Give Your Kid a Great Hawaiian Luau Birthday Party
Children’s birthday parties, while fun, can also be a real stress for parents. Coming up with a ‘theme’ that hasn’t been overdone can be difficult. Luau parties are great for people of all ages, but can be especially fun for children. Imagining an escape to a tropical island is always fun, and can be easily (and inexpensively) done. Below are some ideas to make your child’s luau party a blast!
Bright colors and flowers make the best luau decorations. Comb the local dollar stores and you will find lots of brightly colored tablecloths, banners, plates, and knickknacks to make your event ultra-Hawaiian. Plan to have your party outdoors and hang up as many colorful items as you can find. Have your child make a large sign saying “Name’s Luau”, and hang it at the entrance. Tiki torches can be gotten very cheaply- forget putting candles in unless you are sure the children are old enough to avoid them- and used to make a ‘path’ to area of the party. Large, colorful paper lanterns (once again, for decor only- no need to actually put on lights) provide a bright, festive atmosphere. Use lawn chairs for a ‘beach’ atmosphere, and put the drinks in a large metal bucket (or small watering trough). Large paper umbrellas make great decor, along with providing shade. Use toothpick umbrellas for drinks.
There are a wide variety of games to play at a Luau party. Any game can be converted into a Hawaiian theme- just be creative.
Pin the Coconut on the Coconut Tree: Paint a Palm Tree on a tall sheet of paper (make it a little bit taller than the oldest child’s reach). Then paint/draw as many coconuts as there are children. Cut them out and affix tape to the back. Blindfold the kids, spin, and see where the coconuts end up.
Limbo: Forget holding the stick- make an easy stand-alone limbo, blast some music and join in the fun. You will need three dowel rods (approx. 1 in each). In two dowel rods, pound nails in every two-three inches. Make sure the nails line up fairly well on each rod. Insert the rods into two five-gallon buckets filled with sand. Decorate the other rod, and you have an inexpensive limbo system!
Flower Leis: Let the kids make their own flower leis. All you need is string, straws (cut into one-inch sections), and something to make flowers out of. You could use silk flowers, tissue papers, crepe paper, or even fresh flowers (carnations are great, and cheap).
Grass Skirts: The kids can also make grass skirts out of tissue paper or brown wrapping paper (depending on how sturdy you want them). Simply fold a few pieces into a long strip to go around the waist. Then tie or glue long strips onto the waist. Kids (especially girls) will love having a long, swishing grass skirt.
Hula Dancing: Turn on some fun music (Hawaiian, or child’s favorites) and let the kids show you how it’s done!
For a child’s birthday luau, simple food is generally best. If you want more than cake and ice cream, cut up fresh fruit- especially pineapple- and have it sitting in bright dishes or cleaned out fruit shells. If you choose to make a cake, be sure to follow through on the luau theme. Beach cakes are incredibly simple to make- ice the cake ocean-blue, and crush up some graham crackers for sand. If you have daughters, you probably have all you need to decorate with. Use a beach Barbie surfboard, have the little babies playing on sand- take a look a your kids small toys and you will be amazed at how professional you can make your cake look!
Pinata’s, while not necessarily Hawaiian, are really popular at kids parties. You can make a pinata yourself, but it can be difficult to make a large one. And it is very hard to make it look like you want it to. If you have the time, think about making each child a small, pineapple pinata of their very own. You will need to start about a week before the party, in order to let it dry properly. To make, simply cover a medium sized balloon with paper mache (newspaper strips dipped in a flour/water mixture), leaving a hole for candy on top. Apply two -four layers, letting them dry completely in between. Spray paint brown, and cover in one-inch, fringed sections of yellow tissue paper. Put some green tissue paper near the hole, insert candy, and stuff the hole with a lei or flower. Give out instead of gift bags- it is a lot more work, but he kids will enjoy having their own pinata. Just try not to cry when they throw them down to bust them!
The most important part of having a successful birthday luau is making sure the kids (and their parents!) have fun! Get creative, and be sure to have your camera ready- with a party like this, there are sure to be some can’t-miss moments!
