Barney Birthday Party Ideas

Young children will be excited to find themselves in the world of their favorite character.

Resources:

For Barney birthday invitations, fold a white sheet of paper in half. Cut out an egg shape leaving the fold "untouched." Get a picture of Barney, and make enough photocopies for all the invitations. (You can also use Barney stickers.)

Fold Barney picture in half. Then glue the top of the picture to the inside bottom of the egg. Next, glue the bottom of the picture to the inside top of the egg. So when you open the "egg-shape" invitation, Barney will unfold.

As an alternative, draw and cut out egg shapes from white or purple paper. Photocopy and glue a picture of Barney in the middle. Then write party details.

Lastly, you can create cards out of construction paper. Glue a photo of the birthday child wearing Barney costume on the front of the cards. Write "Come and Play at My Barney Party!" Draw fun pictures all over the card, and include the party details inside.

If you would like to save time, you can get ready-made invitations from a party outlet.

Hang Barney posters near the front entrance. Cut out large "dinosaur" footprints out of purple construction paper and place them on the walkway leading to your front door. Play Barney party music in the background.

Inside the house, hang purple balloons and paper streamers all around the area. If you have Barney soft toys, spread them out on the floor. Hang Barney posters on the wall at child's eye level.

Cover your party table with a purple table cloth. Place a Barney toy our cutout in the middle for a centerpiece. Hang "Happy Birthday" sign near the table.

Send the kids home with Barney party favors: Barney toys, coloring and activity books, stickers, blow outs, cone hats, fun cookie cutters, and so on.

*Barney Welcome: Spread out a few activity and coloring books on the floor. Invite the children to color them while they're waiting for others to arrive.

*Barney Tissue Tournament: Get the kids to stand or sit in a circle. Provide each one a colorful straw. Show them how you can hold a paper tissue inhaling through the straw and using the suction to pull the tissue against the end of the straw.

Next, invite the kids to pass the tissue around the circle using their straws. If the tissue gets dropped, offer a fresh one to pass around.

*Barney says: Play a theme version of "Simon Says" game. Get one of the adults to help you out. Ask him to be "Barney" and call out actions as the little ones follow the lead.

*Musical Chairs: Have enough pillows for everyone but one player. Place them on the floor in a circle. Have the kids walk around the pillows as you play music in the background. As the music stops, the players must sit down on the pillows. Whoever is left out, goes out but receives a prize! (Remove a pillow after each round.)

Generally, I don't recommend competitive games for toddlers, but this one can be a lot of fun. Watch the kids giggle as they run to occupy a spot.

*Barney Train: Put on a Barney or other kids' party music. Get the children to form a human train. Have them dance to the beats as they move around the party area. Encourage the leader to make various kinds of moves (hopping, jumping, rolling, twirling, etc.) as the rest of the group follows.

*Pin the Horn on a Dinosaur: Buy a poster of a triceratop (dinosaur with a horn). Make construction paper "horns" for everyone. Write guests' names on the back, and put a double-sided tape on each one.

At game time, blindfold the kids one by one, and get them to pin their horns on the dinosaur. (Don't push the kids if they don't want to be blindfolded.) Have prizes for all the participants.

*Barney Pinata: Invite the kids to break a theme pinata with a bat, and collect all the goodies stashed inside of it.

*Barney Cake: Print a picture of Barney. Bake a round or sheet cake. Place the picture on top of the cake and trace it with a toothpick. Then frost and decorate the sections of the cake accordingly.