Throwing a Hawaiian Luau Party for Kids
When planning a party for kids, it is important to remember a few basics to help make your party a success. Plan ahead and make sure you send out invitations at least 2 weeks in advanced. These days most kids are so busy with activities, that sending invitations at the last minute, may lead to many kids not showing. Also, ask parents to RSVP by a certain date. Although you will most certainly have some kids that come and do not RSVP, and some who do RSVP and do not show, you can get a good general idea. When setting the time for your bash, think about naptimes. This is especially important when planning a party for little kids. Also, remember that kids do not need many guests. This can get impersonal and hard to manage. The general rule of thumb is one kid per year of age of the party child. So, if your child is turning four, then four is a good amount of guest. It is not always possible to do this, but is just a guideline to help you plan.
Hawaiian Invitations: It is fun for kids to be in on making handmade party invitations. Of course, you can always find theme-related store bought invitations if you do not have the time for making them. One neat idea is to make a “message in a bottle” invitation. Start collecting small plastic water bottles to be the bottle. Make sure the bottles are thoroughly washed and the labels are removed. You can then create an invitation on plan white paper. If you want to get really creative, use off-white paper and tear or burn the edges to give it an old look. Either use a computer program or handwrite the details of the party including the date, time, place and contact information. Let the invitees know that it will be a Hawaiian themed party by including something like, “Hula on over for a great time”. Also, ask the guest to wear Hawaiian or beach attire. Roll the invitations up very tightly and place in the bottle. You can even include a little bit of sand and small seashells in the bottle for added effect. If you want to mail these bottles, you will need extra postage.
Decorations: Decorating for a luau is the best part of planning the party. Use a beach related color scheme, such as blue, yellow and green. Anything bright will add warmth to the d�©cor. If you are having a summer party or one out by the pool, you will not need too many decorations to set the theme. However, you can add paper lanterns, bamboo tiki torches, potted (or artificial) palm trees and lots of grass table skirts. One of the best times to plan a luau is right after the summer is over. You can find great bargains on clearance items that relate to the beach/Hawaiian theme.
Party Favors: There are several fun and easy ideas you can incorporate into the party favors for your Hawaiian party. Give each person a hula skirt and flower lei. Check around at the dollar stores in your area for these items. Also, items like sunglasses, bubbles, pail and shovel; seashells and goldfish crackers are great party favors. When you give a luau, think summer! Anything that is summer related goes hand in hand with a Hawaiian themed party.
Crafts: Kids love to make crafts and a birthday party is a perfect time to get them busy. The possibilities are endless when you are planning a Hawaiian luau party for kids. One fun idea is to let them make their own flower leis. Purchase inexpensive flowers from a craft store and pull them apart from the stems. Then, cut bright colored drinking straws into one inch long pieces. Give each child a length thin twine or kite string along with a thick plastic needle. These can be purchased at any store that carries knitting and quilting supplies. Have them alternately thread the straws and flowers on the twine. You might want to consider putting a large knot or piece of tape at the end so that the flowers do not fall off as they are threading.
Another fun craft you can make at a Hawaiian luau is a picture frame. Buy inexpensive plastic frames and let them decorate the edges with flowers, shells or beach-themed foam shapes. Take each child’s picture with the birthday child and they have a neat reminder of the party!
Games: Games are always the highlight of the party. Whether or not you give prizes to the winners will be up to you. If you decide to do this, consider filling a pail with small prizes such as sunglasses, bubbles, plastic fish or inflatable beach balls. Make sure you have enough for everyone. No child likes to be left out! Some good games that the kids will love when throwing a Hawaiian luau are limbo, and pin the coconut on the palm tree. All kids love playing limbo. Have some lively music going and they will be entertained forever. Pin the coconut on the palm tree is of course, a variation of pin the tail on the donkey. Make a large paper palm tree to hang on the wall and then cut brown circles out of construction paper. Mark an “x” on the place where the coconut should be for the winner.
Another game that can settle the kids down at the end of the party is “pass the coconut”. This is similar to hot potato. Have the kids sit in a circle and play music. When the music stops, whoever is holding the coconut is out. Continue until there is only one child left.
Food: When kids are having a good time at a party, most of them really do not want to take the time to slow down to eat. If you are not having the party at a mealtime, then you can serve cake and ice cream. If you prefer to have other snacks, consider making fruit kabobs. You can even make a pretty presentation by threading the fruit on skewers and placing them on pineapples. Any fruit will work, but tropical fruits such as grapes, kiwi, strawberries and mango are perfect for a Hawaiian luau.
You can have a successful Hawaiian luau anytime of the year with these helpful tips. You can be certain that your child and his or her guests will have a great time!
