For my son’s sixth birthday, we decided to go with a circus themed party! We had just watched The Greatest Showman and loved it, and the idea felt fun and easy enough to pull together.
Whenever I decide on a theme for a kid’s party, I need it to have these few things:
- Fun and recognizable decor
- Cool photo op
- Easily themed snacks
- On-theme activities for the guests
- And of course, something the birthday child will enjoy
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Invitations and signage
I made the invitations and all the signage, which is totally optional but really adds the the look of things, on Canva! Do not sleep on this app, mama. It can do just about anything you need it to as far as digital design.
Balloon Garland and Photo Op
- Rainbow Balloons
- Balloon Garland Tape
- Command Hooks
- Twine
- Large Piece of Cardboard
- Paint / art supplies
Every memorable party starts with a spectacular photo-op! The birthday boy requested some face-in-hole options so I drew and painted some circus animals that I found on google. My skills are sub-par but a group of five and six year olds did not care.
The balloon garland came as a set and was so easy for how impressive it looked! I used command hooks on my wall and tied the garland to the hooks with twine.
Yard Games
I knew we wanted the kids outside and I needed them to feel entertained while the adults adulted. I decided to put together a few simple carnival-style yard games! Ultimately, they enjoyed the pile of construction sand a lot more. Just a reminder that you don’t have to be fancy for the kids to have a blast!
Rainbow Bowling
- 6-10 large bottles (like 2 liters)
- Food coloring or dye
- Water
- Kickball or Soccer ball
I filled each bottle with a few inches of water and food coloring until I had some pleasant rainbow colors.
I set the bottles up in a bowling pin set-up and let them kick a soccer ball at the bottles. Because of the grass, we used some scraps of lumber to make a bowling lane.
Whack the Cans
- Soup Cans
- Colored Paper
- Glue
- Tennis Balls
Using basic crafting supplies, I decorated an assortment of soup cans. Outside on a board (again because of the lumpy grass) we stacked the cans in a diamond and used tennis balls to whack them. The little brothers didn’t get it but had fun anyway!
Snack Bar
- Popcorn
- Fruit
- Peanuts
- Cotton Candy
- On-theme paper products
While every party needs snack, the kids and parents never eat as much as you assume they will. We kept it minimal with some watermelon, popcorn, and cotton candy. Of course we had cake too but our cake was not on theme. My turning-six-year-old wanted a picture he had drawn on his cake and Publix bakery pulled it off!
Gift Bags and Goodies
I’m not usually one to do gift bags and when I do, the things inside better be somewhat useful. We went with some circus themed crazy straws, a circus animal, and of course, a red nose! Even the parents had fun wearing the noses at the party.
We had such a fun time and the parents and kids were all thoroughly impressed. And that is, after all, the purposed of a circus themed birthday party!