Party Decorating Ideas

With the various colors of Pablo, Uniqua, Tasha, Tyrone and Austin, a colorful party is in order! Bright primary colors represent the Backyardigans theme well. If your party is taking place in the warmer months or climate, than naturally the backyard is the only place for a Backyardigans party. But if you live in an apartment, party is during colder months or rain is in the forecast, we can still create a backyard setting indoors.

Create a gated backyard by using cardboard. Cut long pieces of brown cardboard into picket fence shapes and align vertically on the wall. Use green fuzzy carpet as grass and bright lights to make a sunny day.

Decorate the table using Backyardigans themed paper goods or use a mix of pink, purple, yellow, blue and orange. Use the same colors for the balloons and streamers.

Party Menu Ideas

The Backyardigans love to eat snacks after every trip of imaginery fun. Some of their favorites include: graham crackers, pretzels, apples, and grilled cheese.

Yeti Monster Burgers - grill some jumbo burgers and create a burger station where the kids can add whatever they want to their Yeti Monster burger.

Riding The Range Sloppy Joes - inspired from the Riding the Range Episode.

Chicken-Itza Pizza - inspired from the Chicken-Itza Pizza episode.

Party Game Ideas

With over 50 episodes of the Backyardigans having aired, recreating their adventures as party games is a matter of picking your favorites and making them doable.

For example, in the episode “Pirate Treasure”, Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone and Austin find buried treasure, walk the plank and find the X. This is something easy for the children to recreate. Divide the children into two groups and give each group half of the map. Hide a treasure box full of goodies and have the children follow the map to find it. Walking the plank not recommended.

Another example is in the episode “Surfs Up”, Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone need to learn rad moves before Austin allows them to surf Tiki beach. Appoint an “Austin” and have a dance contest. Everyone who learns the rad moves can dance at Tiki beach (or another area of the party space.)

An obstacle course race like the “Race Around The World” episode is sure to be a blast as well.

Guess the episode - a game of Name That Tune. Separate the children into groups. Each group can be named after a Backyardigan. Have one person (not anyone in the groups - a mom could volunteer) hum songs. Have the children guess what song it is and then have the group sing some of the song together. The group with the most correct “performances” wins.

The most important ingredient for a Backyardigans party is to allow the children to have a great time using their imagination. After all, “they’ve got to the whole wide world to explore”, or at least the backyard.

Well, there is such a thing and if you are going to have a themed party, you are going to need some ideas and some Backyardigans birthday party supplies.

First of all, a crash course in what it actually is. Essentially, it is a musical-adventure that is aimed at children between the ages of two and five. Each episode features five pre-school friends who rely on their imaginations to transform their backyard into a different world, which they explore through stories and adventures.

So, what do you do for a Backyardigans themed birthday party?

Well, first of all you should look at what the core of the television program is, which is the exploration of new worlds through a child’s imagination. Understanding a child’s imagination will go a long way in helping create a memorable party.

First of all, the imagination of a child is limitless, and it can be difficult to contain it in something as small as a backyard. Despite their name being Backyardigans, there is nothing stopping you from having the party in a park. In the park, you can set up a variety of large activities for the children, including egg races and other outdoor activities.

If you decide not to go to the park, another great way for children to use their imagination in the backyard is to make a play. Have the children get into groups to plan out a play in only a few minutes and put it on for everyone. Let them have fun and don’t worry about plots or anything like that, it is all about imaginations.

If Shakespeare in the backyard is not your cup of tea, you can also have the children write a story or draw a collective picture for the birthday boy or girl.

Another excellent idea is to take the children on a backyard safari. This can be done with several of the birthday party supplies that are available and some cardboard and paint. You can create lions, giraffes, elephants and a wide variety of other animals that can be setup around the yard.

Then, take the children out and have them look for the wild animals. Pretend like it is an actual safari and tell the children interesting facts about the animals. “Did you know a giraffe can live on no water for a month and only five minutes of sleep a day?” or “Hippos are actually closely related with pigs!”

As your family grows from age one to a hundred, birthday parties should focus on themes that are important to the family member being celebrated. Children, ages 8 or 10, like storied themes with activities in concert with the themes. Teenagers want parties that will be popular with their friends providing some independence (beach parties are a good choice here). The theme for your party should suit the age of the family member being celebrated.

Young adults in your family might appreciate going to a favorite restaurant. Thirtieth, fortieth, and fiftieth birthdays are special milestones where personality roasts might be appropriate. Birthdays sixty five, seventy five and one hundred should unfurl the milestones and accomplishments of long, full lives being celebrated by family and friends. As such, birthday parties should yield moments in the lives of those experiencing the journey of life that will be remembered and cherished for years to come.

The beginning of any party, is the artistic topic or the party’s theme. Party themes can be varied including fishing party themes, a tea party theme, or a puppy party theme to name a few. Listed below you’ll find a number of party themes that provide something for every age group. The themes shown include Disney Themes — American Idol — Movie Themes — Sports Themes — and a wide range of other themes.

Themes for 3-6 Years Old

Barney, Barbie, Animal Planet, Batman Begins, Bionicle “Barraki”, Birthday Princess, Bob the Builder, Bugs Everywhere, Build-A-Bear, Buzz Lightyear, Care Bears, Cars, Cinderella, Curious George “TV”, Dart Frogs, Daydream Fairy, Dinosaurs, Disney Princess Fairy-Tale, Doodlebops, Dora, Elmo Loves You, Fairy-Tale Unicorns, Finding Nemo, Fire Trucks, Flower Fairies, Hello Kitty, John Deere, JoJo’s Circus, Knight’s Adventure, Ladybugs, Land Before Time, Lil’ Bratz™, Mickey’s Clubhouse, Mod Butterfly, Movie Party, My Little Pony, Jets, Raggedy Ann & Andy, The Little Mermaid, Tweety, Strawberry Shortcake, Thomas, Tinker Bell, Wizard of Oz, SpongeBob Squared, Tea Party, Hot Wheels, Rubber Ducky, SpongeBob Luau, Fishin’ with Dad, etc.

Themes for Ages 7-12

Baseball, Basketball, Dance, Football, Gymnastics, Horse Power, Hula!, NBA, Pink Poodle, Pirate’s Treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pokémon, Power Rangers, Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, Sea Life, Secret Agent, Sesame Smiles, Shrek the Third, Slumber Party, Soccer, Space Mission, Special Forces, Spider-Man 3, Star Wars III, Supergirl, Superman, That’sSo Raven, The Backyardigans, The Cat, The Dog, The Wiggles, Magic, or Zoology.

Themes for Teens

American Idol, High School Musical, Hollywood, Beach Party, Sweet 16, Pretty in Pink, Flower Power, etc.

Themes for Young Adults

Disco, American Idol, Mexican Fiesta, Luau, etc.

Party Planning Tips

When planning your event, you’ll need to determine the length of your party. Two hours should be plenty of time. A good rule of thumb for younger family members, is that the number of guests you invite to your party should not exceed your child’s age. For instance, the guest list for an eight year old’s birthday party should not exceed 8.

You should prepare a schedule for the party’s activities and games and keep it on a schedule card for reference during the party. Plan more activities than you need so you’re sure you can keep the kids busy if they finish an activity ahead of your schedule. Also, plan to have someone steer the kids as they arrive for the party.

Invitations can be homemade or purchased. Homemade invitations can be cut from cards into shapes that match your party’s theme. For instance, invitations for a fishing party theme might be cards cut out in the shape of fish. In this case, you can write the invitation on the back of the card and draw the features of the fish on the front. For a puppy party theme, you could cut the invitations in the shape of a dog bone with the invitation written on the bone. For a tea party theme, you might want your invitations to be in the shape of a tea cup.

Party decorations can include balloons, streamers, posters, banners, centerpieces, pinatas, and other fare. Decorations for a girl’s tea party could be pink and feminine with a tablecloth, a floral centerpiece, and decorative finger foods. Activities will vary in accordance with the party’s theme and the location of the party.

Have your loved one’s party in a location that accommodates the fun activities that will be special for those being celebrated and those attending.

Above all else, have fun.

• Sprout: Sprout is PBS’s answer to all day programming for children. In the old days, PBS was the host of day time kids television shows like Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow; now, as the demand for child friendly programming increases, Sprout has become a great tool for busy parents who want to make sure their children are being educated and entertained. One of the more popular programs, the Let’s Go Show, engages kids and helps them explore with fun filled episodes that concentrate on music, dancing, and other educational yet fun activities and concepts. When it’s time to unwind, let the little one’s watch The Good Night Show, where Nina, the host, along with her gang of loveable puppet friends can help your child unwind and get ready for bed.
• Discovery Kids: Looking for something to keep your child entertained on a rainy day? Try Discovery Kids. Discovery kid’s keeps children entertained while learning at the same time with shows that focus on nature, wildlife, and science. This kid friendly channel even has a show called Endurance which features kids taking part in real life adventures much like its adult counterpart Survivor. Discovery Kids is perfect for kids that are past the preschool age and are eager to learn about everything from dinosaurs to environment. With shows like Scout’s Safari, Popular Mechanics for Kids, and Mystery Hunters, there are shows for every eager little mind as well as their parents.
• Noggin: Sister Channel to Nickelodeon, Noggin is a great channel for your preschooler to watch. With some great contributors including Sesame Workshop, there are a variety of fun shows and cartoons to keep kids occupied and educated. This channel has some well known kids favorites like Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, and the Backyardigans. It also offers shows from various other parts of the world including Franklin which hails from Canada, Connie the Cow from the United Kingdom, and the Australian children’s program Upside Down Show.
• Disney Channel: The Disney channel, which has been around since the early 1980’s is a great channel for the whole family. With a constant line up of family friendly programming, the Disney Channel offers programming for a wide variety of age groups. Some of the more popular programs that are aired regularly are Raven, The Suit Life of Zack and Cody, and Kim Possible. Disney also has a movie night which feature blockbuster family films like Spy Kids and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, as well several other Disney classics like Cinderella and Herbie the Love Bug. So if you’re looking for a channel to sit down for some quality family TV time, Disney channel is one of your best bets.

I have written this article and I hope that it will assist you prepare your party.

Being prepared for your kid’s birthday party is important. The best way you can be sure to be prepared is to start your planning early and stick to your plan. Your kid can help you with your plans but don’t plan on them being much help. The party is too exciting for a kid to stay focused.

4 hours before the birthday party On the actual day of the party you will want to make sure that the house is prepared. Start decorating 4 or 5 hours before the party . Locate all of the supplies for your games and crafts and keep them properly. Make sure you have enough drinks and other snacks to go along with your cake. Prepare a few extra places just in case someone else shows up. You should check the guests list and see who hasn’t RSVP yet and if you have their number to call and see if they are able to show up. Not only the more the merrier but you will want to be prepared for the unexpected crowd.

3 hours before the birthday party Prepare the tables with napkins, glasses and spoons/forks. The plates can be set in a stack near the cake so they are available immediately when you are serving the cake. You can make place cards if you want assigned seats . As an idea, you can include party favors that the children can take home. If you have any last minute dishes you need to prepare now is the time to make sure they are prepared.

Two hours before the birthday party It is time to wash up and get prepared for the party. By this time you already have the the games and decorations set up. The cake is ready and food is prepared. You need to dress your kidfor the party.

I recommend that you add some balloons outside your house so that it makes it easier for your guests to find your place. I know some parents who actually tie balloons from the main road all the way to their house because their house is a distance off the main road.

Have a gifts table near the door so that when your kid receives the gift they can put it on the table. This same table can also serve as a place to put your party favors so that when the guests leave they can take them home.

One hour before the birthday party Dress the birthday kid if you have not done it. You should have an activity set up so you can start the party as soon as guests show up. I recommend that the first activity should be a simple activity to keep everyone’s attention while keeping the guests together in one area. Activities like face painting & tattoos are recommended.

Have your cell phone with you at all times, especially if your guests find it hard to locate your home.

Let the party begin!

The Basic Party Planning Rules

Start planning the party about a month in advance. This gives you plenty of time to order everything, enlist the help you need, and get everything ready. Even busy parents can plan that far in advance; a well-planned party is less work than a party that is thrown together at the last minute.

The best party times are mid-afternoon. The children have had lunch but are not hungry for dinner yet. You should have some finger snacks but you don’t need to worry about preparing a meal.

The easiest birthday parties have a theme. With a unifying idea like pirates or a luau, a lot of the details fall into place automatically. Even something as simple as decorating around your child’s favorite color makes the decisions easier.

Activities are the most important thing at a child’s birthday party! The kids forget the food, the decorations, and even who was there but they always remember fun party games.

Birthday Invitations

Second only to party games, the birthday invitation is one of the most important decisions for a memorably party. It gives the first impression and if the child has fun, it can be a keepsake.

Even if you are opting for home crafted decorations and party game, it is worth getting custom invitations printed. They certainly are a great choice for parents who don’t have an artistic touch, but even those that do can benefit from the sophisticated look of a professionally crafted birthday invitation.

For young children, the number of guests should equal the child’s age plus one or two. As the child gets into double digits you might need to bring this number down; you are the best judge of your limits. Invitations should be sent out as early as possible as other parents have their own schedules.

Keeping Kids Entertained

Plan several activities for the party and set up each in advance. For a typical two-hour party, four should be enough, though you might want one or two others if the children get bored with what’s planned.

Children don’t like to lose so plan ahead to avoid tears. For competitive games, have small prizes for kids who don’t win. Better yet, have the group participate in a cooperative game like a treasure hunt and split the prize. Crafting activities eliminate competition and give each guest another memento.

Saying Goodbye

Before you know it, the time has passed and you have survived another birthday party.

Prepare theme-appropriate party favors as parting gifts. Have your child hand them out as the guests leave and thank each one for coming.

Follow these tips and you’ll find birthday parties really aren’t hard to carry off successfully.

Boys naturally love to play war games that involve pretend guns. If the birthday is in the summer, how about a water gun fight? Divide the boys up into two teams and let them fight like cowboys and Indians. The goal of this game is to get the other team more wet than your team! By the way, don’t forget to tell your guests to bring extra clothes when you send out your invitations. You don’t want them to be sitting in drippy wet clothes when it’s time to cut the cake. You can find good deals on water guns if you shop for them at the local dollar stores. You’ll be able to find a wide variety of colors and sizes.

You may be worried that you’ll have to spend a fortune to come up with good birthday games for kids, but that’s not true. One of the most fun games around is also one of the cheapest: Three-legged races. You probably know how it works: A pair of boys get tied together, the right leg to the left leg, and each pair tries to be the first to cross the finish line. If you want to make it even more challenging for older boys, you can turn the race into an obstacle course. To avoid injuries, be sure to match up boys that are similarly sized.

Another idea that boys will enjoy is playing dress-up. Sound insane? Not if you get the boys to dress up as pirates and let them recreate scenes from their very favorite pirate stories. Better yet, if you plan on having a pirate theme for the birthday party, you could organize a pirate treasure hunt

Another fun and cheap game is the spoon race. This is one of those birthday games for kids that really tests a strange ability: Passing a spoon from one person to another using only their teeth. You’ll also need a small fruit, a ball, an egg, or some other small object to balance on the spoon. Divide the boys into teams. The first team to pass the spoon to the end of the line without using their hands is declared the winner.

Hopefully, these birthday games for kids have given you some ideas for your boy’s birthday party.

Planning the perfect princess can be as much as fun as the tea party itself. You are only limited by your imagination. If your little princess is old enough, use this time to plan the tea party together and make the experience extra special.

You want to first start out with a theme. Choosing a specific theme can make planning so much easier. For example if you want to do a Cinderella theme party, you already know that everything should be silver, light blue and white. If you want to choose a simple princess themed that is not character based, then white, pink, purple and yellow are the basic colors used most often.

After choosing your theme, you must now choose the personalized backyardigans invitations and party dcor. If you are planning a formal tea party, choose an elegant invitation. If you are creating your invitation this is easy to achieve by choosing a script font and pretty, dainty paper. For extra elegance incorporate a bow or lace to the invitation. For a more whimsical party, try using glitter and stickers to jazz up your invitations.

The party decor should follow suit. An elegant tea party should use linen table covers and napkins. Use porcelain, silver or ceramic tea set and adorn the table with a floral centerpiece. Silver cutlery compliment will compliment any of the tea sets wonderfully. To finish off the table dcor add strings of faux pearls and rose petals.

The whimsical princess tea party is a lot less formal, but can be just as pretty fun. A plastic or porcelain tea set will work great. You can find lots of pretty plastic tea sets with the Disney Princesses on them. Cutlery can be colorful plastic ware used for a party. Table covers can be plastic or paper. Coordinate the table ware, table cover and napkins for a more uniformed and festive look. Fill a basket with faux flowers or jewelry and use as a centerpiece. The whimsical tea party is less expensive and is better suited for the princesses under age 8.

The princess tea party menu can be just as simple. Keep in mind that the food is for little fingers and tummies when you create the menu. Your little princess’ input can be a huge help. What’s a tea party without tea? I don’t know too many little princesses that are regular tea drinkers. Try substituting hot tea for iced tea. This is a great solution for the younger princesses. They can still pour their own tea without the worries of burning themselves. It also works well with the plastic tea sets. Another alternative is tea filled with fruit. These teas taste more like fruit punch and the princesses won’t even know the difference.

Keep the foods small. The children’s tea sets are small and the food should be able to fit on the plates perfectly. Finger sandwiches, mini croissants, mini muffins and small tea cookies work well. If the tea party is for a birthday party, try substituting a traditional birthday cake for cupcakes. Place the cupcakes on a tier pedestal for a festive look.

Keep the princesses entertained with a few princess tea party games. A princess favorite is kiss the frog. Place a disposable picture of a frog on the wall. Apply lipstick to each princess. One by one blindfold each princess and spin her around a few times. She them kisses the frog. Whichever princess comes closest to the frog’s lips is the winner. If she is lucky enough she may just have found her prince.

A few more games are:

Which Princess Sings This? Each princess can sing and act out the scene of a princess movie and the rest have to guess the princess and movie. Can be made more challenging by not singing and just acting it out.

Royal Findings this game is great for the younger princesses. Before the party begins hide several princess themed articles around the party area. Examples include crowns, wands, jewels etc. Whatever they find they can keep or trade. Be sure to either hide plenty for everyone or give them each a turn. After they find one thing, it’s the next princesses turn.

Last but not least is Dress Up. For a more formal tea party the princesses can wear their own very pretty party dresses. For the more whimsical party purchase a dress up trunk and allow the girls to swap outfits. Put out a spread of jewels, make up and feather boas and watch the beauties emerge.

Other princess activities include make your own tiara, design your own slipper and make your own wand. Most craft stores carry these party activities kits or can find them online at party or princess websites. Another option is to find articles that tell you how to create these projects yourself without having to purchase the kits.

Other tips to keep in mind are:

Most tea sets come with enough pieces for 4 people. You may need to purchase several tea sets to accommodate a larger party.

A whimsical tea party is suggested for princesses under age 8. The tea sets and dcor are better suited for them. With plastic table covers and tea sets, mishaps are a breeze to clean up.

If you need to purchase several tea sets, you don’t want to be left with so many sets after the party is over. Give each princess their table setting as their favor. You can purchase nice gift boxes to place the set in after cleaning. Adorn with a bow and tag with party information.

Use the table time to teach the princesses proper table manners and etiquette. This may be more suitable for the older princesses. A 3 year old may have a hard time figuring out what you are talking about. So if you are trying to teach a room full of 3 years olds, you can wind up pulling your hair out.

Most of all have fun!

If you want to plan a birthday party, it’s not difficult, I give you some some hints to make the birthday party as fun and memorable the way you planned it to be.

Brainstorming of Party Ideas

You may want to do some brainstorming to come up with some ideas for the birthday party. It will be good to do it with your children. If you’re going to celebrate a first birthday party for your only child, ideas from other family members, friends and relatives would certainly matter. Asking others for ideas could help make your planning faster and more fool-proof. Remember, birthday party planning is not one person’s effort, it requires help from everyone.

Create a Checklist
Once you are done with brainstorming, you need to look for party supplies. From the birthday cake, foods, refreshments, venue, number of guests; all these must be featured in your checklist. To make everything well planned and organized, jotting these down to a notebook will help. If you plan for an event, writing down the nitty-gritty will play a huge role in your planning stage. This is also the time where you can consider things carefully. If you are aiming for a particular cake for the party, compare the prices and put that in your checklist. This will help you in coming up with a well thought out particulars in your kid’s party. Lastly, if you don’t want to miss a single detail for the big day, providing a checklist will contribute a big difference.

Sending Out The Invitations
The next important thing to look at is the guests backyardigans personalized invitations. If you’re holding a kid’s party, guests mostly involves little children the same age as your child accompanied by their parents or guardians. With this, always plan it as 1 + 1 invitation: one child will come with one parent. But you can just provide one invitation for each child. Make sure that you also give the invitation at least 2 weeks before the party, ideally at least one month in advance. This will give guests the chance to arrange their schedules and spend time with your child’s birthday bash.

The Birthday Party Itself
Just when you thought the planning stage is through the moment the party is being held, it doesn’t. The actual party will be the realization of your plans. To plan a birthday party means to be in control of the entire event until it comes to an end, making sure that everything that is planned is well delivered and put into action.

Planning a birthday party is not easy, however all your effort and planning will be a joy when your child say, “This is the best birthday party I have ever had!”.

You have to create a guest list, organize the food, provide entertainment and look after the parents. You yourself are influenced by the parties you have been to and do not want the other parents to judge you and find your party lacking.

1. The most important thing is that your child enjoys her party.

It’s not the end of the world if the all the napkins, clothes, cups and plates don’t match and the food is not the most expensive. It’s much more important that all the children have fun. Plan the party thinking about fun.

2. Start early

Don’t leave organizing things till the last moment and get stressed out about it but start early and do a little at a time. Starting early is particularly important if you are going to hire an entertainer because they often get booked up early.

3. Don’t be pushed by your child, preschool or nursery into having every child in the class.

One of the teachers at my local preschool told the parents that every child in the class should be invited to every party otherwise it was not fair. This placed pressure on the parents to invite more children than they really wanted to. Don’t be pushed into having more children than you feel comfortable with and the location and finances can handle.

4. Decide the maximum number of children before you talk to your child

If you have a set number in mind you are less likely to be pushed into having many more children than you really feel comfortable with. You may want to start discussions at a lower number and be open to negotiating with your child.

5. Know and allocate your budget before you start

Do you want to spend most of your budget on an entertainer? Have really upmarket party bags? If you have a budget roughly allocated to each part of the party spending is less likely to get out of control. Do not give in to your child’s tantrums or sulks and spend more than you want to. A party that costs very little can be as much fun as one that costs a lot of money even when you kids wants personalized backyardigans invitations.

6. Get family and friends involved

Have more than enough help organized well before the day, someone is bound to be ill on the day and not able to help. Allocate jobs in advance and have someone who can fill in and help with anything.

7. Make the games short

Children have short attention spans and a party is an exciting event. Bored kids can run wild and cause trouble. Try and make sure that everyone wins something; this may involve a little cheating.

8. Have a quieter activity during the party

Think about a craft or other quieter activity that the children will enjoy. A good time to do this activity is before the food and after they have had some noisier activities. This works really well and the children enjoy taking the finished article home. You will need to have organized some people to help.

9. Keep control and have fun

You may be very tempting to loosen your parental control after all this is a party and supposed to be a fun. Don’t do it. Fun does not equate with lack of control, in fact children have more fun if there are boundaries. Join in the activities and have fun yourself and get other adults who stay involved in the fun.

10. Get some to help clean up afterwards

Cleaning up after the party can be one of the worst parts of the party. Organize this well before the party day and get a friend or pay local teenager to help you. Allocate jobs to family and friends a couple of days before the event and even write them down and have them attached to the refrigerator or other surface so you are don’t have to remember once the party is finished.

Above all a party should be fun and EVERYONE should enjoy it.