(Age group : 5 – 14 years)
Art and Craft has always been my favourite pastime. So much so that even my son is inclined towards it, although in his own peculiar way. He keeps on making Avenger’s tools and weapons using just everything he can find. Cardboard, Jenga blocks, newspaper, tape, his Mechanix blocks. He even used wheat dough (atta) once to make ‘infinity stones’ out of it.
So, I used to wonder whether I can throw him an art themed party, but didn’t know whether his friends would be able to enjoy it or not. Luckily, we were invited to a party like this on his cousin’s birthday in 2017.
Their invite was supercool. I haven’t saved it, but it read “Come on!! Let’s put the ART in PARTY. Come dressed for a mess for Reyansh’s 7th Birthday!”
The party was fun for kids too. (including me). At times it got messy, but my sister was prepared beforehand. Disposable DIY aprons, plastic sheets for the floor, white disposable paper cloth for the table and lots of tissue paper. Also, she kept the art supplies handy which were used in the activities later. She also gave those art supplies as return gifts in a goody bag. Each kid was given a seperate, new kit and they got to take it home too. Cool.
Here is a list of all the activities she arranged along with some new ideas.
- Paint by numbers relay : Draw a big landscape or some animal on a chart paper and give each child a number. Start a timer. Kids have to run to the drawing and paint (crayons for younger kids) the blocks which have their assigned numbers, turn by turn. Only after 1 kid has finished 80% of his work, can the next kid start painting. This can be played in 2 teams or as a single event.
- Disposable paper craft : The only things needed are glue, disposable plates and colours. They have to make paper rat or fish or butterfly using these plates. You can see some videos here. The parts can be pre-cut and given to them or if there are older kids who can handle scissors, then they can cut the plates themselves.
- Ladyfinger and potato flower painting : this is specifically for toddlers.
- Paint a tattoo on your friend. The paints used must be easily washable. One can make any type of tattoo on their friend’s hands/arms or face. Let them be creative! This one can only be safe in the hands of tweens and teens.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
– Maya Angelou
- Stone art : All you need is stones and acrylic paints. Please watch some videos here https://youtu.be/l2wdqImOQwM for this activity.
- Dessert Fun : Kids can decorate their own cupcake using sprinklers, gems or confetti. These cupcakes and decorations are kept in local plastic paletts at each kid’s station. These can also be included in their return gifts.
- Dart Balloon Painting : This one is a keepsake but requires a little bit preperation beforehand. The darts may be unsafe for little kids so include this game only under adult supervision.
- Little artist guest book : This is a great momento for the birthday child and a reminder of all the fun memories.
- Free style painting : If you have some unused cardboard at hand, you can make these DIY easels for them to paint on.
You will find 1000s of art and craft ideas online for all age groups. Just be aware of the mess and what you can do to minimize it. For example, use 3 layers of paper cloth on the table. Once the kids have snacks, the top layer can be disposed off and you get a fresh clean table for art activities. Then you can remove the second layer, throw it away and you get another layer of clean table. So, it will be easier for you to clean. Aprons are a must unless you want the parents go nuts upon seeing their kid’s dress all painted upon. You can make aprons at home using newspaper (https://craftbits.com/project/newspaper-apron/).
For cool and not-so-expensive return gifts, you can view my return gifts blog post.
So, it’s my thumbs up for this theme. And I am definitely going to use it for my daughter’s birthday. So, which idea did you like the best? Please write in the comments below.