Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Keys to Achieve a Successful Kids’ Party

• An Epic Activity. We don’t want a bunch of bored kids…
• Delicious Snacks. Every party needs some munchies!
• Creative Party Favors. Did they leave with something they will use/want?
• Flow. Did those kids have fun from start to finish?
• The Perfect Theme. This pulls it all together!

Your party doesn’t have to break the bank to achieve all of these things! The best parties we have thrown over the years were very budget-friendly. We have lots of low-budget yet big impact ideas to share with you!

Tips to Throw a Kid’s Birthday Party at Home

The first thing you need when planning any kids’ birthday party is to pick a theme. It can be anything! We have all of our parties listed below to get you inspired! Then you need to get planning… there is nothing worse than everything landing on your plate at the last minute. If you are going to make your at-home party budget-friendly that is going to come with a bit of DIY. So planning ahead to is a must!

Birthday Party Activities

Take it up a Notch. To make a party successful you want to do things they love, but find a way to make it epic. If your kid’s favorite thing right now is bubbles then get everyone around blowing bubbles! Take dressing up like a princess to the next level by creating a giant princess castle to play in. Maybe some quick no-sew costumes for them to play their favorite characters. Bring that theme to life!

Party Food Ideas

Feed the Kids. Start with what your kid would want to eat and then grow your menu around that. If their favorite food right now is box Mac and Cheese it’s OK to serve that! Maybe you can find a fun shape that goes with your theme.

Drink Stations. You can work a theme into your drink station by letting your kid pick flavors. Pick your pink lemonade or mix your moo. You can also add DIY-themed cups. We made ours for Minecraft with a template. Putting stickers on paper cups is fast and cheaper than buying themed cups.

Quick Printables Ideas. Find your characters online to create signs, decorated skewers, or even cupcake toppers for your food table. Print on thick cardstock at home or order online at a local Staples/Office Max.

We are always our own worst critics! Fancy cakes are expensive! If you aren’t the best cake decorator that doesn’t matter. Adding a theme to a cake can be as simple as a couple of figurines or printables on cake-pop sticks. Your child will be happy to keep those decorations to play with later!

Working in your Party Theme

Favors can be used during the party! Have the party favors be props for your main activity or part of your decorations! This gives them 2 uses and helps the party’s memory live on long after it’s over.

Easy Themed Food. With access to the internet, you can print off (or order prints) of just about anything for your party. Adding characters to the ends of toothpicks or cake pop sticks is a fast, and affordable, way to add your party theme in another place for next to nothing.

Stuff balloons with little toys. It’s a 2-man job, but you can add candy, toys, bracelets, and more themed prizes into balloons before blowing them up. It’s the excitement of a piñata for each kid! They can pop a balloon at the end of a Justin Time adventure. Use a sword to pop the balloon spider in a real-life game of Minecraft. We even had balloons at the end of our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle training! Keep a few baggies with the toys to the side for any child who is too scared to pop a balloon.

Buy plastic tablecloths. They can be used for so many things!! The floor or doors to a castle. Dragon wings, curtains, giant arrows, obviously tables… They are cheap and big which is a win-win!

Birthday Party Flow

Move things around. When throwing a birthday party at home you may need to do a bit of rearranging. Weather permitting you can work with inside and out, but that isn’t always the case.

Think about how you want people to flow through your house and if you want to block anything off. We put post-it notes with giant Xs on the bedroom doors and any other “off-limit” spaces. A strategically placed table can block off a whole section of your house or at least keep the kids from running in circles… You may want to move your table up against a wall to allow people to walk around more freely. Get those extra chairs placed where people can relax (out of the way) and see what’s going on.

Create a Timeline. Have something for guests to do when they arrive. You don’t want everyone waiting around for the last person to show up. This can be something simple or part of your main activity later. Like coloring jerseys for a scoreboard. Or having a photo-op in a summer selfie booth.

Plan Ahead. The biggest tip I have for having a successful party is to get organized, plan ahead, & break things apart. On the day of the party no one knows what you didn’t do… so give yourself some grace and enjoy the day!

Check out our Easy Party Planner! This planner contains step-by-step guidance to help you plan and create an unforgettable party that your kiddo will love. It also includes 9 worksheets designed to help you get organized and feel in control of your event.

* Printable details:
13-page E-book on planning kids’ parties.
9 Pages of party planning worksheets and checklists
Just need the worksheets? You can buy them here: https://twitchetts.etsy.com/listing/529858939

Brainstorming the Perfect Party Theme

Party Themes. Everything can be pulled together with a fun party theme. They can be seasonal, character-based, colors, really anything goes. We talk a lot about how to brainstorm this if you are stuck in our ebook.

In each party we have listed below you can find fun activities, food, decorations, and more. Many can be “theme-swapped” so even if you’ve never watched Justin Time, maybe a stick horse would fit in a cowboy-themed party!

Kids' Birthday Party Inspiration

Minecraft

Start saving your cardboard boxes! We cut and painted tons of them for this epic Minecraft party!

Check out the Party!

Farm Animal

You don't have to spend a lot to have a cute farm animal theme!

Check out the Party!

TMNT

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party wouldn't be complete without some fun Ninja training!

Check out the Party!

PJ Masks

There are so many fun DIY projects to keep the budget low.... many that can be theme-swapped easily!

Check out the Party!

Princess

It's amazing how you can transform cardboard into you daughters perfect princess castle!!!

Check out the Party!

Party Planner

-Are you afraid you don’t have the time to create a party that your child will never forget?
-Would you be interested in a guide that walks you through the planning process so that you’re not scrambling to get organized?

* Printable details:

13 Page Ebook on planning kids parties.
9 Pages of party planning worksheets and checklists

Buy Now

Monster

When they are little there is no need to overdo it! Check out how a couple of little details can be enough for your little ones party!

Check out the Party!

Sports

Does your kid love ALL the sports? This fun party will be a hit!

Check out the Party!

Justin Time

Whether you have watched the Netflix show or not... This party was full of exciting activities!

Check out the Party!

Summer

The decor and drink station for our summer themed party could be used to brighten up any party!

Check out the Party!

Dragons

Picking a memorable activity, like a dragon race, can really take your party up a notch!

Check out the Party!

Pearls & Lace

A few little DIY projects to set up an elegant 1st birthday celebration.

Check out the Party!

Kids Party Theme Roundup

Still not set on a theme? Here is over 50 more ideas!!!

Continue Reading

The post How to Throw a Successful Kids’ Birthday Party at Home! appeared first on Twitchetts.

Red Day Activities for Preschool

When you’re teaching the color red to preschoolers, it’s fun to have a red day. 

Spend the whole day creating, eating, and playing with the color red.

We’ve gathered several red day activities for preschool aged kids that we think you will enjoy.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Don’t have time to enjoy these now? Pin it for later!

If you’re currently in the planning phase of your red day celebration, that’s ok! Pin this to your planning board. That way you’ll be able to grab all the red day fun when you’re ready!

Red Snacks for Preschool

There are several fun red snacks for preschool kids to enjoy. Our favorites include giving some basic fruits and veggies a bit of a spin. Check out our collection of red food day ideas.

Red Day Art and Craft

Kids love creating. This simple craft is perfect for your red day. Plus, it’s easy for a large group of kids to all work on at once. Check out the tutorial for this simple red day art and craft.

Some other red craft ideas:

• Fine Motor Apple Craft
• 3D Apple Tree
• Paper Firework

Red day decoration in preschool

Decorate your class with streamers, balloons, and your kids’ artwork! We love this bulletin board idea that we found on Pinterest.

Printable red colour day activities for preschool

This printable red matching game is perfect for a red center or for the whole class to play. You can find this game and other printable red color activities here.

Check out our other classroom celebration ideas!

• Blue Day Celebration Ideas
• Yellow Day Celebration Ideas

Sharing is caring!

Our site wouldn’t be here without shares from people like you, and we are so thankful that you took the time to visit Twitchetts. Know a friend who’d like these red day activities for preschool? Please share it on Facebook or save it to your favorite board on Pinterest.

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4th of July Party Recipes

I can’t believe that the Fourth of July is almost here! That means it’s time to start preparing some crowd-pleasing fourth of July party recipes. Today I’m sharing some of my favorites to serve at parties.

I am someone who loves to throw parties for one simple reason – the food menu. Cooking up as many crowd-pleasing recipes as possible is my specialties. By the end of the party, it’s to be expected that multiple people will be begging me for the recipes. It feels pretty amazing when they love the food I cook that much!

But don’t worry, if this is your first rodeo, I promise these recipes are easy to whip up for your guests! I’ve included an even mix of appetizer recipes, drink recipes, main course dishes, and a few fourth of July desserts! You’re sure to find a few things to include on your menu with this list.

Now, let’s get to the 4th of July party recipes!

We love planning parties. We even wrote a little ebook about how to plan a party with less stress. Sure the book is about birthday parties, but the concepts still apply. 

When it comes to planning a 4th of July party, there are two areas that are super important. The festive activities and the food!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, we may receive an affiliate commission.

Don’t have time to make any of these 4th of July recipes now? Pin them for later!

If you’re currently browsing the internet trying to find the perfect gift to bring to that potluck, save this pin and come back to it when it’s time to cook. That way you’ll be able to grab the recipe and ingredients you need.

The Best Fourth of July Party Recipes

Red, White, and Blue Cookie Bars by Twitchetts: Add fun sprinkles and you have a dessert that not only tastes great, but it also makes your food table look festive.

Patriotic Fruit Kabobs by Irie Made: Next up we have some fruit kabobs! These are great to set out before your party begins. They’re a good option to curb your appetite until the main attractions are done.

Triple Berry Fruit Dip by Tastes of Lizzy T: This can be either an appetizer or dessert! It’s very fruity, creamy, and perfect for dipping sugar cookies in.

Patriotic Pretzels by Simply Being Mommy: These are a real winner with any kids that are going to be at your party. The pretzels are very easy to make, go great with the patriotic theme, and are a good snack before anything begins.

Patriotic Taco Dip by Tastes of Lizzy T: Is it even a party if you don’t have any taco dip? This recipe is not only delicious and easy, but it also looks great on a table during the fourth of July!

Parmesan Cheddar Basil Stars by Mom Foodie: Parmesan cheddar basil anything is mouthwatering and delicious. These stars are full of flavor and fun to make!

Patriotic Punch by Mama Cheaps: Having punch is a must for any party! This one is super easy as it only uses a few main ingredients. It’s great for hydrating while kids run around, too.

Patriotic Tonic Fruit Water by Oh My Sugar High: This tonic fruit water is refreshing, fun, and very fruity. It’s a great option for parties!

Fourth of July Milkshakes by Pint Sized Baker: Milkshakes are another option you’ll need to keep tucked away so they don’t melt. Let me just say – these are so thick, sweet, and delicious!

Patriotic Cream Smoothies by Daily Dish Recipes: If you’ve never had a cream smoothie before, you’re really missing out! This patriotic smoothie is not only fun to look at but sweet to eat!

Juicy Lucy Sliders by Finding Zest: I’ve found that finger food as the main course is a great option at these parties. But that doesn’t mean they need to lack flavor! These juicy lucy sliders are sure to satisfy all your guests.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers by A Simple Pantry: Bacon-wrapped and a skewer? Yes, please! So moist, savory, and delicious. You’ll likely have guests rushing back for more.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs by Onion Rings and Things: Speaking of bacon-wrapped…. why not a hotdog? You’d be surprised how amazing these are.

Walking Tacos by Princess Pinky Girl: You don’t typically think tacos when you’re drafting up a menu for a 4th of July party. But these walking tacos, also known as a taco in a bag, are amazing at parties!

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs by Wholesome Yum: Okay these might be better off as an appetizer, but just go with me. These turkey buffalo meatballs are so mouthwatering, full of flavor, and the perfect option at parties. Poke some toothpicks in them and you’re good to go!

Patriotic Candy Bark by What the Fork: We can’t possibly forget the sweets! This candy bark is fun, sweet, and very satisfying.

Patriotic Cake by Tastes of Lizzy T: Don’t forget the cake! This cake recipe is very moist, sweet, creamy and quite tasty.

Patriotic Brownie Parfaits by Sizzling Eats: For a lighter dessert, these brownie parfaits are great! They feature yogurt and fruit with just a touch of moist chocolatey goodness from the brownie pieces.

Stars and Stripes Patriotic Popcorn by Oh My Creative: Popcorn anyone? I don’t know what it is about candy popcorn recipes, they always seem to make an appearance for our parties.

Super Easy Cheesecake Dip by Twitchetts: This recipe is so simple that it’s perfect for a last-minute treat. Pair it with strawberries and blueberries and it’s perfect for the 4th of July.

More Independence Day activities you might like

• 3D Paper Firecrackers Decorate that food table with these festive and super easy paper firecrackers!
• Fidget Spinner Fireworks Create memories before the fireworks with this patriotic process art project
• 4th of July Printables Check out our Etsy shop for Fourth of July placemats, coloring pages, and more! Perfect for keeping everyone entertained at your 4th of July party.

Sharing is caring!

Our site wouldn’t be here without shares from people like you, and we are so thankful that you took the time to visit Twitchetts. Know a friend who’d like these recipes? Please share it on Facebook or save it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest.

The post 20 easy recipes for a 4th of July party appeared first on Twitchetts.

DIY Hug Time Bracelet

Are your kiddos totally obsessed with Trolls? Ok, Maybe obsessed is a little strong… but between the songs, the movie, and the crafts we have had something Trolls in almost every day for the past 2 weeks and I don’t see any sign of that stopping. When a good friend started planning her Trolls birthday party she knew she wanted to include some Trolls dress up fun! I’m sure you have seen these awesome Troll hair headbands, but we wanted to come up with a fun hug time bracelet too!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission.  Thank you for supporting Twitchetts!

Supplies for your DIY Hug Time Watch:

• Felt. An assortment of colors for flowers and bands. Also green for leaves.
• Buttons.
• Yarn.
• Needle.
• Velcro Stickers.
• Scissors.

Step by step Trolls bracelet costume accessory instructions

Check out these step by step instructions then watch the video at the end!  You’ll be ready to create your own hug time watches in no time!

Start by cutting out an assortment of flowers, leaves, and bands. We measured our bands to 6.5″ in length.Make sure that your bands are wide enough to place one of the velcro stickers. Cut a slit in the middle of each of your flowers and leaves.

Sew on your button using yarn.  Leave it a bit loose so that your little ones can easily attach their leaves and flowers.Next, add your velcro. Make sure to place one side on the front and one side on the back!Adding on the leaves and flowers is excellent for working on button skills!
If you are making just one for your kiddo then give them a few flower options. They will be able to make their hug bracelet, wear it awhile, and then switch it up a bit!

This would make an amazing Trolls party favor!

For a Trolls birthday party, you can place out an assortment of flowers and leaves and let the kids decide how to create their hug bracelet. 

Pin this DIY Hug Time dress up to your Favorite Pinterest Board!

The post DIY Hug Time Bracelet ~ Add a hug time watch to your Trolls dress up! appeared first on Twitchetts.

Watch this short video to see just how easy these fun DIY field goal posts are to make! Add them to some colored rice and you have a great game day centerpiece!

Grab Your Printable Paper Football Pack Here

What you need for your DIY Goal Posts:

• 9 pop cycle sticks. 2 broken in half. You will have one half leftover.
• Glue. We choose hot glue for speed.
• Yellow Paint.
• Paint Brush.

Watch The Video Above to see how to assemble your Field Goal Posts

DIY Colored Rice:

• Rice. I measured mine out by filling my containers ahead of time.
• Food Coloring. You can do this in any color you like. We choose green to match the grass.
• Vinegar. Only a splash. Between 1tsp and 1tbsp.
• A disposable baggie.
• Cookie Sheet.
• Parchment Paper.

Mix rice, coloring, and vinegar in your disposable baggie. Mix until the color is distributed evenly then pour out onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes. It should be completely dry to touch. Let cool slightly before removing from pan. This rice works great for these centerpieces, but is also great for sensory bins!

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Our kiddos still talk about the epic PJ Masks party that V had.  There’s nothing more exciting than bringing their favorite show to life.  Mr. Monster can still be seen running around the house in his Cat Boy costume.  Every once in a while we still hear the phrase “remember at the PJ Masks party…”  Creating this kind of party isn’t difficult.  But it does take a little inspiration.  So we’ve round up a few of our favorite PJ Masks ideas.

PJ Masks Birthday Party Activities

Create a fun city photo prop! 
Bring the show to life with a fun PJ Mask Activity! 
Play dress up with these fun masks!  Buy yours here!
Or you can make your own PJ Masks costumes!

Delicious PJ Masks food

Make simple toppers for finger foods.  Check out how we did it here.
Or you can purchase some great printables on Etsy!
We love this tower used on The Belle Vie

PJ Masks Party Decorations

We decorated with large PJ Mask symbols.
And you can’t forget about a PJ Masks Headquarters!  Here is the tutorial on how we made ours. I love the backdrop used by Wear My Heart!

PJ Masks Birthday Party Favors and More!

These shirts make perfect party favors!
Or you could print some fun armbands.  Check out how we made ours!
And you can’t forget about the invitations!  You can purchase amazing PJ Masks Invitations on Etsy!

Enjoy your PJ Masks Birthday Party!

Don’t forget to pin this to your PJ Masks Birthday Party board!

The post 13 PJ Masks birthday party ideas that will make your party amazing appeared first on Twitchetts.

It’s such a simple way to get your bathroom guest-ready, that it only takes about 3 minutes and you’re done!  Plus, it’s inexpensive.  All it takes is some tissue paper. You can either buy your tissue paper (we grabbed an amazing assortment from here) or you can save it from a gift. Either way, it’s a simple way to get your toilet paper rolls for your visitors in a prominent place.  It’s easy for them to use and makes your bathroom look nice at the same time.

How to create toilet paper rolls for your guests.

So here’s how you do it.  Grab a sheet of tissue paper.  Place your roll slightly off-center and at the end of your tissue paper. Roll your toilet paper in the tissue paper. Tuck the shorter end completely into the toilet paper tube. For the longer end, gently twist the tissue paper while gently pushing it into the tube. Done!

The possibilities are endless.  We’ve decided to give you some inspiration for how to use this simple hack to get the toilet paper rolls for your guests ready for whatever you’re hosting.

From changing out the theme every month.

To hosting a baby shower or gender reveal party.
Or you can have toilet paper rolls for your visitors ready every day by matching your bathroom decor.

You can stick to only using solid colors, or you can grab some fun patterned paper to throw into the mix. The possibilities are pretty much endless…and it only takes a few short minutes.  Which, if you’re like me, you’ll need the rest of those minutes to clean your bathroom…

The post Toilet Paper Rolls For Guests ~ A Simple Bathroom Hack appeared first on Twitchetts.

If you know anything about the game of Minecraft you would know that it all starts with a single brick. The whole game is made of them. Making DIY Minecraft Bricks was a challenge, but I knew we needed them to bring the game to life.

What you need for you DIY Minecraft Bricks:

• Cardboard.
• Box cutter, with a good blade.
• Graph paper.
• Cardstock. Any color.
• Ruler.
• Exacto knife.
• Pen or pencil.
• Paint roller.
• Square edged paintbrush.
• Paints. All of the bricks have a few shades of gray. Then depending on the bricks you want you can add in more colors to your list. Diamond you need blues, gold yellows, etc.

Making your DIY Minecraft Bricks:

These can be cobblestone, gold, iron, coal, wood, or any other blocks. 

 

***Disclaimer***  These were a labor of love, but they were great!!
To get this pixelated look I created a template using graph paper.

My blocks (cardboard squares) were 9″ x 9″ a piece. To translate to graph paper each inch square will be a pixel.
This was not a specific pattern, I just chose to do 4 shades of gray (cobblestone). As my base for all blocks.

 Tape a piece of cardstock under your graph paper. Using your Xacto knife start cutting out all of your #1 squares.

 

 

Then remove the card stock and you have your first template.

Add a new piece of cardstock and cut out all of the #2s. Then your second template is finished.

etc.
You will end up with 4 templates.
Once you are done paint all of your blocks a solid dark gray.
Create a lighter gray by mixing in some white. Then lay down a template and paint.

Alternate templates and change colors of gray until your happy with your results.

I worked with one template for awhile until it was feeling flimsy from all of the paint. Then I would switch to another. Once the paint dried the template was stiff again and I could use for another shade of gray.

Once you have worked your way through all of the templates on each brick you could be done! If you wanted cobblestone.

But for our party needs, I needed specific bricks. For this, using a square edged brush, I added in a few pixels of yellow for gold, blue for diamond, black for coal, tans for iron, etc. Mix in different shades of each color to complete the effect.
 

These worked perfectly for pulling off our activity. The kids were tucking them under their arms as they walked out the door.

There is so much more fun at this party! Check out all the fun from our Minecraft Party.

 

The post How to make DIY Minecraft Bricks out of Cardboard appeared first on Twitchetts.

 What you need to make your own DIY Minecraft Pickaxes:

(click here to grab all of your supplies in one place!)

• Cardboard.
• Pen or marker.
• Ruler.
• Box cutter, with a fresh blade.
• Brown paint. Also either black or white to make a second shade of brown.
• Square edged paintbrush and a paint roller. The roller is optional but really speeds up the process.

Making your DIY Minecraft Pickaxes:

I did not have a foam pickaxe to copy so I used a picture from online and my sword edge to create the outline. Just think of pixels when you are making your design. Use a ruler to make all of the edges straight. Then cut out. Use your first pickaxe to trace the rest.

Time to get painting. We only painted these 2-toned. We were making them wooden for the activity. You could always add more detail or make them diamond or iron if you wanted to.

I made J do most of the work on these. We started by doing the whole base in 2 coats of brown. Then with the square edge brush added in a bit more detail. Add these into the mix of party favors and these boys were all in heaven!

Now, these details aren’t exact. I just freehanded on the darker brown. They did their job of pulling together the game.

Check out more fun from the Minecraft party!

The post How to make a DIY Minecraft Pickaxe out of Cardboard appeared first on Twitchetts.

What you need to make your own DIY Minecraft Torches:

(click here to grab all of your supplies in one place!)

• Cardboard.
• Box cutter.
• Paint. Brown, Yellow, & White.
• Square edged paintbrush.
• Fake tealights.
• Hot glue gun and glue.
• Rubber bands.

Making your DIY Minecraft Torch:

Start with a 6″x 10″ piece of cardboard. A flap off of an Amazon box works great! Score every 1.5″ (cut but not all the way through)

Fold into shape then unfold again to paint.

You can paint these free hand using a square brush. They don’t need too much detail. Just give them a brown base coat. Then a few lighter and darker brown squares. Next, alternate shades of yellow along the tops. Make sure the top is a square shape.

Run a long bead of hot glue along the seam and attach quickly. Hot glue starts to dry fast.

Use a few rubber bands to secure together while they dry.

For the final touch add in a tealight. (a fake one)

 They will fit snug, you will not need to attach them. This way you can take them in and out to turn the flame on and off.

 I think Little Miss was trying to blow this one out.

If I could go back in time these would have been used to decorate my cake table and posted up on the walls. These kids loved to take them home.

Check out more fun from the Minecraft party

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