Don’t all kids want to be a superhero? With the following party ideas, your birthday boy or girl can be one for their special day! I think I’ve mentioned before that I love throwing birthday parties for my kids. When they turned five, I threw what I call a “blow-out” party for both of them. Since, they are both fall babies, this was the last year with their pre-school friends. My son was really into superheroes and that was the theme he chose for his party. Following are all the fun details that we came up with.
Setting the Theme
The book I Want to be a Superhero by igloo books was the inspiration for the whole party. It was the jumping off point for the Superhero Academy theme, bright primary colors, activity ideas and food choices. The party was held at a local community center, which had a shelter for the food table, room for a bounce house and plenty of space for the superheroes to hone their superpowers.
Since the party was at an outside location, I focused my efforts on just one main table. I styled a festive snack table that held all of the themed elements to create a look that would delight the kiddos. We had masks and capes readily available to begin the process of creating a superhero identity, action figures and comic print-outs to set the scene and a few themed activities for them to complete their missions.
Invitation
I created an invitation that would set the stage for the whole party. I printed them at home, but you could also have them printed on-line or at a copy shop. I am by no means a graphic designer, but love creating all kinds of paper products. If you don’t want to print or create your own invitations, Superheroes is a very popular theme and you can find all kinds of cool options on-line and at party stores. Super Hero Academy Fillable Invitation
Dress the Part
Since Superhero Academy was the theme for the party, you have to look the part, right? To do this the kids created their own secret identity and costume. To create their identity they came up with their superhero name, which we had them or their parent write on a nametag that they put on a lanyard to wear around their neck.
They then decorated their costume. I purchased a mask and cape set from Oriental Trading and then cut shapes and letters out of felt with adhesive backing. The kids used the shapes and letters to create emblems for their cape and mask. Super Hero Academy Instructions, Name Badge & Food Labels
Activities
Since this was a party for five year old boys, we needed activities that would burn up some energy. Keeping with the superhero academy theme this is what we came up with:
- Vaporize a Villain – I printed out pictures of villains and taped them to black balloons that were anchored to the ground. We got a can of silly sting for each kiddo and they shot the silly string at the balloons. The boys loved the silly string, but it was a bit messy. You could also use water guns or Nerf guns.
- Find the Kryptonite in the Bat Cave – Yes, I know I’m mixing superheroes. There was a play-set at the park, that we titled the “Bat Cave”. I purchased green glow sticks and hid one for each boy in the play-set. After they all found a Kryptonite stick, which we attached to their lanyard, we let them continue playing on the play-set for a while.
- Mighty Muscles – This really was more of a photo op. Of course five year olds aren’t always cooperative, and not all the kiddos would pose, but the ones that did, the pictures turned out super cute! I crafted a barbell out of large foam balls and a dowel that I spray painted black. I then printed out 100 to put on each foam ball.
- Leap Tall Buildings – We rented a bounce house from a local party rental place and the boys practiced their take-offs, landings and stunts for a good bit of the party. Super Hero Academy Activity Signs
Desserts & Details
We were lucky that the shelter we used had tables and chairs available, so we did not need to bring them with us. In addition to the snack table, we had several round tables for people to sit at and eat. To decorate those tables I purchased plastic table cloths in bright colors of red, yellow, blue and green and then set my son’s action figures holding balloons on them as center pieces.
Setting the Table
Whether you’re hosting your party at home or at a location, setting up a central snack and dessert table can be ideal. It’s easy for the kids and parents to help themselves to snacks throughout the party. I drool over cute stylized dessert and snack tables. I always try to vary the heights of the food being served and create some cute labels to tie in the theme.
Superhero Snacks
All superheroes need a snack to keep their energy up. This is what we served:
- Star Sandwiches – Turkey sammies and cheese sammies cut with a star shaped cookie cutter.
- Energy Snacks – Pretzels
- Muscle M’s – M&Ms
- Super Hero Fruit Snacks
- Veggies of Virtue – Carrots and Celery with Ranch Dip
- Iced Sugar Cookies – Superman emblem with my son’s initial, black bats and blue 5s.
- Power Punch – Red Fruit Punch
- Bottled Water
After the presents were open and we sang Happy Birthday, cupcakes were served. Since it was an outdoor location, I did not want to mess with transporting and cutting a cake and there was no freezer to store ice cream.
Favors
For this party, I worked the favors into the activities. The lanyard, cape and mask were the main party favors. We also presented each boy with a certificate stating they graduated from Superhero Academy at the end of the party.
What are your tips for hosting a superhero themed party?
