SPORTS PARTY IDEAS

SPORTS PARTY INVITATION IDEAS:

• Make an invitation to resemble a ticket to a sporting event – Come have a BALL!

• Ask everyone to wear their favorite team jersey to the party

• Find football textured paper at your local scrapbook store, cut into the shape of a football and overlay vellum over it with party details printed on the vellum – punch holes through both sheets at the top and tie together with brown leather lacing –Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!

SPORTS PARTY DECORATION IDEAS:

• Use flag pennants to section off your game areas

• Have coolers of Gatorade for the kids to refresh with

• Decorate the yard by painting a sports field using line paint (can be purchased from your local sports store)

• Serve sport stadium foods like hot dogs, nachos, cotton candy, cokes, soft pretzels, popcorn, etc.

• Play sports-themed music to get everyone in the ZONE!

SPORTS PARTY GAME IDEAS:

• Rent out your local gym for the party

• Introduce each child and have them run through some decorated paper like they are a winner! (could use adding machine tape)

• Have out every kind of ball around so the kids can play with them throughout the party

• The parent hosts of the party can wear black and white striped shirts as the referees

• If you have a large area for the kids to play, section off with a soccer goal in one area (see how many goals a child can make in 1 minute), an inflatable football goal in another (see how many footballs you can kick through the goal in 1 minute), baseballs and baseball gloves (play a small game or see how many hits a child can make in 2 minutes)

• Have a big awards ceremony at the end – make sure everyone gets something!

• Hand out cool sports tattoos for everyone to wear (you could also have “team” tattoos to keep everyone separate and identifiable

• Hang a hula hoop from a tree and have it the “target” to throw the football through

• If you have in a gym or have access to a basketball hoop, have different basketball games like slam dunk contests, P-I-G, farthest shot, and free throws

• Get a football and place on a tee - have each child come up and blindfold them and spin them around a few times - then let them attempt to kick the football - whoever makes actual contact with the ball and travels the farthest, wins.

SPORTS PARTY FAVOR IDEAS:

• Give out medals or awards for winners and participants in the sporting events

• Give out Baby Ruth candy bars and could even make your own “thank-you” wrappers to wrap around the packaging

• Send pictures of kids from party with a note that says, "Thanks for being such a great sport"!

• Nerf Footballs, inflatable sports balls, whistles, Big League Chew Gum

• The girls could have small megaphones in their school or team colors

• Sports water bottles

STAR WARS PARTY IDEAS

STAR WARS PARTY INVITATION IDEAS:

• Cut invitations out of card stock or scrapbook paper into the shape of a spaceship and have party details on front – end with May the Force Be With You!

• Just use simple cardstock and type out in large font and slowly reducing to tiny font (like the opening of each of the Star Wars movies)

STAR WARS PARTY DECORATION IDEAS:

• Have Star Wars theme music playing in background OR any of the Star Wars movies

• Cover walls of mail party area with black paper sheeting over the walls and then attach glow in the dark stars on walls and celing

• Use glow in the dark balloons

• Attach movie posters from any of the Star Wars movies on walls

• Have a ‘light side’ and ‘dark side’ drink: Yoda Soda – gingerale and lime sherbert, Darth Malt - strawberry soda and vanilla ice cream

• Use black tablecloths and sprinkle star confetti over table

STAR WARS PARTY GAME IDEAS:

• For all games and decorations, separate into teams of the ‘light side’ and the ‘dark side’ – dark side colors are red/black and light side are green/blue

• Have a light saber sword fight – light side against dark side (rent a fog machine for a more dramatic effect)

• Set up Star Wars action figures and have target practice by using a Nerf Gun or disc gun

• Have a game of Meteor Shower – fill balloons with small prizes or candies and have the kids pop balloons to see what they win

STAR WARS PARTY FAVOR IDEAS:

• Light up light sabers

• Glow-in-the-dark ANYTHING!

• Old star wars movies and memorabilia

• Buy a cardboard standup of Yoda and have each guest take a picture with the cut-out – send with thank you card “A great party, had we!”

• Glow sticks (that you crack to glow) look like mini light sabers

SWEET 16 PARTY IDEAS

SWEET 16 PARTY INVITATION IDEAS:

• Feature a baby photo of guest of honor on the cover of invite – with party details inside

• Buy keys (that do not unlock anything) and glue to cover of invitation with text, "Your the key to make Chloe's 16th birthday great!" *This idea really works better if the guest of honor will be getting a new car for their birthday.

SWEET 16 PARTY DECORATION IDEAS:

• Have a photo matte out on a display table and have everyone sign a well-wish to guest of honor – you can later take a group picture from party to frame

• Have a photo album out that is a summary of the first 16 years of the guest of honor’s life

• Have a slide show of pictures of the guest of honor’s life showing on a big screen or on a lap-top so guests can view

• The guest of honor can wear a tiara or crown

SWEET 16 PARTY GAME IDEAS:

• Rent a candelabra with 16 candle-holders and have each candle represent a special someone that has played a major part of the birthday girl/boy’s life – say something special about each person as that person lights their candle

• Write up a trivia quiz about the birthday boy/girl and see who knows them the best

• Play a 16-Question game by asking the guests 16 questions about the guest of honor and then have the them answer the questions – whoever has the most right wins a prize

• Have 16 of the guest of honor’s closest family/friends write a sweet message to the guest of honor – write on a sheet of paper and roll up and tie with ribbon – have each friend present and read the message aloud to everyone

• Have a sweet 16 Glamour party – hire someone to do their hair, nails and make-up – after go show it off by treating them to a dinner at a nice restaurant

• Have a video or photo scavenger hunt – split the girls up into 2 teams and have a list of items that they have do or photos that they have to take of them doing crazy things and all meet back at a designated time to compare photos/videos

• Rent a limo to take all of the guest of honor’s friends to a nice restaurant or just somewhere fun

SWEET 16 PARTY FAVOR IDEAS:

• Send a photo from party with each thank you card

• Lip gloss, hair accessories, and makeup

• 16 pieces of candy

• Dvd of "16 Candles"

TEA PARTY IDEAS

TEA PARTY INVITATION IDEAS:

• Have a theme where they bring their favorite stuffed animal or favorite doll

• Ask guests to wear their favorite or dressy outfit

• Have a mother/daughter tea party at a local tea-room or antique shop

• Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Please join Shiloh for tea! We’ll have sugar and spice and all that’s nice, there will be lots of food and peach tea with ice. Cut a letter 8 shape into some cute scrapbook paper, fold the ends together, glue the bottom and sides together but leave the top open, slide a sheet into the opening with party details and glue a strip of marabou feather as the handle – and it looks like a little purse!

• Send a fun plastic ring with a big jewel on it into a small jewelry gift box with confetti and tissue, along with the part details inside. “Your Invited Dahling!!”

• Mail a tea bag with a pastel covered card stock tag attached with party details

TEA PARTY DECORATION IDEAS:

• Shop around at different second-hand stores for pretty teacups and teapots as decoration or for use

• Fill up teapots with beautiful flowers as centerpieces

• Have “I’m a Little Teapot” playing in the background

• Dress up the place settings with formal china and tea cups

• Have a big, fancy cookie wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon at each place setting

• Serve sugar cubes and different flavors of tea and lemonade

TEA PARTY GAME IDEAS:

• Give out hats and have all the kids decorate with faux flowers

• Have out vintage clothes, hats, jewelry and let the kids have fun trying it on – create a runway so that the kids can take turns modeling their new look

• Let the kids decorate their own tea cups, tea pots, vanity mirrors, frames or terra cotta pots

• Let the girls soak cloths in hot water and let sit on their faces for a while before they do each others make-up, hair and nails

• Pour wax into small tea cups and glue beads, sequins, and pearls and they become candles

• Play a game of Pass the Teapot. Fill a plastic tea pot with candies or little goodies and pass around a circle. When the music stops, whoever is holding the teapot is out and chooses a goodie from the teapot. Winner is last one holding the teapot!

TEA PARTY FAVOR IDEAS:

• Give out small purses with little white gloves and fun jewels

• Give Feather boas for each child or just a couple in your photo area, take a picture of each child with their new look and send with their thank you cards

• Tea set

THOMAS THE TRAIN PARTY IDEAS

THOMAS THE TRAIN PARTY INVITATION IDEAS:

• Take a picture in their striped overalls, cap, and bandanna and decorate the picture with a fun train border as the cover of your invite

• Use 2 die-cut pieces of a train and caboose, punch a hole in each and connect with ribbon – have party info on each piece

• Make your invitation look like a ticket or boarding pass onto a train – with arrival times and train station address

• Have the kids wear their overalls

THOMAS THE TRAIN PARTY DECORATION IDEAS:

• Set up your home version of the Thomas the Tank Engine Table with tracks and trains – the kids can play during free time

• Use masking tape to make a pretend train track – starting from where the kids would arrive, taking them all the way to the party area

• Set up a dry erase board with the schedule of party listing arrival time and departure time and everything in between

• Set up a ticket booth so when the kids arrive, they can purchase their ticket and get their hats and whistles and get them to their game station

THOMAS THE TRAIN PARTY GAME IDEAS:

• Rent a trackless train from a local vendor for the kids to ride on – usually comes with a conductor!

• "Hot Train"- Pass around a wooden train in a circle while playing some train music. Whoever is left holding the train when the music stops is out. Repeat this until there is a winner!

• Fill black socks with marbles or beans, “coal,” and set up a cardboard box, “boxcar,” and each child can try to toss the lumps of “coal” into the “boxcar” without missing

• Check our your local appliance store and ask for some large boxes – have the kids decorate and paint like a train

• Pass out tickets during the party and at the end, you could have a ticket drawing for prizes

THOMAS THE TRAIN PARTY FAVOR IDEAS:

• Give out train caps and red train scarves or bandannas

• Train whistles

• Take pictures of the kids dressed up at the party and mail them with their thank you cards

• Toy Train

WESTERN PARTY

INVITATION IDEAS:

• Make a WANTED poster by either using a picture of the birthday boy/girl OR by using pictures of each guest that you are inviting to the party - WANTED – all cowboys and cowgirls to mosey on over to Sheriff Katelynn’s birthday party at the Smith Corral!”

• Burn the edges of the paper to make it look old (but BE CAREFUL)

• Cut 8.5 x 5.5 sheets of white cardstock and draw with big black marker cow spots all over, lay over the cow cardstock a sheet of vellum paper cut ½” shorter all the way around with the party info printed on it – punch holes through the top of both sheets and tie them together with red raffia and tie a small cowbell through it

DECORATION IDEAS:

• Put out tubs of trail mix on all the tables for guests to snack on

• Hire petting zoo company to bring small ponies for pony rides

• Use bales of hay as seats for guests

• Use a child’s pair of boots as a centerpiece and tie a bunch of balloons to it

• Put your drinks in galvanized tin tubs filled with ice

• Use old wagon wheels as decoration in your main party area

• Put signs around your party area like Grub, Waterin’ Hole, Pony Corral, & Outhouse

• Use red and white checked tablecloths

GAME IDEAS:

• Have a lasso area by pinning a stick horse between 2 bales of hay and provide a rope for the kids to lasso the stick horse

• Have a stick horse race

• Play a game of “Cowboy, Cowboy, Indian” like you would “Duck, Duck, Goose”

• Fill a baby pool full of sand and hide pennies or rocks spray painted gold and see who can find the most gold

• Play a game of horseshoes

• Break up a bale of hay and hide small prizes in they hay

• Fill stuffed toy farm animals into a wheelbarrow and have a relay race with teams, if you drop animals along the way, you have to go back and pick them up

• Set up 2 teams – one team has a bunch of pink balloons, with a nose drawn on the front and a short piece of pink curling ribbon as the tail – and one team that has a bunch of white balloons with cow face drawn on the front and a tail with black curling ribbon – each team has to take their balloons from one side of a party area to the other side without letting any ‘strays’ get away

FAVOR IDEAS:

• Cowboy hats, bandannas & sheriff badges

• As a treat bag, take a bandanna and put candies in the center and tie up with all 4 sides – stick a dowel rod through the knot for kids to put over their shoulders

• Put favors in a giant metal tub and label it LOOT

• Harmonicas

• Water gun

• Take some group or individual shots with black and white film and send with a thank you card back to guest