20 Simple and Fun Themes For Your Kids Birthday Party
Kids are the best, but planning a birthday party is almost always the worst. Even if you love a birthday party, and you love planning, there is always something to think about. Whether it’s the décor, the cake, the balloons, did you buy candles? Do you invite the entire class, or do you just pick and choose the people you know and like? What if you forget something? Is there enough food? Do the kids have enough snacks? Did you remember to get the kids everything on their birthday wish list?
Planning a birthday party for kids doesn’t have to be the most stressful thing you do – not that it won’t be because we are parents and we bring a lot of stress upon ourselves. However, throwing your kids a sweet birthday party needn’t be elaborate, expensive, or over-the-top. Rent an inflatable, throw a few decorations around the house, and make sure the cake is good. If you want to incorporate a theme, go for it. It is easier than it sounds, and your kids will have a wonderful time in the meantime. All you need is a theme, and then you can pick the perfect activities to entertain the kids. You can choose outdoor toys to keep them outside that go with your theme, and then you can party hard with the kids. Birthdays are not about stress. They’re about the memories you make with the kids you love.
1. Pick a Color Scheme
You don’t have to have a full on theme, you know. A good birthday party theme is to have no theme and just have a color combination. You can do green, blue, pink, red, white, black, whatever you want. It is the simplest theme of all. Just be sure you choose the kids’ favorite color scheme for their party. From here, you can just pick colored balloons, an inflatable that matches the color scheme, and even some outdoor activities that are colored just right to go with your theme. It’s easy.
2. Holiday Theme
Is your child’s birthday around a holiday? Why not make it a holiday theme party? We have a daughter born on St. Patrick’s Day and twins born two days before that, so we are doing a St. Patrick’s Day theme this year. Green, green, and more green, and it’s interspersed with a touch of gold here and there. The holiday décor is everywhere, so theme is easy. You can do this for any holiday.
3. Favorite Animal Theme
Do your little ones have a favorite animal? Dinosaurs? Pigs? If they do, you an work an entire theme around their love of that animal. Additionally, you can expand upon it to make it a bigger theme. For example, you cand make it a farm animal theme, too. There are no rules, either. You can choose as many animals as you want, and you can choose one. No one said you cannot do what you want to do.
4. Favorite Movie Theme
Let’s talk about movies. Do your kids have a favorite movie? Perhaps they love the Jurassic World movie. You can make an entire party theme out of their love of that movie, and you don’t even have to work too hard to make it happen.
5. Candy Land Theme
This one is my favorite because it’s anything goes. All you need is to make candy the centerpiece and focus, and you have a major winner on your hands. We did this for the three little’s and their birthdays in 2021, and it was perfect. Everyone loved it because it’s colorful, fun, and just enjoyable. When we did a candy land birthday for our kids a few years ago, we made sure to include only candy-themed décor. It was cute, and it was sweet. See what I did there? Sweet? As in sweet as candy?
6. Ice Cream Party Theme
The perfect ice cream party basically needs no décor. Call your local ice cream shoppe to see if they’ll allow you to book a party on premise. Many will do this for you, which means you don’t need much more than just people to show up. And your credit card, of course. We even have a perfect guide for you when it’s time to plan the perfect ice cream party. Trust me, it’s a simple theme that will bring everyone some serious joy – and it’s sweet.
7. Pool Party Theme
I love a good pool theme party because it’s another theme that requires very little work. You need your pool, a hot summer’s day, towels, cake, and kids to entertain. You can throw some beach balls and floats in the pool, hang up a happy birthday sign, and put very little effort into decorating since the actual pool is your main centerpiece.
8. Summer Theme
Summer is easy. What do you think of when you picture summer? Pool parties, ice cream, popsicles, hot dogs and hamburgers, and watermelon? Because those are all the things that we loved the most during summer growing up, and they make for a pretty perfect party theme for the kiddos.
9. Fall Theme
One way to make sure your child’s birthday party theme is a good one is to use what you have since it’s already out. Do you throw pumpkins on everything during the fall? Because I do during the fall season. It makes for natural décor, and you can simply add a few birthday touches to make it a party theme. This is the kind of stuff that works well when you want simple, easy, and cute. Order a fall cake, and call it a day.
10. Favorite Book Theme
Harry Potter anyone? Why not have a book theme party? We went to a Harry Potter birthday once. The family hosted it at the train station, decorated it like Hogwarts with candles hanging from the ceiling, robes for the kids, and everyone got to handle the sorting hat and find out where they go. It was darling, and the kids loved it. Because of the location, there wasn’t much needed in terms of décor, but the concept was perfection. Let your children choose their favorite book, and then bring it to life for their party.
11. Princess Theme
Almost every little girl goes through a phase in which princesses are their favorite. When the time comes, you’ll know, and you can make a party out of it. One great way to do this is to make sure every little princess invited to the party wears her favorite princess dress (trust me…most little girls already have them). They can have a tea party, eat cupcakes, and enjoy their day dressed like their favorite princess character. There is very little else you need to do to make this party exciting for kids.
12. Superhero Theme
Superheroes are the coolest, right? If your child loves a superhero, plan a party around it. Perhaps your little one loves all superheroes. You can make a party theme work with that, too. Hang a few superhero posters on the wall, decorate in the color scheme, and order a cool cake or some cupcakes with the superhero toppers. It’s all you need to keep your little one happy.
13. Cartoon Character Theme
All kids have a favorite cartoon character, and virtually every cartoon character has its own set of décor for parties. Disney characters are among the most popular of the cartoon characters, but there are many others to choose from. Every party store, Target, and everywhere in between can keep you going with the best of the best in terms of party supplies. It’s simple, doesn’t require much in terms of décor, but also keeps the kids happy.
14. Nautical Theme
A nautical theme is an easy one, and it’s one that kids love. The key is to keep it blue, white, and red. You can use everything from lighthouses to faux flotation devices to seashells and more to keep this party theme going. It’s a great one because you don’t even need décor from the store. You can take the seashells the kids have collected at the beach over the years and use those, and everyone will love the concept.
15. Sports Theme
Who is your child’s favorite sports team? Use their posters, logos, and then go into the store and buy plain paper plates in the team colors for $1 per pack. This is probably one of the simplest themes as far as birthdays are concerned, so this one works tremendously well. From baseball to football to basketball to soccer to hockey to every sport in between, your child definitely has a favorite team. This is even more fun if your child’s birthday falls during the sports season they love the most.
16. Paris Theme
Do you have a travel lover? We have kids who love to travel, and Paris is a place our youngest daughter is itching to go. She’s only nine, but she’s excited about planning a trip to the city of love now that she’s at a great age to really enjoy herself there. She’s making things happen in her own mind, so a party with pink and black décor, Parisian colors, and macarons everywhere is all that she cares about. It’s a simple theme for a little girl with a love of the city, and it’s one you can throw without much effort.
17. Spa Theme
I love this idea. Invite a few girls over for a party. Buy them each a personalized pedicure station, nail polish, face masks, eye masks, sleeping masks, little robes, and make it all about the fluffy, comfortable, happy moments. Serve them cucumber water and pamper them all day long. Light candles, turn the lights down low, and play soft spa music while they get their nails done and do face masks. Make them feel comfortable and like they are being pampered, and they will love every moment of it.
18. Pirate Party Theme
Who doesn’t love a pirate? Everyone loves a pirate. A pirate theme party is among the best of the themes you can choose, and this one is going to be a huge hit in the under-10 crowd. Get some pirate hats, draw some pirate beards onto the kids with eyeliner, and then give each of the kids an eye patch to wear. If you have some treasure chests and chocolate wrapped in gold to look like a coin, you win. It’s going to be fantastic, and everyone will adore this theme.
19. Mermaid Theme
Mermaids are always a winning theme for little girls who love make believe and the ocean. One thing that will really set them all on the path to happiness is their own mermaid tail blanket. They’re all over the place, and you can order them almost anywhere these days. Decorate with a few seashells, a lot of blues, purples, and greens, and let the kids have the best time celebrating themselves while they swim, play, and act like their favorite mermaids.
20. Nature Theme
Flowers, woodland, gardens…what do they all have in common? They are all nature themes, and everyone loves a nature theme. You can make this as feminine or as masculine as you like. My advice is to choose something your kids love. For example, if you have a gardening party, give everyone a little pot and some potting soil and let them plant their own seeds to take home and care for. It’s a cute way to incorporate a little something for décor as well as something that each little party guest can take home. It’s a win for everyone – just let your kids choose whether they want to have flowers or veggies or fruits to plant.
