A theme makes a party easier to plan, not harder: it decides the colour of the balloons, the character on the cake and which game becomes the treasure hunt. Here are twenty themes sorted by age, what each one requires, and a template for invitation cards your child can make themselves in a quarter of an hour.
Children's party themes have gone from a character on the cake to full-scale productions, and that is a shame, because the point of a theme is to avoid having to choose. Decide on a colour, a character and one game, and the rest follows. Here are the themes that work for real children in a real flat.
How to choose a theme
Ask your child, but give two options, not an open question. A four-year-old who gets a free choice names something that cannot be done, and changes their mind the day before. Two options you already know you can manage give an answer you can keep. For children under three, you choose. And choose something that can cope with rain, because it will rain.
2 to 4 years: colours and animals
| Theme | All you need |
|---|---|
| Yellow, or another colour | Balloons, tablecloth and cake in the same colour. Done. |
| Farm | Plastic animals on the table, an animal parade as the game, a bun shaped like a pig |
| The sea | Blue tablecloth, a fishing game, ghost bananas as mermaids |
| Cars | Toy cars on the cake, a road on the floor made of tape |
| Bears | Everyone brings their teddy, a teddy bears' party with tiny cups |
5 to 7 years: characters and worlds
| Theme | All you need |
|---|---|
| Pirates | Eye patches cut from black paper, a treasure hunt, snake bread |
| Princesses and knights | Paper crowns, a dragon made from a sheet, a cupcake castle cake |
| Space | Silver balloons, stars on the ceiling, rockets made from toilet rolls |
| Dinosaurs | Plastic dinosaurs, an egg hunt (plastic eggs in the garden), a volcano cake |
| Superheroes | Paper masks, an obstacle course, every child gets a superpower |
| Jungle | Green balloons, monkeys made from bananas, an animal-sounds game |
| Unicorns | Rainbow cake, paper horns, glitter everywhere (you have been warned) |
8 to 12 years: activities
| Theme | All you need |
|---|---|
| Escape room | Five riddles, a combination lock, a box. Our 100 riddles for kids with answers, sorted by age is enough. |
| Spa | Yoghurt face masks, cucumber slices, calm music, nail polish |
| Disco | A dark room, coloured lights, the children's playlist, guess the song |
| Baking | Everyone decorates their own cupcake or gingerbread biscuit and takes it home |
| Detective | A mystery in the flat: who took the cake? Clues in every room |
| Sports | The park, football, relay races, medals made of gold paper |
| Film | Home cinema with popcorn, the children choose the film, blankets on the floor |
| Sleepover | From age nine, four guests at most, and expect nobody to sleep |
Three things, not ten
A theme needs to show in three places: the invitation, the cake and one game. That is all. The pirate party does not need pirate napkins, pirate balloons, pirate cups and a pirate flag in the window. It needs eye patches when the children arrive, a treasure hunt in the middle and a cake with a flag in it. Everything else is money and time that none of the guests will notice. And the children who come have a party of their own in three weeks with a different theme, so nothing needs to be kept.
| Spend the time on | Skip |
|---|---|
| One game that fits the theme | Decorations in every room |
| Something the children can wear when they arrive | Bought costumes for everyone |
| The cake, or cupcakes in the right colour | Themed food for lunch |
| An invitation your child made themselves | Printed cards with envelopes |
The invitation card your child makes themselves
- Fold a sheet of A4 in half, one per guest.
- Your child draws the theme on the front: a pirate, a unicorn, a car. Every card is allowed to be different.
- You write the text on the inside, or print it out and your child glues it in.
- Your child writes their name underneath, with whatever spelling comes out.
- Into the pigeonholes at förskola (municipal preschool, from age one), two weeks before.
Allow a quarter of an hour for five cards and half an hour for ten, and do them in two sittings if your child is under five. The last card is always the worst drawn, and it does not matter. A card drawn by the child tells the guest that this is a real party, at a real child's home, and that is what makes a six-year-old keep it in their drawer.
The wording
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| Heading | Party! |
| Who | Alma is turning 6 |
| When | Saturday 14 March, 14:00 to 16:00 |
| Where | Storgatan 12, entrance B, third floor |
| Siblings and parents | Siblings are welcome. Parents are free to leave, there will be three adults. |
| RSVP | Reply by 7 March to Alma's mum, 070-123 45 67 |
| Allergies | Let us know if your child does not eat something |
The same text goes in the parents' group chat the same day the cards go into the pigeonholes. Add a line about the theme if guests are meant to wear something, and say that it is not needed rather than that it is: there is always a child who does not have a pirate costume, and that child should not feel it in the hallway.
Timeline from two weeks before
| When | Do |
|---|---|
| Two weeks before | Cards in the pigeonholes, the text in the group chat |
| One week before | RSVP day. Remind those who have not replied. Count guests. |
| A few days before | Buy what keeps: balloons, paper, the things for the game |
| The day before | Bake or buy the cake, wrap the fishing game prizes, prepare the treasure hunt |
| The same morning | Balloons, tablecloth, move anything breakable, collect an extra adult |
Food, snacks and cake have a guide of their own on Children's party food, fika and cake, and the games are in our collection of Party games for kids by age. The whole plan from start to finish, with times and the number of adults, is in Children's birthday party at home.
How we do it with our families
The party the nanny likes best is the one without a theme: one colour, one cake, a fishing game and a treasure hunt. But when the family wants pirates she is happy to stand behind the sheet in an eye patch. She has done it before. When a family in Bromma held a dinosaur party for a five-year-old, Sanna hid twenty plastic eggs in the yard while the parents greeted the guests, ran the egg hunt and the fishing game, and left the cake to the parents. Being one more adult at a party with eight five-year-olds is not a luxury, it is the difference between being part of the party and having merely organised it.
Would you like a nanny who comes on the same days every week and whom the children know? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home, and we will work out a quote for your hours.
Read more: Children's birthday party at home · Party games for kids by age · Children's party food, fika and cake · Prices
Frequently asked questions
Does a children's party need a theme?
No. Children under five do not care, and from five a colour or a character on the invitation and the cake is enough. The theme is there to make the choices easier for you, not to impress. A party with one colour, one cake, a fishing game and a treasure hunt is the party the children talk about at förskola the next day.
How do you write a children's party invitation?
Whose birthday it is, the date, start and end times, the address, whether siblings may come, whether parents stay, the RSVP date, a phone number and a line about allergies. That is all. Write the end time clearly, it is the line parents look for first.
When should the invitations be sent?
Two weeks before, with an RSVP date one week before. Earlier and people forget, later and the weekend is already booked. If you have not heard back the day after the RSVP date: send a friendly message to those who have not replied, they have usually just forgotten.
Paper invitation or a message?
Children love paper, parents reply to messages. Do both: a card in the förskola pigeonhole that your child has made, and the same text in the parents' group chat. The card is for the birthday child and the child who receives it. The message is for getting replies.
How many guests should you invite?
A common rule of thumb is the child's age plus one, so a five-year-old invites six. If you invite the whole förskola group or the class it will be more, and then you need more adults and a theme that can handle twenty children, like sports in the park or a quiz walk. Four children who play well together is a better party than fifteen who do not.