Egyptian Party Theme - Pharaoh Birthday Party Ideas

If your child likes the idea of going back in time to an ancient world, then having an Egyptian party for him or her is a fabulous choice!

Here you'll find everything you need to know to throw a remarkable Egyptian theme party: from invitations to party food. Scroll down the page, and choose the ideas you enjoy the most.

Resources:

Invitations

One option for Egyptian party invites is to use papyrus-like scrolls. Get sheets of parchment paper. Stain them with tea bags, and tear the edges to make them look old. Next, write your party details. Finally, roll the invitations into scrolls, and tie them with gold colored string.

As a variation, you can take a picture of the birthday child wearing either a Cleopatra (for a girl) or Pharaoh (for a boy) costume. Print the copies of the picture on the front of white invitation cards.

Write: "It's an Egyptian Birthday Party!" on the front below the image. Then open the cards and write the remainder of the party information. Get your child to stick some theme stickers or stamps all around the invites.

Ask the guests to wear Egyptian theme costumes to the party.

Decorations

For your Egyptian party decorations, use as much of gold, tan, green, and red colors as you can. Play theme music in the background.

Create a couple of banners and put them near the entrance to mark your party spot. You can write "Cairo", "Pyramid Sightseeing", or "Nile This Way." Set up a tent in the backyard to represent a part of archeological camp. Kids can play here while they're waiting for the guests to arrive, or in between the activities.

Tie several bunches of golden balloons near the front door. Put up pictures of pyramids, old Egyptian cities and statues on the wall inside the house. Spread out any theme items that you can get your hands on: rubber snakes, toy camels, Mardi Gras style beads, canopic jars, and so on.

For a fun effect, cover the room walls and windows with brown paper (builder paper from Home Depot) as if the party scene is inside a pyramid. Write signs using Egyptian hieroglyph symbols. (Use Google search to find them on the internet.)

Cover the table with a sand colored tablecloth. Place a vase with chocolate gold coins for a centerpiece. Hang a personalized "Happy Birthday" banner in the area. Fill the empty space with paper streamers.

Guest Arrival and Introductory Activities

*Decorate Name Tags: Cut out name tag cards for all the guests before the party. Invite the kids to write their names in hieroglyph script. Tip: There are free sites on the internet that will make Egyptian hieroglyph stand for a letter from English alphabet. (Google for "online hieroglyphics translator" to find a website.)

Then the guests them decorate their name tags with personal drawings, stamps, and so on.

*Coloring Pages: For young kids, print theme coloring pages off the internet. Spread them out on the floor, and have the kids color them as they wait for other party goers.

*Pharaoh Shadow: For this activity, it would be ideal if you can get your hands on a theme costume: pharaoh, Cleopatra, snake charmer, and so forth.

One by one, invite guests to a private room where they put on the costume. Get them to stand in profile in front of a large sheet of poster paper mounted on the wall.

Shine light on them, and trace their outlines. Put children's names on the back of poster paper. When all the kids have been traced, gather them together to guess who's who.

Favors

Give out such cool Egyptian party favors as chocolate gold coins, T-shirts, paper masks, removable tattoos, theme stickers, magnifying lenses, crocodile "clappers", ancient-looking necklaces, candy and so on.

Egyptian Party Games

*Scarab Hunt: Before the party, hide plastic insects (scarabs) all around the scene. Give the guests paper bags, and get them to find as many "scarabs" as they can.

*Hot Snake: Play a theme version of Hot Potato game, where the kids have to pass a rubber snake.

*Nile River Stepping Stones: Roll out a long strip of blue material. Cut stone shapes out of sturdy paper. Place them on the blue material so you have a "stepping stone" path.

Have the kids jump from one stone to the next to avoid being eaten by crocodiles. This game is especially fun for younger children.

*Riddle of the Sphinx: Come up with riddles that the kids have to solve. Tip: I find www.riddles-online.com to be a very helpful resource for creating riddles.

*Archeological Dig: Fill a kiddie pool with sand. Place some fake jewels in the sand. Give out toy shovels and invite the children to dig for and collect as many jewels as they can in 30 seconds. Help out youngsters in the group.

*Mummy Wrap:

*Musical Chairs: Have the kids play this classic game, but instead of sitting on the chairs they have to sit on the floor.

*Walk Like an Egyptian Relay Race: Split the group into 2 teams, and have them race around the area balancing a book on their heads. Play "Walk Like an Egyptian" song by the Bangles.

*Watch the Show: At the end of the party, plug in a copy of Mummy movie into a DVD player, and allow the kids to watch a quick episode from the show.

Food and Drink

Egyptian Birthday Cake:

*Pyramid Cake: Combine a pound and yellow cake mixes together. Using the mixture, bake two 8x8 cakes. Let them cool. Freeze the cakes for 1 night, and then stack one on top of the other.

Carve the new cake into a pyramid shape. Then frost the cake, and decorate its base with various decorative items related to the theme: candles (for torches), Egyptian figurines, snakes, and so on.

Egyptian Party Food Ideas:

*Eish Masri (pita bread) with various fillings

*Dukkah Fruit Mix: fill Ziploc bags with various nuts and dried fruit. The kids can munch on these between the activities.

*Shish Kebab (lamb, tomato, bell pepper, onion skewed on a skewer)

*Kushari (mixture of lentils, rice and macaroni)
*Pyramid Shaped Jell-O Jigglers
*Falafel Balls
*Pizza
*Hot Dogs
*Popcorn
*Ice Cream

Egyptian Party Theme Ideas