100 Awesome Party Ideas for Children | Do Say Give

100 Awesome Party Ideas for Children

Motherhood and Children

We all know where to get cute party supplies (hello, Etsy!) and even the supplies that we need last-minute (hi, Amazon!), but sometimes we just need an idea to get us started. I have hosted and attended LOTS of birthday parties over the years so thought I would round up my favorite children’s birthday party ideas here — one hundred of them, to be exact! There is sure to be an idea or two below you haven’t thought of yet!

Boy Party Ideas

1. Car or Truck Wash

Come in a bathing suit and bring your favorite toy truck!

2. Superhero Party

DIY simple felt capes as the party favor!

3. Excavation Party

Dig up dinos from a sandbox!

4. Backyard Campout

Just add s’mores!

5. “Mad Scientist” Party

Have the children concoct their own formula from different juices and sodas.

6. Treasure Hunt

7. Firetruck Party

Have a firetruck come or ask a local fire station if they will host.

8. Lego Party

9. Farm Party

10. Nerf Guns

Bring your own Nerf gun and complete the “mission.”

11. Sports Party

12. Train Party

13. DIY Slime Party

14. Fishing Party

15. Magic Show Party

16. Golf Party

This would be great at a Putt-Putt place or DIY in backyard!

17. Minute to Win It Party

18. American Ninja Warrior Party

19. Rock Climbing

20. Sailor and Sailboats Party

Cute for a baby boy in a sailor suit!

Girl Party Ideas

21. Teddy Bear Tea

22. Baby Doll Party

A friend of mine made monogrammed burp cloths and pacifier clips for each child’s “baby” as the favors. 

23. “Dress Like Your Mama” Costume Party

24. Twinkle Lights Fairy Party

Perfect for a summer evening in the backyard.

25. Carnival/Circus Party

See above photos for inspiration!

26. Tie Dye Party

27. Pancakes, Pajamas, and Puppets Party

28. Puppy Dog Party

Make it like Build-a-Bear and give guests small stuffed puppies in boxes. Have stations for designing collars, choosing a name, etc.

29. Garden Tea Party 

See one I did here!

30. Faux Sleepover

For children who aren’t old enough for a sleepover.

31. Sleepover at a Hotel 

Embassy Suites is perfect for this with their big suites, breakfast buffet, and indoor pool!

32. Backyard Movie with Projector

33. Jewelry Making at Home or Local Bead Store

We did one at Beading Dreams in Dallas.

34. Flamingo Themed

Pink everything!

35. Roller Skating or Ice Skating

36. Daddy/Daughter Party

We did this one year at a local rock climbing place as a joint party with other friends. I don’t even know if the dads remembered to sing happy birthday but they had the best time (and I wasn’t there to worry about every detail!)

37. Paint Your Own Pottery or Painting Party

38. Nail Salon Party

39. Saturday Morning Donut Party at the Park 

With a donut cake, of course!

40. Lemonade Stand Party

41. Unicorn Party

 Many horse rental companies will dress up their horses to look like unicorns.

42. Afternoon at the “Spa” Party

Pedicures, face masks, and cucumbers for the eyes!

43. Cheerleading Party

Pay a few local high school cheerleaders to run the party!

Literature Themed Parties

44. Mother Goose 

See the one I did here.

45. Best Loved Doll

Based on the book by the same name. Everyone brings their favorite doll and the dolls win awards based on who is the oldest, youngest, traveled the farthest, etc.

46. Party in the Hundred Acre Wood

With games like “Pin the tail on Eeyore!”

47. Party in Mr. McGregor’s Garden (Peter Rabbit)

48. Alice in Wonderland

49. Eloise

50. Harry Potter

51. Dr. Seuss

52. Where the Wild Things Are Jungle Party

53. Go, Dog Go … with Cars and Dogs!

54. Madeline 

Create a mini Paris!

55. Curious George

Bananas, monkeys, and a little paperback book as the favor!

Spring & Summer Party Ideas

56. Easter Themed

With an Easter egg hunt and egg dyeing — even have the Easter Bunny come!

57. May Day

With streamers galore!

58. Cinco de Mayo

Birthday girls wore Mexican dresses, decor was simple at a playground, and the piñata was a big hit. 

59. Patriotic Party

Red, White, and Two!

60. Luau Party at the Pool

61. Summer Camp Party

62. Ice Cream/Sno Cone Truck

63. Slip and Slide Backyard Party

64. Lobster or Crawfish Boil

Good theme for a family party. 

65. Strawberry Party

Simple but so sweet: Strawberry cake, strawberries on the table, perfect for a backyard birthday.

66. Summer Olympics

Fall Party Ideas

67. Apple Picking or Apple Themed Party

68. Farm Animals Party

69. Tractor Party

70. Halloween Costume Party

71. Goosebumps Party

72. Friendsgiving

73. Pumpkin Carving Party

Holiday Party Ideas

74. Christmas Cookie Decorating

75. “Be the Light” Party 

Hot chocolate and Christmas light viewing!

76. American Girl St. Lucia Party

Like in the book, Kirsten’s Surprise. See the one we hosted here.

77. Nutcracker “Sugarplum Fairy” Ballerina Party

78. Little Drummer Boy (Musikgarten type) Party

79. Winter Wonderland

Rent a snow machine1

80. DIY Handprint Ornament Party for Babies or Toddlers

81. Cookie Swap

82. Party That Gives Back

Guests bring travel-size toiletries to make care packages for the homeless.

Tween & Teen Party Ideas

83. Karaoke Bus Party

84. Mall or Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

85. Talent Show Party

86. Cupcake Wars

87. Fondue Night

88. Medieval Times

89. Escape Room

90. Hibachi

91. Rent Out Movie Theater

92. Sports Event or Concert with a Few Besties

93. Boy/Girl Dance

94. Sixteen Candles Throwback Sweet Sixteen Party

95. Kendra Scott Jewelry Bar with a Few Friends

96. Six Flags/Fair/Carnival

97. Surprise Birthday Party 

98. Laser Tag

99. Party Bus or Trolley

Rent a party bus or trolley and decorate, then make fun stops for dinner and ice cream.

100. Video Game Truck Party for Fortnite

Sharing the 100 BEST Birthday Party Ideas for Children of all ages!

Find the recipe I used for this cute cake here.

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7 thoughts on “100 Awesome Party Ideas for Children

  1. Great ideas! Thanks! We are doing Dino’s and donuts for a two year old boy this week. Serving donuts that will be decorated like dinosaurs…

  2. I love that many of these are simple and wholesome. Most children do not care about the things we as moms tend to stress about (Pinterest-perfect decor, etc)—that’s more for us than the kids!

    We’ve done a range of parties over the years, depending on what else is going on in our lives at the time. We attended a party at a neighborhood park recently with Chick Fil A snacks, uninterrupted playground time, and a few bins of LEGOs set up. My 8 year-old declared it ‘the best party ever’ and it was one of the least ‘fancy’ parties we’ve ever been to.