How to Host a Balloon Themed Party
Learn how to make balloon animals!
Kids love balloons so why not make this easy and inexpensive item the theme of your party. It goes way beyond decoration. Here is everything you need to know from invitations to costumes to games and even food presentation!
Invitations
This easy invitation sets up the theme of your party from the start and gets little guests excited as soon as they're invited. There are several ways to create balloon invitations to delight tiny eyes.
- Blow up a balloon and without tying it, write party details on the surface with a Sharpie. Place the balloon in an envelope and send it with instructions to blow up the balloon to read the message.
- In good weather, blow up balloons with helium and tie off the ends. Write party specs on the surface and deliver to guests.
- Write party details on a piece of paper, roll it up and insert it into a balloon. Blow up and tie off the balloon. Kids have to pop the balloon to read the invitation!
Costumes
Costumes add a festive element to any party. Kids will get more excited when you ask them to create unique balloon costumes to wear to the party. They could make hats, decorate shoes, or stuff their clothes with balloons. They could use deflated balloons glued to an old vest, apron, or tie. Give a prize for the best costume.
To make it easier on parents and create a level playing field, you may want to provide the balloons. For example, you could send each child three empty balloons with the invitation. This makes kids use their imagination to come up with something from what they've been given
Decorations
This is the no brainer. Put balloon decorations everywhere! Tie balloons around the mail box, on the front yard trees, down the driveway, and around the front door to greet your guests as they arrive. Make a balloon arch for the entry to the party. Fill the party room with balloons - attached to the door handles and along the walls. Inflate balloons and attach colorful curling ribbon. Let them float up to the ceiling. The curling ribbon hanging down into the room adds dimension.
Stamp or draw balloons on labels to make nametags. Even if all the kids know each other, they'll think it's fun. Cut out balloon shapes from colored construction paper and use them as place mats, wall hangings, and other decorations.
Games
You can use balloons for all kinds of familiar and new games:
- Pop-a-Balloon: Tie a balloon around the ankle of each child and let the kids try to pop each other balloons by stepping on them, without getting own balloons popped.
- Read up on how to make balloon animals and teach kids to make their own.
- Play hot balloon potato!
- Write challenges on small pieces of paper and boot into balloons. Put them on the party floor and the first kid to pop a balloon does the challenge inside.
- See who can keep the balloon up in the air the longest or pop the most balloons.
- Make balloon hats!
Use your imagination. Give kids filled balloons to take home or packages of balloons. You could give out long, thin balloons and instructions for making a simple balloon animals.
Be careful with balloons around kids. Un-inflated and popped balloons are a choking hazard. Have help on hand to pick up popped balloons, and make sure you have lots of extra balloons on hand. You can use an air compressor or rent a helium tank from a party store so you don't pass out half way through the party.
