There are many ways to throw an eco-friendly party for younger kids. Go beyond the princesses and superheroes, to some favorite animal characters.
Themes
Any animal-related theme will do. Take inspiration from some of the latest films, like The Lion King, the Madagascar series, or even Ice Age if you want to include ancient animals. Lots of kids love dinosaurs.
Go for classics like Lassie, Black Beauty or Old Yeller.
In terms of TV shows, Dora and Diego are perfect for talking about green issues. Organize the DVDs of your choice with decorations and a themed cake.
If your child loves the zoo, see if your local one hosts birthday parties. Or, look for a local petting zoo. See if they host parties and have someone on hand to teach them about the goats, sheep, llamas and so on.
Another green activity is planting a garden. You could teach them about herbs or flowers. Let them taste your herbs and plant their own to take home with them. There are seeds, seed balls, and plantable papers and matchsticks with seeds embedded in them that can make the process foolproof. And one thing is for sure, most kids love to play with dirt.
Types of Activities
Since this party is for young children, it’s important to plan a range of activities that last around 15 minutes, which is about the length of their attention span.
You can also organize some quiet activities as compared with more active ones for children who are a bit less high-energy. A craft table is a good idea.
Arts and Crafts
Pom-pom animals are always fun. Don’t forget the googly eyes.
Pipecleaner animals and those made out of modeling clay or homemade Play-Doh can also keep kids busy.
Coloring pages and sticker books also work well. Look for inexpensive ones online with animal themes. They will also make a good party favor for children to take home with them. Print out a range of printables and have crayons and colored pencils available.
For more active things to pass the time, create an animal poster and use it for pin the tail (or ears, etc.) on the animals.
Choose barn animals, big cats or animals from a particular part of the world, such as Africa or the Amazon Jungle.
Organize animal puzzles and quizzes. Use small, stuffed animals or toy animal figures as prizes. Try a game of charades with different animals that the children have to act out and the others have to guess. You can also try twenty questions, such as, “Is it bigger than a cat?” or “Is it black?” Award problem solvers with fun prizes such as stickers.
You can buy Beanie Babies and animal figures in bulk online as inexpensive party favors that suit the theme. You can also look in charity shops to find gently-used toys and games to give away as favors. You might also be able to make your own games such as a board game all about animals.
Duck, Duck Goose
This is always a popular game in groups.
Animal Tag
This is like regular tag, except the person has to act like an animal when they get tagged. Change the animals to make it more fun, such as monkeys, elephants and so on.
Animal Face Paints
Get a set of hypoallergenic face paints and choose animal designs. Let the children pick their favorites.
