Inexpensive DIY Birthday Party Themes

As my daughter’s 8^th birthday approached, we started discussing what kind of party she wanted. I thought she might say bowling or gymnastics, but she asked for a Survivor-themed party. I wasn’t sure how execute that until I did a bit of research. Years later, her Survivor party is still one of her favorites.

If you want to try a reality show theme for your kid’s next party, here are some ideas:

Survivor

The show’s premise centers around contestants who are sent to a remote island where they must survive with minimal supplies and food (but your party guests will be well fed!) In the first half of the game, contestants are divided into teams that compete in various challenges. In the second half, the challenges are individual. Each week someone is voted out until there is a sole survivor.

We started our Survivor-themed party by dividing the guests into two teams, giving each child “buffs” (bandanas) for their team’s color. While we waited for guests to arrive, each team had a large poster board and markers to work on their banner.

Our first event was a scavenger hunt held in the evening. Each team got flashlights and searched for rats I hid in the “jungle” (aka our backyard). The team that found the one hidden immunity idol received extra points.

Next up, each team got the pieces to a giant puzzle to see who could put it together first. We also had relay races, a water balloon toss, and played  limbo (under the bamboo torch.) While there was no fire-making challenge, we did make s’mores and served refreshments in mock coconut shells. Our party favor bags included gummy worms and shell necklaces.

American Idol

On American Idol, contestants compete in a singing competition. One person is voted off each week until the last episode when a winner is crowned. But at an Idol-themed party, each guest feels like a star.

Our younger daughter requested an American Idol party for her 5^th birthday. We set up a craft station for guests to make beaded necklaces and friendship bracelets when they arrived. We also had our babysitter on hand to help the kids with make-up, hairstyling, and temporary tattoos, plus a photo area with props so each guest could have their photo opp.

The first activities were a game of “Name that Tune” (the guests were divided into two teams) followed by Dance Freeze. For the main event, my husband set up a small stage in our basement and we put metallic streamers behind the wall. We bought an inexpensive karaoke machine (you can also rent one or have kids sing along to their iPods). Guests could sing solo or as a duet if they preferred. My husband and I were the judges, and we thought everyone was Hollywood-bound.

As favors, everyone got plastic microphones, glow-in-the-dark bracelets, star necklaces, sunglasses, and feather boas.

Amazing Race

On The Amazing Race, participants compete in teams of two and race all around the world. Each leg has different tasks, and at the end of most legs, the team that finishes last is eliminated until there is one team left.

Kristl Story,founder of The Budget Diet, assembled an Amazing Race party for her then 15-year-old daughter. She suggests choosing a pedestrian-friendly mall or town where shopkeepers will be willing to help participants during each leg of the race.

Story had the guests do a random draw to divide into three equal teams. Each team should have an adult leader (younger kids may also need a chaperone to go to stores) and a participant with a cell phone, which they use to prove that tasks have been accomplished. “After each challenge, the teams return to the finish line and prove to their leader that they have completed the challenge and to receive the next one,” Story explains. “Make sure each team receives the challenges differently, so it’s impossible to tell who is in the lead until the end! The first team to complete all the challenges wins.”

Challenges can include counting the chairs in a coffee shop, going into a grocery store and photographing all the ingredients needed to make a birthday cake, or going into a bookstore and naming who is on the cover of 10 magazines.

If you’d rather not have your guests in a public space, you can also execute an Amazing Race theme in your home. Sharon Rowley, founder of the website Momof6, put together an Amazing Race party for her then 11-year-old’s birthday and found a way to create a “race” in her backyard. Tasks included a scavenger hunt (each team had to remove their sneakers, and then the sneakers were hidden in the yard to find), building a marshmallow launcher, and completing a word puzzle.

RANDI MAZZELLA is a freelance writer specializing in parenting, teen issues, mental health, and wellness. She is a wife and mother of three children. To read more of her work, visit www.randimazella.com.