Kids party games are a great way to get everyone involved - we've found some of the best games to play both indoors and outdoors.

Kids party games are the key memory maker - whether it's a 1st birthday party or a 13th birthday party - there's nothing better than belly laughing with your friends as you try to eat a dangling doughnut (seriously it's hilarious fun, check out #16) and chomping your way through all the birthday cake. Planning your kid's birthday party can feel a stressful and epic responsibility - you want everyone to have fun and feel included, right? Here we have researched and carefully curated our edit of the best kid's party game ideas - with high success rates among parents plus they've stood the test of time as kids keep on coming back to them.

As most parents know, kids' party game trends come and go, but these traditional party games are always a winner - most kids will get on board with these entertaining activities. And if you're unsure of party etiquette, Goodto.com's Family Editor and mum-of-one, Stephanie Lowe says; "The socially acceptable length of a kids birthday party is no less than 2 hours and no more than 3 hours, and ideally over lunch so they’re all fed too."

Kids' party games - our top 20

1. Musical statues
2. Bum shuffle race
3. Pass the balloon
4. What's the time Mr Wolf
5. Hope Little Bunnies
6. Bubble Chase
7. Simon Says
8. Musical chairs
9. Bobbing for Apples
10. Pin the tail on the Donkey
11. Tug of War
12. Piñata
13. Minute to win it
14. Water balloon toss
15. Find your partner
16. Doughnut dangle
17. Freeze tag
18. Balloon stomp
19. Jelly race
20. Tied in knots

Kids' party games can make or break your kid's day - no pressure. So, if you're not sure what to prep for, then it's worth noting that if you have a party with one other element - such as a bouncy castle or soft play set up, then you might only need two party games maximum - as it will be hard to pull the kids away. But if party games are the main bulk of the party, planning for 3-5 games is your best bet.

In this article, we break down the best games for age groups, keep scrolling to find out the best party games indoors and outdoors, from toddlers to teens.

Best deals on party favours

Party games for 2 year olds and up

Keep the games - and instructions - simple so that everyone can join in, and short. A toddler’s attention span is only double their age in minutes. I.e. with 3-year-olds, you have a maximum of 6 minutes of attention. Also, their development means they don’t really understand the concept of winning, so make sure everyone’s a winner - this isn’t a teachable moment.

1. Musical statues

The aim of the game is to stop when the music stops. A true classic, download some songs you know your audience will love (Hi, Paw Patrol theme tune). Set the rules ‘When the music stops everyone must be still like a statue. If you wobble, I’ll call your name, you’re out to come and help me watch for wobblers’. The first one to stop and stand still each time wins a small prize and then moves to the side. Continue the game until everyone has won a little prize.

Dad-of-two, Lee tells us; "I learned the hard way not to be too harsh on this one, especially if playing with under fives. Be lenient to wobbles is my tip."

2. Bum shuffle race

The aim of the game is for the players to shuffle to the end as fast as you can. Mum-of-twins, Lou tells us; “This one had my kids in fits of giggles - anything with the word ‘bum’ in it is a sure fire winner.” To play this, ask all the toddlers to sit on the floor in a line, at one end of the room - you might need an adults help to position them. And set a visible finish line at the other end of the room. When you shout ‘GO’, the toddlers have to shuffle along on their bottoms until they cross the finish line. Cheer for every child bum shuffling and crossing the line. Also be sure to hand out celebratory gifts to everyone.

3. Pass the balloon

The aim of the game is simple and fun, keep the balloons going round. As kids party games go this is a nice twist on the classic pass the parcel, with limited ‘treats’ in between each wrapper. Simply get the toddlers pass around the balloon, and play some music, every time the music stops, the toddler holding the balloon/ball gets a small prize. Mum-of-one, Shelly tells us; “The kids love this at my son’s 3rd party, be warned if you have runners, they’ll likely treat it like a rugby ball and go for a try.”

4. What's the time Mr Wolf?

What's the Time Mr Wolf? is a classic kids' game that gets everyone excited with a bit of suspense. In this younger version, go with a parent well-known to the children to be Mr Wolf. Aim of the game: Don’t get caught by Mr Wolf. Get the kids to stand with their back to the party, and the toddlers shout "What's the time Mr Wolf?" and then quickly creep towards Mr Wolf. Mr Wolf answers each question with a different number such as 3 o’clock each time.

The aim of the game is to reach Mr Wolf before they respond with "dinner time!", which signals the chase. Mr Wolf runs around and chases the kids back to the start line. Mum-of-one, Kiran tells us; “Maybe don’t try to be in ‘full character’ with a mask… it just scared all the kids.”

5. Hop Little Bunnies

The aim of the game is to listen and act. Invite the kids to listen to the song and act out the directions. Dad-of-two, Dileep, tells us; “This one was great, as all the kids recognised it from nursery.”

6. Bubble Chase

It’s pretty simple, spark up the bubble machine, and challenge the toddlers to pop as many as they can before the music stops. Be warned: if playing indoors wooden floors can get slippery if you play lots of rounds. Mum-of-one, Max tells us; “This was an accidental hit at my daughter’s party. They chased those bubbles for ages.”

Party games for 6 year olds and up

Once kids get to six years old, their brain development means they can enjoy team and more competitive games as well as wait for their turn during a game and enjoy watching others have their turn.

7. Simon Says

The aim of the game is to listen and be the last one standing. Kids may be familiar with this one. The party host takes on the role of ‘Simon’ and tells the children what they must do. When saying “Simon says….” ahead of telling the kids what to do next, they MUST do what they’ve been told. If Simon doesn’t say “Simon says…” ahead of telling them what to do next, the children MUST NOT do it.

For example, “Simon says jump up and down” The kids all jump up and down. “Wave your arms” The children should stay doing the previous activity. Any kids that get it wrong get given a sticker or small prize and are asked to watch from the sidelines. Continue until you have either a single winner or a handful of winners.

Mum-of-three, Dionne tells us; “We swapped it up and used my son’s name “Albie says” he loved it and was so confusing there were lots getting it wrong, leading to lots of laughter and squeals of ‘what?’. Was a great game to play before cake.”

Below is a list of ideas for Simon Says;

• Simon says crawl like a baby
• Simon says shout as loud as you can
• Simon says pat your head
• Simon says bark like a dog
• Simon says whisper hello
• Simon says sit on your bum
• Simon says blow a kiss
• Simon says stick your tongue out
• Simon says play pretend drums
• Simon says kick a pretend ball
• Simon says give a thumbs upSimon says imagine a smelly poo
• Simon says go to sleep
• SImon says fly your pet dragon
• Simon says jump as high as you can
• Simon says touch your toes
• Simon says play pretend piano
• Simon says lick your nose

8. Musical Chairs

The aim of the game is to be the last person in the chair at the end. Musical chairs is a great way to keep overactive kids happy. Set up chairs in a circle and play music. While the music is playing get the children to walk around the chairs, as soon as you stop the music the children must find a chair to sit on. Each time you stop the music remove one chair. If a child is not on a chair when the music stops, that child is out. Dad-of-one, Matt tells us his twist; “I created two circles of chairs so the kids had to do a figure of eight around them. It added dimension and the possibility for collision, excitement levels were high.

9. Bobbing for apples

The aim of the game is to grab an apple using just your teeth. Bobbing for apples doesn't have to be restricted to Halloween, although it is one of the most popular Halloween party games. Get a large bucket and fill it with water then add apples - simple! Blindfold the kids and get them to try to pick up the apples using only their mouths - add a timer for a competitive edge. "Just be sure to warn parents," mum-of-two Kiran tells us. "A spare change of clothes is needed as they get pretty wet!"

10. Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Pin the tail on the donkey is a simple game that will keep the kids entertained for hours. You can buy a ready made pin the tail on the donkey set or get creative and make your own. You blindfold one child at a time and get them to place a cut-out tail onto a picture of a (tail-less) donkey. After every child goes, the closest tail wins. Mum-of-three, Sharon tell us; “We did a football party to it was Pin the ball in the goal. Went down a storm.”

Party games for 8 years old and up

8-years-old is a great age for party games as they have more of an attention span for taking part in fun party games with different elements to them.

11. Tug of War

Invite your party goers to work as a team in this fun tug of war game. You will need a large bandana or ribbon to tie across the central point of the rope and something to create a line on the ground. Divide the kids into two teams. Each team grabs their end of the rope and, on the starter’s whistle, pulls the rope in unison. The first team to get the bandana over the central line wins. You can play round after round or divide the kids into smaller teams and have heats leading to a final.

12. Piñata

The aim of the game: Be the one to hit the Pinata open. Piñata is a Mexican treat that includes kids' two favourite things: chocolate and games. You can buy fun pre-made piñatas very easily or if you're feeling particularly crafty and have lots of time on your hands, make your own. They are traditionally filled with sweets and chocolates. The children are then blindfolded (one by one) and take turns hitting the piñata with a stick. When it breaks the kids are showered in sweet treats.

Mum-of-three, Lisa tells us; “I learned the hard way that Piñatas are best reserved for the age group who can give it some welly. I did it for my 5-yera olds and the adults ended up breaking it apart, for very frustrated kids.”

13. Minute to win it

This one's a bit different, the aim of the game depends on the challenge but be the first or have the most within 1 minute. Minute To Win It games are a winner. Based on the popular Minute To Win It TV game show, you challenge the kids to complete a challenge in a minute then whoever is last standing wins a prize. Remember you need to time the challenges using your phone or a stopwatch. Check out the Utube below for more ideas and here is our trio of Minute To Win It games that need minimal props.

• Keepy uppy - the kids have to keep a balloon in the air for a whole minute Make it tricky by only using feet. The ones with the balloon still up at 1-minute wins.
• Eight face - using After Eight chocolate squares, place one on the forehead of each child then challenge them to get it to their mouth without using their hands. The one who eats it first wins.
• Marshmallow collecting - Using chopsticks only, collect as many marshmallows in a cup as you can - the one with the most wins.

14. Water balloon toss

Great for warmer days and outdoor parties. Split the party into teams of two. Each pair get a filled water balloon. The aim of the game is to throw the water balloon back and forth without bursting it, each time a player catches it without bursting they take a step back - once the balloon pops that team is out. Mum-of-two Sarah tells us; “I learned to bend my knees as I caught them softened the blow and came second place.” The last team still playing wins.

Party games for 10 years old and up

Party games for 10-year-olds need to start having more of an edge now as these kids can be too cool for school - they love intense challenges and junk food.

15. Find your partner

As party games go 'find your partner' is a great way of breaking the ice at the start of the party, as it gets nervous kids talking to one another. Write down the names of famous pairs (Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Tom & Jerry etc) on individual stickers and hand them out to the children. Then instruct them to find their 'other half' whoever finds their partner fastest is the winner. Mum-of-three, Lisa tells us; “I made it a little harder and put the stickers to the kids' backs and get others to describe their character to them. They then have to guess who their character is.” Below is a list of potential pairs you could use;

• Mario & Luigi
• Tom & Jerry
• Micky Mouse & Minnie Mouse
• Wallace & Gromit
• Buzz Lightyear & Woody
• Pinky & the brain
• Pooh & Piglet
• Anna & Elsa
• Beauty & the beast
• Lady & the tramp
• Lilo & stitch
• Timon & Pumba
• Batman & Robin
• Spongbob and Partick
• Bluey & bingo
• Chase & Ryder
• Bart & Lisa

16. Doughnut dangle

The aim of the game is to be the first to eat their doughnut without using their hands. Tie a length of rope above head height between two trees or poles. Thread a piece of ribbon through the hole in each donut and then tie the ribbon to the rope so that the donut is hanging just above mouth level. On a start signal, each player tries to eat their donut – no hands allowed.

17. Freeze tag

The aim of the game, ‘it’ must tag ALL other players keeping them frozen. One player is chosen to be ‘It.’ It chases the other players and when they touch a player, that person must freeze and remain frozen until another untagged player tags them to unfreeze them, they then may re-join the game. The game is played until all players have been frozen and then a new It is chosen for the next round.

18. Balloon stomp

It's simple, the aim of the game is to be the first to burst your balloon. Have guests take off their shoes before playing. Each player will need an inflated balloon tie to a short piece of string and then tied around one ankle. On ‘go’ players attempt to stomp on (and pop) each of the other balloons, while trying to protect their own – no hands allowed! The last person with an inflated balloon tied to their ankle wins.

19. Jelly race

A fun and messy aim of the game is to be the first person to save the toy from their jelly without using their hands. This is a great 'last game of the day'. The day before, make individual bowls of jelly with a LEGO person in each one. With their hands behind their backs, the kids have to race to get the person out of the jelly using only their mouths. The first one to produce their LEGO person is victorious.

20. Tied in knots

The aim of this game is that the birthday boy or girl has to untangle their guests without breaking links. Tell the birthday boy or girl to leave the room, then get the rest in a circle, holding hands. Now, without breaking hands, the children have to tie themselves into the most complicated knot possible by turning around, stepping over each other’s arms, going under arms etc. When they’re ready, the birthday boy or girl comes back to unknot them, again without breaking any links.

21. Egg toss

Aim of the game is to be the pair furthest away and still catching the egg. Now, we're not gonna lie, unless you want it to get very messy we recommend boiling the eggs. You’ll need one egg per pair. Then pair players up and have them toss an egg back and forth to each other. Each time the children both catch it, they take a step backward and continue. The team that can catch their egg with the furthest distance between them, within the allotted time, wins! "This one is fun, but keep it short and sweet," Dad terry tells us. "The kids can lose interest pretty quickly, and make sure you get the adults cheering them on."

Prizes for parties

Kids love anything to be fair, as long as they get to choose it themselves.

Mum-of-four, Sandy tells us; “I find it’s best to have a huge variety of prizes to hand when hosting a kids' party. Stickers make great choices, a range of superhero and animal ones, and also check out the party aisle at the supermarket for some fun plastic games, such as puzzles.

How can I make my kids birthday party more fun?

Kids are easily pleased, no, really they are. And what one kid thinks is fun another might not. Music is always good to have on, maybe ask parents to share some of their kids' favourites, or the teacher what they listen to at school/in assembly.

Mum-of-one Steph tells us; "I found out by chance that my son's class song was 'Eye of the Tiger' when I put that on it was amazing how it warmed all the kids up straight away and kicked off the fun."

If you have budget for it, face painting is always good. And, if you don't have the budget for it, then get a simple tattoo station on the go... pick up some cheap water transfer tattoos and set up a table - the kids will love it.

If you're looking for more birthday party inspiration we have oodles of ideas for easy crafts you could crack out or maybe check out these 72 activities to entertain kids and for younger members of the family we have 1st birthday parties.

Video of the Week:

Learning how to tie dye t-shirts with things in your household is not only a fun craft and activity to get stuck into over the weekend but it’s also a great way to re-use old clothes and turn them into something you’d wear again.

Tie dyeing t-shirts is one of those crafty fashion trends that always come back into style every couple of years. The versatility of the print and the many ways that you can tie dye t-shirts yourself makes it an appealing craft project for beginners as well.

We've created this step-by-step guide to help you create your own unique tie dye patterns on t-shirts, but the same techniques can be used on all sorts of fabrics and clothes. From socks to jeans, old white shirts and all sorts of home furnishings like cushion covers or dip dye napkins.

How to tie dye t-shirts

To tie dye t-shirts, you will need:

• Elastic bands or string - we've used string throughout as we had some already but elastic bands are great for speed
• Pre-washed and still damp t-shirts (or another item you wish to dye)
• Rubber gloves
• Fabric dyes, we've used a range of Dylon fabric hand dyes in Paradise Blue, Passion Pink, Ocean Blue, Sunflower Yellow, Tropical Green, Tulip Red and Peony Pink
• Old bottles or cartons with caps or spray attachments (plastic drinks bottles work best)
• Warm water
• Salt
• Large and deep dishes or trays for dyeing

And these added extras will help to create even more unusual designs with your tie dye:

• Cling film
• Microwave
• Air or water-erasable pen
• Ruler
• Ice
• Cooling rack

Preparing to tie dye t-shirts

1. Begin by mixing up the powdered dyes with warm water and salt, following the manufacturer's instructions for the measurements. We made up 500ml in each dye colour.
2. Pour the dye mixtures into the clean bottles or cartons. Top with a spray attachment or use a push pin to create a hole in the top of the old cap to squirt the dye through.
3. Make sure the fabric or item for dyeing has been washed and is still damp before you begin dyeing.
4. Cover all your surfaces with a protective sheet or, better still, take your dyeing outside on a sunny day for less-mess. Tie-dying, with all its potential for mess, is a great outdoor craft!

How to do different tie dye patterns

There are loads of ways to create different patterns when tie-dyeing, most methods use string or elastic bands to fold and shape the fabric before applying the dye. Take a look at our step-by-step instructions to create your own psychedelic designs or bold patterns.

How to tie dye a spiral t-shirt

1. Start by twisting the centre of the t-shirt or fabric into a spiral shape.

2. Keep squashing the t-shirt into the spiral shape, eventually gathering all the fabric into one big, tight spiral ball.

3. Using either string or elastic bands, gather the spiralled t-shirt together into six sections - you can add more sections if you're using more than three colours.

4. Now it's time to tie dye! Place the spiralled t-shirt into the bowl and apply your chosen dyes - for this project we used Dylon's Sunflower Yellow, Paradise Blue and Passion Pink dyes. We've chosen to only dye every other stringed-off section to leave some of the white t-shirt on show, but it's up to you how you decide to dye your t-shirt. Allow the dye to soak in following the manufacturer's instructions. Rinse off with cold water and then it's ready for washing.

Watch our step-by-step video on how to tie dye:

How to tie dye a chevron stripe t-shirt

1. Begin by folding your t-shirt lengthways in a concertina pattern. We folded our t-shirt into five, but you can fold as many times as you want. The fewer the folds, the fewer chevrons.

2. Using an erasable pen, or a pen in a similar colour to your fabric dye, draw diagonal lines across the t-shirt every 10cm. Again, you can increase this measurement for wider stripes.

3. With elastic bands or string, tie the t-shirt up in the direction of the diagonal lines. Gather the material up tightly to make sure no dye can soak in underneath the string.

4. Continue tying up the t-shirt along the diagonal lines along the entire length of the t-shirt until it looks like this.

5. Place the tied up t-shirt in a large dish ready for dying. Using two colours of your pre-mixed dye, apply each colour to every other stripe. We used Tulip Red and Ocean Blue for this project.

6. Once tie dyed, leave the dye to soak in for as long as the manufacturer advises. We wanted a faded, nineties look for this top so we only left the dye on for five hours. Then rinse with cold water until the water runs clear and it's ready for washing.

How to tie dye a circle t-shirt

1. Begin by tugging up small sections of the t-shirt between your thumb and forefinger. Using an elastic band or a piece of string, wrap around the circular section tightly and knot to secure in place.

2. Continue tying off the circles all over the t-shirt like this.

3. Fill a deep dish with the pre-mixed blue dye and dunk your tied t-shirt in the mixture. For this project we used Dylon's Ocean Blue dye.

4. Keep pushing the t-shirt down into the dye until it's completely covered. Leave to sit for about five minutes.

5. Remove the t-shirt from the dye solution and wring out any of the excess dye. Wrap the t-shirt in a piece of cling film and place it on a microwavable plate. Microwave on a high setting for about 1 minute. The heat will help the dye take to the t-shirt and means less waiting around. Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear and it's ready for washing.

How to tie dye with ice

1. Start by stacking your wire rack over the top of your dyeing dish.

2. Scrunch up your damp t-shirt and top with a big handful of ice evenly spread out.

3. Using the powdered dyes, sprinkle directly on top of the ice and t-shirt. For this project we used Dylon's Sunflower Yellow, Paradise Blue and Passion Pink dyes.

4. Put the dish to one side and let the dyes soak in as the ice slowly melts. You'll see the colours deepen and run with the ice. Leave the colours to develop and dye for 24 hours. You might wish to rotate the t-shirt part way through and top with more ice and dye powder for greater coverage. Rinse with cold water until the water runs clear and the t-shirt is then ready for washing.

How to tie dye t-shirts with food colouring

If you don't have any dye at home you can also use food colouring to tie dye t-shirts. But, because food colouring is an acid-based dye, you need to use clothing that is NOT made from plant-based fabrics like cotton and linen. Instead, use a polyester item of clothing.

1. Mix two cups of white vinegar to two cups of warm water and soak your clothing or fabric in the mixture for one hour.
2. While the clothes soak, mix eight drops of your food colouring with 120ml warm water.
3. Use this dye mixture to create any of the patterns listed above.
4. Leave to soak for eight hours before rinsing in a salt water solution - 120g salt to 120ml cold water - until the water runs clear. Then the items are ready to be washed.

How to make pastel tie dye

An easy way to create a pastel colour when tie dyeing is to simply dilute the dye with more warm water or to leave the dye soaking into the fabric for a shorter period of time. However this can create a faded look to your item of clothing so, unless you want a t-shirt that looks like it's a genuine vintage piece from back in the day, opt for an ombre pattern to make a pastel tie dye look.

1. Make up your dye mixtures in large dishes or buckets, we've used Dylon's Sunflower Yellow, Paradise Blue and Passion Pink dyes.
2. Dip your fabric, item of clothing, or napkins in our case, into the bucket, leaving the top edge free from dye. Remove from the dish and set aside for thirty minutes. Repeat, this dipping process, reducing the amount of fabric dipped into the dye every time.
3. On the last dipping, the bottom 5cm of each napkin should be the deepest and darkest shade whilst the top edge should be white. The dye pattern should gradually change from white to pastel to bright dye creating a pastel ombre effect.

How to wash tie dye t shirts

Learning how to tie dye t shirts is loads of fun and you can pretty much do it with any item of clothing – like baby grows, socks, jeans or even other materials, like towels and table cloths. However, there comes a time when all these things have to be washed, and that’s when problems can happen. You don’t want your fresh tie-dye pattern disintegrating in the wash, or even worse, the dye moving onto other clothes. Here’s how to wash tie dye in five simple steps…

1. Rinse the material with cold water under the sink - After the dying process, you should have rinsed out the material anyway, but if not then go back to this step to be sure.
2. Fill the basin with warm water to set the dye - This will stop it from bleeding onto other clothes when it’s put in the washing machine next time. Mix in a small amount of washing detergent into the water as well.
3. Leave it in the basin - Let the tie dyed material soak in the mixture of water and detergent for about 15 minutes.
4. Wash the shirt again under cold water - But be careful not to rub it too hard otherwise you could risk rubbing off the dye. Then allow it to soak again for another 10 minutes.
5. Hang it out to dry - If possible, hang it out over the bath or in the bathroom, to ensure that any leaked dye doesn’t find its way to carpeted flooring.

After these steps, you can wash it in the machine but be sure not to wash the material on too high a temperature for the first couple of washes.

We have found the best 1st birthday party ideas for you to try. As a 1st birthday is as much for you and your family as it is for your little one.

When your baby turns one, you've both reached an important milestone, and we've got all the 1st birthday party ideas you need to give you and your baby a really special day - from easy party food ideas and parenting tips to get you both through the day, to games, party bags, and costumes that little ones will love. Don't blink because before you know it they'll be three years old and you'll be Googling 'mud kitchen ideas'. 

And remember, most babies won't be able to handle the birthday extravaganza for too long, so keep the celebrations short. Mum-of-one, Kiran remembers her son's 1st birthday party, "I was so scared of offending any one that I over-invited, and they all said yes! I was run ragged, and don't even have a photo of me and my baby on his first birthday. My top tip - keep it small."

Two hours is plenty of time to celebrate and have fun without risking a baby burn-out. Below we talk through, 1st birthday invites, themes, cake ide games and outfits, we're here to help you organise a day that everyone will enjoy in our guide to first birthday parties.

1st birthday party ideas

1st birthday party ideas: Invites

Before you consider anything else, you need to think about who you want to invite to your child’s birthday party. This will influence everything else, including what food and drink to buy and prepare, and what kind of entertainment or games you’ll want to organise. In this section, we take a look at how to write a guest list, invite ideas, and how to deal with any awkwardness if you need to limit the number of people coming to your child’s birthday.

When it comes to a 1st birthday celebration, it’s best to limit the number of people you invite. Your baby might get overwhelmed with the sheer number of strange faces and there'll be even more for you to do on the big day. You might want to limit the party to close friends and family only, so the baby is familiar with everyone in the room and there’s not too much going on. 

"I kept my daughter's first birthday to just immediate family - we had no more than 10. And it was just afternoon tea with cake and sandwiches, and I timed it for an hour just before her nap so she wasn't overwhelmed. It was nice and calm." Mum-of-one Emma says. 

Whereas if you have older siblings keeping t quiet and calm isn't always an option; "my three boys couldn't wait to celebrate their baby sister turning one, but it just meant that it was more a party for them than here." Mum-of-three, Jasmine tells us.

Guests could obviously include grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and a few baby friends from any playgroups and NCT classes. 

Limiting numbers does come with the risk of upsetting people, and whilst it’s hard to avoid, a party planner recommends getting around this by inviting people face-to-face instead of online to keep things more low-key. Michael Rossini from Froggle Parties says, “You can never fully avoid upsetting someone, but you do much more damage control by inviting people face to face.”

Or if this is too difficult, you could do a private WhatsApp group with a select few people. Once your guest list is confirmed, you'll want to make a start on your invites. These will need to include your child's name, the name of the child you're inviting, the date, start and end time, and location of the party.  

Invites are also a great way of ensuring everyone has any extra information they might need ahead of time - do you need to warn people about parking for example, or give them any important info about allergies etc?  In the digital age, there are all sorts of ways to invite someone to your party. Whether it’s personalised invitations, homemade ones, or a simple Facebook event, there are lots you can choose from.

• Personalised invites online: Websites like Moonpig and Zazzle allow you to make your own invites quickly and easily - you can use pictures of your baby if you like and go for something funny, cute or quirky.
• Homemade invites: If you've got lots of time and some good design skills, why not make your own on Photoshop? Alternatively, you could buy some coloured card and make your cards by hand. Have a look around a craft shop for some extra decorations for your invites, such as glitter pens and stickers. There are lots of places you can buy crafting materials, such as Wilko and Hobbycraft.
• Facebook invites: If you're short of time, a Facebook event is an effective way to get the details of your baby's party to your friends. It's a good idea to send a message reminding all your guests of the details a week before. Make sure you don't forget to text anyone who doesn't have Facebook (they do exist!) or doesn't check their accounts regularly.

As mentioned above, you could also set up a WhatsApp group to let people know about the party - especially if you’re keen to keep things low key, you don’t mind group chats and other people have access to the app.

1st birthday party ideas: Costumes

A one-year-old won't really appreciate fancy dress, but they will look cute - and provide some great photo opportunities you can look back on for years to come.  If you want to get really into a fancy dress theme, you can buy all sorts of costumes for babies - such as animals, superheroes, fairies to suit any theme. John Lewis and Amazon  have great, affordable options. 

If you're trying to keep costs down or just aren't that keen on fancy dress, a few party hats will make for some nice pictures on the big day.

1st birthday party ideas: Cake ideas

An important part of the party is, of course, the cake. While your baby will probably get more on the floor than in their mouth, you will remember your baby's first cake forever. It’s likely that older guests will get more out of the cake than your little one, but it’s always nice to get a showstopper that’s impossible to forget. 

It’s entirely up to you whether you make the cake yourself, or hire a professional or pick one up from the supermarket. But whatever you choose, there’s plenty of options out there to make your baby’s first birthday a special one. Check out this roundup of the most amazing first birthday cakes we've ever seen. They won't be easy to replicate but they're sure to impress if you can. 

Mum-of-two Alice shared this amazingly easy hack on her Instagram account alicefwalker for anyone who wants to spend little but have all the impact of a fancy cake. 

Her caption reads; "Second year of the @coopuk cake hack alert. Again, I’m so sorry for all the amazing bakers and cake businesses but to be fair I was due a baby on this day and birthdays really add up. Scroll through for steps. Candles, serviettes and cake topper from @otherletters" Take a swipe through to see how easy it is to take a shop bought cake and make it your own.

1st birthday party ideas: Decorations and themes

A 1st birthday party is such a special time in any parent’s life, and you’ll no doubt want to commemorate this occasion by taking lots of pictures. There are lots of things you can do to get your party Instagram ready, so you can easily look back on your child’s birthday.

 We’ve put together some helpful tips to help you prepare.

• Clear a space in your living room or garden for the party's main setting, make sure it’s baby-proofed!
• Put down a selection of mats, cushions or other soft furnishings for little ones to play on and ensure they’re safe and comfortable.
• A themed buffet area with paper plates and other cute decorations will brighten up the space without you needing to spend too much time on it.
• Cute pictures of your baby will go down well with friends and relatives and can complement the other decorations you decided to go for.
• You can bulk out the decorations with balloons, bunting or paper chains - especially if it’s popular cartoon characters or a familiar animal that your baby loves. But these should be placed out of reach, to prevent them from bursting and scaring your little one. 

There are all sorts of popular themes for kids parties out there, with decorations to suit just about any taste. You might want to go for superheroes, princesses, pirates, dinosaurs… the possibilities really are endless! Or, you could opt for a colourful theme, like bright and sparkly or spots and stripes. 

If you are opting for a costume theme and you’re encouraging younger guests to come dressed up, choose something easy. More obscure themes might make it more stressful for others to get involved.

1st birthday party ideas: Party venues

As mentioned above it's good - for your sanity if noting else - to keep 1st birthday parties small-ish. So it could be a good idea to hold your baby's first birthday party at your house or a relative's house, as it'll be a familiar and comfortable setting. You don’t want your little one getting too overwhelmed in a strange location.

However, you might fancy something a bit different or just want to avoid the cleaning up! If that’s the case, there’s a couple of ideas you could consider to celebrate with your little one.

• Indoor soft play centre: Any indoor soft play centre that has a baby area is a great idea for a first birthday party! Babies will be able to play on the soft shapes and in the ball pit too. You could enquire if the centre does special party deals which can include food and a party bag at the end too.
• The park: If your baby was born in warmer months, a trip to the park is a great option. Get some friends to all bring a different food and have a little picnic - babies can play with outdoor toys, roll around in the grass and have a go on the swings! Don’t forget to always take your litter home with you, and not leave it bags up by any overflowing bins.

1st birthday party ideas: Party bags

Party bags are a fun way to give back to your guests, but it’s likely that babies won’t get much from them. With this in mind, there’s no need to spend a fortune on its contents. Small, meaningful gifts are much more appropriate for a 1st birthday party. As well as a slice of cake, you could also give other babies some bibs or socks, a little book, crafts like crayons or chalk, bubbles, and something like a rattle to play with.

Thank you cards are also a nice gesture, and can easily be added to the party bag at the end of the event. Michael adds, “It’s not essential, but it’s a nice touch. Parents will often appreciate it. Froggles Parties have free resources on their website that parents can use to thank guests. ”

1st birthday party ideas: Party games

Keep planned activities to a minimum at your baby's first birthday party. One-year-olds are unlikely to have the attention span or skills to participate in lots of games, so don't worry too much about organising anything, unless you have some older children coming too.

• While they might be too young for pass the parcel, a fun party game for babies involves wrapping up a small individual presents in several layers for all the little ones. They can then try to unwrap it themselves. It’s a great way to keep them entertained!
• Finger painting goes down well with babies, but you’ll need to be organised and ensure you’ve cleared space and that there’s adult supervision at all times.
• If there are older children there, you could provide activities like hula hoops, ball pits, colouring books, crafts, and soft toys
• For crafting ideas, why not take a look at our easy rainbow craft projects for kids? They’re sure to brighten up their day.

1st birthday party ideas: Food

It’s not a party without party food, and there’s a great opportunity to impress guests with some tasty treats. When it comes to catering for little ones, it’s best to opt for finger foods and soft foods that are easier for them to eat. A good approach to party food is a buffet-style, so guests can help themselves and choose what they want to eat. This way, you can ensure you’re catering for both children and grown-ups,

Go ahead and have some fun with the party food at your baby's first birthday party. Kids love fun-shaped food, so use cookie cutters on anything from sandwiches to biscuits or even pizzas. Some one-year-olds won't have a full set of teeth, so softer foods like cucumber sticks, banana or other things they can chew on are ideal.

For sweet treats, why not try coloured fruit smoothies and fun jelly and ice cream combos that are sure to go down well. They’re nice and soft too, so easy to eat for little ones. You can also serve fresh fruit cut up into baby-friendly pieces, as it's nice and easy for little ones to eat.

If you need advice on food for your little one, check out our toddler portion sizes and baby portion sizes guide. It provides clear information about finger foods, solid foods and what your baby should be eating.

For more birthday ideas take a look at our tuff tray ideas, brilliantly easy crafts and things to do with toddlers at home and take a glance through our kids party games for inspiration.

For some really special inspiration for your little one's birthday, we've got the best first birthday cakes out there. From circus scenes to under-the-sea life, Pooh bear to jungle fun, check out these show-stopping cakes for the ultimate birthday cake inspiration.

The best first birthday cakes can be mind-blowing and some parents really do pull out all the stops to celebrate that first special birthday. We’re not convinced we’ll be trying anything this ambitious, any time soon. We'll stick to a simple no bake train cake for now! But it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?

The best first birthday cakes

So, here are the 27 jaw-droppingly amazing cakes to help with those daydreams...

1. The over-the-top cake

2. The girly-girl cake

3. The vintage circus cake

4. The baby shark cake

5. The rainbow surprise cake

6. The number cake

7. The ombre cake

8. The nursery classic

9. The classy colours cake

10. The fun cake

11. The big bash cake

12. The letter cake

13. The unashamedly chocolate cake

14. The engineering feat cake

15. The crowd-pleaser cake

16. The little boy's cake

17. The pretty pastel cake

18. The pretty as a picture cake

19. The cake-you-wish-you-could-make cake

20. The show-stopper cake

21. The cheeky monkey cake

22. The clever cake

23. The monster bash cake

24. The Disney princess cake

25. The Dino cake

26. The nursery rhyme cake

27. The tutu cake

Looking for more awesome cake inspiration? Check out more cake recipes here!

Kids love parties at any age, so whatever big number they’re celebrating giving them the option to pick their favourite from these children's birthday party themes will get them excited and ready to party!

From pirates to princesses we’ve rounded up the most popular children’s birthday party themes so that you can be sure they’ll find something they love. And we’ve thought of every little detail, too, so you can relax knowing that the extras have all been covered.

We know that time and money is tight with little ones around so we’ve made sure to keep ideas cheap, quick and easy. We’ve even thrown in free invites for you to simply print and fill out yourself, costing you not a penny (apart from the ink!).

And with every theme you’ll find ideas for food little ones will go wild for. From pretty pink marshmallow swizzle sticks for princesses to make your own burgers for Hollywood super stars, we’ve detailed sweet, savoury and drink options to make sure everything is themed perfectly. And we’ve not forgotten the cake. Because what’s a birthday without a good slice of cake?

Moving on to the decorations we’ve included ideas for simple solutions to quickly transform your home through to extravagant all-out trimmings if you’re feeling ambitious. Whichever ones you choose one thing’s for sure, your child will be impatient to show off the results to their friends.

Speaking of friends, entertaining a whole gaggle of kids is no easy task. To help ease the strain a little we’ve suggested games to play with your child and their friends, and because we don’t do things by halves we’ve matched them to each theme.

Children's birthday party themes

With plenty of fun to be had all that’s left to do before you get started is to pick your theme. Scroll down to see each one and view their complete guide, with invites, food, drink, dress up, decoration, craft and game ideas.

First birthday party ideas

If your little one is celebrating their first birthday then you're naturally going to want to make it special. And what better way to do that than to theme it around their age? Make sure you set the standard for birthdays to come with these super sweet first birthday party ideas.

Circus birthday party ideas

If your child loves the circus and all things magical then this theme is for them. From making your living room look like a big top to creating costumes fit for a ring leader - this guide for a circus themed party has everything you need for a fantastic day.

Hollywood birthday party ideas

We're sure you're not short of a drama queen or two in your house, so why not give them centre stage for their birthday? Kids love getting all glammed up and with activities like karaoke on the cards, you might just end up having fun too!

Princess birthday party ideas

With glitter galore this is the stuff of fairytale dreams. With plenty of pink thrown in every little princess would love a party theme like this.

Pirate birthday party ideas

Calling all pirates! Jump aboard for a whole lotta birthday fun. They'll be running wild as it is come the day of their birthday so you may as well give the kids a theme that suits, like this fun pirate one!

Jungle birthday party ideas

House full of monkeys? They'll love this jungle theme and you'll love how easy it is to do, too. Perfect for pulling of a big bash at the last-minute.

Cowboy birthday party ideas

Let your little ones run wild with a cowboy theme, perfect for getting their big day off with a bang.

Party entertainment stress? We know throwing a kids party is no easy task...

Any parent who has ever organised a bash knows that there's so much to consider - the invitations, the venue, the food, the decorations, the party bags - and that's before you've even thought about how to keep the crowds amused.

If you're looking for kids party entertainment ideas and don't have a clue where to start, don't panic: we've done some research, and come up with a list of the types of kids' party entertainers that have been the biggest hits with our lot - from real life Elsa and Annas, to puppeteers worthy of a much bigger stage.

There's something to match every party theme and budget, as well as options that will suit a variety of age groups. Now your only task will be whittling it down to just one!

Kids party entertainment ideas

Magic

We'll start with an oldie but a goodie. No one (not even the adults) is not wowed by an animated performer pulling doves out of their pockets. Little ones will appreciate simpler tricks and a shorter show, as their attention spans tend to wane, where as older groups will love anything from card tricks to close-up magic. When you call, ask if they'll include the birthday boy or girl in their big finale - they'll love being the star of the show.

Animal safari

Got an animal-mad bunch on your hands? There are services across the country that will bring mammals, birds and reptiles to your bash for the kids to meet and greet. Typical animals include rabbits and guinea pigs, chinchillas, parrots, owls, and lizards, but do some research and see if there's anything more unusual in your vicinity.

Princesses

You've probably seen the influx of Elsa and Anna characters floating around the party circuit recently, but they're still a big hit in our houses, and you don't have to limit yourself to just another rousing chorus of 'Love is an Open Door'. There are entertainers who can take on all sorts of princess characters, from Cinderella to Thumbelina, and hopefully they'll teach the kids manners worthy of royalty too.

Clowns or circus performers

Clowns have come a long way from the slightly sinister models of our childhoods. These days, they're bright and fun, although they're still pulling the same old tricks (hankies up the sleeve, anyone?). If you want a more modern take, see whether there are any circus performers that offer party deals in your area - firebreathers, unicyclists and gymnasts all go down well, and some of them will even teach the guests some of their skills too.

Balloon makers

Balloons often come as part of a clown package, but if you're not keen on clowns or just want something a bit more grown up, there are independent balloon artists that will make animals, flowers and more in front of a captive audience. It's still well worth the money, as balloon making is actually deceptively hard (the only animal we've managed to master is a snake... )

Cartoonists

Perhaps one for a 5+ audience, as we can't imagine anyone younger sitting still for longer than a number of minutes greater than their age! Caricaturists are great for any party theme, and the resulting pictures, when stuck into a cheap frame and paired with a slice of cake, make for a fab alternative to a conventional party bag.

Face painters

Another one that works with almost any type of party, face painters can transform your child's classmates into any animal, character or object their heart desires. It's worth trying to find face painters that work in a team, rather than a solo artist, because the less patient partygoers can get frustrated if they have to wait their turn for too long.

Storytellers

They're not just for bedtime! A good party storyteller will hold the attention of even the most fickle minds for as long as you're funding them (they're generally paid by the hour). Many of them use props, voices and actions to bring the story to life - you might find yourself wanting to hear the ending rather than tidying the wrapping paper too...

DJs

Well, it's not a party if no one throws shapes to the Macarena, is it? The type of DJ you'll want depends on the age of the child in attendance - smaller kids are often happy with some flashing lights, a Disney soundtrack and a round of pass the parcel, but pre-teens will find the ability to make their own requests and dance without the supervision of mum and dad much more amenable.

Superheroes

Whether your kid is obsessed with Batman, Spiderman, Wonderwoman or just simply looks smashing in a cape, a superhero party is never going to disappoint. Bonus points if your chosen entertainer has an actual Batmobile, or can throw realistic Spiderman webs from their wrists.

Puppeteers

Puppet shows are mostly aimed at younger parties, and for those, they work like a dream - there won't be a peep for the assigned time slot, leaving you free to set up the buffet or wrap the pass the parcel. Punch and Judy is a classic, but there's plenty of other, really creative versions on offer, so a unique idea that they've never seen before might be the way to go!

Temporary tattooists

Temporary tattoos are popular with boys and girls, and airbrush artists can generally accommodate all tastes, whether they want a bold tribal armband or a sparkly shoulder butterfly. You could also ask them whether they can come up with designs that tie in to your party theme - for instance, every good pirate needs a mean-looking skull...

Hair braiders

This only really works if your assembled group has relatively long hair (sorry, boys with buzzcuts), but we've found that although it's time consuming, teenage girls in particular love the results. Warning: only book if you're prepared to be asked to recreate the elaborate weavings on a school morning, because it. Will. Happen.

Dancers and cheerleaders

Dance or cheer parties are lively, tire the kids out nicely and also give them their daily exercise without them even realising! They can learn a routine and perform it at the end - you could even record their final show (with all of the other parents permission, of course) and email it round to the other mums and dads to enjoy. Just remember to edit the shot of yourself bopping in the background well and truly out...

Being a mum is expensive in every way possible. From big things like school trips and after school clubs, to clothes, haircuts, food and everything in between, it feels as though we're constantly reaching into our purse and nervously handing over the plastic.

A birthday is one such occasion when we want to make the biggest fuss and do something special for our little ones, but what if we need to stick to a budget and throw fantastic but cheap kids party?

Splashing the cash doesn't necessarily mean that there's more fun to be had! In fact, there are lots of ways you can throw a kids' party. Our cheap kids party guide will allow you to invite all their little pals, feed them, entertain them, and send them on their merry way with a gift - all for under £100!

What's more, if you stick to planning a cheap kids party, there may even be enough cash left to pay for a bottle of wine to recover with...

Cheap kids party

Our guide sets out three possible party options:

1. The Traditional Party (30 kids)

2. The Pool Party (20 kids)

3. The Sleepover (10 kids)

All you have to do is scroll to the party you like the look of, and work out which options we've calculated you'd prefer, all of which will keep you within your budget of £100 for either 30, 20 or 15 guests. May the party force be with you!

1. The Traditional Party

Number of kids: 30

Invites:

Download 30 invites and print them at home!

Download your FREE party invitations, print it out, fill it in and get sending!

Total: 0

Venue:

Hold the party at home, or if you're worried you don't have space big enough, ask a friend or member of your family nicely!

Total: 0

Decorations:

You don't need to go mad with the decorations, just a few simple touches will get everyone in the party spirit! We found so many lovely decorations at Poundland, so pop along to your local store to get into the party spirit without breaking the bank!

We chose: Pack of unicorn 20 plates x 2 (£2), Pack of unicorn birthday cups x 2 (£2), 20 pack Holographic Party Poppers (£1), 80 pack white plastic cutlery (£1), 24 Pack napkins (£1)

Total: £7

Cake:

Making a cake big enough to serve to 30 hungry kids is no easy feat, so why not make everyone their very own cupcake instead? You could even make decorating the cakes one of the party activities, and then gather them all up to sing Happy Birthday once they're done!

Basic cupcakes £3.60 for 30 Betty Crocker vanilla buttercream-style icing £2.50 for one tub Sainsbury's Party Sprinkles cake decorations £2.50 Total: £8.60

Games:

Entertaining a lot of kids may sound like a total nightmare, but games are a great way to keep kids entertained on the cheap. If you're prepared and have a list of games ready to go to keep them busy at all times, you may just survive!

We have a whole host of party games for kids to play, including classics like 'What's the time Mr Wolf?', 'Simon says' and good old fashioned musical chairs! Fancy something a bit different? There are some great ideas on Pinterest including free printable bingo cards!

Download your FREE bingo cards!

Total: 0

Food:

When it comes to keeping the cost low at a kids' party, it's all about the power of frozen. You simply can't go wrong by stocking up on some tasty treats the kids are sure to love. We found a whole host of amazing party treats at Iceland, so make sure you take a trip and stock up the freezer in advance!

We chose:

60 cocktail sausages (2 per person): £2

32 chicken goujons (1 per person with 2 leftover): £2 36 mini deep dish pizzas (1 per person with 6 leftover): £6

90 cheese and onion rolls (3 per person): £4 Classic dip selection: £1.79 1 bag of carrots: 65p 1 bag mixed peppers: £1.29 2 large bags of share crisps: £2 1 loaf of bread and one block of cheese (for sandwiches – cut into triangles): £3 Party rings twin pack: £1 Jaffa Cakes twin pack x 2: £2 Chocolate eclairs x 3: £3 No added sugar fizzy lemonade x 3: £1.50 No added sugar apple and blackcurrant squash: £2 Orange juice x 3: £2.67

Total: £34.90

Party bags:

If you'd like your small guests to leave with a little something, you don't need to go crazy. Poundland sells packs of toys and treats for, yes, you guessed it, £1, that can then be split between your guests to go even further.

Option 1: Tombola (1 thing each from Poundland) You can make the party-bag giving into a fun event but turning it into a tombola! Simply buy 30 things from Poundland, pop them all on a table and give out 30 pieces of paper with numbers 1-30 on them. Have 30 more pieces of paper with numbers 1-30 written on them, and draw a piece of paper from a bag one at a time so your guests choose their present to take away.

Example items include: My Little Pony Carry Colouring Book Fluffy Eyes pencil case Dreamworks Brick Puzzle - Shrek Total: £30

Option 2: Instead of buying 30 individual gifts, you can buy multi-packs of toys from Poundland, split them into party bags with 5 things in each bag each from a packet from the Poundland. You'll be giving each child 5 things each, but only spending £2 more!

We chose: 1 choc bar each: 6 in a packet/5 packets: £5, Sports Ball Party Bag Fillers 4 in a packet: £7, Medal Party Bag Fillers 4 in a packet/7 packs: £7,  Chatter Teeth Party Bag Fillers 3 in a pack/10 packs:10

Total:

£29

Total party cost:

With Option 1 party bags: £80.50 With Option 2 party bags: £79.50

2. The Pool Party

Number of kids: 20

Invites:

Download 20 invites and then print them at home!

Download your FREE party invitations, print it out, fill it in and get sending! Total: 0

Venue:

Hold the party in your own garden, or if you're worried you don't have space big enough, ask a friend or member of your family nicely! Total: 0

Decorations:

As the party will be outside you don't need too many decorations, some colourful balloons, bunting and a few other touches is all you need!

We chose:

From Sainburys: Home Assorted Rainbow Balloons x50 (tie with string and give each child one at the end of the party): £1 Pack of 10  Home Yay Paper Cups x 2: £4 Pack of 25 Sainsbury's Home White Paper Plate x 2: £4 Birthday bunting: Make your own using some old material, and you can even personalise it too! We show you how to make your own name bunting: £0

Total: £9

Pools:

No pool party would be complete without the, err, pool! Option 1: 10ft round paddling pool

Total:

£32.99

Cake:

Who says you need to buy a shop-bought cake for the ultimate pool party celebration? You can make your little one a really special and personalised cake for their birthday without needing to be a cake decorating pro!

By making a simple Victoria sandwich and buying some fondant icing and food colouring, you could design your very own pool party cake, just like this one. All you need for this is fondant icing, some different food colouring and some imagination! Cut and layer up the icing to make the shapes on the cake.

Victoria sandwich ingredients: £3 Fondant icing x 2 bags (one for covering cake, one for decorations): £6 Food colouring x 4 bottles and mix for different colours: £4 Total: £10

Games:

The paddling pool will keep the kids occupied for most of the time, but it doesn't hurt to make sure you have some fun garden games at the ready. Check out our retro outdoor kids games for lots of fun ideas!

Food:

Use the same food list from our 'Traditional Party' plan for some guaranteed party pleasers, minus the mini pizzas, cheese and onion rolls and chocolate eclairs to stick to your overall party budget Total: £34.90

Party bags:

Instead of a party bag, why not buy each child their own water squirt rings and give it to them when they arrive? They'll love playing with them throughout the party and will have something to take home with them too. Water squirt rings 6 pack 99p x 4: £3.96 Total: £9.60

Total party cost:

With Option 1 paddling pool: £90.85

3. The Sleepover

Number of kids: 10

Invites:

Download 10 invites and print them at home!

Download your FREE party invitations, print it out, fill it in and get sending - don't forget to remind guests to bring their PJs! Total: 0

Venue:

One of the best things about throwing a sleepover is that you can host it in the comfort of your own home (and keep an eye on them all of course!) for no cost whatsoever. Total: 0

Decorations:

Use the same decorations as Option 2.

Total:£9

Cake:

Why not try something different for your special sleepover party? Instead of one big cake, or cupcakes, make a mound of brownies and add a sparkler for a really special touch! To make 24 chocolate brownies you will need: Dark chocolate, butter, Caster sugar, eggs, vanilla essence, plain flour, cocoa powder Indoor sparklers Total: £6.70 Make your own chocolate brownies with our easy chocolate brownie recipe.

Activities:

Paint your own mug Why not get crafty with the kids and let them design their very own mug? You don't need any expensive equipment or supplies, just some pens and some mugs! Oil-based sharpie pens: £10.38 White mugs x 10: £7.70

How to paint your own mug

Total: £18.08

Hot chocolate station Build a hot chocolate station for your guests to try out their new mugs! All you need is: Cocoa powder: £1.09 4pts milk: £1.15 Spray cream: £0.99 Mini marshmallows: 85p Chocolate sauce: £1.30 Total: £5.38 Don't miss all our ideas of ways to pimp your hot chocolate

Cinema

Grab a selection of your child's favourite DVDs or Netflix and cosy up with a hot chocolate, a box of popcorn each under the duvets for DVD time. They'll love it! Popcorn boxes x 2 packs: £2.58 Popcorn kernals (add sugar and butter): £1.40 Total:

£3.98

Truth or dare Truth or dare is a popular game for a reason - it's fun, and it's cheap! It's also the perfect accompaniment to a sleepover. Turn it into a real event by writing out 'truths' and 'dares' onto slips of paper, pop them in a jar, and then have your guests pass the jar round and taking it in turns to choose one!

Truths: What super power would you like to have and why? If you won a million pounds, what would you do with the money? What did the last text you got say? What animal would you most want to be and why? What are 3 things about you that no one in the room knows?

Dares: Eat a doughnut without licking your lips

What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

See how many marshmallows you can fit in your mouth

Sing the first song that comes into your head

Show us your favourite dance move Total:

£2 for two packets of doughnuts

Food:

Keep it simple and buy guaranteed crowd pleasers. They'll already have hot chocolate, popcorn and brownies, so you don't need to go too crazy with extras! Pizzas x 4: £4 60 cocktail sausages (2 per person): £2 Classic dip selection: £3.58 1 bag of carrots: 65p 1 bag mixed peppers: £1.29 2 large bags of share crisps: £2 Party rings twin pack: £1 Jaffa Cakes twin pack x 2: £2 No added sugar fizzy lemonade x 1: 50p No added sugar apple and blackcurrant squash: £1.50 Diet Coke (1.25l) x 1: £1 Total: £19.52

Breakfast Pancake Party:

Kids will love a pancake party for breakfast the next day! All you need to do is triple our ultimate pancake recipe, and set out a few toppings for them to choose from.

Triple our ultimate pancakes recipe Pancakes: £1.50 Strawberries: £4 Blueberries: £3 Squirty cream: £0.99 Nutella: £2.70 Total: £11

Total party cost:

£67.85

Throwing a kids' party is no easy task! From the invitations and the cake to filling all those party bags, there's so much to be done before you've even thought about dressing up the venue – and these days, a few limp balloons and a bag of party poppers just ain't gonna cut it.

Feeling the pressure? Then check out these absolutely genius hacks from around the web, all of which you can make at home with stuff you've probably already got in the cupboard. Some of the DIYs might look tricky, but they're surprisingly simple – we promise! And once you've made them, you can sit back and bask in the compliments from all the other super-impressed parents who don't know all of your crafty secrets.

Here are 22 incredibly clever ways to make your next kids' party the best one yet...

1. Blow up balloons using baking soda and vinegar

https://www.facebook.com/Momto2PoshLilDivas/photos/a.228752960517961/1441118422614736/?type=3&theater

Finally, a way to inflate balloons that won't leave you out of puff (or have you running to the shops for an emergency pump)!

2. Put confetti in clear balloons for a fairytale feel

These would be perfect for a princess party! Choose colours that match your theme.

3. Or dip them in glitter to really bedazzle your guests

Glitter + glue + a bog-standard balloon = the twinkly decor of your dreams.

4. If you're feeling really creative, you could even make balloon animals – with a twist

https://www.facebook.com/partypieces/posts/10154223810171006?__tn__=-R

Just the thing for a zoo or farmyard-themed party!

5. Or balloon flowers, if you're that way inclined

WHY DIDN'T WE THINK OF THIS SOONER?!

6. Don't forget the wall decs – try this pretty DIY bow garland

It looks tricky, but thanks to the step-by-step guide, even novice crafters could have a go at this.

7. String colourful cupcake cases together to make an adorable baking-themed garland

A rather attractive way to use up those ones that get slightly squished in the tub, don't you think?

8. These easy peasy pompoms only require a ball of yarn and some string

https://www.facebook.com/SoSatsuma/posts/1782286461827055

Essentially, all you have to do is snip up a ball of yarn - but doesn't it look impressive?

9. And this bunting is made from Ikea straws!

Bless you, home of flat pack furniture, legendary meatballs and the very best party hack materials around.

10. Upgrade your standard fairy lights with colourful cups

So easy, but SO effective.

11. Two words: FROZEN PARTY

https://www.facebook.com/chicpartychick/posts/180426672608767

Just imagine the look on your little Elsa or Anna's face!

12. If you're serving a sit-down meal, make this lolly stick table runner

You could even turn the paint spattering into a party activity...

13. Or how about a tablecloth they can decorate themselves?

Add a few starter squiggles, leave out the (washable) felt tips and let them go wild.

14. Every party needs a piñata

This one's perfect for a summer garden party.

15. Want to satisfy a sweet tooth without the sugar high? You need these giant lollipops...

Balloons and cardboard are inexpensive when you buy them separately, but make stunning party props when you team them together.

16. ...and these pretty pastel ice cream cones too

So sweet, we've practically got toothache. Styrofoam balls never looked so cute!

17. This crepe paper rainbow will add a whimsical feel to any bash

https://www.facebook.com/getcreativejuice/photos/a.232775863452670/701525766577675/?type=3

Remember to add an authentic bowl of gold (chocolate) coins at the end!

18. These chalk shapes are great for outdoor celebrations

And yes, they do wash off the pavement afterwards...

19. Don't forget to capture all of the fun with your very own homemade photobooth

You can use a cheap plastic tablecloth or shower curtain as a backdrop. We won't tell if you don't...

20. Or a cut-out board to fit the theme of the party

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212463560320336&set=basw.AbrC4Q7zgnbwAUyZ5SnXq0pYO9AKo8H5K5bnvQJzTgQLxVd0D1fn77bd0tCr1I70el9luFdZtbxINEDT1z974HvflDsrVzG_AeY7ZxZTXYRRIPVg9laBvHrGl_zs8R_EDCHqxHPML9gRrSI-7987tNspEsyAgnChW3-tHmtqeasdQw.1854726974619334.348428755500358.654627997905719.10153350830756683.688869384509661.629526807068169.258657277931545.479374032074231.10212463560320336&type=1&opaqueCursor=Abq-Pd-CUzd82bcVOXjpZVgnj4uVoxIiSuBzUrChXSyNG7ivSiq07CkidFzx6E4pITKg3BxkuipfPiKCYqFMiHfmhgetQ7JN3n_cTFKvwpcHcqY7dqSujJoQPorReXXIwIKA9YCBdp7dQI_2wo3PBUa1Tnoa0gQtB37OEQptv-vcd3W8yTUr3Be60-c1L_WWMuJsdtBXSrIK6s05uVnK-3GjZnSNVGHwHLWPd1l505gQWb2EM1wbEgRu378nso8pSxnfVXj9O9sNQFPBpG0luySKu1FHJSTC_HWJWMQS7Tw1L5GakJYiyoZ25VwrMWdmyVq531jqIwX_Gr-JHYsMFiM8VGxO_-cjPbDIwplzE2l5bne1NOPIAswGIITg5WJSQU1wHsbyBU1tm9ozbtybQB_YbtlDEkKHzCO6ACySijfwzMfxe-BCFHnaT8rnyIkSkwms2JA1g_8zkjTzj1TAY57brgnFUdri2EbWeVtq05_kwkoVE7t6nrdAaBkSTxCxEAer-c6xCDWGr3tHEktwMBD1gDijyrMc_UxPQl8MLxnsg4imGw-FIxawzMlW-imQInN_y3lveBB73w6MYf2Pn89oPpU3-frFTkN5FJKYlSessA&theater

Make life easier by making yours out of cardboard instead of wood!

21. Giant numbers are practically a requirement if you're celebrating a milestone birthday

Fill them with treats for a fun surprise!

22. This homemade tassel decoration will liven up any cake

https://www.facebook.com/designdazzle.toni/photos/a.10150099758765931/10154780021820931/?type=3

Pop on some colour coordinating sweets and you're good to go!

And if you've done all of that, and you're still not DIY'd out?

https://www.facebook.com/phyllis.bianchi/posts/10156667192803964

We present to you the cardboard box maze. Guaranteed to make you the coolest mum in the history of party throwing mums.

You're welcome.

Everyone loves a birthday party, so why not add a touch of glamour to the occasion and throw a Hollywood party the kids will love? We've got everything you need to make sure you'll throw the best A-list bash this side of LA.

From creating gold guest pass invites to serving up the best non-alcohol fizz - follow our step-by-step guide to ensure it's a birthday your little star won't forget!

A Hollywood theme is great for young teenagers who love singing, acting and the theatre. Our guide involves show-stopping invites, easy-to-make tasty recipes and glitzy decorations to really set the scene.

Hollywood party ideas

Hollywood party invites Hollywood party food Hollywood party decorations Hollywood party games Hollywood party crafts Hollywood party costumes Hollywood birthday party bags

Hollywood party invites

Making your own invitations not only adds a personal touch, but also gives the kids something to do on a rainy day.

Guest pass invites Make each guest feel like a celebrity with one of their very own guest pass invitations. Use a small rectangle piece of gold card and on each one attach either a clip or pin or a piece of string they can tie round their neck. You can write 'Access All Areas' on them along with the rest of the party information. You can also stick hologram stickers of stars on each one to make them look more authentic.

Star invite Make your very own replicas of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cut out star shapes on gold card or buy star shapes already cut out from most stationary shops, such as Staples or WH Smith. Then write the child's name you're inviting on the front and the rest of the party information on the back.

Oscar statue invites These may be a bit tricky to make but they look great and will make each child feel like a true A-list winner. Find a picture of an Oscar statue from the Internet and draw it on a piece of gold paper or card. Cut round the shape and write on the party information. Alternatively, draw the statue on a piece of white paper and let the kids decorate them however they wish. Glitter, sequins and stickers are ideal for these creative invites.

Film clapper invites You can also take some inspiration from the classic Hollywood film clappers to make your invites. Each one should be about A5 size with black and white stripes with the top stripe at an angle. The clapper can have all the party information on it, written in black marker pen just like they do in the movies.

Wording inspiration for the invites

You're invited to the A-list bash of the decade

Join us for a night of glitz and glam

We're having a Hollywood happening

And the award goes to...

In the Hollywood hills, the party never stops

A golden gathering for...

Strictly invite only...

Dress to impress

If you want guests to RSVP, say at the bottom

'Get your PA to RSVP as soon as possible to (your phone number)'

'We need to organise the goodie bags, so RSVP at (your phone number)'

'To join our exclusive party, send us a message at (contact details)'

Hollywood party food

With all the fun they'll be having, the Hollywood stars will be getting hungry, so here's our guide to make sure you've covered everything to fill their tummies. From finger buffet food to the birthday cake, our recipes will give you all the inspiration you need.

Birthday cakes In keeping with the American Hollywood party theme, we've got a great recipe to make a Reeses Pieces, a well loved treat by our cousins across the pond!. It looks fab and tastes delicious, so they'll all be wanting a slice. However, you could also try out your own personal design. You could follow one of our Victoria sponge or chocolate cake recipes then customise the top by creating a Hollywood star with your child's name on it in icing.

Cupcakes are also a great addition to the party platter and are sometimes much easier to give to children than slices of cake. We've got a whole host of cupcake recipes you could try. Ice the top of them with a gold glitter or strip of red icing to make it look like a red carpet.

Party food savoury

Homemade mini burgers - these are also a kids' favourite. You could even add a twist and serve them in pitta pockets instead of burger buns.

Funny-face pizzas - great to tempt even the fussiest of eaters. Arrange the toppings to make a star.

Hotdogs - these chilli-dogs will go great with the theme. Offer mustard, ketchup and fried onions to go on top.

Chicken wings - follow this recipe to make them deliciously crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with a sweet kick!

Party food sweet

Chewy chocolate chip cookies - these classic American-style cookies make great party treats and can look amazing piled high on plates.

Fresh fruit jellies - go for a bright jelly colour such as green and orange to make it more appealing for kids. It's a great way to sneak in a bit of fruit without them realising too!

Marshmallow swizzle sticks - these look so tasty, there definitely won't be any left-overs at the end of the day. Candy floss and popcorn are also great treats for the kids at parties.

Party drinks

Ginger fizz - this bubbly juice tastes delicious. You could even get a star-shaped ice cube tray, put a few cubes in each drink and call it 'Star suprise'.

Milkshakes - A thick and creamy ice cream packed drink is a great treat. If you're brave enough kids would even love helping to make these for themselves. You could get toppings to make a milkshake bar where little ones can customise their own drinks.

Homemade lemonade - A party classic, this sweet and sour fizzy drink always goes down well with kids so make sure you bottle plenty of the stuff before the party starts.

Hollywood party decorations

You've decided on the theme and sent the invites, but on the day it's important you've decorated to help set a real Hollywood scene. It will get the kids (and adults!) more into the glitzy mood.

Ideally, you'd have a red carpet, a stage and microphone and lots of glittering lights to create the perfect scene, but there are much more interesting, cheaper and creative ways of decorating that'll make the party the talk of the town.

Welcome the kids At the front entrance you could have a 'red carpet' ready for all the kids to walk up to reach the front door or back garden (wherever you're hosting the party). This could be made from any cheap red material to give the look of being a carpet but without the expense. You could also have one of the adults at the party stand at the end taking pictures of all the children as they walk the carpet to make it seem as if they're famous - they'll also look great in the party album. When each child arrives at the party, you could give them their own VIP badge, which you can sometimes get from pound stores or make using a cheap badge maker. Alternatively, you can get them to bring along their guest pass invites, which you could stamp when they arrive at the party.

Transform your home or garden Create your very own Hollywood sign out of cut-out letters made from white cardboard and stick it above the door or fireplace in the party room or from a tree in the garden. Then use red satin or cheap red material to drape across the walls and doors of the party area to give it a luxury feel - just like being at an awards ceremony. You could also create a make-shift stage if you're planning on doing any Karaoke competitions or having the kids put on a little play. Use wooden boxes or even just layers of cardboard placed on top of each other - it doesn't have to be high. Cover your tables in cheap red and gold material to give it a glamorous look and then decorate with confetti, sequins or lots of glitter. Mirror balls are also great decorations and give it that extra feel of glitz, as well as hanging door curtains which you can buy from most party suppliers.

Little extras You could make name places for each child out of cardboard squares with a star shape on it and the name of the child in the middle of each one, just like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You could also buy some small blow-up microphones and award status to decorate the area and give the kids things to play with.

Hollywood party games

There are an endless amount of games you could play to keep the kids entertained during the party. You can add a Hollywood twist to many classic party games, whilst also trying out some new games to keep them on their toes. Here are some of our ideas to get you started.

Pin the award on the winner A twist on the classic 'pin the tail on the donkey' game. Each child gets a chance to try and pin an award statue into the hands of a winner whilst blindfolded - with the closest statue winning. Print out pictures of their favourite celebrities from the Internet to play with.

Pass the statue Just like the classic game of 'pass the parcel', pass a present wrapped in several layers around the circle to music and get the child to rip off a layer of newspaper if they are holding the present when the music stops. If the children are a little older, make it more exciting by getting them to stand in a circle and throw the present underarm to anyone they want to in the circle quickly, like the game 'hot potato'.

Dance off If you've bought some film soundtracks, now's a great time to use them for a game. Get the kids to dance to the music and judge which one does the best or craziest dance moves, then give the winner a small prize.

Sing off This is a great game if you have a karaoke machine or a games console with a sing-along game. Let the kids that want to sing take it in turns to belt out some movie classics such as Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' from Titanic, then award the best (and worst) with a small prize.

Wink 'movie star' murder Similar to 'wink murder', sit everyone in a circle and choose a 'movie star'. They're sent out of the room whilst you pick a dangerous 'wanted' cowboy who is then the 'murderer'. The movie star returns to the room and stands in the middle of the circle. They must continuously turn around slowly trying to detect the 'murderer' - who winks at people who make eye contact with him and act out a dramatic 'death'. The detective movie star must try and guess who the 'murderer' is before all the celebrities are 'killed'.

Name the star This involves cutting out pictures of famous movie stars and getting the guests to identify them. Split the kids into two or three groups, then give them a page of pictures and tell them to write down who they think they are. The winning team will be the one that gets the most correct answers.

Hollywood party crafts

To give the kids something glamorous to do while they enjoy the party, why not have some craft materials at the ready so they create and take home a memento from the Hollywood party? Here's some of our ideas to get you started.

Paparazzi picture frame This is a great craft idea if you have a polaroid instant camera or a digital camera and a printer. First, make a selection of photo frames using white cardboard, get each child to decorate them with paint, glitter and sequins and then tell them to put on their perfect paparazzi pose while you take their picture. Then once it's printed out, stick it inside the frame, leave to dry and they can take it with them when they leave.

VIP badge These are super fun to make and they can take them away and wear them whenever they want. You will need to have a badge maker with enough badge sets for everyone child to have one, but these can be purchased for relatively little online. The children can decorate their badges with pens, paper and stickers depending on the size and thickness of each badge.

Papier mache award statue This could get a little messy, but it's a fun way of keeping them amused for a bit and they can take something home to remember the party by. To ensure there's not too much mess at the party and that the girls' dresses don't get covered in Papier mache, you could create a set of plain Oscar statues before they arrive. To do this, you will need strips of newspaper, glue and the cardboard bits from inside toilet rolls. You can buy several types of glue from a local craft store or PVA works well too. Cover the cardboard with layers of glue-soaked paper until you get a statue-type form and then leave to dry. Then at the party, get the kids to decorate them using paint, glitter and sequins.

Set of famous handprints You could create a set of handprints just like celebrities do in Hollywood - this would involve buying a pack of pottery clay and some shallow plastic trays you can buy from Wilko or other bits-and-bobs shops. Follow the instructions on the pack to get an easily mouldable consistency, then get each child to place their hands down to get the shape and name each one. You could make individual handprints or a large set.

Hollywood party costumes

Whatever their age, make your party an occasion to remember with a 'dress to impress' code. Most girls will have an array of dresses already in their wardrobes they can wear, so that's a great start and boys will look dapper in shirts and bow ties (if they have them!). If you want, you could have a dress colour code of either pink or black, but we think the more colours the better!

Long dresses are best as they tend to be a bit more glamorous, plus you can add some extra glitz to an outfit with some sparkly accessories such as bracelets and necklaces.

For little girls you could always make an award-worthy dress using material from a fabric store. Any material that's shiny or has sequins on it will look great with a full skirt made from tutu material. Alternatively, most supermarket clothes sections, party stores and other clothes shops will sell party dresses that you can pick up for a relatively cheap price. Feather boas, sashes and tiaras are also good accessories to make the party girl stand out from the crowd.

Hollywood party bags

Party bags aren't essential, but they do make nice little treats for each child to take home at the end of the day, and they can be made on a budget.

The bags don't necessarily have to be Hollywood-themed - but cardboard popcorn buckets make a nice twist on the classic bags. Include cheap toys you can buy in bulk such as bead necklaces, a small make-up set, small mirrors and beaded purses for little girls (these may vary slightly depending on the age of the party guests).Then you could add all the treats children love such as small sweets, chocolate bars, gold coins, lollipops, sherbet sticks or chewy sweets as well as a piece of the birthday cake. Slicing up the main cake may be an issue if there's not enough to go round, so you could always give each child a cupcake to take home instead.

When you have kids, birthdays suddenly become cause for celebration again, and how else are you going to announce the good news of growing up than sending invites?

There are always Whatsapp messages and emails to relay the details but nothing beats a good old-fashioned paper invite slipped into school bags to build excitement. Or even, may we suggest, sent through the mail? Little ones love getting their very own post to open and they’ll act as a handy reminder to parents, to stick to the fridge door so they don’t forget your little one’s big day.

We’ve got all the big party themes covered – from princess to pirate – so you’re sure to be able to find something your child will love.

Because we know kids parties are already expensive we’ve made our birthday party invites completely free for you to use. Just click on the children's party invite you'd like and print it out. You can make them as simple or fancy as you’d like.

Little things can make your invitations even more special. For instance, try printing them onto card to make them feel nicer or add a little extra sparkle with glitter details on some of the pictures. Your child will love helping you, too, and it’s a great opportunity to get them to practice their writing. Depending on their age and stage they could fill out all the details of the party or simply the child’s name they’re addressing the invite to.

So, all that’s left to do is to pick your party theme and then print off your invite to match. Scroll down to see all the options before downloading, printing and sending out.

Free printable swimming pool party invitations

A swimming pool get-together is a great way to throw a cheap party that your kids will still love. Simply click above to download your free invite.

Free printable slumber party invitations

Older kids LOVE sleepovers, so why not make it seem even more fun by issuing an offical invite? It will get everyone excited for the event and act as a handy reminder for parents.

Free printable birthday party invitations

Looking for something generic? This fun and colourful invite is perfect if you don't fancy a theme and would just prefer to stick to traditional balloons and cake.

Free printable space party invitations

For your little space men and women another world party is perfect. Click above to print off a free space invite.

Free printable cowboy party invitations

Buckle up! This party invite will have all the wild ones from the west flooding to your door.

Free printable jungle party invitations

It's not everyday that we encourage monkeying around but a child's birthday is definitely one of the perfect opportunities to do so. Get everyone in the party spirit with this fun invite.

Free printable Hollywood party invitations

Turn up the glamour with this glitzy Hollywood themed invite. Ideal if you have a few divas in your house!

Free printable pirate party invitations

Arghhhhh! There be pirates here! Little ones will love the excuse to dress up like a pirate and run around all day once they've been given this invite.

Free printable princess party invitations

Give your little princess a party to remember with this invite. She'll love how perfectly pink it is!

Does your child love all things Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Neverland and pirates? Then a pirate party will have them beaming from parrot to ear!

But if you don't know where to begin, fear not. We've got everything you need to make your children feel like real pirates fresh from the high seas.

From creating authentic invites to hunting for lost treasure and transforming your living room into a ship - follow our easy-to-use guide to throwing your little one a pirate party they won't forget.

A pirate party is a great theme for all kids who like action and have a wild imagination. This type of party involves creative invites, fun decorations, authentic music, tasty food and lots of dressing up. It's perfect for children aged between 6 and 12 years old and can be done extravagantly or on a budget.

Pirate party ideas

FREE pirate party invites Pirate party food recipes Pirate party decorations Fun Pirate party games Pirate party crafts Pirate party costumes Pirate party bags What you can hire for a pirate party

FREE pirate party invites

Message in a bottle invitations These may sound lavish but they're easy to create and you can make them as fancy as you like. Start off with all the party information on a piece of paper. Remember to include the date, place and R.S.V.P number.

Then, to give the paper authenticity, you need to stain it with tea or coffee. We recommend dissolving three teaspoons of coffee in half a mug of hot water then using a sponge or paintbrush, lightly coat the paper with the thick solution and leave to dry. If you want to give the paper even more of a real pirate look, you can burn the corners with a lighter, but make sure you blow it out quickly, just burn it enough to singe the ends. Next, you will need to roll the invitation up and tie it with a ribbon, tape or even candle wax. Then push it inside a bottle; you can use anything from plastic water bottles to empty beer bottles or sauce bottles. Make sure the top is closed with either a lid or a cork, which you can find at stores such as Wilkinsons.

Also, make sure the invitation is rolled up tightly and tied so guests will be able to get it out of the bottle easily. For added decoration you can put sand and small shells in the bottom of the bottles.

Treasure map invitations These are not only an original way of making pirate invitations but they're also fun and will get the kids involved. Start off with a piece of cardboard (roughly A5) and draw on a colourful treasure map with all the party information on it; this could include a sundial to indicate the start and end times of the party, a route to your house or where the party is being held as well as a picture of a pirate showing what costumes will be needed. Alternatively, you could print off a picture of a blank Caribbean island and get the kids to colour it in and add the information to that.

Authentic pirate scroll invites You can either create these by following the steps from the message in a bottle invites, just without the bottle, or you could download this free pirate birthday party invite.

Ship invites Get your kids to create their perfect pirate ships as invitations. Start by drawing the outline of a ship on pieces of paper or thin card; they shouldn't be too intricate as you'll need to cut these out. Then decorate the ships with rigging, a gully, a plank, portholes, the wheel and maybe some shipmates - you can use a variety of materials to do this including frayed rope bits or old material, glitter, pens, pencils, glue, shells and sand. Make sure you include all the pirate party details including date, time, fancy dress, and an R.S.V.P.

Wording inspiration for your pirate party invitations

Ahoy there me hearties! Ye be invited fer some fun at Ben's pirate party!

X marks the spot, so come find the treasure (and some high seas fun) at Ben's 5th Birthday

Celebrate Ben's birthday like a pirate with swashbucklin', grub and rum in the galley

Shiver me timbers, it's Ben's birthday! Ye be invited to celebrate with us on our pirate ship!

We've found the map to Davy Jones' locket, so bring your pirate best. We'll use the map to find the way, for a jolly time at Ben's 7th Birthday!

Yo-ho-ho join our crew on the Jolly Roger while we plunder for treasure and treats at Ben's pirate party!

Avast ye landlubbers! Ye are invited to Ben's birthday party!

Ahoy me hearties! You're invited to the best pirate party on the seven seas!

All ye landlubbers shake with fear as Ben's birthday draws near, because all the pirates gather here!

X marks the spot, so come find the treasure (and some swashbucklin' fun) at Ben's 8th Birthday

Grub and grog will be served at (time), on the (name of the ship), (place) on (date)

We set sail from (place) Be there by (date) at (time), or be left behind!

You'll probably want the party to be fancy dress, so make sure you tell your guests

Dress in yer pirate best!

Put on your eye patches and bring yer parrots for admittance to the party

Anyone dressed as a landlubber will be marooned!

Wear yer best swashbucklin gear or walk the plank and face the sharks!

No peg leg, no parrots, no party!

If you want guests to RSVP, state that at the bottom

RSVP by (date) (or you will walk the plank!)

Sign on to our crew roster by contacting Captain (name) at (phone number)

Deserters only (phone number)

Be a mate and RSVP before this date, (date, phone number)

Arrrrrrr.... you coming to the party? (phone number, date)

Pirate party food recipes

From pirate-inspired sandwiches and crisps, to chocolate and sweets and of course, the all-important birthday cake! We've got loads of fun, tasty and easy-to-make pirate-themed recipes guaranteed to fill the tummies of all the little pirates at the party.

Birthday cakes

Pirate party cakes can be anything from a basic sponge cake with a treasure island map made out of coloured icing on top, to sunken pirate ships or treasure chests filled with 'gold'.

Depending on how much time, money and patience you have, we've got recipes to make a treasure map cake or a skull and crossbones cake.

But you don't have to make a themed cake; cupcakes or giant cupcakes are just as delicious and you can always decorate them with pirate colours such as red, white and black. We've got a host of decorative cupcakes you could try as well as a giant cupcake recipe (with a helpful video) to give the wow factor.

You can also get the kids involved with our 10 fairy cakes to make with the kids.

Savoury party food

Party food for a pirate party can be made really fun by the names you decide to call everything. Obviously, you don't want to be serving authentic pirate groul but you can try and fool the kids by giving our delicious recipes imaginative names. Remember, party food can consist of almost anything you want in bite-size pieces but generally, you can keep it nice and simple with small, easy-to-make snacks and treats perfect for kids to pick at when they're hungry.

Pizza - aka pirate pizza - it's nearly always a winner but keep the toppings simple for any fussy eaters

Rolls - aka desert island grub in a bun - you can make up a different 'grub' for each filling, turkey filled or multi-coloured - the options are endless

Sausages in bacon - aka - dead man's fingers - you can pretend they're gruesome but they'll taste great

Annabel Karmel's chicken dippers - aka castaway cutlets - these will definitely look the part! Follow this simple recipe for a tasty snack kids will love Sausage rolls - aka peg legs - we've got a great recipe with a twist that kids will snap up in an instant

Potato wedges - aka parrots beaks - the kids will love these wedges that could quite easily pass as parrots beaks! They can be served with or without spice

Sweet party food

Chocolate honeycomb mousse pots - aka the lost treasure - honeycomb looks like chunks of gold or precious stones and tastes delicious on top of sweet chocolate moose

Milk strawberry sticks - aka crabs' legs - a healthy and tasty treat - what's not to love?

Peppermint creams - white gold - these make fun additions to a party spread

Lemon squares - aka treasure island squares - the lemon colour will look like sand and you can top them with green decorations to look like trees

Party drinks

Kiwi and ginger cocktail- aka Jolly Roger juice - A fruity treat with a kick that the kids will love

Fireside flamer - aka Ruby punch - You can adapt this recipe slightly using flavoured and coloured ice cubes. The night before the party, fill ice cube trays up with cranberry juice, or a red fruit squash, then at the party drop a few cubes into the juice to make it look as though jewels are floating in them.

Pirate party decorations

How you decorate your house, garden or hired space for a pirate party is quite important as the more you create an authentic atmosphere the more the kids will enjoy it; plus it's fun and let's out your imaginative side.

You can set a colour scheme for your decorations; most pirate parties tend to be red, white and black. You can use these colours for balloons, streamers, bunting, tablecloths, napkins and paper plates and cups.

Welcome the kids

A great way to welcome the children into the pirate party would be to create a large banner saying 'Ahoy mateys, welcome aboard' in big letters. Alternatively, you could make a large flag out of an old bed sheet or plain white material with a design of your choice - either a large ship, skull and crossbones or a drawing of your child as a pirate - and place it in your front garden or near the front door.

Transform your home or garden

If you really want to create an authentic atmosphere, you could transform the pirate party room into either a ship or a dessert island, depending on what materials you can get hold of. A ship room would require nets to look like rigging, the effect of wooden flooring (brown cushions or a sheet would do this), some wooden crates (painted cardboard boxes would be good for this) and a ships steering wheel (this could be made from a hoola hoop and some cardboard slots).

A desert island scene is a bit more messy as it could involve sand, but if you've got a sand pit, it's relatively easy to do and looks great. This would involve sand on the floor, some blue sheets to represent the ocean, some coconuts lying around and old bottles filled with ginger beer to seem like rum. You could go one step further and buy some inflatable palm trees and a few blow-up crocodiles to really set the scene. You could also include treasure troves made from cut-out cardboard boxes filled with gold chocolate coins or plastic pearl necklaces to represent treasure.

Little extras

If you just want simple decorations, a few pirate flags, available from most party stores, together with a small treasure chest filled with goodies for games and some coloured bunting would also create a fun atmosphere.

Pirate pinatas make great additions to a party and will also look decorative before the kids smash it to pieces. There are various shapes to choose from, including one of a pirate as well as one of a treasure chest - both should be available from most party stores and online.

Fun Pirate party games

There are loads of pirate games you can play during the party. Some have been adapted from classics such as Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Simon Says, but they all have a pirate theme the kids can get stuck in to and really enjoy. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Walk the Plank

This is a fun game the kids will find amusing, but it's guaranteed to bring out their competitive side. Find a piece of wood about the width of a child's foot and a length of your choosing (not too short as it might be too easy). Then get the children in a line and challenge one-by-one to 'walk the plank'. Those that manage it without falling off win a sweet or treat.

'X' Marks the Spot

This is played similarly to Pin the Tail on the Donkey. You will need a large treasure map of a dessert island and some small flags with Blu-Tack on the back. Choose a spot on the map where the treasure lies, then blindfold each child, give them their marker flag, spin them round three times and let them place the flag somewhere on the map. The child that gets their flag the closest to the treasure wins.

Pin the Patch on the Pirate

This is another pirate-themed version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. You will need a cardboard cut out of a pirate and several cut-out black eye patches. Blindfold each child, give them their eye patch, spin them round three times and see if they can get it in the right place. The child that gets their patch the closest to the pirate's eye wins.

Blackbeard/Captain Says

This is played exactly like Simon Says but instead you can use either Captain or Blackbeard. You'll need an adult or a child to be the leader giving instructions to the others. Children will be out when they perform an action that the leader does not say either 'Captain' or 'Blackbeard' before.

Classic Treasure Hunt

This is simple but very fun. Simply hide gold and silver chocolate coins around the room, house or garden and get the kids into two or three teams and tell each one they have 30 seconds to find as many as they can. Alternatively, you can make a map with clues and different treasure, but be wary of the ages of the children as some may find it too difficult or get bored quickly. You can also buy ready made treasure hunts so you don't have to do any of the hard work.

Toss the treasure

For this fun game you'll need a decorative treasure chest, made from a cardboard box with the top off or open, and three bean bags. Get the children to stand behind a certain point and see if they can get them all in. For older children, or to make it more difficult, you could cut out three holes from a large treasure map and see if the children can throw their bags through the holes. The winners can receive small prizes, such as sweets or treats.

Frozen pirates

This is similar to musical statues, instead they're pirates - it also works much better if you use pirate music. Get the kids to dance around or hop around on one leg as you play the music then see who can stay still the best when it stops.

Treasure islands

This is played like musical chairs, except you use brown mats or cushions on the floor. Before you play the music, tell the children to act as if they are swimming between the islands, then they have to jump on the nearest one when the music stops. Then each round take one cushion away until you have a winner.

Pirate party crafts

Crafts are a great way of getting the kids to be creative during a party, plus they'll have something they can take home and show their parents at the end of the day - here are some pirate party inspired crafts for your guests to do...

Make pirate flags These are a really practical way to keep the kids amused during the party, but it might get a little messy. Just like coats of arms, pirates were identified by the colours and images on their flags. Let the children design their own flags using white sheets, preferably with a foam, cardboard or wooden back, good craft glue, glitter, pens and other art supplies. You can hang them up around the pirate party room when they're done to add decoration and let them take them home at the end of the party.

Make swashbucklin' swords Most boys seem to love swords, so a great, fun way of keeping them entertained at a pirate party is to let them make their own. You can use cut-out cardboard shapes of swords or black foam and let the kids decorate them with silver spray paint or pens, glitters and plastic jewels. They'll most likely break theirs through plenty of play fighting during the party but they'll have a jolly good time doing it.

Make a telescope These are easy to make and can look great. For a basic telescope you will need kitchen roll tubes, coloured cellophane and rubber bands. They can then be decorated with coloured paper and card, stickers, glitter, shells, sand and plastic jewels. Kids will love looking through them and they can take them home at the end of the day.

Pirate party costumes

One of the best things about pirate parties is dressing up. The kids will love to wear tattered, old clothes, ripped shirts, eye patches and carry swords, and you're more than likely to have most of the things they can wear for it, or get hold of them relatively easily.

If you don't want to buy a full pirate outfit then you can create your own one using odd bits of black, white and red material. You will need some black trousers, cut with jagged edges just below the knee. You will also need a white shirt with several tear marks, as well as an eye-patch made from black fabric and perhaps a bandanna with a skull and crossbones on it. Use black material with white fabric pens to draw the design on.

You may also like to make a hat, we're got an easy step-by-step for how to make a classic pirate paper hat. They can also make peg legs from cardboard and hooks for their hands, also made from cardboard and sellotape.

Play tattoos are also popular at pirate parties. You can use temporary pirate tattoos or draw your own ones on using black face paints. Usually these consist of birds, skull and cross bones or fake scars.

If you need some pirate costume inspiration, check out Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean.

Pirate party bags

Pirate party bags or 'swag bags' aren't essential, but they do make nice little treats for each child to take home at the end of the day, and they can be made on a budget.

You can either buy pirate- themed bags from party stores or the Internet, or you can buy plain ones from most supermarkets. What you fill them with is up to you, but for a pirate party they can include small toys, such as pirate figures, gold coins, plastic pearl necklaces, any Pirates of the Caribbean film-themed goodies such as yo-yos, bouncy balls, badges or colouring books. Other things you could add are bubbles and balloons (these may vary slightly depending on the age of the party guests).

You can also fill them with small sweets, chocolate bars, coins, lollipops, sherbet sticks or chewy sweets as well as a piece of the birthday cake.

If you don't want to slice up the main cake, or don't think there will be enough to go round, you can always buy or make a more simple one or give each child a cupcake instead.

What you can hire for a pirate party

If you don't want to have the party at your house or in your garden, there are a number of options out there. One idea is to hire out a venue. These vary in price depending on size and number of people you want to have in it.

Local village hall

This is generally the favoured option as hire prices tend to be lower than other venues. Village halls also tend to be the nearest option and have kitchen and toilet facilities plus a dance floor/hall for the kids to play in.

These are great options as they are generally a good size and are close to a field or play park for the kids to run around outside or just get some fresh air. There's generally a lot of parking if other adults want to be there, plus most of them have a bar for people to buy any additional drinks and snacks. They are also usually away from houses so the noise of the party wouldn't be an issue.

Soft play and party areas

These tend to vary according to where you live, but most towns have indoor play areas with ball-pools, slides, swings and soft blocks for children to play in, and when they've tired themselves out inside most offer food packages for afterwards. Some examples are Kidzplay, Little Rascals, and Scallywags Castle play area.

Local restaurant

There are several restaurants that accommodate children's birthday parties. The type of packages available vary from place to place depending on what you want to eat, how many children there are and their ages. Some examples of party-friendly restaurants are Pizza Hut, T.G.I. Friday's, Chiquitos, Harvester and Toby Carvery restaurants, as well as McDonald's, Burger King and KFC.

Local leisure centre/swimming pool

This is another option as some local swimming pools have inflatable island play areas inside the pool which have a pirate theme. This could be good if your child wants a pirate party, but you don't want all the fuss that comes with it. You could always fill the small eating area with a few pirate decorations if you're including food with the party - usually there is a room at the local pool or leisure centre you can use for this.

Let the kids run wild, literally, by throwing a jungle theme party! This theme is roaring good fun as kids can dress up as their favourite exotic animals, and we've got plenty of jungle party ideas for you to try out. It's a grrreat theme for fans of The Lion King and suitable for both boys and girls!

From creating your own jungle party invites, amazing animal cakes and jungle party games, we've got everything you'll need to have a really wild jungle party.

A jungle theme is a great one for all children - kids love all the friendly faces they see at the zoo and would love to bring them home! This type of party includes lots of colourful invites, fun animal games, and some really tasty party food. It's guaranteed to be a noisy one with all those animals running wild!

Take a walk on the wild side and look through our jungle party article for all the advice you'll need to throw a jungle party for your little monkeys at home. And of course, no jungle party would be without some wild faces, with our easy step-by-step tutorial for lion face painting or leopard face painting.

Jungle party ideas

Jungle party food Jungle party crafts Jungle party invites Fun jungle party decorations Jungle party games Jungle party costumes Jungle party bags

Jungle party food

From sandwiches and crisps, to chocolate and sweets and of course, the all-important birthday cake, there's generally not a lot of party food left at the end of the day! We've got loads of fun, tasty and easy-to-make recipes guaranteed to fill the tummies of all the cheeky monkeys at the party.

Party food can consist of almost anything you want in bite-size pieces, but generally you can keep it nice and simple with small, easy-to-make snacks and treats perfect for kids to pick at when they're hungry. And of course not forgetting the best part of any party, the cake!

Birthday cakes

If you fancy making your own wild birthday cake, a host of cheeky animal cupcakes or even a giant cupcake, we've got loads of ideas to help you out.

Depending on how much time, money and patience you have, you can make jungle creepy crawlies like chocolate spider cakes or banana butterfly cupcakes. These cute little panda cupcakes will also go down a treat!

If you want to get the kids involved you can either use our 10 fairy cakes to make with the kids or follow our simple and easy-to-follow basic cupcakes recipe and decorate however you wish using our handy cake decorating tips.

Savoury party food

Pizza - it's nearly always a winner with little ones but keep the toppings simple for any fussy eaters. Think cheese and ham, and plain tomato.

Rolls - turkey filled or multi-coloured - the options are endless and any bright vegetable fillings will suit this theme perfectly.

Annabel Karmel's chicken dippers - follow this simple recipe for a tasty snack kids will love, you could even name them something suitable jungle themed, like crunchy jungle bugs.

Sausage rolls - we've got a great recipe with a twist that kids won't be able to keep their hands off. Serve with lots of ketchup to keep the little people happy.

Potato wedges - these are great for kids and can be served without the spice for plain eaters.

Sweet party food

Marshmallow swizzle sticks - these are so simple to make and kids go wild for them. You could even make them as a fun party activity.

Monkey cupcakes - the iced decoration on these sweets are perfectly suited to the theme of the party

Milk strawberry sticks - a healthy and tasty treat - what's not to love? Plus, they'll need something to cool them down after all their running around.

Peppermint creams - these make fun additions to a party spread and little ones love them.

Lemon magic cake - with fresh fruit juice, these lemon squares will be a big hit at the party.

Jungle party crafts

Crafts are a really fun way of getting the kids to be creative at the party, plus they can take all their creations home with them at the end of the day, so the fun can continue. Here are some crafty jungle-themed activities to keep you going...

A play dough jungle For younger children this play dough jungle (pictured above) makes a great activity. Moulding, squashing and shaping their play dough into jungle scenes will keep little ones busy for ages. Just remember to lay down a plastic table cloth to protect surfaces!

Plant pot pets Create some little jungle critters from plant pots designed to look like animals, that can sit out on your jungle floor. You could try painting some with black and orange or black and white stripes for tiger and zebra pots!

Jungle scene This is a fun and easy craft to make. Supply the kids with lots of coloured card, especially lots of green and brown, and some Pritt Stick. By tearing the card help them to make their own jungle scene, including hanging vines, palm trees and flowers. Using animal-shaped templates of cookie cutters will help them cut out animal shapes to fit into their jungle. Some small, sticky, googley eyes will be a great touch, too.

Jungle party invites

Making your own party invitation is not only a great way to save money but it's something the kids will love helping you do to prepare for the party. Plus, they can get excited about seeing all of their friends. All you need is a little bit of creativity and patience, and there are loads of jungle themed invites you can make. Use our grrreat FREE jungle party invitations which you can print off and fill out at home, or have a go at making one of the ideas below...

Animal invitations

This is a really simple way to make some wild invites for your jungle party. You'll need some animal stencils, or find some animal shapes you can trace round, either from the computer or try your kids' books, even biscuit cutters will do! Choose any exotic animals you like - think lions, elephants, tigers, zebras, hippos...and then cut them out of coloured card. Now your kids can have fun colouring in the animals. Try adding shreds of brown and yellow paper to form the lion's mane, or some grey thread to the elephant's tail. Make sure you leave some blank space in the middle of your invite and then fill in the details of the party, or you could always write on the back if easier.

Map of Africa invitations

These are so easy to make. Simply write your invitation onto a map of Africa,(there are plenty you can print off online). Give the edges a bit of a tear and blotch with teabags, to make it look like an authentic explorer map and write your party details in the middle.

Tiger paw print invitations

Take some sheets of orange and black card. Cut out a rough circle from the orange card and then cut three small circles out of the black card. Using a black felt tip, draw a rough circle shape on the orange shape and then stick your three black circles around the top of it to form a paw print. Then you can write your party invite in the pad of the tigers paw. You could even add some fierce black claws with felt tip.

Jungle leaf invitations

Cut out a large leaf shape out of green card, cutting out some long stripsfrom the sides to make it really look like a jungle leaf. Get your kids to draw some little creepy crawlies like ants and flies creeping across the leaf, and write your message in the middle.

Passport invitations

These will get the kids really excited about the upcoming party, and you could tell the kids to bring their passports with them to enter the jungle. Take a piece of brown card, about the size that looks similar to a passport when folded in half. Using felt tip, write 'Safari Passport' on the front, and write your message inside. Using scissors, cut a bite shaped mark out of the top corner of the passport, so it looks like they're in for a wild and dangerous trip!

Jungle party decorations

Decorating your house, garden, or rented space for a jungle party is great fun, we've got all sorts of cheap and creative ideas for creating a truly wild jungle!

You can always buy jungle party decorations but a little imagination and some clever use of materials, balloons and decorations will really set the jungle scene. The good news is that jungle colours can be any colours really, as long as you include lots of green. An archway of green, red, orange, yellow, blue and brown balloons would be a great way for kids to enter the 'jungle', and how about attaching some strips of soft green and brown material that will hang down like vines, making them feel like they really are headed into the undergrowth.

You could present each child with a map and a passport so that they feel like real explorers. Or alternatively, you could give them animal masks, which you can pick up pretty cheaply from most fancy dress shops, so you can get them all monkeying around in the jungle.

Cover your chairs and walls in green material, and hang green streamers from the ceiling like crawling vines to make your party space look really wild and untamed. And if you don't mind a bit of extra mess, you could even scatter some leaves about that you've collected from your garden. Stick some googley eyes to the green cloth to make it seem as if there are lots of animals peeping out through the trees.

If you're feeling really ambitious you could make some cardboard animal shapes, and have them around the room and at the entrance. The kids can help you decorate them and make them look really colourful.

Jungle party games

You can be as inventive as you like with kids' party games - there are always the old classics like Musical Chairs and Pass the Parcel - but how about adding a jungle twist to some fun games? Here are a few jungle party games to get you started...

Pin the tail on the monkey A jungle variation on the old classic 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey'. Print off a picture of a monkey, or trace a monkey shape onto a large piece of brown card and cut out. Make a curly monkey tail for each player by cutting out of brown card and giving each tail a number. In turns, blindfold each child, spin them round 3 times and ask them to pin their tail on the monkey using a board pin (secure the board pin for them and give to them after they've been spun around to avoid any accidents!)

Tarzan says... Played in the same way as Simon Says, only you can make it more fun by using animal sounds and gestures!

Jungle safari Hide some animal shapes, or soft animal toys around the house and garden. Explain to the kids when they arrive that they're now on an African Safari and to keep their eyes peeled for wild animals. If they find an animal they get to keep it as a prize. Whoever finds the most animals wins. You could even give bonus prizes for if they find one of the Big 5.

Piñatas Kids love piñatas, they make a really exciting party game as the kids are showered in treats when they break through. You can get some great piñatas from party shops but there are also some really fun jungle-themed ones available online. Fill them with small toys, sweets and some plastic creepy crawlies to make it fit in with your jungle theme.

Jungle party costumes

The dressing up has got to be one of the best bits of a jungle party, as there are just so many different things kids can go as! Tigers, lions, elephants, monkeys... the list is endless. Here are some great jungle theme party costume ideas...

If you're good with the sewing machine you can pick up fluffy, animal print material very cheaply at local markets, on eBay and stores like John Lewis. If you're not so confident with a needle and thread, a little bit of creativity can go a long way. Stores like Poundland often stock dressing up materials, like animal masks, ears and tails, and a bit of face paint and colour co-ordinating clothing will complete the look!

Face painting

Who doesn't love having their face painted? (Even at our age!) How about turning your child into the king of the beasts, using our fearsome lion face paint guide, or our spotty leopard face paint.

You could also transform them into our spooky jungle bat face paint or creepy crawly spider face paint.

Jungle party bags

Party bags aren't essential, but they do make nice little treats for each child to take home at the end of the day, and they can be made on a budget. You can either buy jungle party bags such as the one pictured above from party stores for just over £1 or you can buy plain ones from most supermarkets. What you fill them with is up to you, but generally they include small toys, such as yo-yos, bouncy balls, hair accessories, badges, colouring books, bubbles and balloons (these may vary slightly depending on the age of the party guests). Some little plastic animals, animal masks and some mini binoculars would make a great jungle party bag.

You can also fill them with small sweets, chocolate bars, lollipops, sherbet sticks or chewy sweets, as well as a piece of the birthday cake. If, for whatever reason, you don't want to slice the main cake, or don't think there will be enough birthday cake to give each child a slice, you can always buy or make a more simple one or give each child a cupcake instead.

Kids love to clown around and get dressed up, so why not magic up a circus party that your little one will love. We've got everything you need to plan a top notch day, so roll up for the best circus party in town.

From turning your venue into a Big Top, to clown crafts to keep them entertained - follow our step-by-step guide to create a circus party the birthday boy or girl child won't forget. Following our guide should eliminate any party planning questions you have.

Theme

A circus party is great for all children to get dressed up and feel part of the circus for a day. Our guide includes do-it-yourself invites, easy-to-make recipes and costume ideas. If a circus theme doesn't sound like something your little one would love we also have lots of other themed-birthday ideas too.

Circus party: Invitations

Save money on pre-made invitations by making your own. It gives them a personal touch and is a great craft activity for the kids to do to keep them busy in the run-up. Here are some of our ideas to get you started...

Circus ticket invite

To get a feel of a traditional circus, make your own admission tickets. Still keep A5 size or chances are they'll get lost if they're too small. Cut out a ‘rip apart' style ticket in yellow or gold card in a rectangular shape. At the corners, cut in half a semi-circle. In black permanent marker draw a border around the edges. On one side write in large letters ‘ADMIT ONE' and on the other side write the rest of your info.If you're setting up a ticket-booth at your party entrance, state on the invites 'Bring me along to enter the Big Top.

Glitter Big Top invites

Draw out a template of a big top on A5 card, leaving space at the front for the entrance - keep it blank as this is where you'll write all the info. Draw lines on the Big Top to make it striped. Colour them in red and yellow and then glue on some scattered red and gold glitter to give them that extra sparkle.

Magic balloon invites

To put a bit of magic into your invites, blow up a large balloon but don't tie it at the bottom. Using permanent marker write the details of the party on the balloon, let it dry then deflate it. Put the balloons in an envelope (you could even add confetti) and let the invitee blow up the invite themselves.

Tightrope walker invites

If you're good on the computer, this is a great idea. Cut out cards size A5 and keep them horizontal. Stick a thin bit of string about 1 inch up from the bottom - this will be your tightrope. The birthday child could draw themselves walking along the tightrope or if you're feeling more adventurous, you could take a picture of them standing on one leg against a white wall then print and cut them out to stick on.

Juggling invites

On A5 card, draw/print off a clown juggling balls in the air. Draw the juggling balls in a semi-circle shape over his head. In each ball, write the important details, such as your address and the start and end times in another. At the top of the card write a large heading such as ‘Roll up, roll up you're invited to Matthew's birthday'.

Wording inspiration for the invites:

*'Roll up, roll up, it's Matthew's 7th birthday circus party!'

*'Come one, come all! The show is about to start!'

*'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the circus is in town for Matthew's birthday!'

*'Step right up for the best circus in town with games, magic and prizes to be won'

*'Come clown around as we celebrate Matthew's 7th birthday!'

*'Calling all clowns! Get your red nose ready for Matthew's circus party!"

*'Matthew's birthday circus, appearing one day only (date)'

*'To be held at the Big Top (your address)'

*'The circus is in town at (your address)'

*'Show time (start time), show finishes (end time)'

If you want your guests to RSVP, say at the bottom:

* 'Don't clown around, let us know if you'll be in town- RSVP to us at (your details)'

* 'RSVP to the ringmaster at (your details)'

GoodtoKnow tip: Give invites out on the school run, it saves on the postage and another parent may even offer to help you out on the day if numbers are big.

Circus party: Food

With all the juggling they'll be doing, the circus-goers will be getting hungry. From finger food to the birthday cake, here's our guide to the range of circus fare you can conjure up.

Birthday cakes

You could follow our Victoria sponge or chocolate cake recipes then customise the top by using icing pens to draw a clown's face, or Big Top. To include the birthday child's name, you could ice a clown juggling and spell out their name in a letter on each juggling ball.

Cupcakes are also a great addition to the party platter and are sometimes much easier to give to children than slices of cake. We've got a whole host of cupcake recipes you could try. Why not use icing pens to draw balloons on them or a number for the age of your child. Or, if you know the children who are coming, you could ice each of their names on one. Have some cupcakes spare and the icing pen at hand for any unexpected arrivals. If you need some more inspiration, check out our gallery of kids' birthday cake ideas.

Party food: Savoury

Sandwiches - guaranteed to go down well, create a variety of fillings including classic favourites such as tuna and egg, or try our children's club sandwich.

Rolls - stripy picnic rolls and turkey munchkin rolls are only the start of your long list of options. You might want to make some basic fillings such as plain ham for the fussy eaters.

Sausage rolls - a kids' favourite and must-have for any buffet.

Funny-face pizza - great to tempt the fussiest of eaters. Arrange the topping to make a clown face. You could put a cherry tomato for the red nose and add extra cheese for the hair.

Annabel Karmel's chicken dippers - to save yourself time you could cook these first and serve cold.

Potato sailboats - a nice change from serving plain chips.

Hot dogs - an easy, fuss-free way to feed lots of little ones! This recipe is vegan but you could use regular hotdogs.

Party food: Sweet

Jelly and ice cream - a party classic and perfect if you have less time to prepare a dessert. If you add an upside cone, sweets and sauce for smile, you could make clown faces.

Malteser popcorn - great to go with the theme.

Buttery-moo biscuits - instead of a cow shape, go for circus animals instead such as lions and elephants.

Lemon biscuits - these delicious biscuits can be made into a balloon shape. If you have a number cutter you could also make them into your child's age.

Marshmallow swizzle sticks - these look so tasty, there definitely won't be any left overs at the end of the day.

Peppermint creams - these are so simple to make and a traditional favourite. If you can get your hands on some candy floss, this would also be a great addition to the he circus party theme.

GoodtoKnow tip: The night before the party, make ice cubes and add some food colouring to the ice cube tray. Use bright circus colours like red, yellow and blue. They'll look great in fizzy drinks particularly lemonade.

Circus party: Decorations

You might not have an authentic Big Top but your decorations inside can still scream circus. Whether you're having the party at home or not, there are little ways to transform a room into your very own big top. 

Welcome the kids

An effective entrance is to create a balloon archway, tall enough for kids and adults to walk under. On the day you could buy a number of helium balloons from a card store, or for a cheaper option, buy some string, blow up some normal balloons and peg them to the string - it will look just as good. Create a sign on yellow card, mounted onto red card saying 'Circus this way', shaped as an arrow pointing to the party direction. You could also make a fun ticket stand for the partygoers to give their invites before entering.

Transform your home and garden

Bunting looks great and can instantly transform a room. You could buy it in numerous colours from party stores and it's simple to put up. You could hang one end from a corner of the room, with the other end meeting in the centre of the ceiling to create a Big Top effect. Around the room, put up posters of classic circus characters - a ringmaster, strongman, trapeze artist, lion tamer. Print them out in black and white to look effective and you could even tea stain them. We recommend dissolving three teaspoons of coffee in half a mug of hot water then using a sponge or paintbrush, lightly coat the paper with the thick solution and leave to dry.

Cover the tables in red and white striped table covers or you could get some cheaper balloon-patterned ones from supermarkets that would work just as well. If you have small booths around the room, such as a face paint booth and game booths, remember to cover these tables too. Think about what you already have at home. Stuffed animals such as elephants and lions would look good scattered around the room to help set the scene.

Music can also really help to create the circus mood - have a look on eBay for a cheap circus themed soundtrack.

GoodtoKnow tip: A nice touch would be to create a ‘photo booth' area. Get the kids to take their own pictures by buying a few disposable cameras for them to use.

Circus party: Games

There's an endless amount of circus fun you can create which could save you hiring a clown entertainer. Here are some of our favourite circus party games to play.

Pin the red nose on the clown

A twist on the classic 'pin the tail on the donkey' game. Each child gets a chance to pin their red nose onto the clown poster whilst blindfolded - with the closest nose winning. You could also try 'pin the tail on the lion' or ‘pin the trunk on the elephant'.

Circus tricks

Let all the children get a sense of feeling like a true clown by teaching them some simple circus tricks. You could teach them juggling, using tennis balls if you don't have juggling balls and you could teach them how to spin plates using plastic plates and a broomstick. Cheap circus trick kits are also available from toy stores. Keep a tally of who can spin the plate for longest and they win a prize.

Musical clown noses

Similar to musical chairs, the children walk/skip around the room whilst the music is playing and when the music stops they have to find a clown nose each. Make sure there's one clown nose less than the number of players so the person who doesn't find a nose is out. Make it harder for older children by putting them in harder to see places.

Circus hoopla

Hoopla is a circus classic. Using a hoop such a hula-hoop, let the children have a go at trying to throw it over some plastic bottles scattered a distance away from them. Paint a number on each bottle, which corresponds to a prize.

Clown face painting competition

Face painting can be a lot of fun. Why not get the kids to paint their own faces. Set up some mirrors and let them all have a go at making themselves look like clowns!

Circus party: Crafts

Instead of exhausting the kids out all day with party games, you could get them to create some fun circus crafts to take home as a momentum of the party. Here are some of your ideas to get you started.

Balloon animals

Balloon animals are fun and so cheap to make. You can pick up packs of 50 long balloons at supermarkets for just over a pound. You don't have to be a trained expert either, search for free video tutorials online to create the illusion that you are.

Circus finger puppets

Finger puppets are an easy, cheap but cute craft the younger ones will love. Look online for some cartoon circus characters, such as a ringmaster, strong man and a clown. Print them out and if they're black and white, get the kids to colour them in on the page then cut them out. For each finger puppet cut out a 2cm wide strip of paper that's long enough to go round the middle of the child's finger. Glue or celotape it into a circle then attach the character onto the front. Ta-dah! The kids can now make their own puppet show.

Clown hats

Just like a red nose, no clown is complete without its own hat and they're so simple to make. Cut out bright thick card and make it into a cone shape - secure it using strong sellotape on the inside so it's hidden. Cut out small circles of thin paper in an assortment of colours for the children to glue on. At the top of the hat point, glue on a pompom which you can buy in bulk from craft stores. Then to keep the hat on the clowns head, hole-punch two holes either side, thread thin elastic through each hole, then tie to secure. Do this whilst it's on the child's head so it's not too tight or too loose.

Circus party: Costumes

Kids love fancy dress and for a circus party, it'll give them the perfect excuse to clown around. If you don't fancy hiring a costume, follow our guide on how to make your own. 

Face paint really makes a clown costume. You can have a face paint stand set up at the party but remember to ask parents if their child is allergic when they arrive. The main colours you'll need are white, red and blue. Start off by painting the whole face white. Then paint a big red mouth, red nose and red circle cheeks. Use a bright colour like blue to create big eyelids. If you're stuck for a design look online for a free video tutorial - there are loads.

If your child fancies it they can wear a bright coloured curly wig, but most will be irritated by it after a while so have a clown hat at the ready. You can buy one in party stores, or why not choose the cheaper option and make one.

A big bow tie will look great. You could make your own by buying some cheap elastic, available from supermarkets and safety pinning on a large card bow, or a material one if you're good at sewing. For their top, take an old plain T-shirt they no longer use and attach 3 large buttons in a vertical line down the front. If you can get hold of some kids bright coloured braces too these would also look great.

When it comes to the trousers, the baggier the better. You could buy some jazzy cheap pyjama bottoms, or if you're more creative buy a cheap pair of plain baggy trousers and sew on some felt shapes.

Of course, they don't have to be a clown as there's loads of other circus characters to choose from. A tightrope walker could wear their ballet leotard and tutu. Or a ringmaster could wear a cheap velvet blazer, top hat (hunt on eBay for cheap versions of them), a school shirt and black trousers.

GoodtoKnow tip: Remember, a clown is meant to look a bit mish-mash so even if you pick out some old, mix-matched clothes from their wardrobe, they'll still look the part!

Circus party: For hire

If you don't want to have the party at your home, you can have more space and save on the clearing up with a variety of other options.

Local village/school hall:

This is a great option if you're expecting a lot of guests as it gives the children a lot of space to run around in and for big play games. They come with toilets, a stage if you're planning to have a DJ or music set-up and a kitchen to store and prepare any last-minute food you want hot. If it's in your budget, you could also hire out a clown entertainer for a couple of hours. They'll usually create balloon animals for each child and teach them simple magic tricks. You'd be able to put up simple decorations like bunting and banners to turn the hall into a Big Top.

Indoor play centre:

Children love indoor play areas and it will save you on hiring any extra entertainment. Plus, they often come with party hosts who will keep the kids busy the entire time. To save on cooking you could also get them to supply the food, which is available at most soft play centres.

Restaurants:

To save stressing over what food to make and the mess after, why not go to a restaurant instead? Most chains of restaurants are child-party friendly and if you mention in advance it's for a child's birthday party, they'll tend to supply balloons and other fun little gifts to keep them entertained. To save on dessert costs, take along the birthday cake to give to children instead.

Adventure playground:

This is probably your cheapest option but it is weather and size dependent. You could pack a picnic if there's not too many guests and with the adventure playground and open green space, you'll save on entertainment costs too.

Garden/Marquee:

If your garden isn't big enough, see if a close family member or friend will help out by letting you have it in theirs instead. You could hire out a marquee and add streamers and banners to it so it resembles a Big Top.

GoodtoKnow tip: Think about how many children you plan to invite to your circus party. Other mums will understand how expensive parties can be per head, so why not make it an all girls or all boys party. Or, get your child to invite just their closest friends. If you decide to only invite half the class you're already saving 50% on costs. Check out cheap kids party ideas.

Circus party: Party bags

There's no doubt your circus party will be the talk of the class for weeks. Keep the smiles on the little clowns faces by giving them a party bag as they leave - and they don't even have to cost that much.

The bags don't necessarily have to be circus themed - however you can pick up cheap birthday themed ones from nearly all supermarkets which are usually covered in balloons so would still fit the theme perfectly. Include cheap toys you can buy in bulk such as whistles and small packs of crayons To keep with the circus party theme you could include yo-yos, spinning tops and bubbles.Then you could add all the treats children love - lollipops, chocolate bars, penny sweets and chocolate coins.Slicing up the main cake may be a problem if there's not enough to go round, so you could always give each child a cupcake to take home instead.For some more inspiration, look through our party bag gallery.

Let us know how you got on planning your circus themed party and share any other tips you have on our Facebook page! 

These Disney Princess cake ideas are pure magic!

Kids today are just so lucky, back in our day we'd have been happy with a bit of jelly and ice cream, never mind a Disney princess cake.

But the parents of these little tykes have gone all out to make their birthdays extra special with these brilliant Disney Princess-themed cakes.

Aren't they just magical? Whatever  Disney character your little one likes- whether they're Belle's biggest fan, or see themselves as a mini Pocahontas,  or maybe they prefer the villains-there's something special for them all.

While we may not be quite skilled enough to make them ourselves just yet, there's no harm in dreaming big! Just don't show the kids unless you want a serious project on your hands...

1. The Cinderella cake

2. The Aladdin's magic carpet cake

3. The Beauty and the Beast cake

4. The fairytale castle cake

5. The Aladdin cake

6. The Disney storybook cake

7. The Frozen cake

8. The Sleeping Beauty cake

9. The crown cake

10. The princess cupcakes

11. The Rapunzel birthday cake

12. The Lion King cake

13.  Snow White's dwarfs cupcakes

14. The Mickey Mouse & Friends Cake

15. The poison apple cake pop

16. The Princess and the Frog cake

17. The Mrs Pots and Chip cake

18. The Little Mermaid cake

19. The Toy Story cake

20. The Alice in Wonderland cake

21. The Puss in Boots cake

22. The Moana cake

23. The Anna and Elsa from Frozen cake

24. The Mulan cake

25. The Mickey Mouse cake

26. The Disney princess cake pops

27. The Disney villain cake

28. And finally, the "what if your child likes ALL the Disney films?" cake

If you've got a little girl who loves all things pink, glittery and, well, princessy, then we've got the perfect party theme for her - a princess party!

From creating authentic royal invites, to making glittering tiaras and baking or buying fairytale-worthy castle-shaped cakes, follow our easy-to-use guide to throwing your little one a princess party they won't forget.

A princess party is a great theme for all children, and don't think that it's limited to girls only, all princesses need their Prince Charming and knights in shining armour, so it's perfect for boys to get involved in too.

This type of party involves pretty pink invites, regal decorations, tasty food and lots of dressing up. It's perfect for children of any age and can be done lavishly or on a budget.

Look through our princess party sections below to get more advice on how to throw the perfect princess party, for your little princes and princesses at home. Don't miss our FREE princess party invites, which will get all the kids excited about the big day. Plus our FREE tiara template, which will complete any little princess's outfit, and the kids can decorate and colour it in themselves as a fun party activity.

Princess party ideas

FREE princess party invites Princess party food recipes Princess party decorations Fun princess party games Princess party crafts Princess party costumes Princess party bags What you can hire for a princess party

FREE princess party invites

Making your own party invitations is a great way of getting the kids involved creatively and there's almost no end to the type of Princess party invitations you can make. If time is tight then use our FREE ready-made downloadable Princess party invites (just click and print) and the kids can help fill them out.

If you've got more time then you can get creative with some of our other ideas to make sure you've got the best and most unique invitations around.

Scroll invitations Create scroll invites so you can summon your guests in style. Use some brown-coloured paper, ribbon and some candle wax. You can either hand write the invites or print them out on the computer then roll them up and fasten with the ribbon. If you want them to look really fancy, you can seal them with a few drops of candle wax. Castle invitations Using a square piece of card, cut out square turrets along the top. The girls can paint their ones pink and decorate with sequins, while boys could use grey paint and a brown pencil to create bricks.

Glass slipper invitations These are perfect to make with girls as there is lots of pink and glitter involved. Cut out the shape of a typical Cinderella-style slipper and let the kids decorate them how they wish. Pink and silver glitter would make the best decorations as they would give the look of glass.

Crown or tiara invitations These are great for both boys and girls and can be decorated however they want. For best results, draw the outline on gold coloured paper or card and cut out, then you can use sequins, glitter, coloured pens, pasta shapes or plastic jewels to decorate.

Whatever invites you make, don't forget to include the name of the child you're inviting, the date, start and end time, and location of the Princess party, plus any additional fancy dress or props information. And to save money and time, take the invites with you on the school run and give them out to mums as and when you see them, instead of posting them.

Princess party food recipes

From sandwiches and crisps, to chocolate and sweets and of course, the all important birthday cake, there's generally not a lot of party food left at the end of the day! We've got loads of fun, tasty and easy-to-make recipes guaranteed to fill the tummies of everyone at the party. Party food can consist of almost anything you want in bite-size pieces but generally you can keep it nice and simple with small, easy-to-make snacks and treats perfect for kids to pick at when they're hungry.

Birthday cakes

> Depending on how much time, money and patience you have, you could have a go at making a Princess and the Pea cake or a Barbie inspired princess cake.

If you fancy making cupcakes instead of a big cake and want to get the kids involved you can either use our 10 fairy cakes to make with the kids or follow our simple steps to make perfectly pink princess cupcake toppers.

For boys we have a great soldier and castle birthday cake recipe or you can always decorate a cake or cupcakes with blue or green icing with small figures or items, such as flags, on top.

Party food - savoury

Rolls - turkey filled 'frogs' or multi-coloured - the options are endless Pizza - it's nearly always a winner but keep the toppings simple for any fussy eaters Annabel Karmel's chicken dippers - follow this simple recipe for a tasty snack kids will love Potato wedges - these are great for kids and can be served with or without spice

Party food - sweet

Marshmallow swizzle sticks - the kids will love these tasty treats with spinkles on top Buttery moo biscuits - you can change the iced decoration on them to suit the theme of the party Milk strawberry sticks - a healthy and tasty treat - what's not to love? Peppermint creams - these make fun additions to a party spread Lemon squares - with fresh fruit juice, these lemon squares will be a big hit at the party

Princess party decorations

Decorating your house, garden or hired space for a prince & princess party is both very fun and very creative.

You can set the mood with decorations such as a balloon archway and a red carpet entrance to welcome the children to the party. Fabric stores would be a great place to pick up the ‘carpet' or just red cloth cheaply.

You could give each child a crown or tiara to wear when they come in to the party, or get them to create one during the day. We've got a great, easy-to-make Princess tiara you can download here and let the kids decorate however they wish (think felt tips, feathers, glitter, and stick on gems).

You can also set a royal colour theme for the party, whether you want to use the traditional red, blue and white or variations of pinks and blues for boys and girls. These can be draped on walls and tables. You can also have matching coloured balloons and streamers.

Image: Elizabeth Kartchner If you're feeling particularly crafty you could go all out with pom poms, garlands and glitter accessories. These pretty pastel bows would be perfect for a girly girl's party. Learn how with our 22 party decorating hacks for parents.

Thrones are brilliant royal decorations for the birthday girl or boy to sit on. Cover a chair in the house with gold material and a large cushion for them to sit on.

If you're really ambitions you could create cardboard castle cut-outs to go around the doorways or a fort-like play area made from chairs, cushions and throws for the boys and girls to play in.

Fun princess party games

Prince and Princess games can either be adapted from classics, such as pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs, or you can make up your own unique princess party games. Here's some ideas to get you started.

Locate the king and queen's treasure You can hide gold and silver chocolate coins throughout the party area and arrange the children in teams. Tell them that their treasure has been scattered about the land and that they have 30 seconds to one minute each to try and retrieve as many as possible and return them to gold treasure chests - these can be small cardboard boxed sprayed with gold paint.

Will the princess find her prince? This is a fun take on the pin the tail on the donkey and played in exactly the same way just with different props. First you'll need a large cut-out or simple picture of a toad or a frog on a piece of paper, cardboard or noticeboard, then draw and cut out several pairs of red lips from cardboard. On the day of the party, add blue tac to one side and write each girl's name at the party on the back of the individual lips, then get them to wear a blindfold and try and stick the lips closest to the toad or frog's mouth, the girl who gets closest wins.

Musical Thrones This is the same as musical chairs just with a grand title and lavishly decorated chairs to make them seem like thrones. For this you can be as creative as you like, adorning the chairs with satin, ribbon, silk and large cushions, then play with music as you would normally with one less chair than the number of people. Upon hearing the music stop, the children scramble to sit on a throne, with the person who is left standing leaving the game. The person who sits in the last remaining seat wins.

Piñatas Kids love piñatas and these can be made really fun at a prince and princess party. Fill the prince & princess party piñatas with small toys, plastic jeweled rings and sweets. Piñatas also make wonderful decorations. They can be bought from most party shops or you could make your own with our easy guide for how to make a Piñata. We've made a fish but you can make it any shape you like to suit your princess' wishes!

The queen/king/prince/princess says... Played just like Simon Says until you catch all of the children out with fun tasks.

Princess party crafts

Crafts are a great way of getting the kids to be creative during a party, plus they'll have something they can take home and show their parents at the end of the day - here are some prince and princess party-inspired crafts for your guests to do...

Decorate your own crown/tiara We've got a fantastic princess party tiara design that you can print out at home, cut-out and let the kids decorate however they want. Download our FREE princess tiara template here.

Make a wand The pretty play dough wands pictured above are super simple to make and kids will love the chance to get a bit messy. Plenty of sequins and glitter should make these go down a treat. If you do attempt this make at your little one's party we highly recommend a plastic table cloth!

Variation - if you have boys at the party they can make royal shields with cardboard, stick on jewels and gel pens. Be sure you have plenty of hands to help.

Make a prince or princess picture frame This is great if you have a Polaroid or digital camera and printer on hand. Use cardboard to make the picture frames. Provide stickers, stick on jewels and gel pens to use for decorating the frame. Take an instant photo or print one out of the girls and boys at the party and place it in the frame.

Make paper flowers No princess should be without a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her Prince Charming. The kids will love making these pretty little paper flowers, plus they can take them home and give them to their mums!

Princess party costumes

Girls and boys will love getting dressed up for their prince & princess party, and you'll probably have most of the things they can wear for it. For princesses There are loads of beautiful and great value princess costumes available on the high street and online.

If you don't want to hire or buy a full-prince or princess costume then girls will need a ballet tutu, frilly skirt or plain pink skirt, with a pink sequin top or shimmery top. You'll also need a tiara and some child friendly high-heels or glittery slippers.

For princes You'll need some smart trousers, a white shirt, a dramatic hat (if following Disney princes) plus a sword and a shield. If you don't have these lying around the house they can easily be made from cardboard tubes and cardboard or foam sheets that have been decorated with royal colours.

For some fancy dress inspiration, take a look at pictures of your kids in fancy dress as well as celebrity kids in fancy dress.

Face painting

This pretty sparkling face paint will complete any fairytale look. We've made it easy to create from home in just a few easy steps.

Princess party bags

Party bags aren't essential, but they do make nice little treats for each child to take home at the end of the day, and they can be made on a budget.

You can either buy prince and princess party themed bags or you can buy plain ones from most supermarkets. What you fill them with is up to you, but generally they include small toys, such as yo-yos, bouncy balls, hair accessories, badges, colouring books, bubbles and balloons (these may vary slightly depending on the age of the party guests). Gold coins and plastic rings or jewels would make a great princess party bag.

You can also fill them with small sweets, chocolate bars, lollipops, sherbet sticks or chewy sweets as well as a piece of the birthday cake.

Whatever you choose to pop in them prepare all the party bags, minus the cake, before the party starts, this way when it comes time for the children to leave, all you have to do is stick a slice of birthday cake into the bags and give one to each child.

What you can hire for a princess party

If you don't want to have the party at your house or in your garden there are a number of options out there. One idea is to hire out a venue, these vary in price depending on size and number of people you want to have in it.

Local village hall This is generally the favoured option as hire prices tend to be lower than other venues. Village halls also tend to be the nearest option and have kitchen and toilet facilities plus a dance floor/hall for the kids to play in.

Local sports club These are great options as they are generally a good size and are close to a field or play park for the kids to run around outside or just get some fresh air. There's generally a lot of parking if other adults want to be there, plus most of them have a bar for people to buy any additional drinks and snacks. They are also usually away from houses so the noise of the party wouldn't be an issue.

Soft play and party areas These tend to vary according to where you live, but most towns have indoor play areas with ball-pools, slides, swings and soft blocks for children to play in, and when they've tired themselves out inside most offer food packages for afterwards. Some examples are Kidzplay, Little Rascals, and The Play Providers Association.

Local restaurant There are several restaurants that accomodate children's birthday parties. The type of packs available vary from place-to-place depending on what you want to eat, how many children there are and their ages. Some examples of party-friendly restaurants are Pizza Hut, T.G.I Friday's, Chiquitos, Harvester and Toby Carvery restaurants, as well as McDonald's, Burger King and KFC.

The kids will love getting the face paints out and transforming into an exciting new character for a party. We've got loads of face painting ideas for kids, they're step-by-step tutorials that are easy to follow, so you can paint your kids' faces for them and make their day really special. We've got face painting ideas for kids who love animals, princesses, wizards and more!

Kids face painting ideas

Simply click on the picture below to see the face paint tutorial you want to follow!

Roaring lion face paint  

Fearsome leopard face paint

Fairytale princess face paint

Fluffy bunny face paint

Cute chick face paint

Magical and spooky face paint

Where to next?

- The best birthday cakes for kids

- Kids party good ideas

- Fun dress up party games

Make these lovely Union Jack-inspired party snack pots with your kids - they'll love helping out. These pretty pots will look great filled with delicious buffet

party food

. Cram them full of mini sausage rolls, cake pops and breadsticks - we bet you'll have happy guests! Don't forget to supervise the little ones with the craft knife and glue gun when making the snack pots.

How to make party snack pots

Time: 20 minutes, plus drying time Skill level: Beginner

Craft equipment:

• A4 fab foam
• 
  
• A4 sheet of corrugated card
• 
  
• Tin can
• 
  
• Craft knife
• 
  
• Glue gun OR we recommend using PVA glue
• 
  
• Stapler
• 
  
• Ruler
• 
  
• Trimmings like buttons, paper flowers and card

With a craft knife, cut your piece of A4 corrugated card to 10.5cm in width.

Using your tin can as a guide, wrap the card around it and, with a pencil, mark where the overlap is.

Remove the card and trim it down the side so there is a 2cm overlap. Staple at the top, middle and bottom, to secure a tube shape.

Trim your A4 sheet of foam to 11.5cm in width. Make it into a tube shape and place it inside the corrugated paper. As before, mark the overlap and cut away any excess. Place snugly inside your corrugated paper.

Using the tin can, draw a circle for a base onto the foam and cut it out. With a glue gun, stick this to the base of your container and allow to dry. Trim with different decorations for each.

You will find all of the items to make this project at your local Hobbycraft store and online at hobbycraft.co.uk. Project, video and images courtesy of hobbycraft.co.uk  

Where to next? 

- How to make cake toppers with the kids

- More kids' crafts

- More Children's party ideas 

Everyone loves a birthday party, so why not add a touch of the Wild West to your child's celebrations by throwing a cowboy party the kids will love? We've got everything you need to turn your party into the best rodeo in town.

From creating cowboy boot invites to serving up the best western grub - follow our step-by-step guide to ensure it's a birthday your little sheriff won't forget!

A cowboy party is great for all children who want to be their own Woody or Jessie. Our guide involves creative invites, easy-to-make tasty recipes and decorations to set the scene.

Cowboy party ideas

Cowboy party invites Cowboy party food recipes Cowboy party decorations Fun cowboy party games Cowboy party crafts Cowboy party costumes What you can hire for a cowboy party Cowboy party bags

Cowboy party invites

Making your own invitations not only adds a personal touch, but it also gives the kids something to do on a rainy day. Use our FREE ready-made cowboy party wanted poster invites (just click and print) or get creative with some of our ideas below to make sure you've got the best invitations for your hoedown...

Wanted posters Make the birthday girl/boy the centre of attention by creating Wild West-style WANTED posters with his or her face on it. Get your child to wear a cowboy hat in the picture and use a font such as ‘Woody' on Word for a western effect.

Save on ink by printing in black and white, which adds to the appeal, or get your child to draw themselves and photocopy. You could even stain it with tea or coffee. We recommend dissolving three teaspoons of coffee in half a mug of hot water then using a sponge or paintbrush, lightly coat the paper with the thick solution and leave to dry. Rip the poster slightly around the edges, or draw on a scroll design at the top and bottom to make it look more authentic. You could also tie the scroll together with string.

If you want to save on time and materials, you could download one of our ready-made wanted poster party invites.

Cowboy boot Every cowboy needs a good pair of cowboy boots. Cut out a boot shape on card around half a page of A4 and let the kids decorate them how they like. You could include glitter for the girls' invitations or use a lighter colour card. You could also do the same for a cowboy hat, cactus or horseshoe shape.

Sheriff badges Cut out a large sheriff-badge - a six point star with small circles on the points - big enough to write all your information on. To make it look more authentic, use gold or silver paints/marker pens to create a metal effect. On the badge, state that 'Sheriff Matthew wants you at his 7th birthday'. If you put just the child's name on the other side, for example 'Deputy Ben', they could wear them to the party if you tape a safety pin to the other side on the day.

Lasso invites If you have time to be a bit more creative, cut bits of card, roughly A5 size, and stick some light string in a lasoo shape on the card. Inside the circled lasoo, write down the child's name and details you want to include.

Wording inspiration for the invites 'Howdy partner! Join your fellow townspeople in celebrating Sheriff Matthew's party!' 'Yee haw cowboys and cowgirls! Get your trusty hat and cowboy boots at the ready, it's time for some boot stompin' fun for Matthew's 7th birthday!' 'WANTED! Sheriff Matthew needs you, Deputy (invitee's name), to join the round up for his birthday party showdown.' Cowboy Matthew is turnin' seven and wants you to join him for a rootin' tootin' time! 'So jump on your horse and head to the hoedown at the cowboy's favourite hang-out, (your address) Ranch.' Get on down to the saloon at (date and time details) Saddle up in your best cowboy shirt and hat, not forgetting your bandana. The barn dance starts at high noon (start time) and ends at sundown (end time)

If you want guests to RSVP, say at the bottom 'RSVP with a yay or nay to (your phone number)' 'Give us a yee haw at (your phone number)' 'To join our posse, give us a holla at (contact details)' 'Holla back to the sheriff at (contact details)'

Cowboy party food

With all the fun they'll be having, the cowboys and girls will be getting hungry, so here's our guide to make sure you've covered everything to fill all their tummies. From finger buffet food to the birthday cake, our recipes will give you all the inspiration you need.

Birthday cakes In keeping with the cowboy party theme, we've got a great recipe to make cowboy cupcakes. They look fab and taste delicious so every cowboy will definitely be wanting one. However, you could also try out your own personal design with a cake. You could follow our Victoria sponge recipe then customise the top by creating a sheriff badge with your child's name on in icing.

Cupcakes are also a great addition to the party platter and are sometimes much easier to give to children than slices of cake. We've got a whole host of cupcake recipes you could try. Why not ice the top of them with a red, yellow and black bullseye target effect.

If you need some more inspiration, check out our gallery of kids' birthday cake ideas.

Party food savoury

Sandwiches - guaranteed to go down well, create a variety of fillings including classic favourites such as tuna and egg.

Rolls - stripy picnic rolls and turkey munchkin rolls are only the start of your long list of options. You might want to make some basic fillings such as plain ham for the fussy eaters.

Sausage rolls - a kids' favourite and a must-have for any buffet.

Funny-face pizzas - great to tempt even the fussiest of eaters. Arrange the toppings to make a face and cowboy hat.

Hotdogs - these and chilli-dogs will go great with the theme. Offer mustard, ketchup and fried onions to go on top.

Annabel Karmel's chicken dippers - to save yourself some time you could cook these first and serve cold.

Honeyed chicken wings - follow this recipe to make succulent chicken wiht a sweet twist.

Potato sailboats - a nice change from serving plain chips.

Corn on the cob - to really get into the Wild West mood, try grilling some corn on the cob.

Party food sweet

Jelly and ice cream - a party classic and perfect if you have less time to prepare a dessert.

Lemon biscuits - these delicious biscuits can be made into star shapes like a sheriff's badge. Or you could make them into a horse shape if you have a cutter, then decorate with icing.

Marshmallow swizzle sticks - these look so tasty, there definitely won't be any left-overs at the end of the day.

Peppermint creams - these are so simple to make, you could even do them in a horshoe shape.

Party drinks Kiwi and ginger cocktail - this pineapple and vanilla drink is a great treat. You could also call it cactus juice!

Cowboy party decorations

You've decided on the theme and sent the invites, but on the day it's important you've decorated to help set the scene of a real saloon. It will get the kids (and adults!) more into the Wild West mood.

Ideally, you'd have stacks of hay and a wooden saloon door to set the perfect scene, but there are much more interesting, cheaper (and cleaner) ways of decorating that'll leave the party being the talk of the town.

Welcome the kids At the front entrance have a large WANTED sign of the birthday boy or girl's face and a large 'Howdy partners' sign (you could cheaply make this with letters drawn/printed on A4 bits of paper, threaded together by string). You could also set up some arrows leading to the party, with staggered signs such as 'Welcome Buckaroos', 'Park your horse here' and 'No bandits allowed.' Tea stain the signs to look wooden.

When the children arrive at the party, you could give each of them a sheriff badge, which you can usually get from pound stores, or a bandana if you can get hold of some cheap material. Market stalls selling material are usually much cheaper than haberdashery stores.

Transform your home or garden If you're aware of which children are coming, you could decorate the walls with WANTED posters, with a picture or cartoon drawing of each of them on it. Give them western nicknames such as 'One Eyed Oliver' and 'Cunning Cowboy Christopher'. If you're using separate toilets, create 'cowboy' and 'cowgirl' signs for each door. If you have more than one room, you could create a 'jail' or 'ranch store', or even just put the signs up for fun.

On the doors, place a saloon-style door. You can buy fake versions from party stores to hang up over the door, or if you'd prefer to make your own, brown thick card and some strong tape will work just as well.

Cover your tables in cheap gingham material to make an authentic look - red and white usually looks best. Use an upside down cowboy hat as a bowl for sweets.

Think of what toys you already have, such as stuffed horses and toy snakes - these will be great additions to set the scene without costing a penny!

Little extras To add that extra something to the cowboy party, you could buy cheap blow-up cacti from pound or party stores and scatter them around the room. You could also hang up some cowboy hats around the room, which could then be used as prizes later on in the party. Or, if you want less fuss, you can buy 'scene setters' from party stores which you hang up on the walls, which are themed and transform your room immediately.

Cowboy party games

There are an endless amount of games you could play to keep the kids entertained during the party. You can add a cowboy twist to many classic party games, whilst also trying out some new games to keep them on their toes. Here are some of our ideas to get you started.

Pin the hat on the cowboy A twist on the classic 'pin the tail on the donkey' game. Each child gets a chance to try and pin their hat onto the cowboy poster whilst blindfolded - with the closest hat winning. For fun, make the cowboy on the poster the birthday child, or use a cartoon image of Woody from Toy Story. You could also try 'pin the tail on the horse.'

Snake in my boots Get the children to stand in a straight line and place a cowboy boot a couple of metres away from the child at the front of the line (vary the distance for difficulty). Give each child a cheap plastic snake and they can take turns trying to throw it into the boot. You could also use a cowboy hat to make the target easier.

Showdown at High Noon For this, you'll need a small water pistol for each child, which you can usually get in bulk at cheap pound stores. Split the group into two and have each group stand in line back to back with a member of the opposite group. The sheriff (referee) will count from 1-10. When '10' is shouted each cowboy must turn around and point at a member of an opposing team shouting 'draw!' - remember to tell them they can choose anyone on the opposite team. If two people are 'shooting' at each other, they are both out. Everyone else goes through to the next round and the game continues until two are left and they are both the winners.

Pass the rattlesnake Just like the classic game of 'pass the parcel', pass a present wrapped in several layers around the circle to music and get the child to rip off a layer of newspaper if they are holding the present when the music stops. If the children are a little older, make it more exciting by getting them to stand in a circle and throw the present underarm to anyone they want to in the circle quickly, like the game 'hot potato'.

Round up the herd For this game, you need two brooms and six balloons, three of one colour and three of another. Set two chairs at the other end of the room/hall. Split into two teams, each team member has to use the broom to sweep the 'herd' of balloons to the other end of the room, round the chair and back to the next team member. Have a few spare balloons handy in case some pop!

Gold rush Scatter enough gold coins for every child to find one each around the party area in hard-to-see places. Tell the kids they have a couple of minutes to go on a gold hunt to find the cowboy coins.

Squirt-gun shooting range Get some empty, small plastic bottles and place them on a wall/ledge. Each cowboy and cowgirl gets an allotted amount of time to try and squirt all the bottles off the wall using his or her water gun. You could also use empty aluminium cans.

Cowboys and sheriffs Similar to 'hide and seek', select a few members of the party to be 'sheriffs' and get the 'cowboys' to hide. After two minutes, get the sheriffs to find them, with the overall winner being the cowboy who hides for the longest without being caught.

Wink 'cowboy' murder One to play with older children. Similar to 'wink murder', sit everyone in a circle and choose a 'cowboy'. They're sent out of the room whilst you pick a dangerous 'wanted' cowboy who is then the 'murderer'. The cowboy returns to the room and stands in the middle of the circle. He must continuously turn around slowly trying to detect the 'murderer' - who winks at people who make eye contact with him and act out a dramatic 'death'. The detective cowboy must try and guess who the 'murderer' is before all the townspeople are 'killed'.

Cowboy party crafts

To give the kids a break from running around, why not have some craft materials at the ready so they create and take home a momento of the cowboy party? Here's some of our ideas to get you started.

Tipi crafts Each child can easily make its own tipi to take home. Take three straws and tie them with a rubber band at the top. Pull out the straws into a pyramid shape so it stands unaided. Then place tissue paper or coloured card around the straws to form the tipi cover. Cut out space for a small door where the paper joins. Let the children decorate them how they like. Glued on feathers and felt tip designs drawn on would look great.

Sheriff badges Sheriff badges will go great with any cowboy fancy dress costume. Before the party, cut out stars from thick card and spray silver. Attach a safety pin to the back using masking tape. Let the children decorate how they wish - have felt tips, glitter and glue at the ready.

Clothes-peg horse Let the cowboys and cowgirls take home their very own horse. Have a side-view template of a horse cut out in brown card ready to give to each child, however don't include the legs. Give them brown, black or cream string to glue to the horse for hair and a tail. Also, give them two googley eyes each. Then finally, to make the horse stand unaided, attach two clothes pegs to each horse, acting as legs.

Cowboy party costumes

Fancy dress is the best way to get the western party into full swing, and kids love playing dress up.

Everybody's favourite cowboy and cowgirl, Woody and Jessie from Toy Story, are a great place to start if you're looking for initial ideas.

Instead of hiring a costume, you can easily make your own - and many of the items you'll probably already have. A cheap, checkered shirt is essential, and you could buy some cheap red material to make a bandana for them to wear around their neck. If you have spare material left over, more bandanas could be given away as prizes at the party. Jeans also add to the authentic cowboy style (or denim shorts/skirt for girls) with a leather belt.

Cowboy boots also look great, but don't fork out on an expensive pair if your child isn't likely to wear them again. Look on eBay for a cheap second-hand pair. However, if there's lots of running around planned for the party, maybe it's best to go without, or wear more comfortable boots instead.

A cowboy or cowgirl wouldn't be complete without his or her trusty hat - you can usually find these for a reasonable price at pound stores or fancy dress stores. You could add glitter or sequins for girls. Toy stores should stock cheap toy gun holsters, which most cowboys will want.

If you want to go the extra mile, you could add some fringing material to seams of shirts and jeans to get the complete look.

Check out our gallery of your kids in fancy dress for more inspiration, or see how the stars throw a birthday party with celebrity kids in fancy dress.

Don't forget, you can also send us pictures of your kids in cowboy fancy dress after the party and we'll publish the best.

What you can hire for a cowboy party

If you don't want to have the party at your home, you can have more space and save on the clearing up with a variety of other options.

Local village/school hall This is a great option if you're expecting a lot of guests, as it gives the children a lot of space to run around and partcipate in big play games. They come with toilets, a stage if you're planning for a DJ or music set-up and a kitchen to store and prepare any last-minute food you want hot.

Indoor play centre Children love indoor play areas, and it will save you on hiring any extra entertainment. Plus, they often come with party hosts who will keep the kids busy the entire time. To save on cooking, you could also get them to supply the food, which is available at most soft play centres.

Restaurants To save stressing over food and the mess after, why not go to a restaurant instead? Most chains of restaurants are child-party friendly, and if you mention in advance it's for a child's birthday party, they'll tend to supply balloons and other fun little gifts to keep them entertained. To save on dessert costs, take along the birthday cake to give to children instead.

Adventure playground This is probably your cheapest option, but it is weather and size dependent. You could pack a picnic if there's not too many guests, and with the adventure playground and open green space, you'll save on entertainment costs too.

Cowboy party bags

Despite the fun being over, you can put a lasting smile on each cowboy and cowgirl's face with a party bag - and they don't even have to cost that much.

The bags don't necessarily have to be cowboy-themed - you can pick up cheap birthday-themed ones from nearly all supermarkets. Include cheap toys you can buy in bulk such as yoyo's, whistles and small packs of crayons.

To keep with the cowboy party theme you could include plastic snakes, harmonicas and strawberry liquorice laces for lassos. You could get creative and send each child home with a neck bandanna if you can get hold of cheap material.

Then you could add all the treats children love - lollipops, chocolate bars, penny sweets and chocolate coins.

Slicing up the main cake may be an issue if there's not enough to go round, so you could always give each child a cupcake to take home instead.

For some more inspiration, look through our party bag gallery.

Where to next?

Save money on children's parties: Entertainment

Have you got a kids' birthday coming up or just fancy an excuse for a good time? Throw a space party! We've got everything you need to make your children feel like real astronauts from the Milky Way.

It's time to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. We've got some fantastic ideas for party invites, galactic games, space grub and living room decorations. We've also got some FREE downloadable space party invitations if you're short on time!  

Space Party Invites

• Satellite map party invites: 

With every invite you'll need to print directions to your house - or not with this handy invention. These envelopes look cool and save on printing too! Each envelope has your Google maps location printed on the inside so it's easy for your crew to find mission control. All you need are a bunch of envelopes and a printer.

• NASA space centre passes:

Anyone wanting access to mission control must be authorised first, right? Make your little one feel like a VIP with an access all areas pass party invite - give his team-mates green, red and gold NASA passes. Buy some strong, white card and print on your design before laminating the whole thing. On the back, write the party details in permanent marker - you can even add an access password at the bottom for fun!

Don't fancy those? Try these FREE downloadable space party invitations.

Space Party Decorations

It's up to you, as Flight Director, to train your shuttle crew for outer space. So here's an idea on how to transform your house into the best International Space Centre this side of the pond!

• NASA mission control

Within a few simple steps your living room can be transformed into mission control. Buy a series of space posters and model/inflatable spacecraft and hang them around the room. Use red light bulbs to give a red alert effect. With cardboard, make some shuttle name plaques, spray paint white with black writing, and hang them on the walls. Hide your TV behind a wall of cardboard, leaving the actual screen visible, and decorate with bottle lids for knobs, red or blue tape for stripes and writing in black marker. A cheap blackboard from Asda mounted on the wall is a great way of getting the kids involved with 'training'.

Play offical NASA transmissions in the background, using this audio, to give the full effect of a working mission control.

Cosmic costumes

Use disposable overalls cut down and decorated with NASA stickers, name stickers, flags and red and blue electrical tape stripes - you can give these to the kids when they arrive. Make a belt for each, using spray-painted rope, in one of three colors to help keep the overalls up. Make each child a space pack using white painted cereal boxes, a 1L plastic bottle, 2 silver-painted toilet paper rolls and some stickers. As they play, the guys can add more stickers to their boxes to show their completed 'special' missions.

Hiring a face painter for the day is also a fantastic idea for morphing the kids into space aliens! For their costume, pop into a local charity shop and have a look round for anything green. Add some supernatural antennae stuck to a hairband for their heads and they're ready to go.

Space party food

Real space grub i

s truly disgusting but, luckily for you, we're on planet Earth - and there's a supermarket down the road! A great way of using the usual party food, like cocktail sausages, crisps and carrot sticks, is to wrap it in foil. Let the children explore and dress up any any food with a space name:

Pizza - aka galactic pizza - it's nearly always a winner but keep the toppings simple for any fussy eaters

Sausage rolls - aka space time bombs - eat them before they explode!

Potato wedges - aka warpspeed wedges - gone in a flash

Lemon squares - aka scary squares - anyone who dares eat these strange delicacies found on the moon gets super powers

Chocolate brownies - aka martian mud cakes - collected from the darkest depths of the martian planet

Strawberry milk pops - aka pink goo sticks - not for the faint-hearted

Fizzy pop - aka rocket fuel - that ship's not taking off without fuel!

Milk - aka astronaut's ale - what a great way to get the calcium inside their bodies!

Space party games

• Hunt for space debris

Separate the space rangers into three teams and brief them on their mission:

'Commander [name]'s birthday present has been stolen and scattered all around the galaxy. An elite team is being sent to search and destroy the alien leader and find the missing pieces. You have been chosen to join this elite team.'

Hide clues all around the house and set fun challenges for the kids at each stage - in exchange they get a puzzle piece (which will eventually be exchanged for presents). The team that comes first wins a special mission badge (iron-on patches) and the respect of the Flight Director (YOU!).

• Rocket launchers

This is a real winner. All you need is a bottle of well-known pop, some Mentos, something to stand it up with and some outside space! Drop two or three Mentos into the pop, shake it up a little (with the lid on), and throw it in the air. When it hits the ground, run! Watch as the bottle explodes into the sky - and, decorated with all your excellent rocket-fuelled skills, it'll look like a fiery space ship screaming into outer orbit - apart from when it falls down, of course. Cue the earthling lesson on gravity! Other space game ideas:

• Pass the space time-bomb - like pass the parcel.
• Musical helmets - it's musical chairs except with things you wear not sit on.
• Comet toss - the closest comet to the star wins - a bit like boules played with balls on the ground.

Now go, prepare for the next lunar landing, ward off the next alien invasion and send your young astronauts on a mission to the edge of space; may the force be with you.

Where to next?

- More party themes - FREE downloadable party invitations