Nursery Rhyme Party

INVITATIONS

These hand designed vintage-style nursery rhyme invitations are just right for your little one’s birthday. Check out B.Nute’s Nursery Rhyme Party invitations on etsy for details.

DECORATIONS

Head to the library or the antique store and look for old Nursery Rhyme books. They are full of images and inspiration for your party! Below are some decorating ideas for your Nursery Rhyme party.

Birthday Theme Party Ideas  >  Nursery Rhyme Party

1. Nursery Rhyme Personalized Banner

Not only will this vintage inspired nursery rhyme banner brighten the party, it will also be a great addition to any little child’s room. This matching banner can be purchased on bnute.etsy.com.

Here we sit, the lights are dim and I’m gently rocking you and humming your favorite nursery rhymes. You give me a little smile. When you are older, my little one, you will know these rhymes by heart. The images, characters and words will dance above your crib, fly through your dreams and hum from you lips. Soon the rhymes will become old, but the letters will mean more to you. You will begin to write your ABC’s, learn words, then write sentences of your very own...

Vintage imagery hark back to old favorite nursery rhymes, and will put all guests in the mood for a fun birthday celebration.

PICTURES FROM A NURSERY RHYME PARTY

If you throw a Nursery Rhyme Party, send us the pictures! We’d love to include them on our website to show everyone the fun that was had!

FOOD & DRINK

Food at a little one’s birthday party can always be a bit tricky... there’s the picky demands of the toddlers, the growing appetite of possibly older sibling guest, and then the parents to feed. Make it easy on yourself, and stick with lots of little munchies for the crowd, versus a whole meal. Little ones don’t sit long enough for a meal, and older ones (including parents) can easily be satisfied with lots of munchies. Also, if foods are out that could be dangerous for little ones (say chockable type items), it will only make guests worry. Just avoid them to keep all at ease. Below are some suggestions of munchies to serve.

ARTS & CRAFTS

GAMES

ENTERTAINMENT

TREATS

Cakes, Cupcakes, & Cookies Galore

Those first few birthdays can be quite messy when it comes to the birthday treat. You can either revel in it, and serve a big cake for your little one to dive into, or be more timid and serve bite size treats that may be a little less messy. Either way, the children will enjoy any type of sweet treat. Below are some ideas.

• Cake - Make color copies of nursery rhyme images on card stock from your favorite book or book from the library (make sure to reduce the images to about 1-2” wide). Cut out the image and tape it to a toothpick. Frost the cake in a festive color to match the illustrations, and line the edge of the cake with colorful sprinkles. Put the toothpicks with pictures around the top of the cake for a fun and easy nursery rhyme themed cake.

• Cookies with Frosting – Make a quick batch of chocolate chip cookies, or if you’re running out of time, just pick up a pre-made pack at the local store’s bakery. Simply add some frosting and sprinkles for color, and you’ll have happy kids!

• Cupcakes – Rarely do little ones finish a whole cupcake... make mini-cupcakes instead. Another idea would be to pick up brownie bites (brownies made in mini-cupcake tins.) Again, it’s enough to satisfy any little one, and fits one or two candles too!

Inspiration Board

GOODIE BAG

Below are some ideas on what to give as goodie bag treats at your Nursery Rhyme Party.

2. Table Decorations

Head to the local toy store and find some stuffed animals, dolls and the like that could represent a specific nursery rhyme. For instance, a sheep for Little Boy Blue, a king for Sing a Song of Six Pence, a lamb and doll for Mary Had a Little Lamb, etc. Print out the rhyme onto a small piece of card stock, punch a hole in the top of the card stock tag, and string it to the stuffed animal/doll. Place these items in the center of the table on top of a few complimentary colored receiving blankets for a festive table decoration. After the party, this table decoration can be a great gift for the birthday boy or girl!

3. Nursery Rhyme Imagery Around the House

Check out an assortment of nursery rhyme books at the library. Go to the local copy shop and make color copies of the best images from the books. Enlarge the images if needed. Pick up inexpensive frames at Ikea, Target or a local drugstore, and cut and place the images within the frames. As an alternative to frames, the photocopies could be cut and pasted onto different pastel card stock. Holes could be punched in the top corners and ribbon strung through. These hanging images or the framed images can be scattered through out the areas where the party will be held (kitchen, front foyer table, buffet table, etc.)

4. Music and Ambiance

Check out an assortment of nursery rhyme CD’s at the library, or purchase a few on Amazon to add music to your party. Perhaps create a playlist and mix in some classical music as well as your child’s favorite songs.

Appetizers - Bowls of Goodies

• Cereal/Pretzel “Mix” - nothing pleases a little one like Cheerios and other similar cereals mixed together in a bowl. You could stay on the “healthy” side by adding cereals such as Chex or Life, or if you’re feeling a little naughty, sprinkle a little color in with Fruit Loops or Lucky Charms. Make sure to keep cereal sizes small, and stay clear or nuts since allergies may be unknown. Check out all these cereal mix recipes under “Crunch Snack Recipes” on Cheerio’s website.

• Crackers and Cheese Cubes - it’s not as glamourous as baked brie, or a nice chevre, but soft, flaky crackers (could come in shapes of the alphabet!) and small cheese cubes can be just as satisfying.

• Puffed Snack Items - there are many relatively “healthy” items on the market now that are perfect for little mouths. Check out puffed veggie sticks, Pirate Booty, or Puffed Rice or Corn type snacks to put out in bowls.

Main Course - Everything Diced and Sliced!

• Veggie Tray - a traditional veggie tray with dip is great for older ones to snack on. You could also have a set of bowls next to it of small diced (and cooked) veggies for little ones like peas, carrots and cooked sweet potato

• Meat Tray with Rolls - slices of cold cuts are perfect for older ones to make a quick sandwich, but also have some diced cold cuts or diced pieces of chicken handy for little ones to munch on.

Drinks

• Watered Down Juice- Too soothe the minds of parents and prevent toddlers on a “sugar rush”, add a little water 

• Wine - Try a nice, light Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Gris, perfect for a lunchtime or afternoon party. If the weather is a bit more chilly, try a richer Chardonnay for the crowd.

• Coffee or Tea

1. Coloring  Pages & Nursery Rhyme Collages

The internet has a wealth of coloring pages that can be printed out and set on a small table for scribbling with washable crayons. You could also purchase a coloring book with the nursery rhyme theme as well. Check out this link to google’s search results for: “nursery rhyme coloring pages.”

2. Sock Puppets

Create sock puppets of some of the popular nursery rhyme characters. This project can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like. For a simple approach, pre-cut our ear shapes, noses, eyes, etc, with colorful construction paper. Help the children pick pieces and tape to a sock. This is also a great way to use up all those solo socks in your house! Below is a list of possible sock puppet characters in a nursery rhyme theme:

King Cole

Jack and Jill

Humpty Dumpty

Pig (from This piggy went to market...)

Little Bo Peep and her sheep

Little Miss Muffet and a spider

A baker

1. Dress Ups

Dress ups are always a hit for little ones. Head to the local thrift store and pick up some fun ponchos, colorful shirts, hats, old sunglasses, fun shoes, and more. Keep in mind some nursery rhyme characters (i.e., Jack and Jill, Old King Cole, black crow, piggies, etc.) and see if you can find anything to fit the theme.

2. Nursery Rhyme “Stations”

Setting up little nursery rhyme “stations” or scenes around your child’s room or family room can be a great way for some creative play. There are no “rules” for this game, just creating some spaces with items that the children can play with. Below are some ideas for some nursery rhyme “stations:”

• Pat-a-Cake - Set up a small table with some play dough, a few cookie cutter, and a roller for children to play “pat-a-cake.”

• Rub-a-Dub-Dub - Set out a large pot or baby’s tub, and put some stuffed animals around. Provide a washcloth and some stuffed animals so the children can pretend to wash the animals.

• Piggies - Set up a market with a basket or 2 and loads of pretend food. Have the kids “go to market” and then set out on a blanket for a picnic.

3. More Nursery Rhyme Game Ideas

The internet can be overwhelming to wade through, but check out this site for some more game ideas at your party: http://www.first-school.ws/theme/nurseryrhymes.htm

1. Storyteller from the Library

Head to the local library and see if you can hire the children’s Librarian or a storyteller for an hour. Have them use their expertise and pick out some fun nursery rhyme books... or a book or 2 with a similar theme. If a librarian is not available, see if your babysitter or a neighborhood teen will do the job.

2. Nursery Rhyme Sing-a-long CD or DVD

Head to your favorite CD and/or DVD website and type “nursery rhyme sing a long” into the search box. Many CD’s and some DVD’s come up that will be great entertainment for the kids. Clear some space in your family room or living room, put on the CD and let the kids dance to the tunes.

3. Nursery Rhyme Charades

This may be more entertaining for the adults than the kids, but either way, it will put a smile on everyone’s face. Put names of nursery rhymes on small pieces of paper, fold up, and place in a hat. Have each family (parent(s)/child) pick a piece of paper. One by one go around the party and act out the rhyme.

4. Balloon Artist

A balloon artist can be very entertaining for little ones. Check your local Yahoo! listings, or yellow pages to find the artist. Instruct him or her to try to stay in theme and create balloons based on nursery rhymes if he can! If your trying to keep costs down, there are many balloon kits available to buy and give a try yourself. Type in “Balloon Animals Book” in your favorite search engine, and many inexpensive ideas are listed.

5. Puppet Show

Puppets always delight little ones. Once again, you could look to a local librarian, or perhaps a babysitter to help out with this entertainment idea. Remember, it does not have to be a high-end production to delight a group of little ones!  Perhaps as part of the fun, have the little ones decorate a sock with ears and eyes (simply attach construction paper shapes with pieces of masking tape) and have them make their own puppet. Again, staying in the theme, you can offer ideas of characters based on popular nursery rhymes.