A Birthday Party for a Bookworm
Lacking birthday party inspiration? Look no further than your child’s favorite book, book series or author. Even better, you can repurpose the books and toys for cute décor and displays!
All Booked Up
Serve these delicious snacks! Roll out fruit leathers or fruit rolls for the cover, use graham crackers for a hardback feel, place a marshmallow inside for the pages, and decorate with a title or design; find full instructions at allthewonders.com. Serve sandwiches resembling books with tortillas, lunch meat, cheese slices, condiments and food-safe markers; find full instructions on pbs.org. Print small book cover images and tape each to a wood skewer. Use them to decorate cupcakes, along with “book” gummy worms. You can purchase toppers on etsy.com from MerryGoSweets, CraftyPros or make your own.
Oldendesigns
It’s Lit-erary
Light up your space with book-themed paper luminaries. Purchase a set from etsy.com from creator Oldendesigns or make your own a few days ahead of the party, so they have time to dry. Using paper bags or toilet paper rolls, cover them with Mod Podge and pages from old books. Punch holes in them using a hole puncher and place a battery-operated candle inside.
You’ve Got Mail
Send out library card themed invitations for your bookish bash to your attendees. Find templates on zazzle.com, paperlesspost.com or etsy.com.
Dress-Up Day
Invite guests to come to the party dressed as their favorite book character. Start the festivities with a game to guess each guest’s identity!
Flying off the Shelves
Hold the party at a bookstore for a true book-filled bonanza. Celebrate at The Story Shop with a scavenger hunt, games, cake and more. Birthday parties at Little Shop of Stories include a themed story time of the birthday child’s choosing.
Book Swap
Ask guests to bring a book – new or preloved – for a book swap activity. Every guest will leave with something great to read!
Hold my Page
Set up a bookmark making station! You can walk your guests through an origami project; find instructions online. Have a variety colored pencils, crayons or markers on hand to decorate construction paper or popsicle sticks, and tie off your bookmark with pom poms or ribbons for a unique finish.
Special Guest
Invite your favorite storybook characters to the party with Atlanta Character Parties, Atlanta Birthday Party Characters, Dream Friends Entertainment or Southern Belle Character Company. Or, hire a storyteller to visit your party for interactive fun. Auntie Renee offers face painting, stickers, puppets and more for a fantastic celebration.
Terrific Themes to Try
Use your child’s favorite book or character as the focal point of the party.
The Pigeon Has a Party
Host a “Pigeon” party with themes from the books by Mo Willems. Find lots of activities and games at pigeonpresents.com. Serve hot dogs (don’t forget the mustard!) and chocolate chip cookies.
A Hungry Caterpillar
For young birthday boys and girls, plan a “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” party. Serve all the food that the Caterpillar munches through, from apples to pickles. Shape and color cupcakes into the Caterpillar’s shape for a celebratory dessert.
Get Fancy
Break out the feather boas and tiaras with a “Fancy Nancy” tea party. Invite guests to dress in their fanciest outfits and enjoy mini sandwiches and sweet treats. Find printable activities at fancynancyworld.com.
thepartyteacher.com
Off to See the Wizard
Plan a “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” book party with emerald-green tablecloths, hot air balloon decorations, magic wands and a “Pin the Tail on the Winged Monkey” game. Find inspiration at thepartyteacher.com.
Whodunit?
At a Sherlock Holmes party, play a murder-mystery game like “Scotland Yard: Sherlock Holmes Edition.” Set out magnifying glasses and let kids pretend to be super sleuths. Arrange a scavenger hunt with clues for kids to solve.
Bewitch with Harry Potter
If you really want to lean into the theme, send party invitations with an owl! Find instructions at mommademoments.com. Decorate using the colors of the Hogwarts houses – red, yellow, blue and green. Sip on butterbeer; find instructions at favfamilyrecipes.com.
Silliness Abounds with Dr. Seuss
Serve green eggs and ham. You can dye these breakfast components using green food coloring, and serve as is or as a sandwich. Set your copy of “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” next to a jar of colored Goldfish crackers. Design your own pretty pair of socks for the “Fox in Socks.” You can also download printable activities and coloring pages from pbskids.org.
Mythical Magic with Rick Riordan
Ask guests to come dressed as their favorite mythical god, goddess or figure. Find event guides and printable resources at rickriordan.com. Play a game of Capture the Flag, a tradition of Camp Half-Blood. Make up your own myth by creating a “Mad Libs” style template and game.
Monkey Around with Curious George
Make sure to decorate your space with tons of bright yellow! Make your own Curious George with his own hat with instructions from inthebagkidscrafts.com. Print out activities and games at curiousgeorge.com. Play Monkey in the Middle.
-Emily Webb and Mary Williams
