Kids’ Pirate Theme Party

Is your 7-11 year old going Pirates crazy this summer due to a recent release of that swashbuckling Disney sequel? Why not indulge their fantasies by throwing a “Pirates of (Your City or Street Name Here) Party”. Birthdays are a good excuse for a party but so is no reason!

Here are some ideas to get you started. Then, let your imagine and your child’s take hold.

1.Invitations: take coffee filters (used are best!) stained with real coffee or black tea to give an old look; let them dry; type your invitation details on the computer using fonts like Herculanum or matura mt script. Be sure your filters are no more than 8 inches wide (trim if necessary), then run them through your computer’s printer. Role up and tie with thin red or gold ribbon. Drop off at the party-goers’ homes.

2.Arrival: Greet party-goers with a bandana, eye-patch and beaded necklace for them to wear and move into the spirit of the day

3.Treats:

a.a bowl of red punch with slices of citrus and ice cubes floating inside; cover coffee mugs with aluminum foil for authentic looking Pirates’ goblets

b.a sheet cake (or individual cupcakes) with hidden treasures (Hint: bake the cake, let it cool, carefully turn it over, poke holes from the bottom and insert plastic rings, gold coins, mini skulls,fun jewels, etc. – from your favorite party store) covered with blue icing then some chocolate frosting in the shape of an island with cocktail umbrellas and other trinkets decorated to look like a Pirate’s Island Paradise (let your child do this!)

c.buckets of munchies (popcorn, candies, chips, grapes, etc.); you can purchase inexpensive plastic sand pails at dollar stores (also look in the candles section for little metal ones); place the mini buckets of munchies in larger bowls or planters filled with sand (from the beach or purchase sand at a toy store or hardware store)

4.Activities:

a.Treasure hunt: use your imagination to fit your own home or yard’s landscape; treasures don’t need to be buried, they can be hidden inside objects, hung from above. There are two kinds of hunts:

i.Give each child a list of items they must find with some clues as to an area to look for them; this way you can put specific items down making sure every child finds an equal amount of treasure; you can tell the kids that the person who finds the one untold hidden treasure will be Pirate King or Queen for the day (create or buy a simple crown decorated with fun jewels)

ii.Put kids in teams with a treasure map that will lead them to one big treasure. The team who gets there first will receive a special prize (chocolate gold coins, crowns, jeweled necklaces, etc.). Bury or hide a box (which your little host can decorate in advance) filled with prizes (candies, mini skulls, beaded necklaces, jewels and rings, other fun shiny trinkets – pirates love shiny things!).

5.Music: during the party, play music from the movie or other Caribbean style sounds to get everyone in the swashbuckling spirit; you could even use the music to play a version of musical chairs, but first let your party-goers decorate a Pirate Flag to attach to a chair.

a.Flag: all you need is a stick or dowel (from a hardware store), old bed sheets cut into small rectangles or triangles, fabric or poster paint or permanent markers. Just let your guests go nuts creating a fun flag which they can take home after the party.

Well, I’m sure those are enough ideas for you and your little pirates to get started creating a fun adventure. If you use these ideas and modify them for your child’s age or gender, please let me know what you did. A big part of creativity is collaboration! Ahoy and good luck!