Anything cold is an obvious choice for a penguin party.  Ice cream is a perfect idea; chocolate coated bars will work well.

For drinks, serve milkshakes along with cool straws; have the straws double as take-home party favors.

Or freeze a dome shaped block of ice using a plastic mixing bowl; when water is completely frozen, turn it out of the bowl and use a butter knife or a kitchen mallet to chip it and create an iceberg shape (adults ONLY for this duty, please). Float the finished iceberg in some punch. Add small ice chips around the area of the iceberg.

Peppermint and other wintry candies will be a huge hit. Peppermint gum is the yum for kids over the age of four. Gumdrops and rainbow-flavor/decorated candies are delicious, too, and fit your winter wonderland theme perfectly.

For the cake, frost two tiers in white icing. Draw a water slide down one side of the cake over both tiers using blue icing or blue decorating gel. Place novelty plastic miniature penguins along the slide or your scene.

Chill out and have some fun!

For other ideas for a penguin party theme click here for invitations and decor and here for party activities.

From Chris Molnar, Winnipeg, Canada. Chris is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com.

Let kids make penguin t-shirts. A few days before the party, buy inexpensive black shirts at your local dollar store or thrift shop, or purchase white undershirts/t-shirts and dye them black (follow the directions exactly and make sure to run an empty load through afterward to remove the last of the dye). At the party, have the kids glue on a white felt penguin belly to the front of each shirt with water-resistant permanent craft glue. Glue  a black bowtie to the neck of each shirt and you’re done

Set up an “igloo” using a white sheet draped across chairs or, even better, soft furniture in case kids bump into one another as they take turns playing inside.

Have a Penguin Beanbag Bowling competition. Set up emptied, thoroughly cleaned and dried aluminum cans on one side of the room (decorate these ahead of time if you wish with glitter; be sure to file down any rough edges on the cans).

A few feet away, have kids line up and toss plush penguin toys to try to knock down all the cans. Or cut a penguin shape out of felt, fill with sand or beans and glue the edges together with craft glue and use that as the “bowling ball” bean bag.

Let kids cut out their own fun snowflakes to take home.

Snowball toss: Line guests up in pairs across from one another. Have them toss a styrofoam ball back and forth (one snowball for each pair). When a ball is dropped, that pair is “out.”

To wind down the party, play Happy Feet, an episode of Penguins of Madagascar or March of the Penguins in your DVD player. So this isn’t a completely passive activity, have print outs of penguin coloring pages so they color while awaiting their parents.

For other ideas for a penguin party theme click here for invitations and decor and here for party food.

From Chris Molnar, Winnipeg, Canada. Chris is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com.

Whatever the weather outdoors — even if it’s the height of summer — you’ll want to create an arctic getaway-style feel for your child’s penguin party. These ideas will get the (snow)ball rolling:

Place a blue plastic tablecloth on the floor of the party area for an icy water effect. Be sure to have kids walk on it in either bare feet or sneakers only – little socks may be slippery on plastic and could cause spills.Print out images of ice floes or draw them free-hand and cut out each shape.

Cut pieces of aluminum foil to fit the bottom 1/3 of each floe and glue on. Hang the finished decorations on the walls of the party area using removable double-sided tape.

Choose paper or plastic plates, cups and napkins that have a winter, Arctic and/or penguin theme. Winter season type embellishments and decor are also perfect; try some winter holiday motifs.

Sprinkle white styrofoam/polystyrene packing peanuts on the tabletop to imitate snow. White, silver and blue glitter is another “cool” idea.

Let your child help you cut out easy, beautiful paper snowflakes. Hang them from the ceiling with silver or white ribbon. (This idea can double as a party activity; see below). Also, decorate your walls with ice flow add-ons.

For party invitations, look for free invitation templates online that feature penguins, icebergs, polar bears, etc.

Print from your home printer and cut to the specific shape if desired. Print the party information on the inside of each invite if it is a fold-over, or on the front if it’s a single sheet.

Add a catchy phrase or two, such as “Waddle you be doing next week end? How about chilling out with us at (location) on (date) from (party start to end time)?”

Finally, dab each invitation with glue and sprinkle on some blue glitter.

For other ideas for a penguin party theme click  here for party activities and here for party food.

From Chris Molnar, Winnipeg, Canada. Chris is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com.

If you don’t have a garden but do have an outside patio or slab of concrete, you can garden in pots, buckets or other containers.

A favourite with the children will be strawberries.  If the children help you plant strawberries, don’t plan on using them for dessert or to make jam.  Most of the juicy berries will disappear down small throats as soon as they ripen.

This is the beauty of having the children helping you prepare the garden – they will realise where their food comes from.  They may even start to make connections with meat, milk and eggs for example.

Sunflowers also provide a quick result that is so important for kids in the garden. If you sow sunflowers from seed you’ll only have about a week or so of ‘Have they grown yet?’

Gargamel, an inept local wizard, hated their happiness, and his flea-bitten cat and sidekick Azrael (who was, indeed kicked to the side a lot) was forever hopeful that he could capture and eat one of them.

Smurfette is the only female Smurf, and even as a kid, I wondered why that was? Then there was their la la la-la la la theme song.

Yes, I own the first two seasons of the cartoon, and I got my kids hooked on them. In fact, they’ve taken all my little Smurf figurines as toys, and won’t give them back!

Chris Molnar is delighted that Smurfs are back and has designed a Smurf’s theme party that you can use with your children for the next birthday party.

You can find a local cooking school, a health store that specializes in this, or even a food preparation business that host children’s classes. Some places have a special program for hosting birthday parties. Just be sure that the organizer and instructor is well versed in dealing with and teaching children.

Choose a dish that’s easy enough for them to cook and one that appeals to even the pickiest kid. Try for a chicken dish, pizza or a hamburger if the owner can accommodate that. Then you take them to the cooking source, give them a bit of instruction, introduce them to food tastes textures and facts, and let the cooking fun begin!

By Chris Molnar from Winnipeg, Canada. Chris is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com

If you want a fun and memorable theme for a party, then let them cook! So long as they are the right age and you come up with a delectable treat that is easy enough to make, the kids will love them. The most important part of a kids cooking party is preparation so think it through and then let the kids cook and enjoy their first big meal.

Getting Ready

The most important part of a kids cooking party is that you get everything prepared. You will likely have to do the chopping the night before as you don’t want to leave that much work for them. You want them to feel involved and let them create their own culinary masterpiece, but you do want to do some of the preparation work ahead of time to make it easy and enjoyable.

You also want to be sure that each child gets their own little station that they can put things together and then get everything ready to cook. Divide the ingredients and the supplies into equal parts so that each child has what they need to create. Then set up little stations so that with your instruction they can get ready. With the right food and a bit of instruction, kids can really enjoy cooking and have a fun party!

A True Pizza Party

Kids love pizza, they absolutely adore it! This means that it works well as the theme of a party and of course the delectable masterpiece that they will create. You can give each of them their own blob of dough to start with here. Let them roll it out and stretch it to get it just right for the toppings. Let them have their practice with the rolling pin and feel the dough so that they get a feeling for the texture.

Then, let the fun begin! Have them scoop on their own tomato sauce, just to their liking. Then comes the cheese and with both of these things there is no right or wrong – let them throw on as much or as little sauce and cheese as they like. Give them loads of different toppings to play with and use, and encourage them to have fun with it, like making a smiley face with toppings.

This type of activity is also perfect for a party with a theme – for instance, if it’s an Elmo birthday party, you can easily made his face as the pizza – add mushrooms and the cut ends of black olives for his eyes, mushrooms for his nose, and strips of bacon or pepperoni for his mouth!

Offer up favorites like pepperoni, ham, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and throw in some different things like olives and carrots. Then each child takes their turn at putting their own little pizza on a baking sheet or pizza stone, with your help.

When they come out it’s time to smell, eat, and enjoy! Get pictures of their little pizzas and the fun that they had putting them together.

Pasta, Pasta, Everywhere

Kids love spaghetti because it’s such fun to eat and yet so yummy too! So if you want to get them set up for some culinary fun, let them make their own delicious pasta dish. You can let the kids take turns at throwing different types of noodles into the hot water, just be sure that you supervise with this step.

You can prepare the sauce ahead of time but just let them take turns at stirring it and seeing it bubble. Then set up a fun pasta bar where they can create their own yummy pasta dish. Have out a few sauces such as marinara, meat sauce, and Alfredo to please any taste.

Cook up a few different types of pasta, and separate them in different bowls. Once cooled a bit, let them build their owl meal. Some suggested types of pasta include long angel hair, curly rotini, exotic seashells and fun bowties. They then get to put on their own toppings such as olives, meat crumbles, veggies like peppers and carrots, and of course a couple types of cheese.

A pasta party is sure to please and yet it’s so easy to do!

For other children’s party ideas try a cupcake making party or going to a cooking classroom.

From Chris Molnar, Winnipeg, Canada. Chris is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com.

Then let the kids watch as the cupcakes bake up to perfection in the oven. In the meantime, show them different frostings and sprinkles, read a book on baking, or sing to some songs.

Once the little gems have cooled, remove from the pan and place in a freezer for five minutes. Then they can decorate their own cupcakes. Have out frostings in varieties like chocolate, white, strawberry, and funfetti. Put out sprinkles, candies, sparkles, and gel frosting that they can write on the cupcake with. This is delicious, super easy and they will love to create their own tasty cupcake!

By Chris Molnar from Winnipeg, Canada. Chris is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com

This isn’t a party for a family member, but rather a party for a friend at daycare or preschooler. They are old enough and independent enough to have made their own friends, whether or not you know their family.

So what are you to do as a parent? You may feel as though your world as you know it is suddenly different, as you may not know the proper etiquette. Fortunately there are some very standard things to expect, and some things that you may want to keep in mind….just in case!

Find Out the Format

It’s so important to both you and your child to find out the format and the flow of the party. If you don’t know the parent that’s hosting it, then make it a point of calling and introducing yourself.

It can be really helpful to know if adults are invited along with their kids. Is there the expectation that you are supposed to be there with your child, and you just drop them off? Alternatively, if it’s a party at a special place such as a bowling alley or the movies and it’s meant only for the kids, your presence may not be required.

For smaller kids, say age 3-5, you will likely stay with your child – after all, if this is their first party, and it’s additionally at a stranger’s house, it may overwhelm them (and you!) The party host or hostess will certainly accommodate you, especially if you let them know ahead of time.

Managing Your Expectations

While you may be beside yourself thinking of your child walking into the world of big kid parties, they are likely not going to make a big deal out of it. So before you go wild with worry or anticipation, be honest and realistic in your expectations of the big event.

You do want to be realistic about how your child may act at the birthday party. If they have separation anxiety or tend to be on the shy side, then prepare yourself that they may act out a bit or may wish to stay with you.

Younger children (3 and 4) may not yet understand that the birthday gifts are not for them, so be ready for minor “gimmies.” This would be a good time to teach them about gift-giving, and make comparisons to their own birthday party.

If you need to leave but your child is unsure, stay for ten or fifteen minutes, and your child will likely begin to interact with the other kids. Encourage them along the way and let them know that you’ll be there as soon as the party is over – be sure that they are aware that you are only a phone call away, and that this is a happy and fun occasion.

With my own 4-year old daughter, she insisted I stay. As the room was small and no other parents remained, I stayed for about twenty minutes, and by then she was deep into a party craft. I let her know that I would “be back soon,” and she had no problems when I left. (Heck, I’m not sure if she noticed!)

If they act up a lot, make them aware that they must be on their best behavior, and that when you are not around, he or she must listen to the parent or adult hosting the party. It’s important that kids of all ages know that attending a party is a privilege and not an expectation on their part.

Dress the Part and Come Bearing Gifts

Be sure that you dress your child for the occasion. You don’t want them to be the most casual child there, but you don’t want to overdress them either. Dress them for the occasion, and if they are going to get dirty or be playing outside, then plan accordingly. Kids want to blend in, especially when they are attending their first party of this type.

Be sure that you also send them with a nice gift. While you don’t want to spend an unreasonable amount of money, you do want it to show that you put some thought into it. This may set a precedent for future parties that your child is invited to, so be sure that the gift is generous without going overboard.

With a bit of planning and some careful thought, you can make your child’s first friend birthday party a great success, and sets their behavior and expectations up for future celebrations.

Chris Molnar is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com, and is getting ready for a Yo Gabba Gabba party for his eldest.

Children love to receive goody bags. They are happy with just about anything…the hardest part is to find items that are age appropriate. Be sure to always read the packaging on each item to determine what is safe.

For some ideas on Goody Bag Fillers, check out what Chris Molnar from Winnipeg, Canada suggests.  Chris is a writer, proud Dad of two preschool kids, and contributes theme party ideas to various websites. He is editor of Themeaparty.com