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DIY Mr. Potato Head cupcakes
How Does She contributor Amy shares how to make adorable, Mr. Potato Head cupcakes and these clever sweets are sure to be a hit at this year’s birthday bash! Inspired by the Toy Story star, these cupcakes are easy for a large group to assemble and personalize with bright candies. Simply set out some frosted cupcakes along with a variety of colorful mini treats that can double as facial features (Amy recommends hitting up the bulk-food section at your local grocery store), and you’re sure to have plenty of happy tots at your table!
Paint!
Mom Ashley of Lil Boo Blue includes a fun walkthrough on painting with kids, and we absolutely love this idea for a colorful art-inspired birthday celebration! When getting started, Ashley recommends either purchasing a giant canvas that can be painted over for future art days, or checking out the local thrift stores for inexpensive large paintings that can be covered with white paint (genius!).
She also suggests investing in thick and sturdy reusable canvas drop cloths to contain the painting zone, and setting out plenty of washable colors in big buckets with large brushes for the kids to let loose with their creativity. Don’t miss out on the rest of Ashley’s guide — you’re bound to find plenty of colorful inspiration!
Animal masks
Prudent Baby offers up these adorable no-sew animal masks that are perfect for a critter-filled afternoon with your favorite mini wildlife lovers. A great idea for a birthday arts and crafts table, these adorable masks can easily be made with felt, felt glue, feathers and jewels. Once the masks are finished, simply poke holes on each side, run a piece of elastic or ribbon through, and get ready to impress! Hoping to make the same masks featured? Check out the full post for printable mask templates when getting started.
Bubbles!
Bubbles can easily entertain younger kids for hours, but these homemade giant bubble makers included on Happy Hooligans are a fun pick for all ages! To get started, Mom Jackie recommends making your own giant bubble solution with her recipe of glycerine, baking powder, cornstarch, water and Dawn dish soap.
For the giant bubble “wands,” Jackie took two straws with yarn threaded through in a large square. For goody bag treats, consider hitting up the dollar store for bubble wands, or packaging some of your homemade bubble solution for use throughout the summer.
T-shirt coloring party
Another fun artsy idea for creative kiddos, this cool T-shirt coloring party shared on Lil Boo Blue offers up a colorful afternoon with wearable art to boot! Made using store-bought tank tops, a cool downloadable print (template available in the full post), and a roundup of markers, this t-shirt making fest is yet another fun activity that can double as a personalized take-home gift for mini party guests — always a bonus!
Personalized piñatas
Though mom Jessica of the blog scrumdilly-do! made these personalized piñatas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we think that they’d be just as great to offer in place of goody bags at this year’s birthday shindig! To get started on your own, you’ll only need to have paper lunch bags, collage materials, pipe cleaners, markers and string. As for goodies, she recommends a variety of fun items such as fruit snacks, candy necklaces, crayons, stickers, finger puppets, rubber toys and more. To learn more about these DIY piñatas, check out the full post.
Edible medals
Honor this year’s party attendees with delicious edible medals like this sweet award shared on Sun Hats and Wellie Boots. All in all an easy idea for backyard games and all-around super-rific kiddos, these cookies are easy to make, and your guests are sure to love fixing them up at the decorating table. This is one easy way to pair an award-winning activity with some sweet treats on your child’s special day!
Carnival games
And speaking of awards… Consider featuring some fun old-fashioned carnival games as a part of this year’s birthday celebration like this cool setup featured on Morena’s Corner. Offering up a water blast game, “gone fishing” tank, ring toss, basketball toss and more, Morena says that most of the party’s supplies came straight from the dollar store and that party guests had a fantastic time turning in redeemed tickets at the prize booth. Be sure to check out the rest of the post for the full scoop, and to see more of the games included.
Royal fun
Hosting a majestic bash for your favorite princess this year? Don’t miss out on these sweet homemade felt crowns featured on Hellobee! Using double-sided adhesive felt sheets, scissors and author Jenny’s cool (and free) included crown template, these gorgeous crowns only require a few final sewing stitches at the end, and can be bedazzled by your mini royals with mixed materials and felt glue. To get started, check out the rest of the walkthrough in the full post. This is one activity that’s fit for a queen or a king!
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2012, and updated in May 2021.
