Category: Party Time

What do you do when your son asks to take all his friends to Jedi Training at Hollywood Studios? You bring Jedi Training to your house!

For Shepherd’s fourth birthday, he wanted to have a full Jedi training course, complete with the chance for each child to fight Darth Vader. Andrew dressed as the Jedi trainer, and then we booked characters from a local company to come as Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper, and it was honestly INCREDIBLE! The kids learned a little sequence, then Darth Vader came out and they each got to spar with him. At the end, they sent him back inside using the force. So fun, so memorable, and such a special day!

Food:

• The R2D2 cake and Star Wars cookies were really the showstoppers here. They were incredible!
• We ordered a Darth Vader and Stormtrooper bucket and served some food in those, which was super cute.

Decorations:

• We had a birthday board done, which was part of our tablescape.
• The decorations for this party were minimal, but we did print cute favor tags and had a banner on the porch where the Jedi Training took place.
• The favors for this party were cute little Star Wars art/activity boxes–all we had to do was tie on the tag!

Activities:

• Hello Jedi Training! Each kid got a Jedi robe and lightsaber, and they all really enjoyed this activity. We bought a smoke machine for the porch, which added to the fun atmosphere.
• After the training, kids could meet and take pictures with the characters. We had a back drop for pictures, and the kids were really into it.

This was hands down the most fun party we’ve thrown! It was so unique and interactive, and kids got really into it. We made sure to not make it scary, and we would definitely recommend it for your next kids’ birthday!

When our twins turned five, they wanted to have a local kids musician play at their party, so we decided to turn it into a little music festival. So. Much. Fun. Five-a-Roo was a huge hit with kids and adults alike, and I would highly recommend a music-themed party for young kids.

Food:

• We kept it easy with a nugget tray, cookie cakes, and some other light snacks.
• The decor behind the food table really set the stage for the whole party. We featured a blue and a pink dreamcatcher, then added some feather prints and bunting.
• We also hired a snow cone truck, and EVERYONE loved getting their own frozen treat!

Entertainment:

• The main entertainment was the musician. He played for about 20-30 minutes, ending with Happy Birthday and the candles being blown out.
• We also had tattoos for the kids and a space for them to pick out their own necklaces and headbands. We ordered the headbands, but we made the necklaces with components from the craft store.
• After the concert, we put out a kids karaoke microphone, and several kids took turns singing their own songs, which was adorable.

Decorations:

• The main decorations for this party were the wall behind the food plus some bunting on the front porch where the musician performed.
• We made a directional sign, which turned out cute and added a little personalized flair to the party.
• For favors, we gave each child a toy microphone–the kids loved them!

This party was fairly easy to put together, and it was definitely memorable. It was different in a good way, and our kids still talk about their music party!

Believe it or not, we’ve actually had TWO trolley birthday parties in our family, and both were amazingly fun for the kids! The second was a Daniel Tiger Party for our 3-year-old, and that’s the one we’re featuring here.

Food:

• This party was mid-morning, so we we had fruit, donuts and muffins, but we also had a HOT DOG CART! And, the hot dog guy came dressed as a hot dog–how fun is that?!?!
• The cake was the main focal point of the party table, and it turned out adorable. We had a local baker decorate it and we purchased figurines and a trolley to place on the cake.

Decorations:

• We kept everything super colorful and fun for this party! We used lots of fabric bunting in blue, red, yellow and green, which always looks great.
• For the table backdrop, we printed Daniel Tiger characters and attached them to fan-style decorations.
• We added Daniel Tiger hats and blowers, plus stickers, rings and candy for the favor. Super cute and easy!

Activities:

• Hello, trolley! The main activity at the party was trolley rides. The kids loved riding around the neighborhood and dancing on the trolley!
• We also had a face painter for the kids who were awaiting their turn, and we brought a small playset into our front yard.

We highly recommend a trolley party, as kids of all ages think it’s fun to go for a ride. If your little one enjoys Daniel Tiger, this party theme might be a perfect fit!

What kid doesn’t love firetrucks?! With their universal appeal, firetrucks are the perfect theme for a preschool-aged party (or even older)! Here’s what we did to throw an incredible firetruck celebration:

Decorations and details:

• We stuck with red, orange and yellow to mimic the colors of fire. These bright colors showed up really well in pictures!
• Fireman straws and fire hydrant cups added to our overall look.
• Fireman badges stuck to a cork board served as both a partial favor and a fun decoration.
• Dalmations with fire hats wearing a “thank you” tag collar were the perfect favor for this party.
• We used a picture of the birthday boy in his fireman dress-up gear to round out our table decor.

Food:

• The cake was really the focal point of the food table. A local baker did an AMAZING job!
• We didn’t worry about serving fire-themed food, but instead focused on food that kids would really eat.
• A fire-hydrant shaped drink dispenser added an extra touch to the drink area!

Activities:

• Hello firetruck rides! A local company has a firetruck for rent, and they offered the kids rides, let them spray the hose, and let them operate the ladder. So fun!
• The company also brought a fire dog bouncy house, which was fun for the kids while they waited for their turn on the firetruck.

This party was a huge hit for kids and parents alike! We loved this firetruck birthday, and might even recreate it for our youngest son.

This week I’m counting down my five favorite kids’ birthday parties I’ve thrown thus far, and I’m starting with my Shepherd’s construction-themed party! We had this party when he turned two, and he specifically asked for a construction theme. At the time he was obsessed with construction sites, so it was a perfect choice.

With its bright oranges and yellows, a construction party can actually be really adorable. And with all the potential activities, your guests are sure to have a great time. Below is a breakdown of how we threw one epic two-year-old construction birthday party!

Food:

• Food is the heart of any party, so I always try to make the spread both tasty and cute. I also try to incorporate the theme wherever I can.
• For our construction party, we used construction cone cups (which the guests were able to take home), and we served food like pretzels in buckets with shovels.
• The cake was adorable but SUPER SIMPLE! I had a grocery store do a plain two-level chocolate cake, then I added crumbled oreos as dirt and a few little trucks. We found the most perfect construction cone candles on Amazon!
• I like to use a backdrop behind my table, and for this party we used a pegboard and hung a banner with the birthday boy’s name as well as actual tools. Using tools we had made decorating so much cheaper!

Activities:

• No matter how cute a party is, it won’t be a success unless the kids have FUN!
• We were able to find a construction themed bounce house. When you’re trying to stick to a theme, you may have to shop around more, but it’s definitely worth it.
• We bought a white cardboard house that kids could paint (with washable paint, of course).
• Kids could also use the digging area (mulch in baby pools), or practice hitting nails into foam blocks.

Details:

• Sometimes the details really make the party. Some of the little things we did at our construction party included having construction themed lollipops, making a caution-tape welcome wreath, having construction hats for all the kids, and serving drinks out of a wheelbarrow. 
• I like to keep our favor on-theme, so for this party each child took home a little dump truck or excavator.

We had a great time throwing this party, and I would definitely recommend this theme. Our two-year-old couldn’t have been happier!