Any Birthday Ideas for a 4 Year Old's Costume Party?!

www.birthdaypartyideas.com

This website has tons of great ideas for parties. It's the first place I go to start planning for my kids.

Have fun!

I loved it when my kids were young enough to do fun parties.LOL
Costume parties are so much fun. If you have costumes around your house put everything in a big box and let the kids pick what they want to wear. If you need things and don't want to spend a fortune go to IParty and check out the discount area. There are usually all sorts of odds and ends that you can pick up there for next to nothing. Also you can do to a second hand store and get different things for not a lot of money.

Kids love scavenger hunts, musical chairs, simon says, red light G. light. I think the weather is supposed to be great this weekend so they could draw chalk pictures, play tag, ( mine kids especially loved freeze tag), get some old soda bottles and have them put rice or beans in them decorate them and then they could have a marching band, dodge ball is good too. You will probably need another adult to help if you have them outside. Just remember kids love to run, jump, ect especially boys. LOl ( I have 4 ).

I usually just do pizza for lunch. It is easy and everyone likes it. For less clean up use paper plates and cups.

Your daughter is going to have a wonderful time. :)

I would also suggest princess and pirates... although my three year old have a princess tea party which was fun...light fare with , finger sandwiches, pastries and pb and j and (decaf tea, hot cocoa). My sons (ages 5 and 7) actually got into it and wanted to dress as "princes" they even gave each other make overs with the make up kit the girls we playing with. They will love those pictures when they are teens hehehe!

Another Idea is a Teddy Bear picnic where you put a big blanket on the floor and eat picnic foods and each child brings thier teddy bear and the teddy bear can be dressed up...

Also children could dress up as a favorite story book character and read the birthday girl's fave story. You could have a game of guessing who each child was dressed up as well which culd be fun!

They are only 4 so go easy on yourself. Less structure is better at this age. Just play some typical old-fashioned party games and give SIMPLE goody bags to take home. People are turning to cheaper and simpler pleasures in this economy, and I actually welcome this departure from over-spending and creating competition among parents! Go to the dollar store or Goodwill for costune things unless kids are coming in costume and will be done with that. Make masks or even fun vests/tops with paper bags and markers/cheap feathers - use the inside of grocery bags. Give feathers, a few markers and Googly eyes as a party favor. Make a funny-face cake with candies and licorice strings, or make cupcakes in flat-bottomed ice cream cones, and let the kids frost rhen and decorate them, then eat. Take a picture and email to each parent afterwards _p- cheap and easy. It is great that you are keeping the guest list small - much better for kids under 9!

What were your original ideas? Those might be able to still be used or even tweaked a little to fit. As far as the food just do what your daughter wants for that. PB&J sandwiches cut in little shapes with a cookie cutter are perfect for 4 year olds. You could do a pin the tail on the donkey type game. I never actually pin the tail on the donkey, but my kids insist on this game every year. It depends on the theme. You could make it pin the mask on the child or something and get some masks and a wall picture of a child from a teacher store maybe or something. Or if you are creative enough draw one up yourself. Treasure hunts are always a hit. If you want to do crafts you can have them make and or decorate a mask. There are tons of templates online you can get for stuff like that. Have masks already precut for them or do paper bag puppet type things and give them all the supplies to decorate. Let your daughter help out in picking games and crafts. Give her a couple of options. Do you want to play this game or that game? She's old enough to help you in planning the perfect costume party for her. Most importantly have fun. Now back to work on my fairy tea party (I'm having a 7 year old party in a little over a week).

My 2 year old just had his party and for favors we did sand buckets filled w/ bubbles, chalk, squirt guns, etc. Is her party before or after Easter you could do egg dying at both of my boys' parties we did decorate your own cookies and that was a big hit even w/ the older kids that were there. I would say do the typical games musical chairs, hot potatoe, pin the tail on the donkey. The last 2 parties I've been to the kids did make your pizzas. As a parent w/ a child w/ food allergies I suggest you check w/ the parents and make sure no one has any food allergies. I never had chocolate cake at my birthday parties because I had a friend allergic to chocolate and its always nice when my 2year old can participate in all the party activities or even just to give parents a heads up on what you will be serving so that they can bring something their child can eat is great. I wish more people did I feel bad when my son has to sit out. I'm sure at 4 the parents will stick around too so you won't be going it alone keep it short and simple is best maybe it will be nice out and you can take the party outdoors.

don't know where you live but http://www.pghkidsyoga.com/ has awesome themed birthday parties. Check them out!

I was just telling another on here, I do birthdays. Stampin" carfts such as cards, scrapbok pages and treat bags. I let Moms decide if it's appropriate for thier childrens age. My daughter is 3 and LOVES doing it with me, her cousin 6months old enjoyed it but if people compare the projects, my daughter is really good. She plays with me doing Stampin' almost everyday. Boys I'm not sure how they would enjoy it, their small enough. If you want to talk more send me a private message. Other wise, I would say do foods around our daughters costume and if you kow what others will be, theirs too. Like I would do things in the shape of a shoe if I could find it or a dragon, castles and such because my daughter would be a Disney Princess. I can look up a few other sites I know of and get them to you if you need more ideas. I know you'll get a lot on here. Best of luck.

Hi M.,

We just had our daughter's 1-year birthday party this weekend and we did a circus theme. It might be a good idea for you since you're having boys and girls. The kids can dress up as animals, clowns, ringleader, and if your daughter is a girly-girl like my oldest (who thinks "costume" automatically means "princess") she could dress in a ballerina costume like a tightrope walker. It's a pretty inexpensive party to put together since you don't have to buy licensed partywear like Dora or Disney -- you can just use mix and match primary colors for everything, even the balloons. You can get pretty much all of your supplies at the dollar store. (BJ's has helium tanks with 50 balloons for $22, which is $10 less than the party store sells it for and less than 1/2 of what you'd pay the party store to blow them up for you.) You can use stuffed animals for decorations, too. If you like the circus theme, please feel free to send me a message and I'll be happy to share more ideas. I pulled it off in 3 days, so you've got plenty of time ;)

For desserts - let the kids make a mess - we are making cupcakes (in stead of a big came) and setting up bowls of ice cream --- setting out lots of toppings --- and tada - they can decorate their own cupcakes and ice cream sundaes :)

favors - Target in the summer toy section has bubbles, pin wheels, they are inexpensive - you can add a snack pack of some snack - and done. I usually just bag up the favors in brown lunch sacks - with some pretty ribbon - no fancy bags needed.

menu - little sandwiches cut in shapes, pizza, anyhting simple and easy - kids don't care - they just want yummy stuff.

games - I would let them enjoy all of your daughters toys and sidewalk shalk always works great for entertaining - kids that age usually find adventure on their own - but a game of tag, hide and seek or something is always fun too.

have fun!

Pirates and Princesses?
Peter Pan?

For games: a treasure hunt for jewels.
For craft: decorate a treasure box

Foods..well.. check online. I can't think of anything off the top of my head.
We're doing Easter egg hunt.. the food: PB & Jelly or Jelly & Fluff...

Good luck- sounds like fun!

She's four, so their expectations are low. The fun part really is just getting together with their friends. The kids aren't going to notice a theme - it's just fun for them to be in costumes. I second what the other posters have said about outdoor games like red light/G. light. Freeze dance is also popular. We just had my daughter's 4th and I had some ideas planned, but when the kids came over they just wanted to play with each other and the toys they don't normally see. They made their own fun in the backyard. And we just went to another 4th birthday and it was the same phenomenon. They don't need games or special crafts, really. 4 year olds are really just good at playing - so let them play! The one thing that I do advise is to really make sure that your daughter knows that other kids are coming over and she has to share all of her stuff. You know your kid best and how willing she normally is to share, but that can be the toughest part for some kids. Have fun! It will be totally fine and over in a breeze!