Crafts for a Boy's Birthday Party

As parents, our biggest concern when throwing a birthday party is keeping the little guests busy and happy. One of the best, and most fun, ways to do that is to involve the kids in a craft!

Kids love hands-on projects, so why not provide a craft activity that they can really get involved in! As an added bonus, they get to bring their creation home with them! (In an effort to be health conscious, send their project home in lieu of a candy- filled goody bag.)

The kids have a great time, and the crafts provide a quieter, more controlled atmosphere (a definite concern when hosting a house full of boys!). It's win-win!

Craft Idea for a Boy's Birthday Party: Perler Beads

Don't shy away because you heard the word "beads". It's not what you think. Perler Beads are plastic beads which the kids arrange on (basically) a very small peg board. These little boards come in all kinds of shapes- squares, circles, stars, and people, to name a few.

Kids' creativity really comes out on this project! When they've finished arranging their beads, an adult needs to fuse them together with a hot iron. (It takes 30 seconds.) If you thread a string through the top, projects can be used as necklaces, window adornment, Christmas tree ornaments, or hung from a rear-view mirror.

A bucket of 8500 beads, pegboards, and ironing paper retails for $15. (I bought a bucket of 8500 when my son was 5, and we still have half of them left. And I'm telling you, the kids played with these all the time!) Perler Beads can find these at major craft stores, Wal-Mart, and on-line at https://www.perlerbeads.com/.

Perler Beads are a good project for boys in grades 1- 4.

Craft Idea for a Boy's Birthday Party: Balloon Animals

Balloon animals were always a huge hit at my son's birthday parties! So much so that we did them for a few years running!

The kids always went nuts at the sight of the balloons! Being boys, they were never too interested in following the directions to learn how to make balloon animals. Instead, they would tie them together to make all kinds of crazy hats and costumes! What a riot! I still laugh at the memories!

A bag of balloons comes with instructions on how to make the animals and a little hand-size air pump. Trust me, you'll want that pump! This is not an expensive craft, but it takes a lot of preparation. (I would plan on spending at least two hours before the party inflating balloons. I used to blow them all up the day before and store them in large garbage bags.)

You can buy balloon animal type balloons at Dollar Tree or CVS. If I remember correctly, there are 50 in a bag. The price varies depending on where you buy them.

Boys in grades 1- 4 enjoy creating projects with balloons.

Craft Idea for a Boy's Birthday Party: The Amazing Button Maker

This was another huge hit! I think the appeal here is that this craft requires a little "machine": The Amazing Button Maker! (The Amazing Button Maker actually makes what we call pins (maybe in other parts of the country they call them buttons). I just want to be clear that it doesn't make the type of button that would be used instead of a snap or zipper.)

The boys absolutely loved being able to choose their own design, place it on the button maker, operate the mechanism (all by themselves), and have a finished product in just seconds! I think it gave them a sense of grown-up accomplishment. (And a bunch of "Rock On!" and Homer Simpson pins.)

You can buy The Amazing Button Maker at most major craft stores. It retails for under $20. (It's worth shopping around for the best price. I got mine at AC Moore and I used the 40% off coupon to save even more.) I would recommend buying a package of extra buttons. The 20 that it comes with go very quickly!

Boys in grades 4- 6 enjoy making buttons with The Amazing Button Maker.

Craft Idea for a Boy's Birthday Party: Tie-dye T-shirts

This is a great craft for boys, especially if you're having a sleepover party. All you need is a tie-dye kit and white t-shirts. You can let the shirts dry overnight and the boys can wear them home in the morning!

If there's one thing boys like more than creating something, it's having something to show for their creativity! I still have pictures of the boys proudly showing off their tie-dye t-shirts after a night of very little sleep! Then they all wore them to school on Monday- how cool was that?!

Tie-dye kits are available at craft stores and discount retailers. I bought multi-packs of undershirts for the boys to use for their tie-dyes. Look around for sales because prices can vary greatly. (I would check Penney's, Target, and Wal-Mart for the undershirts, and Wal-Mart for the tie-dye kit.)

Boys in grades 5- 6 enjoy making tie-dye T-shirts.