Your baby is turning 4. How did that happen? Time flies too fast and it’s also time to start thinking about throwing a birthday party. It’s been complicated at best, but there are ways to keep parties safe and socially distant that apply to your child’s birthday party any time of the year, pandemic or not. How? Two words: simple and small. Here are some helpful “rules” for birthday parties for toddlers and preschoolers. According to Practical Parents, invite a number plus one to the child’s age (and a mother who did this many times when her daughter was young). No need to go overboard. It starts with the number of people on your guest list. And keep in mind that this age is still a bit early for children to be dropped off at your home, so parents and caregivers should also consider getting involved.
Now, if you really like to have fun and planning a birthday party sparks your joy, let me add that you are obsessed with decorations and food. But don’t feel obligated to revel for your 4-year-old. There are a lot of issues with the negative ways social media channels like Instagram make us all feel, but we’ll save that post for another day. For now, that’s the fun part! Easy to do and age appropriate we have gathered the internet for everything related to her 4th birthday party. We’ve listed some of our favorite themes, activity ideas, and hacks below.
Baby Turns 4 — Let’s Celebrate!
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theme
breakfast in pajamas
Little ones love to play in their pajamas, and breakfast foods are generally a popular meal option for preschool sets. A birthday party means you have time to recuperate for the rest of the day.
super hero
It’s a bird… it’s an airplane… it’s a super kid! A simple activity idea (silly string looks a lot like Spider-Man’s web, just to say) and a superhero cape theme suitable for his party favors to get the birthday kid or friend out for the day. Be the superhero of
dinosaur
Roar! It’s safe to say that most kids go through the dinosaur stage. Throwing a dinosaur-themed party will give you lots of fun ideas, like setting up her DIY “dinosaur dig” in the backyard sandbox or “adopt a dinosaur.” Party favor baskets for when the kids come home.
arts and crafts
Let’s have a paint and drink (apple juice) party! Kids this age generally love to get their hands on paintbrushes, paint jars, and containers of glitter, so the possibilities for an art-themed party are endless. Have a specific project in mind or, even easier, have a variety of materials to see what your kids create on their own.
Choose your favorite character or TV/streaming show
Party supply stores are probably the easiest, as they have all the decoration and character options for the hit kids’ TV show, from Paw Patrol to Peppa Pig. If not, we recommend using online resources such as Oriental Trading or Etsy (anything personalized).
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food
breakfast in pajamas
- Install a pancake bar topped with blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, whipped cream and syrup
- Set up your cereal bar (this is your chance to buy all the fun, weirdly bright cereals out there)
- Donuts and/or muffins (donut towers also replace cakes)
- bacon or sausage link
- Paper party cups full of fruit
- Milk and orange juice for kids (I love these mini milk jars!)
- grown-up coffee
super hero
dinosaur
arts and crafts
- “Canvas” pizza (square pizza slices)
- This art party cake is pretty awesome
- Make ‘Creative Juice’ which is literally your child’s favorite juice or water
- Dip pre-made Rice Krispies in colored chocolate, and attach a craft stick to the other side to create a paintbrush style!
- Brightly colored fruit and vegetable cups
Choose your favorite character or TV/streaming show
- The simple thing about using this theme is more about decoration than anything else. It doesn’t matter what your Peppa Pig-obsessed child wears as long as they have a Peppa Pig party hat and plate. But calling it a “mad paddle” (Peppa’s favorite) with a single-serve chocolate pudding cup is pretty cute!
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Activity plan
breakfast in pajamas
super hero
dinosaur
arts and crafts
- Choose a special arts & crafts “paint it yourself” project or collect materials for the kids to build something themselves (material ideas: glue, popsicle sticks, glitter and sequins, pipe cleaners, scraps of tissue paper, construction paper, cardboard strips, toilet paper rolls, markers, crayons, etc.)
- Decorate your own cookies and cupcakes
- Set up your photo wall with these fun art-themed photo props
- Make cupcake liner flowers
Choose your favorite character or TV/streaming show
Again, it depends on which character or show your child chooses, but here are some examples:
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hack
ALL-INCLUSIVE PARTY HACK: Does your child have the best buds? Check your family’s schedule and before setting a date for the birthday party, make sure your buddy can attend first.
breakfast in pajamas
- Buy as much of this pre-made as you can (or make it ahead if possible. Pancake batter can be made ahead, anywhere 2-4 days in advance is good)
- I’m all about easy printables – aren’t these pancake and slumber party printables cute?
super hero
dinosaur
arts and crafts
- Inexpensive shower liners are great tabletop covers for art projects (preferably keep the party outdoors).
- Decorating with balloons?Hanging them upside down saves you the cost and inconvenience of having to get helium – Momtastic says
Choose your favorite character or TV/streaming show
- Don’t want to spend money to go to the party store? You can easily decorate by taking a sticker of your child’s favorite character and putting it on a plain cup or an inflated balloon – according to The Atlanta Parent.
And my number one hack? Please do not expect. A child’s birthday party can never go as planned. Also ice cream cake. It’s so quick and delicious. 4 years since I became a parent. Congrats!
