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| | Tradition With a Twist Party |
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Recipe for a Great
Birthday Party Theme
- 1 part child's favorite theme
- 1 part child's favorite people
- 1 part child's favorite activities
- 1 part child's favorite foods
- A dash of festive decorations
Season with love and mix together with thoughtful advanced planning. Serve with enthusiasm on the birthday child's special day.
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| Planning a birthday party with festive decorations, imaginative activities, yummy food, happy guests, and fabulous party favors will be easier if you begin with a theme, especially when you choose a theme that includes a few of your child's favorite things. For a child's first two or three years, parents should identify the theme a child likes best, but by age three, the birthday child can appreciate snuggling up with Mommy and selecting a theme. |
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 | | Whenever possible, utilize the theme your child chooses. If the chosen theme is inappropriate (i.e., your three-year old wants a swim party and you're concerned about the safety of little guests), explain why the theme is inappropriate and suggest a compromise. If your child has trouble choosing a theme, try one of the following. |
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- Ask the child about his favorite toy, cartoon character, animal, sport, or hobby.
- Together, page through a birthday party planning book and talk about the various suggested party themes.
- Visit a local party supply store or go online and choose from the available themed party supplies.
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| Party invitations, decorations, activities, food, and favors should be planned to fit the party theme. If the birthday child chooses a fishing theme, select or make invitations in the shape of a fish. Send them to the favorite people designated on the guest list. Decorate with fish cut outs, green seaweed streamers, blue and silver balloon bubbles, and a big fish net. Play games like "Go Fish," " Pin the Fin on the Fish," and "Sharks and Minnows," reinventing the child's favorites to fit the theme. Plan creative, theme-inspired ways to serve favorite foods. For instance, cut bologna sandwiches into fish shapes and serve with frozen grape "bubbles," fish crackers, and a fish-shaped cake. Give one of the birthday child's favorite playthings, such as a container of play-do with a fish cookie cutter, as a party favor. |
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Looking for more "recipes for success?" Check out Shelly's Kids in the Kitchen Party ideas - full of theme ideas for kids who love to be in the kitchen.
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Shelly Radic is the Director of Group Life at MOPS International and also the author of The Birthday Book: Creative Ways to Celebrate Your Child’s Special Day. Having hosted more than forty children's birthday celebrations, and attended countless others, Shelly is delighted to provide parents with a wealth of birthday planning ideas.
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