At a loss for 3rd birthday party ideas? Ask your preschooler! Most 3-year-olds have strong ideas and a clear preference for themes — fairies, superheroes, Legos, construction vehicles, dinosaurs, cooking or the latest movie character. After you choose a theme, other choices fall into place, like activities, decorations, favors and food.
“Keep the child’s personality, disposition — and attention span — in mind,” says Cara Pollard, a Parent Coach Institute-certified parent coach, who recommends limiting the event to an hour and a half. “The party is to celebrate the child, not to impress friends.”
With that in mind, here are 14 clever 3rd birthday party ideas and activities that can go with almost any theme or interest. Get ready for noise, messes and fun!
1. Blow bubbles
Blow bubbles as kids arrive to ease them into the party. You might even try a bubble machine or using giant bubble wands. Or, better yet, make bubbles the theme of your party! Check out the bubble carnival idea from Catch My Party.
2. Put hands in paint
Try these shaving cream marble prints from The Art Room Plant! Kids can easily create beautiful works of art with shaving foam, paint, a stick and paper.
3. Pop bubble wrap
According to Danielle Rothweiler, a celebrity event planner with Rothweiler Event Design in New Jersey, parents should “pack [their] child’s parties with activities and games where they are interacting with each other.” And a great way to get kids interacting: bubble wrap freeze dance a la Three Little Things.
“All a child really wants is their friends and to have fun,” Rothweiler says. Few things check those two boxes better than a game of bubble wrap freeze dance!
4. Serve the chef’s special
Get little chefs cooking and playing with their food! Want to know how to do a kids’ cooking party with 3-year-olds? Cook Republic shares ideas. Decorating cupcakes is just the beginning!
5. Build it!
At your own construction party, kids can build and dig in their own mini construction sites (while wearing hard hats, of course!) and eat treats from a dump truck. Check out Spaceships and Laser Beams for more.
6. Sip kid-style tea
A perfectly pink tea party, such as this one from Foodlets is just tu-tu cute! (Plus, inexpensive tutus make great party favors!)
7. Go for gold
Everyone takes home a medal at an Olympics party! Red Ted Art has tons of Olympics crafts for this type of gathering. Go for gold!
8. Put on some fairy wings
Take tips from fairy school! Check out this lovely fairy party shared by The Imagination Tree. Guests get a pair of fairy wings, jump on a trampoline (at flight school) and make fairy houses out of found objects and glitter.
9. Go ooey gooey
Have fun with science at a Dr. Seuss-themed party. Check out this Ooblek recipe from Preschool Powol Packets.
10. Nerf target practice
For a Nerf gun party, stack red Solo cups and place Lego men atop and between the cups, then let kids loose with Nerf guns or beanbags to knock down the cups. Destruction and loud sounds ensue with this idea from Busy Kids Happy Mom.
11. Dino dig
Bury dinosaur bones from a kit in a sand pit, hand out shovels and let the fun begin with a dinosaur dig party. You can hide other treasures as well with this idea from Fun 365.
12. Minute to win it
Challenge kids to complete tasks within a minute in fun, fast-paced party games. Here’s some fun Minute-to-Win-It ideas from Mom Loves Best.
13. Punch box
Piñatas can turn well-behaved kids of any age into Wild Things. The distribution of treats is rarely fair and the danger of getting stepped on or pushed aside is high. Instead, create a punch box where each child picks a circle in turn and gets a special prize. See how at Celebrate the Big and Small.
14. Wear candy necklaces
It’s an activity, a snack and a party favor all in one! Check out Design Improvised for simple instructions on letting kids create their own candy necklaces. Circle pretzels, Cheerios, gummy Lifesavers and Fruit Loops are just a few hole-y treats you can load onto a string or rope licorice.
