Creative and Cheap Birthday Party Ideas

Birthday parties don't have to be expensive. Just use a little creativity and you can throw your child a fun and special birthday party for very little money. Here are some non-traditional birthday party ideas that incorporate materials you may already have around the house.

Messy Party - This party is best held outside for obvious reasons. Request that party guests wear clothes that they don't mind getting dirty. If you have a sandbox, put water in it so it becomes muddy. Then put in some plastic gardening toys or some plastic bowls and spoons and let the kids get muddy. Have an area with paper and fingerpaints so the kids can do some messy painting. Have a water balloon toss. Let them play with silly string. Have a table with Play-Doh set up. They could even eat messy food like popsicles and sloppy joes.

Games Party - Get out some tried and true favorite games and see how the kids fare. Twister, Life, Monopoly, PayDay, Uno, or Clue are great games that have stood the test of time. Get out the old Dungeons And Dragons or try DragonQuest. Bingo is fun, especially if the kids can play with bingo dobbers. Cranium games are a lot of fun and can really get a lot of players involved. You could request the each guest brings along their favorite game to share with everyone. Simon Says, Red Rover, Tag, and hide and seek are always fun. The kids make up their own game. If your kids are big into video games, then set up your gaming system for some group fun. For goody bags, you could check out your local dollar store for a deck of cards or some games that come in miniature versions.

Arts and Crafts Party - Have a few different arts and crafts stations and let your party guests get creative. Arts and Crafts stores like Michaels and JoAnn Fabrics carry kits for children to make beaded jewelry, paint tea pots, and paint by number pictures. You could have a table where the kids create a picture frame out of popsicle sticks and glue. They could decorate their picture frame with glitter pens, markers, paints, anything that you may have. Take a picture of the party guests and the guest of honor with a digital camera and print it off your computer before the party is over. Then have the children put their picture in their homemade picture frame. You could get a package of Shrinky Dinks and have the kids decorate a Shrinky Dink.

Sports Party - This is another theme that is best done outside when the weather is agreeable. You could have a volleyball net set up, basketball, and a relay race. Have different areas where the kids do different activities, such as running in place, push-ups, and sit-ups. The kids could play tug-of-war and have potato sack races or play badminton. There are numerous possibilities - really whatever your child is interested in. You could get place ribbons at your local dollar store and have an awards ceremony for your guests near the end of the party. Decorate with balloons and streamers the colors of your child's favorite sports' team.

Holiday Party - Put up some Christmas lights, get out a little Christmas tree, place out the Menorrah and some Halloween decorations. Kids love holidays and you could have a party that incorporates several at one time. Have an Easter Egg hunt or color some Easter eggs. Make heartshaped cookies and play some Halloween music. Anything goes with this kind of party. The kids could dress up if you have any old costumes lying around or you let them make their own masks out of paper plates and yarn.

Makeover/Tea Party - Set out nailpolish and let the girls do each other's nails. Have different hair accessories out and let the girls play salon. You could even set out some make-up that you don't mind sharing or you could do each girl's makeup. Have some fashion jewelry out and let them accessorize. If you have some old dresses or hats, the girls could play dress up. Then have the girls have a "ladies" tea. Set up a table with a pretty tablecloth, some coffee mugs or tea cups. Serve them hot chocolate or lemonade, perhaps, and some little tea sandwiches. A vase of flowers as a centerpiece might be nice.