We made it through the busy holiday season and burst right into a busy new year with back to back birthday parties. I was so excited when one of our favorite clients contacted us about planning an Olympic theme party for her son’s birthday. We’ve done some sports themes and obstacle courses but never the Olympic theme idea. I love brainstorming new parties, all the games and decorations! I get a little obsessive about researching and really creating something cool and different.
A rented rec center gymnasium gave us ample space to really spread out the games. I decorated round tables with primary color tablecloths, and centerpieces with stacked boxes and signs with the birthday boys party logo design. I layered white plates over larger red, blue, and green plates for the settings and scattered the tables with gold trophies and medals.
The snack table (labeled the refueling station) featured lots of goodies for the kids to munch on. Bowls of trail mix, pretzels, and goldfish were Gold Medal Goodies. Ice cream cones with popcorn were Competitors Crunch. I made little labels for the water bottles also.
The party started with Registration. I designed t shirts with the birthday boys name in the Olympic rings and “2012 Birthday Challenge.” Each guest got a t shirt and then we assigned them to a team (red, blue, or green) and gave them a nametag. After everyone was in uniform we introduced the coaches for each team.
Each team had to complete a list of challenges: Long Jump, Discus Throw, 40 Yard Dash, Ribbon Twirling, Goal for the Gold and finally Bob Sled. We took the highest score or best time and posted the winning team for each competition on a scoreboard.
We ended the party with an Awards Ceremony. Each child was given a medal, a trophy and a certificate. The party was a big hit and everyone really loved all the challenges. Plus, it was so much fun watching the kids really get into some of the games, working together to create a ribbon twirling routine or keep their teammate on the “bobsled”—skateboard! Lol!
