{above: e-invitation illustration thanks to Kate of Picklebums}
Last weekend we celebrated Immy’s 3rd birthday with a fairy party in the garden. I am a big believer in keeping parties simple for under 5 year olds and stuck to a few fun activities, one ever popular party game, classic party food and lots of time to play.
Party Activities
The children had the opportunity to decorate cardboard crowns with paint dabbers and lots of sparkly collage materials.
{The birthday girl in her bumblebee fairy dress and party crown}
There were also butterfly and star wands to decorate with more sparkles and LOTS of glitter.
We played pass the parcel and each layer contained a bag of homemade playdough and a cookie cutter with a special prize of a little cooking set for the winner.
Decorations
The garden was decorated with strings of homemade bunting of retro floral, rainbow striped and brightly coloured star fabric, and bunches of pink balloons.
Food
Being that our celebration fell in the height of a very hot summer (although we were blessed with an unusual but very welcome cooler, overcast morning), the party was held early morning and so for morning tea I chose classic and easy to prepare birthday party fare of;
- Fairy bread (buttered bread covered in coloured sprinkles for overseas readers)
- Small sandwiches cut into flower and heart shapes
- Fruit and marshmellow kebabs
- Fairy sized jelly cups with cream
- Little red sausages
- Mini quiche (mainly for the adults)
- Coloured popcorn (at the birthday girl’s special request!)
After completely over catering for Immy’s 1st birthday party where the children were more interested in playing than eating, I did cut back on the food this time.
The birthday cupcakes
Cupcakes were the birthday cake of choice of our three year old fairy. They were decorated with bright pink icing and homemade fairy toppers.
Time to play
Concoctions were mixed and bubbling stews stirred as the children enjoyed our sandpit and brand new cubby house which was Immy’s birthday present from my family.
There were also individually labelled containers of bubble mix for bubble blowing fun and lots of laughs as fairies bounced together on the trampoline.
Party bags
Our visiting fairies each took home a little bag containing a homemade mini bunting, a set of mini star crayons (available from House of Baby Piranha), stickers, balloons and a few sweet morsels 😉
And that was our fairy garden party. In the words of one small guest as he left, “Well that was a great party!”
If you are looking for further birthday party inspiration, check out the responses of real Mums in the comments on our last Mum 2 Mum chat – The Lowdown on Kids Birthday Parties,
and visit these fabulous posts by Childhood 101 contributors;
- Birthday Boy (and Bear) – a 2 year old’s jungle themed party via Squigglemum
- She wore a 36 year old handmade dress – a lovely vintage inspired garden party for a 3 year old via Little EcoFootprints
- It Was A Rainbow Party – 7 year old twins celebrate in bright, colourful style via Picklebums
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
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