How to Throw A Birthday Pajama Party for Preschoolers

Learn how to put together a birthday for 4 to 6 year olds with all the fun of a pajama party, minus the actual sleepover part.

Instructions

1. Invitations:

   Start out with invitations that specify the guests are to wear their pajamas, but that it will not be a sleepover party. You can purchase invitations or make your own. Some cute ideas include cutting out invitations in the shape of a slipper or sleeping bag. The party does not actually have to happen in the evening hours, as these are younger kids who still need to get to bed early. Try an afternoon party that still allows parents enough time to get their children home and settled into their regular nighttime routine. Even better, a morning party where you can serve breakfast foods and the kids can come in the p.j.'s they slept in! You can call it a reverse pajama party.

2. Music:

   Whatever the time of your party, music can be incorporated to help set the tone. Songs such as Mr. Sandman, Dancing in the Dark, All I Have to do is Dream and Goodnight Sweetheart are examples of songs to include on a soundtrack you can make to play throughout the event.

3. Decorations:

   The decorations do not have to be complicated. You can use balloons and streamers mixed with hand made moons and stars cut out and decorated from paper or printed and cut out directly from your computer. The same can be done for cut out teddy bears, slippers and sleeping bags.

4. Food:

   When it comes to the food, anything kid friendly will be enjoyed. Breakfast foods work well within this theme and will be fun for the kids who get a kick out of having pancakes or waffles at a party. A teddy bear cake can be easily made with round cake pans and some creative cutting and decorating or you can purchase a teddy bear molded cake pan. Cookies and milk make a great bedtime snack and will be a great addition to your dessert menu.

5. Games:

   Games are always fun and you can make up new ones or try a variation on old classics. In hot potato, a teddy bear or pillow can be used as the "hot" item to pass. Pillows set on the floor can be the seats in musical chairs. If you don't have enough pillows, you can purchase small pillow covers and fabric markers and make your own. A stencil to personalize each pillow is a nice touch, and makes a great party favor for the child to bring home. Or you may have the children decorate the pillows on their own, but since there is usually a drying time for fabric markers, they may not be able to use them for games. If purchasing pillows is not in your budget, you can simply cut circles out of cardboard and draw moons and stars on them with markers, paint, crayons, or even stickers to decorate, you can be as creative as you wish. Place them on the floor and each child has a cardboard seat to sit on for the games.

   Freeze dance is another favorite game which can be changed for the pajama party theme. When the music stops, instead of freezing, instruct the children to pretend to sleep and snore. When the music starts again, they wake up and stretch and dance. Pin the slipper on the Pajamas is another fun game. Pin a pair of pajamas to a sheet, hang the sheet and give the kids slippers to hang from the feet.

6. Crafts:

   As mentioned earlier, decorating your own pillowcase is a fun idea (see how to make a personalized pillow for kids link below). Door hangers are also inexpensive and easy for children to decorate. Most craft stores also sell create your own teddy bear kits. Depending on your budget, these are all fun activities where the resulting item can also serve as a favor for the child to take home.

7. Favors:

   Favor ideas for a pajama party include pillows, night lights, mini flashlights, toothbrushes, single serve boxes of cereal, miniature teddy bears, candy bars with homemade wrappers designed to fit the theme, bubble bath, slippers, celestial stickers and bedtime stories. You can also make your own pillow box out of card stock to fill with small items such as chocolate kisses. Check your local dollar store, often items such as toothbrushes, night lights and story books can be found in packages of two or more for a dollar. Check Oriental Trading online for great party favor ideas and deals.

Resources

• How to make Personalized Pillows for Kids