Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Throwing a dance birthday party is not easy, but if you get it right, you might just create the memory of a lifetime for your children. What follows is a recipe for a dazzling dance party which received rave reviews from the most demanding of critics: 30 kids between the ages of three and seven.

This party is largely geared towards younger kids. For me this is the sweet spot: old enough to really enjoy it, but young enough not to be embarrassed by their parents hanging around. However, it could easily be adapted to an older crowd.

My philosophy for any kids birthday party is to keep the kids engaged and on the move. Seek organized chaos, where you have complete control of the reigns, but the kids never notice. Build excitement throughout the party, injecting little surprises whenever interest wanes. The party should crescendo at just the right moment, before winding down for final call.

Setting the scene - a tale of two rooms
Your dance-themed birthday party should have two separate areas: an initial staging area, where guests will initially gather; and a dancing area, which will double as both the warm up room and a dance club (bear with me on this).

Upon arrival, kids are escorted to the staging area, to meet and mingle with the other kids. A family room is a suitable venue. There is no access to the dancing room at this point (hold onto those reigns!). Entertain with face painting, temporary tattoos, jewelry making and/or nail painting. To keep the crowd contained, I recommend a TV showing a slide show of the group, or perhaps age-appropriate music videos. There is limited need for decorations in the staging area.

The warm up - slip on those boogey shoes
When everyone has arrived and had a chance to do an activity, it is time for the warm up. At this point everyone is led to the dance room and told they are going to a place to warm up for the "Dance Club", and that there will be some warm up dances, games, and chances to win prizes (its worth nothing that words like ‘prizes’ will always grab attention and keep you firmly in control).

You arrive in the warm up room, perhaps a basement or garage. The kids are met with a brightly lit space, with some playful decorations. There are several floor-to-ceiling blue metallic fringe curtains lining the walls, interlaced with some metallic disco ball scene setters. Dangling from the ceiling are dozens of purple and silver star swirls. The atmosphere is fun, but with the lights on, not awe inspiring (this is intentional).

Start the music with some easy dances for the kids. The Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey, and Freeze Dance were my choices. During the freeze dance, tell them what to pose as when you say ‘freeze’ (eg. super hero, High School Musical character, animal, their first initial), and hand out prizes for the best poses. Of course, by the end of the dance, everyone has a prize. I used disco ball necklaces.

Finally make the announcement that everyone did well, and it is time to go to the dance club. The warm up was fun, and kept the kids laughing, but in this age of Miley Cyrus, High School Musical, and American Idol, they will be wondering if this birthday party is ever going to turn into a real dance party. You have them exactly where you want them!

The transition - from party to experience
This is where it gets exciting, and if pulled off properly, is where the birthday party transitions into a truly unique experience. Two things happen. First, the kids are lead away from the dance room and are told that the club requires a ticket and a stamp. They are paraded around the house a bit, eventually coming to a ticket agent who gives each child a ticket and stamp.

At the same time, the dance room is being transformed into the Dance Club. A sign is put up at the entrance, an extra metallic curtain is placed in the doorway to the club, the lights are turned down, blacklights are turned on, a spinning disco light is revealed, fog starts to fill the room, and music begins to play: All of this happens in the course of 2-3 minutes and the room is miraculously transformed.

The Dance Club - all-out disco inferno
At last the eager partygoers are nearing the club. Following the same path that took them to the warm up room, they see the fringe curtain and soon realize things have changed. A bouncer meets them at the curtain. Tickets are taken and entrance to your exclusive club is granted.

As they enter the room, they are blown away by what they see. Although the decorations have changed little, the room is unrecognizable from the one they left three minutes prior. Before long, the room is filled with energy, and of course, dancing.

Music choice will vary by taste, but I would say avoid anything slow with this age group. The right music can keep a party lively, but even if you have chosen your mix with the skill of a seasoned DJ, it is likely you will face a lull in the dancing and excitement at some point. For this, my solution is several garbage bags full of balloons. The idea is to create the excitement of a celebratory balloon drop, though there is no need to have the balloons come from the ceiling. Emptying bag after bag in the middle of dance floor will have the same effect, and in an instant, your party is back to full strength.

Closing time - at last a call for alcohol
When the music finally dies down and the last guest is leaving the club, you can finally take that long deep breath you had been holding in all day, kick your feet up, and sip from a large glass of red wine. Congratulations, you have managed to hold on to those invisible reigns, and prove that chaos can be organized. It was hard work, but if you enjoy creating and hosting parties as much as I do, then it will have been worth it.

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Birthday Party Ideas for Kids - Dance Club