Birthdays aren’t just about cakes, candles and balloons. It’s your little one’s special day, so make it as special as can be with these super awesome DIY birthday party themes. Make it a birthday to remember!
1. Construction for days
Be a better builder than Bob with these thrifty and innovative concrete-themed DIY knick knacks. A too familiar orange, yellow and black themed items will present itself with concrete mixes (ice cream), wrecking balls (melon!), wood plank wafers, liquorice cables, breadstick lumber and more.
Materials are a go, and no building can be done without the sweaty work, so consider hosting a fort-making game or competition with some old cardboard and scotch tape. Finally, don’t forget to include the hardhats, orange vests and tools (forks, knives and spoons are their tools during meals, and art supplies are their tools for their craft making) when celebrating your little builder’s big day.
2. A Bugs’ Life
For outdoor-fanatical, lover-of-all-crawlies-kiddos, these DIY ideas are perfect for a bug- or outdoor-themed party. They’ll be bound to roll up their sleeves and get down ‘n’ dirty for these classics: ants on a log, googly eyed grape-pillars, dirt cakes, ladybug bites, and some lime/lemonade or chocolate shakes for refreshments.
Instead of a VIP screening of A Bugs’ Life or Bee Movie, opt for a hands-on and interactive ‘build-a-bug’ station. Stock up on coloured pipe cleaners, paper, pom-poms, googly-eyes, felt tips, PVA glue and as many other materials you can think of. When kids get creative about things they love, they will be entertained for hours at a time. (Pro tip: take advantage of birthday entertainment with relaxation and a wee glass of wine.)
3. A clue! A clue! Who is 2?
Our favourite blue pup is a paw-ty excitement booster for all curious kiddos. Put together iconic goodies or giveaways with a DIY shovel ‘n pail filled with blue-coloured candies, bubbles and handy-dandy notebooks. Encourage your partygoers of all ages (yes, parents too — but the kids have a head start!) to get their brains running with a Blue’s Clues’ hunt.
Set up a treasure hunt with blue pawprint cutouts leading to three clues in the party. Clues can hint at birthday cakes, pressies or any objects. With their handy-dandy notebooks, have all participants note their findings, pop them on a thinking chair, and ask them what they think the clues all mean. The first to guess gets a cheeky goodie or the biggest slice of cake!
4. Lego Lovers Club
If your little one goes loco for Lego, we have some crafty ideas for the ultimate lego-themed party. Any Lego movie is always a hit with the kids, but these tips and tricks will ensure your party will be just as memorable. Opt for yellows, reds and blues, Lego crown cutouts and coloured boxes with holes as cup holders for a timeless and iconic Lego ‘illusion’.
Birthday games are your oyster – Lego is so versatile that you can create so many fun activities that everyone will love. DIY a Lego photo booth or Lego pinata; set up a ‘decorate a mini figure’ station with cut-outs, googly eyes and art supplies; or make a Lego treasure hunt (best for the outdoors). If you have Lego floating at home, create a Lego spoon race using tricky Lego bits and bobs.
The creativity doesn’t have to stop there. Make Lego-themed cake pops, party hats, Lego pepperoni pizza slices, cupcakes, or cakes with Lego cake moulds. Finally, if you’re feeling a little more extra than already planned, pop some Lego bits into a dispenser of clear hand sanitiser. Just cause, you know, it’s not only super cool but also fits into the theme like two pieces of Lego. Good luck!
5. Tutti Frutti
If your child is a summer baby, take advantage of colourful and sweet seasonal fruits with a tutti-frutti themed party! Encourage invitees to get creative and dress up as their favourite fruits. Decorate with colourful summer colours and fruit-themed boxes to put goodies in. Normal candy is overrated, so why not use nature’s candy? Pop cut-up fruits on a platter or on skewers. Need to get rid of a watermelon shell? Use it as a big bowl for your fruit snacks. (If you’ve got a good hand, some time and a watermelon shell to spare, check out this pirate ship watermelon hack.)
For some fun activities, have a go at baking some round or square biscuits, and prepare lots of colourful icing, sprinkles and edible glitter (don’t forget the brown/black icing to use for lines or edges!). Then get the kids to creatively ice their own cookies into their favourite fruits.
6. Artist’s Workshop (pictured above)
This is a perfect theme to celebrate an aspiring little artist’s big day. Lay out colourful painting aprons for all kids to wear (wee berets are welcome, too!) and prop snacks and goodies on flat palettes that serve as plates. White and rainbow spectrums are your key colours!
Organising activities for this theme is easy-peasy — create an artist’s workshop! Lay out your old rugs and mats, or if the weather is looking crisp and sunny, keep the workshop outside. Have canvases, paint brushes and paints (keep in mind kid-friendly paints when buying) ready, and get all the kiddos to paint whatever they like. Pro tip: get the kids to handpaint the event in letters on the back of their canvases (For example, so-and-so’s *th birthday in 2018) and get them to take home their paintings as a pseudo-goodie bag, or as a memorabilia of their friend’s special day.
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