Cute Ideas for a DIY Birthday Party

Do you want to throw your kid an amazing, memorable birthday party without breaking the bank?

Then this article is for you.

You may be thinking it’s an awful lot of work and expenses. Setting it all up, with decorations and activities. Supplying food, snacks, and party favors. Cleaning up afterward.

You can relax. A great party for your child doesn’t have to be expensive. With a good idea and some planning, you can have a wonderful party.

Get ready to send out invitations. These brilliant party ideas will soon make your home the site of an amazing kids’ party.

Birthday Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts make an excellent, thrilling party activity for children of any age. As long as you put enough thought into the hiding spots and hidden items. Of course, the clever, sneaky clues are just as important.

You can adapt this to fit many different themes. If your child likes pirates, think buried treasure and messages in bottles. For a princess theme, how about hiding the clues in a sweet letter from the prince? Or you can use plastic balls for a Pok?mon scavenger hunt.

The possibilities are endless. For older kids, make it a bit trickier. Make them cooperate against the clock, solving riddles and challenges to get their treasure. Don’t make it too competitive, make sure everyone gets something.

What kind of treasure is good to hide? Cheap and easy solutions include candy, cute pins, and little paper crafts. You can also go for movie tickets or little gift certificates.

Stuffed Animal Party

This one is best suited for smaller children.

Ask each guest (or their parents) to bring their favorite stuffed animal.

Set up a picnic with blankets and bowls of treats. This can be in your living room or dining room if you prefer to have the party inside.

To make it extra memorable, you can get a new stuffed animal for each guest. Set them at the picnic and have the old stuffed animals befriend the new ones.

For activities, you can have the kids dress the stuffed animals in cute little costumes. Or you can hide the stuffed animals for a game of hide and seek.

It’s like a scavenger hunt. The reward is hugs.

Backyard Birthday Carnival

If you have a backyard and some time to plan and create little games, this is a great idea. A big deck or garage could also work if you lack backyard space.

It’s easy to set up a ring-toss game, a lottery, and a balloon popping game. Use your imagination.

Line up some bottles on a board to make a little bowling alley. Fill a tub or pool with water and have the kids dive for balls. You can even make your own putt-putt golf court if you get really creative.

You can make all of these out of simple household items, and old boxes and bottles you were going to get rid of anyway. If you can think of another game or activity, check the local dollar stores and thrift stores for materials.

Make prize tickets and give them to the kids when they win the games. Then they can trade the tickets for popcorn, balloons, face paints, etc. at your kiosk.

You can also set up a hot dog stand for if the kids get hungry.

This party will be a lot of fun for very cheap.

Space Party

Are you ready to lift off into outer space?

Print some decorations to simulate a spaceship or moon surface. Use old boxes and tinfoil to make space suits for the little astronauts.

For older kids, let them make their own space suits as a party opening activity.

Other activity ideas to consider:

• An outer space themed drawing contest
• Building rockets out of toilet paper rolls
• Making space helmets out of foil
• A space quiz
• A scavenger hunt

You can make “astronaut food packs” out of tinfoil and fill them with popcorn and candy. Then have the kids sit down to watch the birthday child’s favorite sci-fi movie.

Can you think of another theme that better suits your child’s interest. It’s important to stimulate their interests.

Glow-in-the-Dark Party

Buy some glow-in-the-dark paints and make decorations to hang up. Turn the lights down and you’ve got a cool setting for a party.

Leftover paints can be used for face painting or t-shirt designing. You can also mix it into putty or play-doh that the kids can play with in the dark.

Glow sticks and flashing toys make a great addition if your budget allows it.

For older kids, skip the toys and putties and just put on some dance music. Now you’ve got a dance club themed party.

Chocolate-Making Party

Turn your kitchen into a birthday chocolate factory for the kids. They love making treats.

Get some molds and a bunch of chocolate or chocolate ingredients. Sprinkles and marshmallows make nice additions. And some wax paper to protect from the worst mess and make cleaning easy.

Now you’re ready to let the kids make chocolate. Either help them mix the ingredients, or make it easy and just melt a lot of store-bought chocolate.

Watch them get creative with molds, flavors, and decorations.

The tasty treats set in no time if you put them in the fridge or freezer. Then it’s ready to eat. Now the kids have their snacks and party favors ready.

Craft Party

Another nifty way to combine activities and cheap party favors is throwing a craft party for your child’s birthday.

With some creativity, planning, and preparation, possibilities are endless. Use your imagination. Here’s a suggestion.

For smaller kids, just buy some plain or unfinished items such as:

• Plain t-shirts
• Pots or mugs
• Picture frames
• Canvas bags
• Wooden boxes

Then you let the children decorate them with paints, glitter, wrapping paper, ribbons, etc.

One of the best things about craft parties is they also suit tween girls. Figure out what kind of craft your daughter likes, and get the materials.

Braiding bracelets, making decoupage decorations, and modifying existing clothes are popular options.

The materials for a craft party are cheap, and everyone leaves with a custom party favor. You can have them trade their finished products for an extra activity.

You can also use the materials to make nice birthday cards.

Have Fun

These are just a few suggestions. There are endless party ideas for every child and every budget.

Sometimes, less really is more. You don’t need to take your kids to a zoo or arcade every birthday. All they want is to have fun with family and friends.

For more DIY and home tips, keep reading our blog.