My son’s second birthday coincided with a special event: my husband appeared on Shark Week wrangling hammerheads. To celebrate both the success of my husband and shower my son with birthday bliss, I started planning a “jawsome” party. I found inspiration with Oriental Trading‘s shark collection, but I also created a few ideas to make this children’s party better than the rest. From a kid’s activity station to a simple juice bar, these small touches make this party memorable.
Shark Birthday Party Ideas
There were a few key ideas that made this birthday spread memorable and quite “sharky.” I used colorful juices to decorate, and it became an easy to use serving station for kids and adults alike. I also surprised everyone with special push pops that I made on my own with funfetti cake and frosting. The personalized birthday banner was a a fun extra from Oriental Trading, and the shark straws are a nice touch.
You can buy juices by the gallon and set them up for display in these glass mason jar drink dispensers. You can also make your own colorful juices using fresh fruit!
Children’s Activities
While I one day dream of throwing an outdoor birthday party with bounce house, our current backyard doesn’t allow for one. We maximized the space of our outdoor lanai and yard by blowing up this helium remote control shark to play with along with a children’s activity station!
I set up bubbles and water guns along with two large buckets for refills. One bucket had water, and the other bucket was additional bubble mixture.
Yet, perhaps the highlight of the outdoor play area was this set up for giant bubbles. Using a simple soap recipe, we replicated this idea that lets you use a hula hoop to create larger than life bubbles.
This project didn’t take long to set up, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the soapy fun.
So much so that they jumped in the kiddie pool to blow more bubbles everywhere.
While some of these ideas may seem perfect for summer, you can still use them during the fall months as well. Bubbles and sidewalk chalk never go out of season!
Menu Inspiration
From dips to small sandwiches, this party menu was healthier than most. Fresh watermelon and hummus were crowd favorites while the packaged snacks were perfect for tiny hands.
Party tip: Stock up on snacks ahead of time and use the leftovers in the favor bags.
Simple vanilla cupcakes filled the cupcake stand and each was topped with a plastic birthday hat or small toy.
Though, a children’s birthday party can never have enough sweets. These push pops were made with funfetti cake, blue vanilla frosting, and ocean animal sprinkles! The plastic containers can be found online at Amazon or a party store. Try this recipe for inspiration or simply fill each one with a layer of a mini muffin, frosting, another mini muffin, and more frosting. Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
Encourage your guests to serve themselves with a juice bar. Add fresh fruit for extra flavor or let the kids mix and match. The blueberry and orange combination was surprisingly refreshing!
Decor
I love handwritten guest books, but I know they aren’t practical in our digital world. Every year for my son’s birthday (and even his baby shower!), I made a promise to myself to find a children’s book that was similar to the party theme. I break out the Sharpies and have guests leave little notes in the margins. A keepsake and a new book for our library? I’d call that a win.
Other small touches included noisemakers from Oriental Trading, bright blooms for centerpieces, and special straws for the juice bar.
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I used large mason jars for vases and added family photographs in small frames to each table.
Favor Ideas
I try not to go overboard with favors, but these shark treat boxes were too cute to ignore. I then looked at Target and Dollar Tree for small goodies to add. I started with fruit pouches, goldfish, and gummy snacks.
I then added a few of my son’s favorite things: small balls, toy instruments, and coloring books with crayons.
Throwing children’s birthday parties may seem stressful, but keeping it simple and using what you’ve already got can make the planning way more fun.
What’s your best birthday party tip?
