Airplane Birthday Party Ideas

Let the kids board a plane and go on a trip at your child's airplane birthday party. Are you ready to create a super-fun celebration? Ideas on this page will help you make your planning a breeze!

Resources:

Invitations

You can have some real fun with your airplane party invitations: make them look like airline tickets. You can use your last name or child's first name for the airline name (e.g. Jones Airlines or Tommy Airlines).

On the front of your airplane birthday party invitations you can have all the information you would need to board a real flight including passenger name, flight number, seat number and departure time.

You can write "031695 TE NYEAR SOLD" for ticket number. That would tell that your child was born on March 16, 1995 and he is turning 10 years old.

On the back you can write "This ticket is non-transferable. Passengers are allowed one carry-on parent, if desired. Please confirm your flight with Jones Airlines ticket agent by calling (your phone number). Your flight will depart from Terminal 6 Gate 3 located at (your address)."

For a different airplane birthday party invitation idea, you can simply put airplanes stickers on regular invitation cards. Be sure to write in all your party details and mail in invitations in advance.

If you live in a small town, then another great airplane birthday party idea is to rent one of the rooms at you local airport. This might not always work - but it's worth a try!

Decorations

The best colors for your airplane party decorations are red, white and blue. I suggest that you have balloons, paper streamers, and other decorative accessories in those colors.

Turn your driveway into in a runway by unrolling a strip of paper (or using chalk) down the center and drawing lines and arrows on it. Hang a sign on your front door saying "Terminal 6 Gate 3 - Jones Airlines."

Guest Arrival and Introductory Activities

Greet all your airplane birthday party guests and welcome them to your party. Deposit all their belongings and birthday presents to "Baggage Claim".

*Airplane Coloring Pages: Separate the pages of jet or airplane activity book. Lay out pencils, crayons, etc. Have the kids color in airplane coloring pages.

*Jet Tattoo Station: Help children to put on removable jet tattoos while they are waiting for others to arrive.

Favors

Your airplane party favors can include such items as plastic airplanes, binoculars, jet sticker sheets, key chains, etc.

Airplane Birthday Party Games

*Pin the Pilot on the Jet: This is a great game for a younger crowd. Before the airplane party, get a large jet poster. Blow up your child's picture and make photocopies to make sure that each guest gets one. Put double-sided tape.

At party time, blindfold the kids one by one, spin them around, and get them to stick the picture (with his or her initials on it) on the jet as close to pilot seat as possible.

*Runway Obstacle Course: This airplane birthday party game is best if played outside. Before the party, design a runway by using chalk, masking tape, cones, etc. It should be about 50 feet long and 10 feet wide.

Spread non-breakable items such as small balls, soft toys, etc on the runway. They represent airplanes.

Split the group into pairs. Blindfold one of the partners - he or she will be airplane pilot, and the other player - air traffic controller. When the game starts, the pilot will be asked to move from one side of the runway to end without hitting any "planes" with a help of air traffic controller.

Air controller is not allowed to move as he or she will pick a spot close to the runway (Hint: have air controller face the same direction as the pilot so commands like "two steps to the right" don't get confusing to the pilot).

When the game begins, other players will toss (but not place) more objects on to the runway to create extra "air traffic". (They cannot throw anything at the pilot). If the team of the pilot and controller "crashes" (by pilot touching any objects on the runway), next pair will replace them.

*Don't Get Caught Without a Plane: Play Musical Chairs with an airplane party theme twist. Play Top Gun soundtrack (or similar music) in the background. Place chairs around the party area so there are more players (by one) then chairs.

Get the kids to walk around while the music is playing. When music stops (do it randomly every 10-30 seconds), the kids must occupy an empty chair as fast as they can. Whoever is left standing is out of the game. Play until one "pilot" remains.

*Around the World: Before the airplane birthday party, draw and cut out a large circle from a cardboard. This will be used as "target" during the game. Next, draw X's on five pieces of construction paper, and write down the names of 5 different countries.

At party time, give each guest a piece of construction paper, and get them to make their own paper airplanes out of it (they can also decorate their planes as much as they like with markers, crayons, etc.)

Next, set the cardboard target up on the table or chair. Tape five X's on the floor in semi-circular pattern around the target. The first child will stand on X spot and try to "fly his airplane" through the target hole. If he makes it - he moves to the next X, and so on, until he misses. If he does miss, the next player will attempt to do the same.

The first round continues in a similar fashion until everyone has had a turn. During the second round, each player will resume the game from the position he missed previously and so on. The game ends when one player succeeded through all five locations.

*Pilot Says: Here is an opportunity for the pilots to test their reflexes during this variation of classic Simon Says game.

Pick one player to be a leader. The leader will use the words "Pilot says" to get the kids to follow whatever command (e.g. do jumping jacks or hop) she says to follow - and everyone must follow her command. If she doesn't say "Pilot says" before the command, the players who followed - go out of the game. Continue playing until there is only one player left.

*Airplane: Before the game, make an airplane for each player by cutting airplane shapes out of cardboard (write the players' names on the airplanes to prevent confusion over who wins). Hang a map on the wall of the party room and mark a "takeoff" spot in the middle of it.

Airplane Birthday Party

At game time, line up the players at the opposite end of the room from the map and, while they're watching, put several obstacles in the middle of the room (furniture, pillows, or wastebaskets - nothing breakable!).

Be sure you don't use any small items the kids could trip over or low tables they could bang their knees on. Give the players some time to study the placement of the obstacles and the "takeoff" spot.

One by one, hand the players an airplane, blindfold them, and point them toward the map. Each player must cross the floor without touching any obstacles and pin the airplane to the map as far away from the "takeoff" spot as possible. Encourage the kids to walk across the room slowly so they won't get hurt.

If a player walks into an obstacle before reaching the map, it's considered a plane crash and the player is out. If the child reaches the map but pins the airplane to the "water", it's considered a crash-landing and that person is out. The player who reaches the map safely and pins his or her airplane farthest from the "takeoff" spot is the winner.

*Bus, Bus, Plane: Play the classic Duck, Duck, Goose with a twist to fit your airplane party theme.

*Travel Puzzle: Glue two travel posters on two separate pieces of stiff tag board. Cut both posters into large jigsaw puzzle pieces. Divide the players into teams, and have them race to assemble the puzzles - then name the location.

*Birthday Cake Mission: Before the airplane birthday party, hide the birthday cake for kids to find (You can involve family members, friends or neighbors - but make sure that the cake is kept under adult supervision all the time).

Separate the children into teams, and give each team a set of clues in the envelope. (Write "Top Secret" on the envelope for fun). Be creative, write down 5-6 clues so one clue leads to another. Have the kids go on this special mission (not knowing what they are looking for at first). The team that finds the cake gets to be served first!

Airplane Birthday Cake:

*Airplane Cake: You can make your airplane cake very simple. Just bake a sheet cake and then frost it with blue frosting. Place a toy airplane in the middle of the cake.

Decorate the rest of your cake with edible cake decorations.

Here is another idea for an Airplane Cake.

Airplane Birthday Party Food Ideas:

*Pilot's Sandwiches: Prepare regular sandwiches and wrap them in plastic wrap. Put a sticky note on the wraps with "Delta Flight 747-Crew".

*Airplane Snacks: Serve packets of roasted peanuts to your airplane birthday party guests.

*Super Sundaes: Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in each guest's bowl and add some chocolate syrup.

*Hotdogs
*Chips and Dip
*Tuna Salad
*Apple Pie
*Fruit

Airplane Birthday Party Drink Ideas:

For your airplane party drinks, you can serve various juice blends and sodas - the same way they do during flights.

*Energy Fuel: Combine 12-oz can frozen juice concentrate, 3 cups non-fat milk and 1 pint of orange sherbet. Mix thoroughly in blender (Halve the ingredients to prevent overflow). Serve to your airplane birthday party guests along with wide straws and spoons.