Cars Birthday Party Ideas - Disney Cars Theme

Cars is a fantastic animated movie. Children, and especially boys, will love the idea of attending Cars birthday party.

Fun races and other theme related activities will have a lasting impact on guests in attendance. Don't believe me? Give it a try, and find out for yourself!

Resources:

Invitations

Make your Cars birthday party invitations look like NASCAR tickets.

Do an image search on Google to see what the tickets look like. Cut rectangular shapes out of construction paper. Place a theme sticker on the front.

Write "Admit One. (Child's name) Cars Party Series. Piston Cup Final at the Los Angeles International Speedway." Then write the date and "Gates open at (time of the party)."

On the other side you can write the remainder of party information. Tip: when wording your invitations, refer to the birthday child as Lightning McQueen. Parents and other relatives can be referred to as the pit stop crew.

Ask the guests to bring their tickets with them to the party to get in. You can use the tickets to have a draw as an ice-breaker activity. Then put a number on each ticket. (See introductory activities for details.)

As a variation, you can design the invitations in a checkered flag shape: one side of the invites has black-and-white squares and the other -- the party information. Include Cars theme stickers in envelopes before mailing them out.

Decorations

Here are some ideas for Cars birthday party decorations. But you don't have to do every single thing mentioned. Just pick and choose what your time and budget permits.

Start off by decorating with red, yellow, and blue balloons and streamers near the entrance area. Mount a sign that says "Welcome to the Los Angeles International Speedway!" Play theme music in the background.

Decorate in such a way so that one part of the scene represents racetrack (area for games and activities) and the other -- Radiator Springs (inside the house or near the party table).

Hang photos of race cars from the movie: Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks, and "The King" Strip Weathers. Cut out the Piston Cup shape and mount it nearby. Spread out helmets, toy cars, and other related items. Also include pictures of various race tracks.

Put up a map of Route 66 with Radiator springs shown. (Download the picture off the internet.) Using Google, search for images of Luigi's Casa Della Tires, Flo's V8 Cafe, Cozy Cone Motel, and so on. Then print and hang them up around the area.

Cover the table with checkered table cloth. Spread out the same things one would find in a small-town diner: ketchup, mustard, and relish bottles. Put up an old Coca-Cola sign. Serve drinks in classic soda glasses.

Guest Arrival and Introductory Activities

Welcome the guests to the Cars birthday party and tear the portion of their ticket.

*Guess How Many: Fill a glass jar with M&M's candy or gummy cars. As the guests enter the door, get them to guess how many are there in the jar. The person who guesses the closest to the actual amount gets the jar full of candy as a prize.

*Race Track Draw: As a variation to the previous activity, you can make sure that everyone gets a prize.

Then put a number on each of the "ticket" invitations before mailing them. Assign numbers to prizes randomly without knowing who would get each prize. (The prizes can be different but similar in monetary value.) As everyone has arrived, have a prize draw!

*Race Car Craft Kit: You can get this cool activity kit and get the kids to paint their cars any way they like.

Favors

For Disney Cars party favors, give out any racing related items: small race car models, toy helmets, Cars sticker sheets, blow outs, whistles, car launchers, and so forth.

Disney Cars Party Games

*Find Your Way Back to Route 66: In the movie, McQueen gets lost at night and ends up in Radiator Springs. Here is an activity that requires finding and using clues to locate a hidden map.

Before the party, print and hide a map of Route 66 in the yard. Create several clues for the kids to follow to find the map. (Have 2 versions of each clue.) For clues, you can use arrows and/or descriptions. For example, "Where do we keep party cake?" (Answer: fridge) or "Look for tallest tree in the yard", etc.

At game time, split the group into 2 teams and get them to find the map. Hint: the kids have to be very subtle when looking for the clues, so they don't tip off the other team. Be sure to help younger kids.

*Don't Wake the Tractor: Pick one player to be the Tractor. Have him lie down on a towel on the ground, pretending to be asleep. Place several toy cars around him. Other kids must approach the Tractor and quietly snatch one car without being caught.

If the Tractor wakes up and catches one of the players in the process of stealing cars, they would trade places, and the Tractor receives a prize!

*Escape from Frank: Print pictures (or write names on cards) of various characters from the show. Have a spacious area available for this activity, and draw the "finish" line on the ground on one side of the area.

At party time, shuffle cards and invite the kids to pick one. (They shouldn't tell others what card they've picked.) Get them to walk around the area opposite the finish line. When you call out "Watch out for Frank!", the person who picked Frank card must chase and try to catch others as they run towards the finish line where they're "safe."

*Hot Rod: Play a theme version of "Hot Potato" game.

*Red Light, Green Light: Draw start and finish lines on the ground a good distance apart. Pick one person to be the Sheriff. Other kids stand behind the starting line.

The game begins when the Sheriff yells "Green Light!" -- the kids must walk briskly towards the finish line. During this time the Sheriffs counts to five out loud and then yells "Red Light!" The players must freeze instantly. Whoever is still moving must return back to the line and start again.

The play continues in this manner until the first person crosses the finish line.

*What Car am I?: Play this game with boys who're familiar with different automakers.

Print pictures of various car models. At game time, tape pictures of cars on the kids' backs without them looking. Get them to find out what kind of car they're by asking others "yes" or "no" questions.

They can ask "Am I made in Germany?" or "Am I a race car?, and so on.

*Mater's Fun Relay: Divide the kids into 2 teams. Place 2 cones on the opposite side of the play area. Have the relay race between the teams. The relay participants must run backwards to the cones and back to the line. The team to finish first - wins!

As a variation, you can give a small mirror to each team (look for ones without sharp edges), and the kids must use it as they would a rear view mirror. At the end of each leg, the kids must pass the mirror to the next person in line.

*Pit Crew in Training: If possible, get one of your friends or family members to drive a sports or other exotic car to the party. He or she may show the kids around the car, and teach them how to change tires, check oil levels, wiper fluid, etc. Boys will be thrilled with this!

*Road Construction Race: Here is another relay activity you can use at the party.

Find some old newspapers, butcher, construction or any other kind of paper that you can recycle after the party. Measure 2 equal areas on the ground.

Split the children into 2 groups. Give them paper and tape. On the command "Go", get each group to work as team taping the paper to the ground, as if they're laying asphalt. The team to cover their area with paper first -- wins! (Check to see that the paper is taped nicely, and if it's not -- then the kids must start over!)

Food and Drink

Disney Cars Birthday Cake:

*Cars Cake: Bake a basic rectangular cake. Print a picture of Lightning McQueen car character off the internet. It should be large enough but still fit the cake.

Place the picture on the cake and carve around it to make a car shape. Then ice the cake using the picture as a guide.

As an alternative, you can bake the cake using Cars cake pan that you can get from a party store.

Cars Birthday Party Food Ideas:

*Lightning McQueen's Sandwiches: Prepare sandwiches with various fillings. Then cut them using car shaped cookie cutters.

*Pit Stop Snacks: Fill plastic bags with various snacks that "race car drivers" can grab and go: pretzels, nuts, dried cherries, bananas, M&Ms, and so on.

*Mater's Oil Sundaes: Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream in each child's bowl. Add a bit of chocolate syrup and sprinkle some nuts on top.

*Grilled "Lightyear" Tires: serve grilled burgers

*Doc Hudson's Hot dogs
*Luigi & Guido's Lasagna
*Fillmore's Organic Fruit Salad
*Red the Fire Truck's Siren-sicles: serve red colored popsicles

Cars Birthday Party Drink Ideas:

*Speedy Ice Cubes: Put small gummy car candy into ice trays. Fill with water and freeze. You'll have unique looking car ice cubes that you put in any drink you like.

*Flo's V8 Drink
*Lemonade

Disney Cars Birthday Party Ideas