How to Plan a Kids Drive-in Movie Birthday Party

The nostalgia of those long ago trips to the local drive-in with your parents brings a smile to your face: kids packed into the back of the station wagon, paper grocery bags full of popcorn, trips to the snack bar for candy. Ahhhh, the memories. Recreate a little of that same thrill for your kids by hosting a kids' drive-in movie birthday party.

Instructions

1. Create birthday party invitations in the shape of movie tickets. Do an image search on Yahoo or Google and you'll find lots of movie ticket stub examples that you can edit in a drawing program to include party information, such as date and place.

2. Make cardboard box cars for each party guest. Cars can be made by cutting out window shapes and a door opening from a normal box. Another method is to trace and cut a car shape onto a flattened out cardboard box and then attach it to one half of a regular, kid-sized box.

3. Place markers, red and yellow cut-outs for lights, and stickers on a table. As the little theater patrons arrive, have them each decorate their own cars. Expect the mini-drivers to want to drive their cars around before the movie starts. Maybe a trip around the block to show off their cars.

4. Take tickets at the entrance to the movie area dressed as an usher. Make sure to have a costume (jacket and hat) and flashlight as you show them to their seat. Seats will be arranged in rows facing the television or movie screen.

5. Provide play money so the guests can buy snacks from the concession stand. Have clearly marked prices and make sure all movie-goers have enough money to purchase at least one of each snack available. Items for the snack stand include popcorn, candy and drinks. Hot dogs and nachos are also popular movie snacks. Sometimes you can find popcorn bags, like at the movies, but brown lunch bags work just as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint the car shapes in advance to make them fancier.

• Don't assume older kids won't want to make cars. Given enough advance notice, they may want to make their cars at their homes and bring them to the party. You could include a prize for best car.

• Instead of a movie shown on the television, hang a sheet on the side of the house and rent or borrow an LCD projector for the evening.

• An inexpensive kid's movie makes a nice party favor.