| |
Monkey Birthday Party Ideas
Many kids love monkeys. If that's the case with your child, then having a monkey birthday party theme for his or her birthday makes a lot of sense. I suggest that you take a close look at the ideas below, and then choose the ones you like the most. Lets' get the party started with...
Resources:
Party Supplies Free Printable Invitations
Invitations
You can make your monkey party invitations yourself. Just draw (or print) pictures of the jungle on the front of the invitation cards. Add monkey stickers or pictures.
The wording of the invitations can start with "You're invited to (birthday child's name) __th Monkey Birthday Party! We'll eat some cake and celebrate until the sun goes down. We would like you to join us in monkeying around and having fun!" Then add the rest of your monkey birthday party details.
If your child is under the age of six, you can dress him or her into a monkey costume and then take a picture. Glue the picture prints on the front of the invitation cards.
Lastly, you can purchase birthday invitations that have a shape of a monkey. (They are available from card or party stores.) You can also make one by folding a piece of construction paper. Draw a monkey face close to the edge of the fold. Cut it out keeping the fold "untouched" and writing the monkey birthday party details inside the card.
Decorations
Best colors for monkey party decorations are jungle colors (green, tan, yellow, etc). Have tons of balloons and paper streamers in those colors around the yard and party area. Play "Tarzan" soundtrack or similar type music in the background.
Draw monkey pictures and cut them out to decorate the fence, trees, and the walls of your house. (You can also use monkey posters instead of drawing the pictures.) Cut out shapes of coconuts, bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruits. Place them on the driveway to lead your monkey birthday party guests to the front door.
Put some green paper streamers around the trees for the "jungle vines." Have a sign that says "Welcome Monkeys!" and stick it near the door.
You can make your own palm trees using the cardboard rolls from a fabric store. Cover them with brown felt strips and make palm tree leaves out of green felt. Place wire in the middle of a leaf, and then stick every one of them in a piece of foam that can be placed inside a cardboard roll.
Hang monkey party theme posters on the walls inside the house. Spread out as many stuffed monkeys (and other jungle animals) throughout the area as possible.
Cover the monkey birthday party table with a theme table cloth. You can use plastic coconuts and real tropical fruits as your party table centerpieces. Hang a personalized "Happy Birthday" monkey theme banner in the background.
Guest Arrival and Introductory Activities
*Transformation Station: Invite your monkey birthday party guests to a transformation station. Then turn them into monkeys by applying face paints, removable tattoos, and providing various other accessories.
*Jungle Mural: For this monkey party introductory activity, you'll need a wide sheet of butcher paper, paints, markers, crayons, stamps, etc.
Tape butcher paper on the lower portion of the wall so the kids can reach. Have picture samples of monkeys and other wild animals for the kids to get ideas from. Provide painting accessories and get the kids to paint their jungle mural while waiting for others to arrive.
*Sandy Candy: You can get "candy creation" kit from a party store. At activity time, have the kids create colorful candy concoctions that they can eat after dinner.
Favors
For your monkey birthday party favors, give out such items as bean bags, sticker sheets, coloring books, bubble-blowing solutions, crayons, and pinwheels.
Monkey Birthday Party Games
*Monkey in the Middle: You'll need a beach ball or tennis ball for this game. Have the kids form a big circle with one child standing in the middle.
The object of the game is for the kids to pass the ball around the circle without letting the monkey (in the middle) intercept it. If the monkey intercepts the ball, then the person who threw it becomes the next monkey.
*Best Monkey Contest: Give each child a chance to demonstrate his or her best monkey call. When all the children have had a turn, award prizes for the loudest, squeakiest, most real, funniest, etc. You can enlist parents, older siblings, or neighbors to be competition judges.
*What Animal am I?: Write the names of wild animals on strips of masking tape before the party, so each child will have one. (You can use animal stickers or draw pictures of animals instead.) At game time, attach a name to each kid's back, bud don't let them see it.
Children must figure out what animal is on their back by asking "yes" or "no" questions. Names of the wild animals to choose from include hippo, giraffe, bear, zebra, lion, penguin, etc.
*Monkey Tracking: Here is a chance for the kids to track monkeys and collect them. Before the party, draw and cut out monkey tracks from construction paper, using different colors for each guest. Next, hide the monkey toys or pictures. Then tape "monkey tracks" to the floor and furniture, leading in the direction of a matching monkey.
Space the tracks closer together for young children and farther apart for older kids. Give each player a bag, let everyone know which color to follow, and set them loose to find their monkeys.
*Animal Antics: For the first round of the game, sit the kids in a circle. Have each child draw a card that has the name or picture of an animal on it. The kids take turns making the sound of the animal while the other players try to guess what it is.
For the second round, reshuffle the cards and have the kids draw a new animal. Each child then walks or moves like the animal while everyone guesses what it is.
*Balloon Stomp: Blow up a balloon for each player and attach a string. Have players tie the balloons to their left ankles, leaving about a foot of string between the ankle and balloon.
On the word "Go!" have your monkey birthday party guests attempt to pop one another's balloons - without getting their own balloons popped! The last player with an intact balloon wins.
*Grab the Loot: Divide the kids equally into two teams of monkeys and have them stand the on opposite sides of the yard. Place a small prize - such as a candy bar or a pack of gum - in the middle of the yard between the two teams. Give the members of each team a number - one, two, three, and so on - then repeat the same numbers for the other team members.
When the referee calls a number, the two players with that number must run to the center of the field, try to grab the loot, and run back without being caught by the other player. Continually put out new pieces of loot and call new numbers. The team with the most loot at the end of the game wins.
*Monkey Knot: Invite your monkey birthday party guests stand in a circle, facing inward. Then ask everyone to extend right hands into the ring and hold onto someone else's hand. Next, ask them to do the same with their left hands.
The objective of the game is for everyone to untangle themselves by stepping over, ducking under people, or turning around. Whatever happens, kids can't let go of hands.
*Penny Toss: Place a number of empty containers of varying sizes - such as tuna can, a juice can, and so on - on a platform. Set the cans up in random order, assigning each one a point value based on difficulty. Give the players ten pennies and let the kids toss them into the cans. Award different prizes for different point totals.
*Monkey See Monkey Do: Gather the kids around and select one person to be "It". Have him leave the room, while you select "Leader" from a remaining group.
Turn on some party music, and get the Leader come up with dance moves while everybody else begins to follow the moves of the Leader. Then you invite the person who is "It", and get him to identify who the Leader in the group is. (Coach the Leader to change the moves while the It-person is not looking at the Leader. Ask the dancers to change their moves in-sync so it is harder to figure out who the leader is.)
For younger group of kids you can simply select "Monkey" and have all the other kids copy the dance moves. In this case, you can change the leader every 20-30 seconds.
Food and Drink Monkey Birthday Cake:
*Monkey Cake: Bake one round cake according to directions. Prepare two cupcakes and cut them in half vertically. Place cupcake half on each side of the round cake for monkey "ears."
Place another cupcake half in the center of the round cake for the "nose." Make white icing purple with purple food dye. Then ice the whole cake with it. Decorate eyes with icing or candies. Use extra edible decorations on the monkey's "face." Monkey Birthday Party Food Ideas:
*Monkey Sandwiches: Make whole wheat bread sandwiches and cut them into circle shapes with a cookie cutter. Use the extra bread pieces to create monkey ears. Use cream cheese or nut butter to "glue" raisins for eyes, nose, and mouth.
*Jungle Mix: For this monkey birthday party recipe, you'll need dried banana chips, nuts, grated or shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and other dried fruits and nuts of your choice.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Place portions of the snack into cups or small Ziploc bags for the kids to snack on between the games.
*Jungle on a Log: Cut celery into 5" lengths and fill them with cream cheese or peanut butter and a few raisins. Place animal crackers on top so they stand up.
*Monkey Meal: Peel banana and put it on a hotdog bun. Then spread peanut butter and add a bit of honey for a delicious meal.
*Monkey Pops: You'll need banana, PopsicleŽ sticks, plastic freezer bags, yogurt or warm chocolate sauce.
Peel bananas and cut them in half (across the middle). Push a Popsicle stick through the flat end, until it's inserted at least halfway through each banana. Place them in freezer bags until monkey birthday party time. Dip frozen banana pops into yogurt or chocolate sauce.
*Monkey Banana Boats: You'll need 1 banana per child, mini marshmallows, ice cream, chocolate chips, flag toothpicks, a baking pan and aluminum foil.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place unpeeled banana on a square of foil and slice open lengthwise. Fill wedge with marshmallows and chips.
Wrap in the foil, place in baking pan with others, and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from foil and place on plate. Top with a scoop of ice cream. Children can eat right out of the boat (peel).
*Fruit Salad
*Chips & Dip
*Popcorn Monkey Birthday Party Drink Ideas:
*Monkey Juice: For this monkey birthday party drink you'll need white grape juice (or lemon-lime soda) and food coloring (several colors).
Pour juice or soda into cups. Invite kids to pick food coloring and add 2 drops per cup, stir and sip away!
*Mango-Flavored Drinks
*Coconut Milk
Return from Monkey Birthday Party Ideas to Classic Themes
Back to Kids' Birthday Party Guide
Subscribe to Family Smiles
Privacy Policy | About Us| Contact Us
|
