Pirate Party Ideas

It won't be a pirate birthday party without a treasure chest. If you don't have one or something resembling one-you can definitely make your own.

Take a Styrofoam cooler and paint it brown or black. You can use gold ribbon to trim the lid and the base of the chest. Then take some small rectangle shapes of yellow craft foam and glue on to the center of the lid in the front and the other directly below to make the lock. You can also cut out and glue different colored circles or diamond shapes around the base. Fill it with gold chocolate coins, gummy fish, starburst candies (they look like little treasures), colored beaded necklaces and a lot of other cool treasures. To make the chest look full you can add spray-painted gold rocks, shells, marbles, plastic gems etc.

Hang fishing nets all around your house or yard (you can also use the nets over any kind of tablecloth for your tables). Stick rubber fish, seahorses, plastic oyster shells, lobsters and crabs in the fish net. And for that eerie pirate birthday party atmosphere, hang up all kinds of skeletons.

You can also make a sign on the door "Enter at yer own risk" and hang old treasure maps on the walls.

You can ask all the kids to come in white t-shirts and blue jeans or black pants. As they arrive turn them into pirates with bandanas, pirate hats, eye patches, make-up beards, tattoos, possibly add blood, scars, some facial hair, self-adhesive mustaches, and sashes made from strips of red and white-striped materials.

Make your own pirate cake with a regular 9x13 sheet cake.Frost part of the cake blue for the sea. Sand is frosted light brown with toasted coconut on top. Stand "Play-Mobil" or Fisher- Price Pirate figures on top. Party supply stores will carry plastic palm trees and maybe a boat!

Make individual treasure chests with cupcakes. Cut the tops off. Make a hole in the center of the cakes and add fill it with Juju Bees, Snowcaps candy and frosting. Then frost the tops with chocolate frosting and put them back on propped up with a mini pretzel knot (as if the treasure chest is slightly open and the pretzel is the lock). Yellow icing can be added to the top to resemble the brass bands of a trunk with M&M's as jewels.

*Goldfish crackers
*Ocean with sunken treasures (blue Jell-O with diced peaches)
*Peg legs (carrot sticks)
*Canon ball grapes
*Red Rubies (strawberries, cranberries and cherries)
*Octopus legs (gummy worms)
*Gold puffs (cheese puffs)
*Gold and Silver Hershey nuggets
*Golden candies (butterscotch)
*Breadsticks (swords)

Some cool ideas for pirate birthday party food (remember to make little signs in front of each dish to make sure the kids recognize that it's authentic pirate food%u2026).

*Chicken legs (no utensils allowed!!)
*Seaweed Pasta (Green Linguine)
*Treasure Salad (add dried cranberries, golden raisins and pecans in the salad
*Hot Dog Ships (spear a wooden skewer through a small piece of paper to make a schooner sail and then pierce it through a hot dog, then add a few Goldfish crackers)
*Octopus (split hot-dogs)
*Pirate's Teeth (corn)
*Golden Treasures (macaroni and cheese)
*Golden Nuggets (chicken nuggets)!
*Fish 'n' Chips
*Veggie Palm Trees - Cut up various vegetable and serve on a platter with dip. You can then decorate the platter with palm trees that you make out of vegetables. The way you make these is by taking a carrot and securing it in the vegetables with a toothpick. Then take the top fourth of a green pepper, cut a small whole for the carrot to fit snuggly in and you have a palm tree

*Frosty Ale (root beer) in mugs.
*Sharks Blood (take red Kool-aid or punch and make them as ice cubes%u2026. Then you take sprite and the kids get to drop the red Kool-aid ice cubes into the sprite - kids think it's awesome that the drink turns pink/red%u2026. This can also be called "Crocodile" or "Alligator" blood%u2026 whichever you think is tastier%u2026.)

Pirate Arts and Crafts

Pirate telescopes can be made from paper towel rolls or toilet paper rolls. Kids can decorate them with jewels, feathers, stickers, glitter etc. and put cellophane paper (with a rubber band) covering the two openings. Swords can be made from long balloons.

Favor Box Treasure Chests

Use recycled diaper wipes boxes (roughen up the sides with sandpaper and spray paint gold). Let the kids decorate them with stick-on "jewels" (stick-on earrings work well), pirate stickers, etc. Later, you can fill these mini treasure chests with the pirate birthday party favors.

Pirate Flags

Give each kid a rectangular piece of lining material or cotton and permanent felt-tip pens. Let them color their own pirate flags. You can then add these to your decorations.

Ocean in a Bottle

Each kid gets a baby food jar (or any other little jar or clear water bottle for that matter). They then add small sea beads, glitter, water, baby oil and blue food coloring to create their own ocean!! (Hot-glue the tops so the ocean doesn't drain on your floor%u2026)

A great pirate birthday party favor idea is to give each kid one or two REAL goldfish in a plastic bag with water. You can give them some fish food as well.

Another excellent idea is to all the pirate birthday party favors in the little treasure boxes or in bandannas. Fill them with ring pops, candy necklaces, skull pops, golden chocolate coins, a compass, gem pop rings, candy necklaces, tattoos, gold chocolate coins, small telescopes, skull key chains, skull pencils, etc.

WALK THE PLANK

Use a 2x4 board to make the plank. The children take turns walking across the board. When they get to the end they all get a chocolate coin or a small prize. Repeat as many times as you wish.

"X" MARKS THE SPOT

Play like Pin the tail on the donkey--Before the party make a treasure map from poster board andmark an X for the location of the treasure. Also make apirate flag (small squares of colored paper) for each child with a skull and crossbones on one side and double stick tape on the other. At game time cover the players eyes (one player at a time) with a pirate's bandana. Spin the player gently 2-3 times, then point him towards the map where he will attempt to find the treasure with his flag.The player with the flag closest to the treasure wins!

TREASURE TOSS

Before the party decorate a cardboard box to look like a wooden chest, or use a real chest if you have one. Leave the top off or open. Make or purchase five bean bags. This is a simple bean bag toss game where the children will take turns tossing the bean bags into the box from a pre-determined location.Variations - For older children make Draw a map on a large box. Cut three large holes in the map/box and the children will attempt to get the bean bags into the holes. Just like a bean bags toss game at a carnival.
PINATA

This is a game that requires room and good supervision - the children are blindfolded (or not, if they are young and don't want to be) and they take a stick and try to break a hanging container that has candies and other small goodies in it. (Colorful Band-Aids were popular among the preschoolers here!). To make one, you can do something as simple as decorating a paper grocery bag with paints or crepe paper and then gluing and taping the top shut once the treats are inside. Run a string along the top edge before shutting the bag. You can also make a fancier one using a balloon and paper mache. The fun thing is that these can be decorated to match any theme. Alternatively, you can buy a Pinata.

DROP THE CLOTHESPIN INTO A BOTTLE

This is another one that can be turned into a themed activity simply by using a coffee can with a plastic lid on it as the container to catch the clothespins. Cut a hole into the plastic lid appropriate for the age child. Then decorate the can.

BEAN BAG TOSS

You can make an easy Bean Bag Toss using a double layer of poster board glued together and a large box. Use the large box as a base, and attach the poster board to one side of it. Before attaching the poster board, paint a design on it, allowing for one or more holes. We never kept score, but the kids had a lot of fun throwing those bean bags. One year we even gave bean bags as party favors - they're easy to make from fabric scraps if you sew.

GUESS HOW MANY

Fill a jar with candy. Have children write their name on a small piece of paper and their guess as to how many candies are in the jar. The child who guesses the right number, or comes closest, gets a sucker. The candy in the jar is then divided among the children. A variation would be that the winner takes the jar of candy home to share with their family. For added fun, fill the jar with themed candy, such as mini dog bone candies. You can also create a large lollipop bouquet with flower-shaped lollipops, and let your guests guess how many lollipops you've included.
Concentration Use our birthday clip art to make matching cards to fit your birthday theme. Two of each picture mounted on sturdy cardstock and laminated, if desired. Or, purchase urchase a memory game to compliment your chosen theme, such as a car- and truck-themed memory game or a magic-themed memory game.

WHO AM I ?

When the children come through the door tape a farm animal or item/object to their backs. Through the course of the party they may ask each other yes and no questions about what they are. Explain that the first question they may want to ask is "Am I an animal or an object?" At the end of the party each child takes a turn saying what they think they are. Suggestions: cow, pig, sheep...pitchfork, saddle, horseshoe, hay, milk, barn, tractor, etc..

FARM BUDDIES

Is similar to Who Am I?, but this time you whisper in each childs ear a name of a farm animal. Tell them that there is at least one other person that is the same animal as they are. Throughout the party they may ask each other yes and no questions to try to figure out who their "Farm Buddy" is. At the end of the party tell everyone to go sit by who they think their buddy is. Go over the clues with the kids until they figure it out and everyone is sitting next to the correct buddy.

BIRTHDAY DINNER

Players sit in a circle. The first player starts by saying, "At my birthday dinner I like to eat hamburgers". The next player must repeat "At my birthday dinner I like to eat hamburger..." and add another dish. This continues all the way around the circle with each player reciting the dishes in the exact order they have been given and then adding a new one. If a player makes a mistake they slide out of the circle and the game continues. The person left who can perfectly recite the birthday dinner menu wins.

FRUIT BASKET

Put chairs in a circle with one less chair than there are players. One person says, "I'm grateful for people with blue eyes". Everyone with blue eyes stands up and changes places. While everyone's scurrying for a chair a parent takes one away. The person left standing is out and the last person to sit down goes next..."I'm grateful for everyone who's wearing tennis shoes". Repeat.

BUTTON, BUTTON, WHO'S GOT THE BUTTON

A child is chosen to be "it" and hides her eyes as a button is given to a child to hide in his lap or behind his back. "It" then has three chances to guess which child has the item. (All children hide their hands in their laps/behind their backs like they have it.) For animal themes, select an item that goes with the animal, such as an animal figure. If you're doing a character theme like Cinderella it would be "Slipper, Slipper, Who's got the Slipper".

SCAVENGER HUNT

Scavenger hunts are a fun way to entertain kids at birthday parties. Rather than encouraging competitiveness between teams, have children work together to find all the items. Hide items in yard or designated rooms.

DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

Whatever the theme, substitute words from the theme for "duck" and "goose." (like "Pika, Pika, CHU" or "Scooby Scooby Scooby DOOO")

HOT POTATOE

You can use virtually any item for the "potato" for this old favorite. For character parties use a stuffed toy of the character.

RED ROVER

Divide players into two teams. Each team forms a line by holding hands and stretching themselves out. The two teams face each other and should be about 25 feet apart or more. Each side takes turns calling, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send (name) right over." At that signal, the player called, runs from his line and tries to break through the line of his/her opponents. If he breaks through, he can take one opponent back with him to his team. If he does not break through, he joins the other team. The team to add the most players wins.

CHARADES

Have one child come up to the front of the group and whisper the name of an animal, or something to do with your theme, to them. They then act out what the animal does. The rest of the kids try to guess the name of the animal.

WATER BALLOON VOLLEY BALL

You'll need lots of water balloons stored in a bucket full of water and towels for each pair of children. Divide children into two groups. Pair them off and give each pair a beach towel. One side begins by placing a water balloon in the center of their towel. Each child holds onto one two corners of the towel in their hands. The object is to toss the water balloon over the net with the opposing side catching the balloon in their towel. The volley continues until one side misses and the balloon breaks giving the other team a point. First team to 15 wins.
Variation: If you do not own a volleyball put two sets of pairs a distance apart and have them volley back and forth.
Variation for young children: Instead of beach towels use two large blankets. Divide into teams, each team member holds a part of the blanket. Toss the balloon back and forth between teams. Not too tough with a bit of team work.
Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains as they are choke hazards for young children.

FREEZE

Begin by playing music, everyone moves and dances until the music stops then they must "freeze" in whatever position they happen to be in.
Musical Chairs
For character themes based on movies or T.V. shows play music from the program and tape characters on each chair. You can also use themed wall cutout for basic themes, such as farm animals or cars and trucks.

POP-THE-BALLOON

All the children gather in a circle, holding hands. Everyone moves into the center and on the birthday child's mark begins blowing. The circle expands getting larger and larger until you can no longer hold hands and "POP" everyone falls down laughing. Toddlers and young children love it! Have each child grab a balloon at the same time and try to pop it.
Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains as they are choke hazards for young children.

BALLOON BUST RELAY

Purchase large balloons, stuff with a prize such as a whistle, then inflate and tie. You will need one balloon for each guest. Divide children into two teams and place each team behind the start line. At the other end of the room are the balloons. On your mark a child from each team runs to the other end of the room, grabs a balloon and sits on it, bounces on it, lays on it, anything they can do to make it pop.
When the balloon pops they collect their prize and run back to their teammates. The game continues until every child has retrieved their prize. If one team falls behind parents are allowed to help. Make sure you've g

TREASURE HUNT

Children do love to hunt for hidden prizes. Lollipops are a good substitute for thimbles and the game starts with the children hiding their eyes while the organiser hides the first item. The children are then allowed to open their eyes and search the room for the prize. Needless to say the finder keeps the prize and the children all hide their eyes again for round two. With a little ingenuity the children can be kept guessing for quite a while. It is also a good idea to hide one or two extra ones before the party starts. This way if you spot anyone peeping you can make a big show of hiding the lollipop in one location but in reality not hiding it at all. When the children do not find the prize they continue looking until they discover one of your previously hidden ones. If you are concerned about the children pulling your room to pieces in their excitement, you should lay down a few ground rules at the start such as: "no prizes will be hidden inside cupboards, priceless Ming vases" etc. You can even tell the children that there will always be a part of the prize visible so that they do not have to move or open anything. A good game for the start of the party.

MUSICAL BUMPS

The children jump up and down or dance to a jolly piece of music until you turn it off. They then have to sit down as fast as they can with the last one down being out. The last child left in the game is the winner.

MUSICAL STATUES

The children jump or dance to the music and when it is turned off they must stand as still as possible in whatever position they happen to be in. Anyone spotted moving is out and again the last child in the game wins. Make sure you keep the ones who are out occupied by sitting them down in front of you and giving them the "important" job of helping to judge the contest.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

A fun game but requiring both space and a sufficient supply of chairs. Well suited to parties in village halls or similar large rooms. Two rows of chairs are set out back to back, the total number of chairs being one less than the number of children. When the music is played the children parade around the chairs and when it stops they must try and sit down. Only one child per chair is allowed and the remaining child is out. The game continues with one chair being removed each time until a winner is found. To ensure that the ones who are out are kept occupied, sit them on the next chair to be removed so that they may watch and help to judge the contest. If space is at a premium try substituting cushions for chairs or even flat pieces of card which the children have to stand on when the music stops.

PASS THE PARCEL

Perhaps the most played of all party games. Prior to the party a parcel is prepared consisting of a main prize wrapped in multiple layers of paper. Each layer of paper may also contain a smaller token prize. The children all sit in a circle on the floor and when the music is played, the parcel is passed around the circle from child to child. Each time the music stops, the child who is holding the parcel may remove one wrapper. At this point they may also be asked to perform a forfeit such as singing a song, saying a rhyme, or telling a joke. If you are feeling inventive you can come up with many other simple forfeits (forfeits are not recommended if there are a large number of wrappers). The child then claims the prize wrapped in that layer and the game continues in similar vain until the last wrapper is removed and the main prize is won.

PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY

Still much enjoyed by children of all ages. Kits for this game can be fairly easily purchased in your local party shop. All you need is a fairly large picture of the donkey minus it's tail and a separate pin on or stick on tail. The picture is fixed to a pin board or similar and the children take it in turns to be blindfolded and attempt to fix the tail in the correct place on the donkey. The winner is the one who gets the closest and runner-up prizes can be presented to the others.

SIMON SAYS

The children all stand facing the organiser who asks them to duplicate his or her actions by saying "Simon Says do this" followed by the action (hands in the air, stand on one leg, touch your ear, etc). Any action preceded by the words "do this" without the "Simon Says" part are not to be duplicated. Each time a child performs a "do this" action they join the panel of judges until a winner is found. Variations on this theme include using the name "O'Grady" instead of Simon and, to make it really quick fire, the name can be dispensed with altogether using "do this" for the actions to be duplicated and "do that" for the no reaction ones.

SPIN THE BOTTLE

This is a variation on Pass The Parcel, an empty bottle being used to select children for forfeits. The guests sit in a circle and the bottle is placed on its side in the middle. The first spin is performed by the party organiser and when the bottle comes to a standstill whoever it is pointing to is asked to perform a forfeit for a prize. A good idea is to have a list of about ten forfeits which can range from simple counting exercises to song singing, etc. The children can be given a choice of number from one to ten and have to do the forfeit for that number.