Kids' Party Ideas That Take The Cake

by Jaima Brown

(ARA) - Themes make kids' birthday parties extra special, particularly when they're based on the child's own interests and when every element of the party is related to the theme. This is a professional party planner's secret to success.

But parents don't need a pro to throw a great kids' party. With imagination, enthusiasm and a few simple props, they can create a fun-filled occasion that will outshine those planned by even the most practiced professional. Here are ideas and decorating tips to spark your imagination in creating birthday parties that, literally, take the cake with kids aged three to six.

Ask any parent: boys love trucks. Trucks, tractors and hefty earth-moving vehicles are colorfully depicted on a dynamic wallpaper border in the Zero to 60 collection from the Piper Designs division of S.A. Maxwell Co. The border measures 20-1/2 inches high and, like most wallpaper borders, comes in five-yard spools. A couple of spools of this border will put your boy's truck party on the right road.

To help guests rev up, use the border for invitations. Using the full-depth of the design, cut strips, 3-3/4 inches wide.

With the pattern on the outside, fold the top down and the bottom up to create a 9-inch-long folder. For each invited guest, write the details -- name of the celebrant, occasion, date, time and place -- on colored construction paper cut to the same size as the border-folder. Slip the invitation inside the folder and put it in a business-size envelope. Invitations should be delivered or mailed two to three weeks prior to the event.

For decorations, use a length of the border as a table runner down the center of the party table or cut 18-inch rectangles of it as placemats.

For name cards, cut road signs from the extra length of the border, paste one for each guest on a piece of construction paper, and write the guest's name at the bottom.

A toy dump truck full of candy makes a great centerpiece, and smaller trucks will be welcome take-home favors. For a total tie-in, you can even buy or make a truck-shaped cake.

Girls in this age group are more apt to opt for hearts and flowers, and they love pink and purple. That's why we included a pink wallpaper border of antique hearts in the Country Chic collection from S. A. Maxwell Co. This border makes a great table runner for a "Pretty in Pink" little girl's tea party. Try using a pair of the borders, side by side, and trim around the diamond pattern at each end of the table. Diamonds, cut from this border, can also be used as a background for the invitations.

A bouquet of pink, yellow and lavender roses in a pretty teapot will tie in with both the colors of the border and the theme. Sprinkle a few rose petals here and there. You might encircle a straw hat with flower buds and petals for a centerpiece.

For favors, sew simple heart-shaped bags from yellow, pink or lavender satin and fill them with an artificial rose and colorful candy. The cake, of course, will be heart-shaped, set on a lace doily, and decorated with flowers and the name of the birthday girl in a delicate, feminine script.