It doesn’t have to be difficult to throw your nephew or niece the birthday party of their dreams. You might have always wished to be a cool aunt or uncle. After all, you adore your sibling, and they are related to you, so of course, their child will be a wonderful human being.
The day you became an uncle/aunt, you realized it’s much better than you could have imagined, especially when coming up with creative ways to celebrate your niece’s or nephew’s birthday. That’s when you let your imagination run wild.
Here are some creative birthday party ideas for your niece or nephew.
Backyard Olympics
Adults and children will bond over some healthy competition. Set up several games (three to five will suffice), divide the guests into teams, and make your scoreboard. Once a winner has been determined, hold an impromptu award ceremony, making sure to have rewards on hand for the winning team.
Kids’ Painting Party
A paint party could be ideal if your nephew or niece enjoys being creative. Painting is beneficial to children’s emotional well-being and self-confidence and is enjoyable. For a kids ‘ painting party, you’ll need a canvas, acrylic paints, an easel, aprons, brushes, and painting instructions.
Of course, you can set up the kids’ mini workstations and leave them to it. You can also use them to paint with! Painting is also a good stress reliever for parents, aunts, uncles, and caregivers.
Summer Garden Party
Take advantage of the summer heat and set up a formal meal in the middle of a local park or your garden if you’re celebrating a summer birthday. We like the thought of putting the seating flat on the ground to make it feel like a fancy picnic (check out these fun ideas for a picnic party!). Don’t forget about the cafe lights, which provide the perfect glow.
Pokemon Party
Pokemon is a popular theme among both girls and boys. And because it is based on just a few simple colors—red, black, and white—it is relatively inexpensive to realize.
Supervised Food Fight
Do your niece or nephew fantasize about having a food fight like in their favorite movie? Will you host some “raucous” kids who enjoy getting dirty? A monitored food fight could be the ideal birthday party activity.
To ensure a safe, mildly destructive food fight with simple cleanup, prepare an indoor space with floor and wall coverings while removing any furniture. Invite guests to wear clothes they don’t mind getting dirty in or provide disposable gloves and ponchos for everyone.
Set some ground rules, such as throwing softly, only from a certain distance, and instantly stopping if someone says “Stop.” This birthday party idea is best suited to older children for these reasons.
Provide foods that will not cause too much pain for the food fight. Consider liquid or soft foods such as ice cream, marshmallows, mashed potatoes, or juice. Make sure to inquire about any food allergies.
Give each child a set amount of food, turn on some music, and let them loose! A food fight does not have to have a “winner.” If you’re playing with a group of kids and want to make the game more competitive, you can declare that the participant with the least food on them when the song ends wins.
Candy Olympics
Searching for an indoor birthday celebration idea that offers great prizes and a lot of fun? Consider organizing the Candy Olympics. This is a one-of-a-kind party game ideal for your little candy or sports fans (bonus points if it happens during the actual Winter or Summer Olympic Games).
The Candy Olympics are frequently comprised of three candy-themed games. Station concepts include:
- Bobbing for marshmallows: Compete to see who can get the most marshmallows out of the bowl using only their mouths. (Use individual bowls to keep the games safe and sanitary.)
- Licorice relay race: Create a relay race using licorice as a baton. Depending on how big your indoor space is, this could be long or short.
- Smarties chopstick challenge: See who can grab the most Smarties with chopsticks and place them in a bucket or bowl across the room!
Consider bringing in a piñata for a “closing ceremony.” Then, they can make their goodie bags using the candy they’ve collected.
This activity keeps children engaged because they’re doing various tasks that don’t take long, and there’s candy — what kid doesn’t like candy? Although some supervision is required, cleanup and setup are minimal.
Candy, bowls, chopsticks, and winner’s medals are all required for this event.
S’mores Party
If the weather permits, host a backyard bonfire with a S’mores bar. Set out different flavors of Graham crackers, various types of chocolate, and large, puffy marshmallows. Is there no campfire? No problem. Try an indoor camp theme, complete with an electric S’mores maker.
Hula Hoop Contest
Looking for a way to channel your nephew or niece’s energy? A hula hooping competition is a good place to begin. Kids will vie to see who can keep the hula hoop moving the longest, and if their hoop touches the ground, they are out. The winner is the last child to hula hoop.
This is an excellent game if you have a lot of space and a small to medium-sized batch of kids. Keep in mind the age group, as a group of four-year-olds may not be as keen on (or skilled at) hula hooping as a group of eleven-year-olds.
Do you have a group of hula hooping kids? You can make the game more difficult by calling out instructions like “Hop!” or “Stand on one foot” every couple of minutes. You can also hold several rounds with difficult twists to extend the game and create more winners.
The only equipment for this game is a pair of hula hoops, which you can purchase cheaply in stores or online. You can also play music during the contest to make it more exciting and help kids keep time.
Pool Party
Nothing beats a classic pool party on a hot summer day, especially with many fun floats. And it turns out that you can make a splash even if you don’t have your pool—these days, you can probably rent one through websites. Not exactly hot? You can also get inflatable pools and use them as drink holders in your living room (add ice and beverages!)
After planning and executing your chosen birthday party idea, you, being the party organizer, get to wish your nephew or niece a happy birthday. Here are 111 happy birthday wishes for your niece that can help!
Also, if you need ideas on what games to play, you may check out our Guide to Picking Fun Games for Birthday Parties for the best tips and tricks.