive yet innovative ideas to make the birthday party for your 3 year old worth a while.
A happening party is not dependent on how much you spend but it depends on how you can make this event thrilling and unforgettable for your little kid.
Once you have chalked out the date and birthday party theme and it’s time to send out those invitations to the invitee. But an innovative way of announcing the party would be to construct an invitation web page Instead of penning out all invitations and distributing them out. The web page will include all details relating to the party like the date of the party, party theme, dress code and venue. You can also add images and photographs of your child.
Birthday parties are really a very special occasion for your little girls. Your girl is turning four and she is not a toddler anymore. As a parent you can give her all your love by celebrating her birthday in a way that she will remember for a long time. Bless your 4 year old daughter, an extra ordinary birthday and you can never imagine the joy it will bring you as a parent.
1. Try to give a royal treatment to your birthday girl on her birthday. Send invitations to all the invitees about her birthday ball. Try to indulge your little princess as well as her guests in makeovers and make them watch movies such as Cinderella and Snow White. Arrange for a decorated throne for your little daughter and make her feel the guest of honor and make her wear a plastic tiara to give a princess look. The guests can be served crown cookies, sandwiches and cake. You can also lease a blow up castle for bouncing purposes which will add to some additional amount of fun and frolic.
2. You can make your little princess have tea with her friends dressed up as dolls on her birthday. The favorable dress code can be floral dresses and floppy hats. The guests can be told to bring their favorite dolls. The party venue can be outside in an open space with flower bouquets and neutral tablecloths on the table to match up to the theme. The guest cans be served sandwiches and cupcakes along with the iced tea. You can also provide food to the dolls brought by the guests.
3. You can have a ballet-themed birthday celebration for the young girl. You can buy accessories required by a ballerina & make the guests wear tutus and ballet shoes. There should be enough space where girls can dance wearing lovely attire in ballet soundtracks. Hiring a ballet dancer will help since she can give lessons to the invitees. A good décor and good food will add to the party.
Hawaii theme can be created on your child’s birthday. Though Hawaii may be miles away but that theme can be created at your house with plastic palm trees and flowers. The guests can also join in hula dance. Water slides and kiddy pools for kids can further add to the party. The entire venue can be decorated with paper flip-flops and sand art crafts.
4. Since butterflies are adored by young girls for their bright colors and so it can be a creative birthday party theme. A painter can be hired for painting the picture of butterfly on the face of the invitees. The venue can be completely decorated using flowers & butterfly birthday cakes.
Searching a gift for your 4 year old kid is quite a difficult task since it is an age when a child becomes very inquisitive & inquiring. At this stage they love to play. So you need to buy from a wide collection of toys and other gifts available that not only challenge them but also offer them hours of inspiring fun.
1. Wooden Thomas Tank Engine train can be an ideal gift for a little boy. The child can be imaginative and he can imagine that he is commanding the Tank engine. Even gifts like Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs or may be a series of Thomas and Friends books written by Rev. W. V. Awdry, can be gifted which is considered a staple of every childhood literature since it was introduced in the 1940s. The set of train may include hand-made engines, railway tracks etc, made of wood.
2. My Little Pony can be an ideal gift for a girl since she can pet, comb and even style, with all kinds of accessories. There are a lot of Little Pony products, available right from puzzles, books games to room decorations. Even girls love horses just like the way boys love trains and dinosaurs.
3. A four year old kid can try for simple board games. There are lots of options available like traditional standbys Chutes, Ladders and Candy land. All these games are quite and also teach children about numbering and counting. Another good game that can be played is Dinosaur Monopoly. It is a simple form of game meant for young children.
Legos
4. A 4 year Boy and girl generally leave the phase of wooden-block sand venture into something tougher. Legos are basically a natural succession. These help the kid to build creativity and help them stay pre occupied for a longer period of time. Other good games include Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys.
Books
5. At the age of 4, Boys and girls learn to read books. The kids prefer 2 types of books like picture books having simple words and story books that you want your kid to read, such as Berenstain Bears, Dr. Seuss and Arnold Lobel’s The Small Pig. There are also habitual story books such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs and Sleeping Beauty.
Your kid is going to be two and you want to arrange a fulfilling birthday party for him. But before you start, you need to send out invitations to all. The birthday invitations are significant, particularly for young birthday guests. Your birthday invitations should provide accurate information on date, time and location & instructions for the guardians of the young birthday guests. Once all the information is ready, then start inviting everyone. Following are some of the vital aspects the parents of the birthday child should look into.
1. Before initiating everything else just fix the date. This is necessary if your child’s actual birthday party cannot be arranged on the same day as his birthday. The time for the party is vital, as your 2-year-old toddler still takes short naps. If possible organize the party during the mid-morning or mid to late afternoon hours when your toddler does not sleep. Try to avoid early afternoon, since children sleep around the lunch time. Try and choose backyard venues or large open area as this will help the kids to run and play.
2. The theme of your birthday party is significant since you need to include the theme into the design of the invitation card also. Choose the theme that best suits your 2-year-old, such as his favorite cartoon character. Then use that theme in the invitations. If your child loves an admired cartoon character or even a stuffed toy like a dog, then choose a card keeping that in mind. Also, you can make homemade invitation cards that are simple yet attractive.
3. Choose your own style of invitation. Birthday Invitation cards are basically folded cards which you can send as a postcard type invitation. You can also print out birthday invitations on a complete sheet of paper, with borders and images around. Then you can fold it and put inside an envelope with an attractive sticker to close the envelope. But make sure that the birthday invitation card matches the color of the theme that you have chosen.
4. Beside the date, time and location of the birthday party, add other information that is important for the parents. Give details about whether the parents need to drop off their child or stay back. Provide the guests all the vital details they need to know so that they turn up at your birthday party all prepared to have fun.
5. Mail your birthday invitations to the invitee two weeks in advance. This will provide the kids parents to ensure and verify their work schedule and RSVP. Include a RSVP date to your birthday invitation which will enable you to have an idea about how many people to plan for.
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You are the King & Queen in your home and if you are planning a party for your little prince then why don’t you make it grand with a Princess party. There are tons of ideas for a typical princess party
and you can make the preparations all at home.
The first thing you need to do is to make your home into a castle. I think you can already imagine the smiles this very thought will bring to your prince’s face. The next choice you have to make is that of a
catchy slogan that will fit the theme well. This slogan can be used in the invitations and as a part of the overall decorations as well. You use one of the following phrases:
- A Night of Enchantment
– Castle Party at John’s Magical Kingdom
- Hear Ye, Hear Ye…Princess Anna is turning 5!
- Sonia’s Pink Princess Party
- Gracious Knight come join us at john’s Castle for Feasting & Festivities!
Princess party invitations could include pictures of glass princess slippers, castles and knights on royal horses. Make sure the cards look special by using stylish fonts, calligraphy, glitter inks and
colored ribbons and flags. Mention the arrival and departure, date and venue clearly in the invitations. You can mention the dress code for the princess party as well. You can tie up the invitations with a bow like they did it in the olden days for all official parties.
Decorate the entrance of your house with flags, shields and red carpets to make it a grand entrance.
You can create a royal ball in your living room where you can decorate it with pink truffles and drape the tulles in the ceiling to create a canopy. This will give the look of a small dancing space for children
to dance in. You can also drape the chairs with pink ribbons and colorful bows.
Using a chalk you can draw princess characters on the driveway eg: snow white and Cinderella.
At the entrance you can write “enter the castle” here or “welcome to the kingdom”. You can have cutouts of court attendants and the dwarfs prepared and place them at the entrance. These will form the welcoming party for the guests. When each guest arrives their names can be announced in the background as in royal courts.
Ok now that the guests have arrived and we are all set we need to make sure that each guest receives personal attention and leaves the party with fond memories. We will discuss this in PART II of the article.
Now that the guests have arrived at the princess party let’s make the evening a delightful one for them. The best way to do this is to arrange some games which they will enjoy. Here are some beautiful ideas.
Place a small wishing well somewhere in the party. Give each guest a penny and ask them to wish something before dropping the penny into the well. Tell her that at night fall her wish will come true. You can then add gift boxes inside so that when each guest leaves they can pull out the gifts from the well.
Kids are divided into two teams and given 2 toothpicks and two bowls. In one bowl ice cubes are kept. The two bowls are placed at a distance on a table. Each person has to run from the start point bowl to the finish point bowl by carrying ice with toothpicks. The one who finishes first wins.
This is a simple kid game. The kids put on red lipstick and are blindfolded and spun around. They then try to kiss a picture of a prince. Whoever is closest wins.
Everyone sits in a circle and passes a slipper from one person to the next (while music is playing). Someone calls time or stops the music and the person left holding the slipper is out. Continue until there is only one person left.
Besides the games the next thing you can concentrate on is the food. Make sure the food is delicious so that it can be enjoyed by the children. Some useful suggestions are Food Items
All types of breads and platter of meats Enchanted chicken and turkey legs Cream cheese & strawberry jam sandwiches (you can shape them with star, heart, diamond etc.
Royal Salad (dried cranberries, golden raisins, cherries etc.)
Apple juice
Some sort of a sherbet
Pink lemonade
Strawberry tea
Strawberries
Grapes
Cockies
Popcorn
At the end of the party give everyone a small return gift so that they remember the party for a long time.
“Love” and “Thank You” charms can be added as favors and gifts. The half diameter charms feature a hole at the top for easy attachment with ribbon. Small assorted gift packets with plastic miniature
princess dolls, wands, magical characters work well.
Now you can start planning you royal ball and don’t forget to include your prince or princess in the process.
Baby foam cow puppet
