1st Birthday Party Themes

Planning a children's birthday party isn't easy at the best times for a one-year-old and the task can be made more difficult as special consideration needs to be considered for the age of the child and the guests at the party. There are however plenty of party themes that can suit both your one-year-old, and can easily be adapted for older children if required. When thinking about 1st birthday party themes you need to take into account the number of guests attending, the games that can be played, and the food that can be eaten.

Traditional carnival games involve pin the tail on the donkey and wet sponge throw are always a popular choice. Don't be put off by the age of the children as parents can often lend a helping hand to the child. What is important here is that every child who takes part in the game, matter how well they have done, receives a prize at the end. There are two games in particular that very young children will enjoy: the duck pond and the dinosaur dig.

The duck pond.

You'll need a paddling pool for this game and these can be purchased cheap or you can use one you already have. Fill the paddling pool with water and place at least a dozen rubber ducks in the paddling pool. You will need to fill the rubber ducks with some water stop and capsizing and you can do this by punching a small hole in the top of the duck and filling it with water.

Write in permanent ink on the bottom of each rubber duck a prize that the child can win. The child then uses either a net, or their own hands depending on the age and ability of the child, to pull the duck from the water. Because each duck has a prize written on the bottom everyone is a winner.

The digging game.

Again this requires the use of plastic paddling pool, some sandpit sand and numerous ping-pong or ball pit balls. Write on each ball a number (for example, if you have 50 bags of sweets to give away right numbers 1 to 50 on the balls). Once you have done this simply bury the balls in the sand and let children dig for them. Once a child has found the ball ask them to bring it to you where it can then be exchanged for a prize. This is great fun for both children and parents alike.

Traditional carnival party food includes candy floss, hot dogs and popcorn and whilst these will be popular with the older children they may not be suitable for babies. There are however easy party foods that can be done in the theme of the Carnival:

Jell-O and ice cream.

Fun, tasty, and easy to make Jell-O can be adapted for any party. Many shops now sell special Jell-O molds for specific party themes.

Cupcakes

Cupcakes can be made to fit into any party theme and they can be made as colorful as the occasion requires. They don't need to be complicated just ordinarily vanilla cupcakes with colored buttercream will do the trick nicely.

Fries and pizza.

Fries and pizza are always an easy food to serve at any children's party and they will be popular with children of all ages. Different pizza flavors and fun cut fries will add to the carnival atmosphere.

These are only a few ideas for carnival themed one-year-old birthday party and there are numerous other 1st birthday party themes out there. The key to successful first birthday party is to have fun.