As the temperature starts to drop and the weather is wet and yucky, it’s tempting to call off all social occasions for the season. But those of us who have children with winter birthdays need to be ready to throw a winter party. Here are a few ideas to help you get started!
Winter Wonderland
Whether you’re throwing a birthday party or just want an excuse to get your friends and family together, it’s hard to think of a cosier them that fits the spirit of the season than a ‘winter wonderland’ party. This can be fun for all ages, and can be adapted to a variety of different budgets. Keep it simple by making paper snowflakes as a fun arts and crafts activity! You can also set up a hot chocolate bar where guests can help themselves to all the extras, including whipped cream, marshmallows, and chocolate shavings. Another easy activity is to have a snowball toss. You can create soft snowballs out of white socks rolled into a ball, which can be thrown into a basket for points. A winter theme could involve fancy dress if you like, or you could set up a ‘cosy knitwear’ dress code.
Favourite Characters
Little kids love to play dress-up, and a fun way to do this is with a character party. Ask guests to come dressed up as their favourite character from books or film, whether it’s an action hero or Captain Hook. Just be sure that you specify the dress code on the invitations to give other parents plenty of time to prepare – with a general character theme, this gives kids a chance to reuse their Spiderman or Lord of the Rings costumes from Halloween.
Face Painting Parties
If you’re stuck inside due to grey, wet, weather, a fun theme to cheer up your guests is a face painting party. This is good for small groups as well as larger birthday parties, and can be used to compliment a character party or just as a theme on its own. Older children might enjoy painting each other’s faces, or you could buy a face-painting kit to decorate your young guests one at a time. With stencils, it’s easy even for those of us who are less than artistically inclined!
Animal Theme
Another popular party theme in all seasons is animals. You can adapt this for the winter by encouraging little ones to dress up as polar bears or other wintry beasts! When in doubt, provide simple animal masks or let them make their own as an activity. Carry the theme throughout the party by serving animal-shaped cupcakes, biscuits, or sandwiches, which are easy to make with cookie cutter sets. Pin-the-tail on the donkey is a classic animal-themed children’s game that’s still fun for all ages. As with any other fancy dress them, be sure to give guests notice if costumes are required so they have time to browse Funidelia or poke through their own dress-up box.
There’s no need to hibernate in the winter with these ideas for get-togethers! Join forces with friends to make sure your seasonal party is memorable for all ages.
